| Title | : | The Last Watch (Watch, #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401309275 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401309275 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 370 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2006 |
The Last Watch (Watch, #4) Reviews
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„There are far more reasons for death than there are for life.”
After a bit bleak third book, Watch is back on top. It may not be better than Night Watch, but it's definitely my favourite book in the series. The saga is still one big festival of misogyny, but at least it's extraordinary written, and I genuinely enjoy the humour. People should have an open mind, while reading this, because sometimes it aims for reaction.
The novel opens with a murder in Edinburgh where the victim’s blood was drained. Anton once again investigates the crime scene. What he finds is evidence that the mythical Merlin had left something in Edinburgh for safekeeping. He and Svetlana have been married and have a powerful Other for a daughter, who is destined to be an 0 Level, the most powerful Other since Merlin's era. That means Gessar and Zabulon are once again using Anton as a pawn, but at least he knows it and accepts it as a part of the job.
Act Two has Anton trying to determine the actual effects of the Crown of All things with a visit to Uzbekistan. He is sent out to find one of the greatest Others who had ever lived. Almost a legend among Others, Rustam is probably the only one who can come even close to figuring out what Merlin hid, and why. In the meantime, Anton discovers clues to the identities of those behind the murder in Edinburgh. I also enjoyed seeing the cultural differences within the Watches. It was so amusing seeing Anton being confused and a bit irritated. After all the manipulating and power struggles we’ve seen in Moscow, it was fun to actually see a place where the Night Watch and the Day Watch share a building because it's cheaper.
In the third story, murderers from Edinburgh make their way to Crown of All Things and Anton is dragged along for the ride. By now, there has been several plot twists and another one I particularly like is Anton's point of view towards the mentioned murderers. Anton's inner thoughts are compelling as ever.
„Loneliness, dejection, the contempt or pity of people around you – these are unpleasant feelings. But they are precisely the things that produce genuine Dark Ones.“
In the third story, better than ever is showed the thin line between Light Ones and Dark Ones. It's easy to judge the Day Watch, but when the Night Watch is put in difficult position, judgement becomes clouded and not everything is as black and white as it seems. It's not even gray. Honestly, I can't explain it.
The stakes are higher than ever, especially with alliances formed from the most unlikely combinations. Lukyanenko maintains his tension and philosophical exploration while reminding us that good and evil are rarely the simple constructs we assume them to be. The strength of The Watch has always been in its ambiguity and the protagonist who is as far from Gary-Stu as possible.
The plot is fast paced, the characters are well developed, overall the story is more fun and exciting than ever. Unlike the other books in the series, the three acts of this book focus very clearly around one story. It is in the third act where all plot lines finally come together and the reader is able to understand what every single detail was important.
It's so hard to judge Last Watch's intentions. They are doing what they believe is right and even Anton is able to understand their motives at one point. This is a well-built magical system and society so it's not at all difficult to fall in love with the story. The plot is exciting and the characters are easy to root for.
Every book in the series can be read as a stand-alone. Each book has its own purpose and it seems as the author has plenty of stories to tell. The ambiguity of good and evil has higher stakes than ever. One character, in particular, is an interesting study in the fine line between the Light and the Dark. The motivations are far more personal. At the beginning of the series, it was clear one side was good and the other was evil. In the middle, it became a question of priorities - one side thought society was more important than the individual, and the other that the individual should be more important than society. Finally, in the end, it's clear that everyone tries to find the right solution to the everlasting dilemmas.
“After all, inside every woman, no matter how grown up she is, there is still a frightened little girl.”
This would've been touching if the whole book wasn't full of misogyny.
Anton is still an idealist, but in time he gained enough common sense to balance his responsibility both to his duty and his morals. Now, he's wiser, more vicious and perceptive. His emotions don't control him like they used to, there are more rational decisions involved.
“Forgiving was the hardest thing. Sometimes forgiving was the hardest thing in the whole world.”
More than anything, Anton tries to do justice.
“That’s the hardest thing of all – never to become cynical, never to lose faith, never to become indifferent.”
The biggest struggle Anton has in this book is fighting the indifference towards humans. He finds it harder and harder to feel empathy for them and sometimes to find reason for protecting their lives. Despite all of it, he still doesn't question his loyalty to Light. -
I still enjoy Lukyanenko's watch series quite a bit.
The writing style, the view on things and the description of people's life style differ from similar fantasy books from Western countries. I appreciate that a lot and find besides my joy in reading fantasy also a lot of emjoyment in reading about very different life styles/cultures.
In this book Anton is sent to Edinburgh to investigate in the case of the murder of a Russian citizen, becaus the murderer apparently was a vampire. Starting from here a much larger tale evolves.
I read the book in two sittings, because I really wanted to know how things would develop.
I do recommend this series for fans of urban fantasy, who would like something a little bit different. -
This review is acceptable to the forces of Light. - The Night Watch
This review is acceptable to the forces of Darkness. - The Day Watch
When I finished The Twilight Watch a couple of years ago, I thought that was it. Night, Day, Twilight, done. But when I announced that I would be doing the Night Watch trilogy as my end-of-month podcast, I got several emails from listeners who were quick to correct me. The series is not a trilogy, they said, but rather a tetralogy (okay, no one actually used this term). There is a fourth book out there, and I had no idea it existed!
Thanks to modern technology, I was able to get the final (as far as I know) book, The Last Watch on my Kindle and get myself up to speed.
Much like the previous volumes, this one is divided into three novellas, which all tie together into a greater plot. In the first, we are once again introduced to Anton Gorodetsky, an agent of the Moscow Night Watch. Due to the event s of the last book, Anton is now a Higher Other, having been elevated by the use of the fuaran a mystical book that can create or raise Others. His abilities are far beyond most, and that makes his responsibilities that much greater.
He is assigned by his boss, Gesar, to investigate a mysterious killing in Edinburgh, Scotland. A young man, the son of a Russian magnate, has been murdered, and it looks for all the world like a vampire – a Dark Other – has done the deed. The pact between the Dark and the Light expressly forbids such actions, and the violation of treaty could lead to terrible consequences for all.
Problem is, the Day Watch has no idea who or what killed the young man, and they're just as hot to find the killer as Anton is. And of course, the clues don't add up. The method of the murder doesn't fit the M.O. of your standard vampire, and the place where the murder occurred – a horror funhouse in the middle of the city – has its own mysterious properties as well. Anton knows he's on the right track, though, when someone tries to kill him, and he ends up fighting his way through the Twilight to get his answers. What he finds, however, is evidence that the mythical Merlin had left something in Edinburgh for safekeeping. Something truly terrible, no matter whose hands it fell into.
In the second story, Anton is sent out to Uzbekistan to find one of the greatest Others who had ever lived, a man by the name of Rustam. Almost a legend among Others, Rustam is probably the only one who can come even close to figuring out what Merlin hid, and why. But he won't be easy to find. Anton not only has to deal with the Watches of Samarkand – which are far less efficient and well-staffed as others in Europe – but there's still someone out to kill him. This time, though, they're using ensorcelled humans to do the job, something that is also expressly forbidden.
It soon becomes clear that there is a small conspiracy of very powerful Others – one Dark, one Light, and an Inquisitor, who serves neither – who are trying to recover the artifact that Merlin left behind. Their reasons are unknown, but they're willing to destroy anyone who poses a threat to them. Including, of course, Anton.
It is in the third story where the whole plan finally comes together. That three-person conspiracy is determined to get their hands on Merlin's power, to collapse the Twilight and fundamentally change the world. If they have to kidnap Anton and threaten Moscow with a nuclear warhead to do it, then so be it. Their ends are, in their minds, wholly justified. It is up to Anton and his allies to avert this tragedy and see to it that the power they seek is never wielded by anyone ever again.
As with the other books, the great supernatural action hides a greater exploration of the fundamental differences between right and wrong, good and evil. As terrible as the Last Watch are, they are doing what they believe to be right, and even Anton can come to understand their motives at one point. But they way they go about it, through dark magic and darker murder, doesn't nearly justify their aim. And so we see that evil done in the pursuit of good merely produces more evil.
Depending, of course, on how you define "evil."
What's more, there's quite a bit of metafiction in this book. It's clear that Lukyanenko is a fan of fantasy – he references Tolkien and Pratchett, just to name a couple of great authors. But he also knows the tropes of fantasy that have survived for so long, and makes sure his characters know them as well. When words are written on the walls, when people go in search of a great object of power or an unwinnable quest, chances are that one of the characters has read something like it in a fantasy book.
At one point, when talking about how there are Others who would like to rule the world, the Inquisitor Edgar notes that it's what people really want. It's why fantasy is so much more popular than science fiction, he claims, because everyone dreams of being the magician or wielding the magic sword. It all makes sense, in a way that science fiction doesn't. Anton, of course, doesn't buy this, noting that most people who live in a Medieval Thaumocracy would be just like the peasants of long ago – poor, dirty, and dead by forty. So even in a world where magic is very real and very important, the characters know the difference between fantasy and reality in a way that we can relate to. I just find that fascinating.
It's good fun, and a nice way to close out a very imaginative series. It's exciting and heartbreaking and funny – with a nice hat-tip to the Night Watch movie thrown in near the beginning. What's more, it's a well-built magical system and society that allows for a great variety of stories and characters. Honestly, I would love to see Lukyanenko expand on this universe, or even open it up for others to play in.
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"There is very much in the world that is bad. But usually the attempt to defeat evil engenders more evil. I advise you to do good; that is the only way to win the victory!"
- Rustam, The Last Watch
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Öncelikle, sayfa sayısı olarak serinin en kısasıydı: 408 sayfa. O nedenle "biraz daha!" diyerek bitirdim kitabı. Diğer kitaplara göre erken ayrıldık. Tadı damağımda kaldı.
Şimdi,
1. kitapta Aydınlık'ı gördük. 2. kitapta Karanlık'ı gördük. 3. kitapta (o efsane kitap) Alacakaranlık'ın ve Diğer olmanın gerçek özünü gördük. 4 bize ne anlatacaktı peki? Eh, Aydınlık ve Karanlık'ın, Gece ile Gündüz Nöbeti'nin amaçlarının aynı olduğu bir kitap bu.
Kitap 3 öyküden oluşuyor. Her öykünün adının başında bir "Ortak..." geçiyor. Olaylar fena karışmış durumda ve mutlulukla söyleyebilirim ki, ters köşe etmekte yine çok başarılı.
Şimdi gelelim beni üzen kısma.
Arkadaşlar, Yerdeniz Serisi'nin "tamamını" okuduysanız bu eserin sonunun hiç de özgün olmadığını göreceksiniz. Son Nöbet'te Harry Potter, Yüzüklerin Efendisi ve Yerdeniz ismen anılıyor. O nedenle Lukyanenko'nun tesadüf eseri Le Guin ile aynı şeyi yaptığını düşünmüyorum. Ama Le Guin'in Yerdeniz boyunca beni en şoke eden, en hayran bırakan etmenini Lukyanenko onun kadar başarılı olmayan bir biçimde Son Nöbet'in sonunda uygulamış. Doğrudan doğruya aynı fikri almış. Esinlenme falan değil bu.
Açıkça söyleyebilirim ki, bu fikri uygulamada Lukyanenko Le Guin'nden epey bir geride kalmış. Ama siz Yerdeniz'i hiç okumadıysanız ya da tüm kitaplarını bitirmediyseniz bu son sizi tatmin edebilir. Yine de içim kan ağlayarak tekrar ediyorum, bu benim zayıf bulduğum ve yazarın orijinal bir fikri olmayan bir sondu.
Gelelim işin garip kısmına.
Normalde seri Son Nöbet ile bitiyor ve tam 8 sene sonra yazar seriye devam ediyor ya hani, Son Nöbet'in bitişi bir nihai son değil. Hani devam edilse edilir bir son. Öyle de olmuş (ne mutlu!)
Son Nöbet, okuduğum için çok mutlu olduğum bir kitap oldu. Nihayet okudum. Her kitabında olduğu gibi yine biter bitmez akşamında kitapla ilgili rüyamı da gördüm. İçim rahat Smiley Ama Alacakaranlık Nöbeti bir çıt bu kitaptan daha iyiydi. Son Nöbet kötü demek değil bu kesinlikle. Seriyi kendi içinde kıyaslıyorum sadece.
O zaman ne diyoruz?
5. kitap Yeni Nöbet ne zaman geliyor? Evet? Efendim? Pegasus? Dur, kaçma! Sana diyorum Pegasus, Alacakaranlık'ı terk et, tutuklusun! -
Определено НАЙ-ДОБРИЯ патрул♥️
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Bundan üç yıl kadar önce, bu serinin ilk kitabı olan "Gece Nöbeti" için kaleme aldığım inceleme yazısında şöyle bir giriş yapmıştım: “Bu Rusların nasıl bir kafa yapısı var arkadaş? Adamların doğaüstü şeylere kafası çok feci basıyor. Atmosferinden tutun ince detaylarına kadar her şeyi o kadar iyi dokuyorlar ki kıskanmamak elde değil!”
Ve ne mutlu ki 3 yıl sonra da olsa, Son Nöbet’i okuyup bitirdiğimde bu seriyi neden bu kadar çok sevdiğimi, neden ilk kitap için girişteki paragrafı kurduğumu çok iyi anladım. Çünkü Rus yazar Sergey Lukyanenko yine başarmış ve kurduğu muazzam evreni bir adım daha öteye taşıyarak muazzam bir macera daha sunmuş bizlere.
Kitap daha ilk sayfasından alışılmadık bir biçimde selamlıyor bizleri. Hemen hikâyenin başında, genelde “Bu metin Aydınlık’ın/Karanlık’ın güçleri için sakıncalıdır” benzeri bir ibarenin bulunduğu yerde bu kez bizleri “Bu metin Aydınlık’ın/Karanlık’ın güçleri için makbuldür” yazısı karşılıyor ve değişimin habercisi oluyor âdeta.
Değişim deyince endişelenmeyin sakın. Hem pek sevgili kahramanımız Anton Gorodetski hem de diğer karakterler yerli yerinde duruyor. Gesar, Svetlana, Semyon, hatta Karanlık Büyücü Zavulon bile… Alacakaranlık da öyle elbette. Farklı olan şeyse bu kez her iki nöbetin de ortak bir düşmanla savaşmak zorunda kalması.
Önceki kitaplarda Aydınlık ve Karanlık varlıkların birbirlerine üstünlük kurma çabalarına, Gesar ile Zavulon’un satrancı andıran akıl oyunlarına ve ortada kalan Anton’un işin iç yüzünü kavramaya çalışmasına şahit olurduk hep. Ama bu sefer Gesar ile Zavulon’un planları dışında olan bir şeyler iş başında. İskoçya’nın Edinburgh şehrinde genç bir üniversite öğrencisi bir vampirin kurbanı oluyor. Çocuğun babası Gesar’ı tanıyan ve vakti zamanında Gece Nöbeti’ne yardımcı olan dönüştürülmemiş bir Diğer. O nedenle Gesar bu cinayeti çözmesi için Anton’u oraya yolluyor. Bilmediği şeyse çocuğun babasının aslında Gündüz Nöbeti’ne de yardım ettiği… Yani Zavulon da kendisini adama borçlu hissediyor ve Anton’un görevini destekliyor, hatta yardım talep ediyor. Böylelikle bahtsız kahramanımız omuzlarında her iki Nöbet’in de sorumluluğunu taşıyarak soluğu İskoçya’da alıyor. Fakat olayların hiç de görüldüğü gibi olmadığı anlaşılıyor… doğal olarak! Yoksa bu bir Lukyanenko kitabı olmazdı, değil mi?
Anton araştırmasını sürdürdükçe her iki Nöbet’in birden yüzleşmesi gereken, ortak ve gizemli bir düşmanın varlığından haberdar oluyor. Kitabın büyük bir bölümü de daha öncekilerin aksine entrikaları değil de bu gizemi çözmek üzerine kurulu zaten. Ama bunu kötü bir şey olarak söylemiyorum; bence güzel bir değişiklik olmuş. Ki zaten Lukyanenko da her kitabında çıtayı biraz daha yükseltmesi ve yeni temalara el atmasıyla ünlü. Böylece aynı şeyleri temcit pilavı gibi önümüze sürmemiş oluyor hem.
Son Nöbet toplamda yine üç ana hikâyeden oluşsa da önceki kitaplardan farklı olarak her birinde ayrı bir öykü değil, aynı olayın devamı anlatılıyor. Özellikle ikinci öykü tam bir geçiş hikâyesi tadında ve tam manasıyla bir sonuca bağlanmıyor. Buna rağmen bu bölümde anlatılan Özbekistan nöbetini, Efendi lakaplı karakteri ve Rüstem’i cidden beğendim. Bu bölümde ayrıca Gesar’ın aslında bizim kültürümüzden, Gezer Bey Destanı’ndan geldiğini öğrenmenin şaşkınlığını, mutluluğunu ve karakteri tanımamanın utancını da yaşıyor insan.
Lukyanenko sadece bu destanla da kalmıyor ve Kral Arthur ile Merlin efsanesini de Nöbet Serisi’ne dâhil ediyor. Başlangıçta bundan biraz rahatsız oldum aslında, çünkü çok kullanılan bir tema bu. Ama yazarımız bunun üstesinden gelmeyi ve o karakterleri bu evrenin bir parçası olarak göstermeyi başarmış. Ek olarak popüler kültür göndermelerine de yer vererek sanki Anton ve arkadaşları gerçekten de bizim dünyamızda yaşıyormuş gibi bir izlenim oluşturmuş.
Eğer Nöbet Serisi’nin önceki kitaplarını sevdiyseniz bunu da beğenmemeniz için hiçbir sebep yok. Alın, okuyun; pişman olmayacaksınız. Darısı beşinci kitap “Yeni Nöbet”in başına…
- M. İhsan TATARİ
İncelemenin tamamı için:
http://kayiprihtim.com/inceleme/son-n... -
Kitabı genel olarak beğendim ama serinin final kitabının finali olarak biraz sönük kalmış. Devamı gelebilecek bir şekilde bırakılmış, yazarın tercihi sanırım daha sonra zaten 5. kitap da çıkmış. Daha vurucu bir şekilde bitebilirdi sanki.
Nöbet serisinden alışkın olduğumuz iyi/kötü arasında bir yerde, grilikler içinde dolaşmaya devam ediyoruz. Önceki kitaplarda aslında iyi ve kötünün sorgulanması, farkları ve ortak noktaları daha detaylı işleniyordu. Eski kitapların üçer bölümünün her birinde böyle felsefi sorgulamalara daha fazla giriliyordu. Bu kitapta olay biraz şekil değiştirip tüm büyücüler dünyasını etkileyen daha genel bir tehdide karşı savaşmaya, bir arayışa* dönüşmüş, iyi/kötü felsefeli olayları biraz arka plana itilmiş. Bu durumdan rahatsız değilim, sadece belirtiyorum.
Kitabın ilk bölümünde büyük bir gizem var, tüm büyücülük dünyasını ilgilendirecek kadar büyük. Hem gece hem de gündüz nöbetinin liderleri durumun araştırılmasını istiyorlar bu nedenle. Herkes birbirinden şüphelenip kimin elinin kimin cebinde olduğunun zor anlaşıldığı ilk kısım benim kitaptaki favori kısmım oldu. Zaten ilk bölümün sonlarında da kitabın tüm bölümlere yayılacak ana konusu belli oluyor.
İkinci kısım biraz filler gibi geldi, bölüm boyunca çok fazla şey yaşanmıyor. Olan şeyler de son sayfalarda olup bitiyor. Belki de bu kitabı üç ayrı bölüm değil de tek bir kitap olarak düşünmek lazım. Son Nöbet'in anlattığı şey, üç farklı olay ve bunların en sonda birbirine bağlanması değil eski kitapların aksine. Tek bir olay var ve bununla alakalı farklı şeyler yaşanıyor gibi düşünmek daha doğru olur.
Üçüncü kısım da ortaya çıkan şeylerin birbirine iyice bağlandığı, çoğu soruya cevap verildiği ve asıl gizemin çözüldüğü bölüm. Bu bölümde ciuv ciuv büyülü savaşlardan çok bulmaca çözmeye çalışıyorlar aslında, bir zeka savaşı var. Başta söylediğim gibi sonu biraz daha şekilli, değişik bir şey olabilirdi. Biraz sönük buldum. Devamı gelecekse çok önemli değil ama tüm serinin finali bu olacak derseniz yeterli gelmiyor bence.
Bir de güncel popüler fantastik eserlere, filmlere falan baya çok gönderme var bu kitapta. Sanırım Rus yazarımız kitabın artık tüm dünyada meşhur olduğunu düşünüp içine böyle şeyler eklemiş :D Hoş olmuş, çok sırıtmıyor bunlar. Belki de Rusya'nın Batı kültüründen yavaş yavaş etkilenmesi sonucu böyle şeyler kitaplara girmeye başlamıştır o dönemde, bilemiyorum.
Genel olarak başarılı bir kitap, 8/10 diyorum. Nöbet serilerini okuyanlar tabii ki alıp okusun, işiniz ne. İyi ve kötünün keskin sınırlarla ayrıldığı fantastik şeylerden sıkılanları, şehir fantastiğiyle ilgilenenleri ve fantastik içinde felsefeli bazı düşünceler okumayı sevenleri -sığ şeyler değil, Lukyanenko iyi işliyor bu konuyu. Çok sığ olanları ben de sevmiyorum- serinin ilk kitabı Gece Nöbeti'ni okumaya davet ediyorum. Ayrıca Gece Nöbeti Rus Harry Potter'ı falan değil, tanıtımlara bakıp bu yanılgıya düşmeyin. Tek ortak noktaları içinde büyücüler olması, yoksa çok ayrı kategorilerde bu iki seri. -
I am an utter, unapologetic Anton fangirl. I will not deny it. And when I finally managed to find a copy of The Last Watch at Borders, I did not hold back my squeal of joy.
Though not as good as the first three, this remains one of my favorite fantasy series. At times the writing seemed lazy, the humor was a little more base than what I had come to expect, and certain parts were more self-aware (of the popularity of the books/movies, at times a not-so-subtle *nudgewink* to the reader without any of the sly wit that should accompany it), but overall, still a damn fine addition to the Night Watch series. (Funny fact: instead of typing "addition" just there, I first typed "addiction" on accident. Fitting, though. These books have become my crack.) Overall very entertaining, and though I missed the main setting being Moscow, Last Watch was thoroughly enjoyable and maintained all the suspense that made the previous three such page-turners. -
While it is very nice to be re-united with Anton and the other Night Watch characters, Last Watch is a somewhat weak link in the series. The story is not uninteresting, but hardly compelling. The novel manages to hold the reader's attention, but achieves little more.
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The russians definitely do not think the same way we do - it's interesting to see how much culture can influence basic beliefs, and how much basic beliefs will resist cultural influences.
The 4th of 4 books in a series exploring a war between - not good and evil. The dark and the light, or the yin and the yang. In the beginning of the series, it was clear one side was good and the other was evil. In the middle, it became a question of priorities - one side thought society was more important than the individual, and one that the individual should be more important than society as a whole. Finally, in the end it all came down to the same thing - everyone tried to find the right answer.
I'm going to miss my time with the Day Watch and the Night Watch of Moscow. It's possible that there will be more later, but, I suspect that they will be set a decade or more after these 4 stories (which collectively happened over a relatively short timeframe). As a result, I'm going to move this entry in my spreadsheet over to the series completed tab, and raise a shot of vodka in its honor when I next get the chance. -
I love the Night Watch series by Lukyanenko. He has such a wonderfully Russian (by way of Kazakhstan) view point, where good and evil really do not look very different but are all shades of grey. All 4 books in this series grabbed me from page 1 and did not let go. The Last Watch was no exception. At first I was annoyed at some of the Anglo/Celtic themes in this 4th installment, but they were handled very well and did not become cheesy. I highly recommend this whole series. Read them in order (Night Watch, Day Watch, Twighlight Watch, and Last Watch)
My only complaint is that more of Lukyanenko's books were not translated into English. Where are the other 21 titles? I say this to the translator Andrew Bromfield, "You have some work to do! Go out there and translate us some more works by Sergei Lukyanenko." -
Пиенето на евтина водка менте и пътуването в мръсни претъпкани влакове изглежда е нещо, което само ние правим, защото за Сергей Лукяненко казват, че само славяните разбират истински творчеството му.
Сред хората живеят Тъмни и Светли - магове, вампири и върколаци, които отдавна са се отказали да воюват помежду си. Между тях е сключен Договор, а Патрулите следят зорко за нарушаването му.
Това не е фентъзи поредица. Това е размисъл върху вечната борба между доброто и злото и къде е границата между тях, защото никой не е напълно Светъл, нито напълно Тъмен. -
Not as much to my liking as the earlier books in the series--this lacked the deep intrigue and scheming between the Light and Dark (or perhaps as much between Gesar and Zabulon as individuals) that made the earlier novels such fun. Still, a good read, and hopefully NOT the last of the Watches--there are still stories to be told, and I'd love to see what comes of little Nadya, and to find out why Zabulon seems to take such a personal interest in Anton...
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This very foreign fantasy novel is only for true fans of the series. The arrogance of the protagonist has grown intolerable. Even as the watches face common threats, he has nothing but condescension and criticism for almost everyone. Nevertheless, the end to the third story is sufficiently insightful to make the book worth reading.
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* Konu klasik uygulama da yer yer sırıtmalar var. Bir önceki kitapta Rusya dışında da yazabileceğini göstermişti. Bir de Türki ülkelere el atmasının yanı sıra sayısız defa bir öykünün içine yedirilen etkenlerinden biri olan Merlin ve Kral Arthur'u da hikayesine eklemişti.
** Fakat genel serinin kalitesinde bir kitap olmuş. Lukyanenko çizgisini bozmadan yazmayı başarabiliyor. Diğer kitabı bekleyelim bakalım. -
This book is a late follow up to the "Watch" trilogy and if you haven't read those books you might want to skip this review, because I'm going to refer to it and hence there will be spoilers.
The Last Watch picks up on Moscow's Nightwatch several years after the closing events of The Twilight Watch. It's a new millenium, Anton Gorodetsky, principle protagonist of the trilogy, is using an mp3 player on his mobile phone instead of a mini-disc player, his stupendously magically talented daughter is no longer a baby and can get into even more trouble than the average toddler but apart from that, not a lot has changed; the equilibrium is being upheld, Geser and Zabulon are scheming, humans are oblivious.
Then Gorodetsky is sent to Scotland on a mission that is too routine to require intervention from a Higher Magician from the Russian Nightwatch - so it can't be routine, really, can it? No - it's deadly and shrouded in mystery...here we go again!
So what is the fourth outing like? It's just as intriguing and gripping and fast paced and full of weird action and incident as the previous three but it isn't as good as the best of Anton's previous adventures. Why not? I hear you cry!
1. Because Anton has been through his crisis; in the earlier books Gorodetsky was terribly uncertain about the morality of his actions and his superiors' actions and of the whole Treaty that binds the Light and the Dark to a truce for the benefit of normal humans who would be caught in the grotesquely destructive magical cross-fire if open warfare prevailed. He started as a piece in the games Geser and Zabulon played and knowing it - but not the stakes or even the rules most of the time. Now he's understood it all, come to terms with it and made his decision, regarding his loyalties, long term. So a key aspect of Anton's first person voice has disappeared almost entirely. He rarely asks moral questions in this book, which is a shame - it's what I liked best about him; the few times he does, this book is at it's best. He is also now an experienced field agent and a Higher Magician - this means he is much more confident, not only in a fight but in the investigative and intellectual challenges the mystery presents him with. This is of course a natural progression but again makes Anton slightly less interesting than he was.
2. Scotland isn't Russia. For me a great deal of the appeal of the Watch Trilogy was it's modern Russian setting which was unfamiliar and therefore interesting, especially coming from a Russian. This of course disappears when the protagonist goes to places that are fairly familiar to me. The middle section of the book, which takes place in central Asia (and also contains Anton's moral soul-searching episode) is by far the stand-out segment of the book.
3. Familiarity. The world Lukyanenko created and it's ramifications were fairly thoroughly explored in the preceding three volumes - leaving little new to excite the imagination (which is a high proportion of the fun of fantasy and SF literature). The author does find one thing to more fully explore, however and the book's plot centres on it. Unfortunately, Lukyanenko's techniques for disguising things are also a bit familiar by now and I was able to figure out some of the mysteries of the plot far too early. Somehow the final revelation of the one unexplained mystery haning over from the original trilogy largely underwhelmed, too.
That's the bad news, but let me re-iterate that this is a fast, fun book and people who read the ealier books should like it - just don't expect it to be as good as the previous ones.
I think that Lukyanenko should leave the Watches to mind their own business now, unless he can come up with an exceptional plot and a different primary protagonist. Also, he should agitate to get some of his other books translated into English, 'cos I want to read 'em! -
Klappentext
Nach den Bestsellern „Wächter der Nacht“, „Wächter des Tages“ und „Wächter des Zwielichts“ nun der Höhepunkt in Sergej Lukianenkos einzigartiger Mystery-Saga um die sogenannten „Anderen“ – Vampire, Hexen, Magier, Gestaltwandler –, die seit ewigen Zeiten unerkannt in unserer Mitte leben.
Längst ist der Friede zwischen den Mächten des Lichts und den Mächten der Dunkelheit zusammengebrochen, und auf Moskaus Straßen tobt eine unerbittliche Schlacht. Da taucht eine rätselhafte Kraft auf, die das Schicksal der Welt für immer entscheiden wird ...
Meine Meinung
Das Buch ist wieder in drei Geschichten unterteilt, die nach dem letzten Buch spielen. Diesmal hängen aber alle drei Geschichten deutlich stärker zusammen und entführt den Protagonisten Anton Gorodeszki diesmal ins Ausland. Mittlerweile ein großer Anderer muss Anton mit seinen neuen Kräften klar kommen, die sich nun anders verhalten als der Vorgänger. Er ist mutig, klug, entschlossen. Er ist immer noch ein Wächter der Nacht, aber mittlerweile hat er sich selbst und sein Denken verändert, was man deutlich zu den vorherigen Büchern merkt. Interessant fand ich es, dass die Reise nach Schottland und nach Usbekistan geht und auch die Menschen eine größere Rolle spielen, die ja normalerweise eher weniger mit Anderen zu tun haben. Zudem spielt auch Merlin und ein Artefakt "Der Kranz der Schöpfung" eine größere Rolle, was super interessant war. Auch taucht man noch tiefer in die Welt der Anderen ein. Man merkt spürbar, dass der Autor und auch Anton als Protagonist sich weiterentwickelt haben und es gibt einige überraschende Wendungen und Entwicklungen. Der Schreibstil ist angenehm und flüssig zu lesen, auch wenn einige interessante, moralische Diskussionen auch diesmal nicht fehlen.
Bewertung
Eine gelungene Fortsetzung, die mir besser gefallen hat als die Vorgänger und mich wirklich richtig gut unterhalten konnte, daher gibt es verdiente
5 von 5 Würmchen -
The Watch series started off with a wimp, base level wizard and expanded to depths and lengths that IMHO no one could anticipate. I can't say much more without revealing too much. The reason I'm bringing this up however is because the fourth book only had one way to go. It had to push the envelop further. And it does.
Some of the other reviewers said that the book feels less polished than the previous ones. I don't know if I agree with that. I still feel the good vs evil war, excessively so as a matter of fact, the moral predicaments are still there, even more characters are brought in the story, mysteries that were left hanging in the previous books get plausible answers...
No, I believe this is a book in the right direction. But it does have some problems.
First of all, I don't understand how the same translator changes the name of a character from the previous books. What happened there?
In any case, my one major gripe about this book is (you may want to skip reading this) the very last sentence. I don't know what it reads like in Russian but the sentence I read in English was such a let down that I simply couldn't believe that after three progressively amazing book endings, the last book ends like this. It feels like a bad movie trying to hint at a possible sequel. Lukyanenko certainly had NO reason to go that way.
Other than that, I had no major issues with the last part of the Watch mythos. The plot thickens, new & revisiting powerful characters are thrown in, the planet is the playground (as opposed to a Russia-centric scenery) and everything works. Sometimes it may feel a bit rushed but, Lukyanenko's writing is up there with the best of the kind and even his less polished work simply shines.
All but the very last sentence. If I could be so blunt, I'd say it's a disgrace for a writer of Lukyanenko's calibre. -
Unlike the other books in the series, the three acts of this book all focus very clearly around a singular story. This may have been a choice by the other to reflect Anton's newfound awareness after the events of Twilight Watch.
In Act one Anton is on loan to the Edinburgh Nightwatch to pursue the murderer of a young man whose father is well connected. The story becomes complicated when mortals armed with magical weaponry attack Anton and his allies, and it becomes apparent that the site of the murder is the resting place of Merlin's last greatest spell, the Crown of All things.
Act Two has Anton trying to determine the actual effects of the Crown of All things with a visit to the hinterlands of Uzbekistan. He does not find out what the Crown does, but instead discovers clues to the identities of those behind the murder in Edinburgh.
Act Three is mostly denouement, with the hidden conspirators making their grab for the Crown of All Things, and Anton dragged along for the ride. A decent ending to the story, but perhaps not as clever as previous books.
In some ways this book was the tightest of the series, as the plot clearly rotates around a singular event from the beginning. However, it is also the most seemingly simplistic plot, perhaps because it is harder to hide information from Anton (though the Nightwatch seems to be staffed by unimaginative fools). The ending is somewhat less satisfying than in other books. It feels quite rushed, and lacks the emotional power of the prior books. -
I enjoyed the original trilogy. And the fourth volume has similar strengths: It's an Eastern inspired fantasy very firmly rooted in Russia and the old Eastern Block, even as parts of the story play out in Scotland.
It also has similar weaknesses - First among them Annoying Maleness and pervasive male gaze. Even though the two most powerful characters happen to be female, we never see them in action since one is an infant and the other is very preoccupied with cooking and playing housewife. The third influential female character has a short entrance after she used her womanly wiles, and the fourth is working mainly behind the scenes. Apart from that, most characters stay a bit underdeveloped, and some twists really don't twist that much.
But it is an interesting world with an interesting story, so I would rate this as a satisfying read. If you liked the trilogy, there is no reason you shoudn't like this - and if you didn't like them, you should really find something else to read. -
A very nice series that sets up an interesting and intricate urban fantasy world. As a native Russian speaker, I found the translation severely lacking, but that is, of course, not the author's fault. English speakers might get bogged down with the names (for example, the alternate use of names like Nadezhda - Nadya - Nadyushka, or Valeria - Lera, or Victor - Vitya, and so on, presents a bit of a cognitive hump for those Readers who are not familiar with Russian names and nicknames). Overall, though, the plot is sufficiently fast paced, the characters are well developed, and the overall experience, across the four books, was fun and exciting. A recommended read for urban fantasy enthusiasts.
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4,5 ⭐
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I love this series so much so my opinion is probably biased. It's definitely one that I will be rereading. I think the author did a fantastic job from books 1-4!
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1. Satz - Lächelnd sah Lera Viktor an.
letzter - "Du glaubst doch nicht etwa, dass diese Wache in alle Ewigkeit die letzte war?" -
I had an interesting discussion about this book with one of my coworkers, who read it in it's original Russian form. He felt that the first two books were great, but that it went downhill when the power levels of the Leads (Anton, Sveta, etc) went up to high. I didn't have an issue with this type of escalation, as it tends to happen in Fantasy series in general, but I would agree that there may not be much further to take any of these characters. That's sad, in a way, because his world of two balanced forces (dark and light) could have led to a pleasant ongoing series. I think the tendency of the books to be structured into smaller little stories that become entwined reinforces this possibility.
I still enjoy these books, and in particular their unique flavour. Having spent summers in the ex-Yugoslavia as a kid and the individual mini-states after it's dissolution, I feel a resonance with Lukyanenko's approach with the Watch books. I loved his description of Uzbekistan; it reminded me of Grimwood or Effinger.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. My only complaint is the 2-3 times he broke the 4th window; referencing the movies or stating that this wasn't the last book. Cheeky. -
Partio <3
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Il solito, grazie
Devo ammettere che leggere questo libro a così tanta distanza da tutti gli altri, ha raffreddato un po' le emozioni per questo genere particolare. Luk'janenko è riuscito a creare una storia interessante, che descrive un mondo comunque triste, legato al suo classico rovescio della medaglia, dove esiste la magia e tutto quello che ruota attorno, ma ci sono sempre i soliti problemi irrisolvibili e irrimediabili di un mondo in cui si usa più energia di quanta si possa guadagnarne, nell'eterno equilibrio di Luce e Tenebra, dove la lunga vita ha un prezzo carissimo, dove ogni azione malvagia ha un equivalente benevola e ogni buona azione ha un'equivalente malvagia. -
THAT WAS THE ULTIMATE PLOT TWIST OF ALL PLOT TWISTS I CAN'T COPE
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These aren't good books from a technical standpoint but there's some alchemy at work that makes them damn hard to put down. I loved the new settings--Samarkand and Edinburgh--and this book did a nice job recapping the 3 that came before.
