(a.k.a. Night Patrol, Nochnoi Dozor)
A fantasy novel written by Russian sci-fi/fantasy writer Sergei Lukyanenko. It was released in 1998, and is the first part of a tetralogy, which is followed by
Day Watch,
Twilight Watch, and Last Watch.
The story revolves around an age-old battle between the absolute forces of Light and Darkness, divided into two opposing armies composed of Others;
humans with supernatural powers who are aligned with either the Light or the Dark. Others have a vast universe of different types and powers, including shape-shifting, telekinesis, mental manipulation - and, on behalf of the Dark side - even vampirism.
Both sides have compromised on a treaty, agreeing that the actions of the Light and the works of the Dark cannot be done without the consent of each side, and that no
one can be forced to choose which side to align with.
To uphold this agreement, each side formed their own official organization. The Dark Others would be called Day Watch, to
police the actions of the Light, whereas the Light Others became Night Watch, to
police the actions of the Dark.
The majority of the Night Watch novel focuses on Anton Gorodetsky, a Light Other who works for the Night Watch.
The novel will be available in the
United States in
June of 2006, translated into English.
The Night Watch novel was loosely adapted into two films (Night Watch (
2004) and Day Watch(2006)). Both films held
top box-office records in their native country of Russia, where they still continue to serve as a huge cultural influence.
