Night Watch

Book Description

The Night Watch series has caused a sensation never before seen in Russia -- its popularity is frenzied and unprecedented, and driven by a truly great, epic story. In 2005 Fox Searchlight announced it had acquired the Russian film adaptation for an American release. Interest in the books here is now set to reach a fever pitch.

Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

An extraordinary translation from the Russian by noted translator Andrew Bromfield, this first English language edition of Night Watch is a chilling, engrossing read certain to reward those waiting in anticipation of its arrival.

Customer Reviews:

Innovative and refreshing.......2007-10-03

First, a review for those that want to take the book after watching the movie(s): do it. If you liked the movies, you'll probably like the book even more - the narration is much more coherent, the events are much less chaotic and the character motivations seem better sketched.

Now, a general review: this book is generally put in the fantasy genre. That means many readers might reach for this book expecting some sort of "Harry Potter in Moscow", as I've read in one of the reviews here. This is NOT it. The fantasy setting here is more of a narrative device than a real dedicated setting. For those of you that have read Bulgakov's "Master and Margerita", you'll come to recognize the device quite clearly - it's virtually the same feel, but in recent-day Moscow instead of the early communist-times one.

Lukyanenko has done something quite impressive - he's written a book about a typical Russian person, who seems special to the reader because of his involvement in the epic struggle between Light and Dark. But this is just a ruse - the struggle is nothing but epic, it is more alegorical then literal. One of the reviews here was very critical on the book, saying that the action didn't progress anywhere, that all of our hero's deeds turned out to have changed nothing in the greater view of things. This is not a mistake by the author, it's the intended effect. That's exactly what the book is supposed to present.

Don't be fooled - this is not yet another fantasy novel, not an epic fantasy one, nor a typical urban fantasy one. This is not a fantasy novel at all. This is a book about normal people, everyday choices, everyday lives. It just seems much more interesting when presented in an imaginative fantasy setting. And it is this combination of excellent worldbuilding and great narration that gets this book five stars.

enraptured.......2007-09-21

i picked up this book and couldnt put it down again! a most amazing author and story. he manages to write an unsaid plot and leave a silent ending that is like and explosion of possibity threads in a certain direction. a true inspiration.

Liked it!.......2007-09-15

Entertaining, engaging vampire novel from Russia, first of three. Definitely more comprehensible than the film! I liked this book- Anton, the narrator, is sympathetic and likable and I enjoyed following his adventures in the intrigue-filled world of vampire-Moscow. As someone who does not read a lot of scifi or vampire novels I appreciated that it wasn't very violent

Fantastic and Different.......2007-09-13

The two things that worked the best for me when reading this novel were:

1) Rather than a cliche' Battle between good and evil, this is about a precarious truce between the two and how both sides fight to maintain that truce while still trying to get ahead.

2) The setting of modern Moscow as the backdrop to this epic. The author skillfully paints the setting and makes Moscow almost a character on its own. For someone who has never read a foreign book, this made the already great storyline fantastic and made me feel familiar with a city that's 1000s of miles away simply because the author writes about it like its his own backyard, not as if he's a tourist. That works wonders for the credibility of the story.

I do not like that it is called a horror. While werewolves and vampires might be classic pieces of the horror genre, this is most definitely a modern fantasy epic. Think Mage the Ascension more than Bram Stroker and you've got the idea.

I recommend this book for fantasy readers like myself who don't read much anymore and really want to try something that's familiar yet new. I look forward to reading the entire series!

Very Good Book.......2007-09-13

A very interesting and creative book. It's not a typical vampire , werewolves, and witches type book. It has more of a story with a actual premise and it's a quick read.

Average customer rating:

Okay but wanted better
World War II Great Britain
Not so good
surpisingly Good
A quirky sleeper

The Night Watch
Sarah Waters
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1594482306

Book Description

Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked-out streets, illicit partying, and sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941, The Night Watch tells the story of four Londoners-three women and a young man with a past-whose lives, and those of their friends and lovers, connect in tragedy, stunning surprise and exquisite turns, only to change irreversibly in the shadow of a grand historical event.

Customer Reviews:

Okay but wanted better.......2007-09-07

After seeing the two BBC movies made from Sarah Waters novels I had high hopes for the first book I was going to read. I was a little disappointed. While good I really wanted more from the book.

World War II Great Britain .......2007-08-29

The Night Watch is a book I purchased hoping I would get a good World War II war story about the trials and tribulations in the London area during battles from the air. Little did I know that I was getting into a womanizing, sort of lesbianism living along with the war disasters.

This is a story of several women that bounces between early and late WWII times that tells of their work as Emergency Workers rescuing and helping those injured in the German air raids. In between the rescue work the women love each other to the point of hugging, touching, and kissing each other. One wonders if the war caused this abnormal style of life for that time in history or if they truly did love each other. There were some relationships with men, one of which resulted in a baby that was not wanted.

The women went out in war torn London walking around in the dark taking in the many damaged buildings, roads, and most all infrastructure in and around the city. Some worked for the Emergency Responders and drove ambulances through areas where roads were all torn up and at least partially impassable. Their desire for helping those hurt was strong and ended with success and/or failure.

The relationship of these women is described quite closely in the book. If you can take the love of women for other women, there is a good story here giving great descriptions of what London was like during the war. It was no place to be if one was the least bit queasy. The sights and sounds were sometimes very hard to take because of the terrible injuries.

The men in the book were either family or close friends, some in prison, some not, and some after prison. Also there is a good description of life in prison during these air raids. Imagine yourself closed up in a prison cell while hearing the raiding airplanes approaching and the sounds of explosions either far away or coming closer each minute.

Sarah Waters has given a good account of Great Britain during WWII but I especially did not appreciate so much writing on the lesbian specter and the actions of them towards each other. Enter this book with caution if you have any qualms about same sex partners.

Not so good.......2007-08-28

I picked up this book for like 5 cents (not including S&H) that totaled to 4ish bucks. I started on it right away and after the first hundred I was like...wtf, is this suppose to be interesting?!
I kept to it though and able more than half through it and I got bored o.O
I know I'll finish it one day just for the heck of it, but I'm going to her other books. So many praise her and I do like the movies and would prefer to read the books then the movies...I already got the movies, but have yet to decide on the books. Oh well...maybe movies first?

Anyways...about the book. It was somewhat interesting at first with Kay and all that, but when it went back in time I started to get disappointed. Wasn't much action or interesting stuff. A nice plot, but too dull for my taste.

surpisingly Good.......2007-08-08

A Damn good read. It didn't look interesting, but it was. I did like the backwards timeline in the book. It is a good technique for dragging people into what happened to get our characters to where they are at the beginning of the book. Fabulous descriptions of life in London during the war (WW2) and I did like the cast. The women are all strong and survive the best way they can.

A quirky sleeper.......2007-08-03

I picked up The Night Watch in the airport bookstore- and captive in my seat, the book captured me.
The story ingeniously moves backward in time from 1947 through the Blitz and WWII in London. It tells of sets of people and their differing experiences of the war and its aftermath. The facts are revealed only slowly and you'll have to pay attention to get it all. (Great escapism for a tedious flight.)
This book has some rather new things to say about the journey to know oneself and ones place in the world, and maybe after. It's a satisfying trip.

Average customer rating:

One of the wisest popular novels of the past 50 years
One of the Best Introductions to Discworld for Non-Pratchett Fans
Discworld
Night Watch
The wisdom of Pratchett

Night Watch
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0060013125
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Book Description

One moment, Sir Sam Vimes is in his old patrolman form, chasing a sweet-talking psychopath across the rooftops of Ankh-Morpork. The next, he's lying naked in the street, having been sent back thirty years courtesy of a group of time-manipulating monks who won't leave well enough alone. This Discworld is a darker place that Vimes remembers too well, three decades before his title, fortune, beloved wife, and impending first child. Worse still, the murderer he's pursuing has been transported back also. Worst of all, it's the eve of a fabled street rebellion that needlessly destroyed more than a few good (and not so good) men. Sam Vimes knows his duty, and by changing history he might just save some worthwhile necks—though it could cost him his own personal future. Plus there's a chance to steer a novice watchman straight and teach him a valuable thing or three about policing, an impressionable young copper named Sam Vimes.

Customer Reviews:

One of the wisest popular novels of the past 50 years.......2007-09-04

Night Watch is Terry Pratchett's consummate masterpiece. He applies his insights into politics, ambition, loyalty, commitment, love, duty, sacrifice, and human fragility in a powerful, frequently entertaining, and ultimately overwhelming story. Pratchett shines when he fills each page with something to make it worth inclusion in the whole, and he does so brilliantly in Night Watch.
On my first reading, I carefully avoided reading ahead, and although many of the book's conclusions were clearly foreshadowed, I was near tears at the book's final revelations. The book sharply contrasts the potential for great natural bravery among the streetwise downtrodden with the potential for casual cruelty among the powerful elite. Not that the elite are typecast as cruel - several major characters among the "elite" are written with great depth, and the future Patrician of Ankh-Morpork finally has his moment to shine, albeit as a young man.
My favorite Pratchett novel, bar none. Worthy of many rereads.

One of the Best Introductions to Discworld for Non-Pratchett Fans.......2007-08-15

This is one of my favourite Discworld novels, and I have read every one in the series at least three times back to back, so that's saying a lot!

Pratchett's style has evolved to become more readable compared to the early novels like The Light Fantastic or The Color of Magic. Those were vintage Pratchett with a charm of their own, but which I feel are difficult for readers not familiar with his work to get into. While I feel nostalgia for those early works, I am glad a wider audience will find his later novels more accessible, and he will finally get the popular acclaim he so deserves!

For fans of the City Watch novels in the Discworld series, Night Watch is what we have been waiting for, and is basically a vehicle for Sam Vimes, our favourite anti-hero who turned out to be a true-blue hero after all.

This is one of the more sentimental Discworld novels, where characters show their softer and more endearing sides, even the formidable Vetineri who suffers a little teenage angst while on his way to becoming a "cool" Assassin! The strength in Pratchett's characterisations is his ability to evoke empathy for every character, even if they are assigned the "villain" or "side-kick" roles. Even as he makes fun of Nobby and gleefully disgusts readers with lurid descriptions of Nobby (who carries a notarized note declaring that he is probably human), he shows his soft spot for the little rascal and readers will even find young Nobby endearing nonwithstanding his questionable personal hygiene and ethics!

The plot is also a bit more "heavy" and sentimental than we are used to in the madcap Discworld, but I do enjoy the "risk" Pratchett takes to focus the whole story on one character. The only other characters he regularly does this for are arguably Rincewind and Death, who are very different from Vimes in terms of personality and the context they exist in. Being a human Regular Joe, as opposed to a bumbling wizard and a personification, Vimes is very easy to relate to and brings this novel just a little bit closer to the real world we live in (or Roundworld for fans who are familiar with The Science of Discworld). Discworld is a parallel/parody of our world for sure, but this book just hits too close!

Night Watch is a combination of humor, heroism and thought-provoking issues in a writing style that is reader-friendly yet retains its integrity. Second another reviewer who feels the urge to read passages out from Terry Pratchett's novels! His style is so personable and bright you actually enjoy it more when reading it aloud and you just wanna share it with everyone!

Discworld.......2007-04-10

I don't know where this one fits in the Discworld series. Some of the (I think) 22 rate higher than others with me, but all are "4's" or "5's", so this one is among the "5's". Pratchett is an updated Johnathan Swift.

Night Watch.......2006-12-16

What I had exspected was another wonder of Pratchett's work!! What I got was a PLAY adapted for the stage. USE CAUTION when ordering!!!

The wisdom of Pratchett.......2006-10-21

Here we find Vimes vaulted through time, inadvertanly following Carcer, one of the smartest and least moral of any criminal. Vimes must teach his young self the ropes of being a copper while trying not to mess up the time continuum, Althewhile bringing some much needed wisdom to the watch and the past.

Page 125:
'Like petty criminals everywhere, the watchmen prided themselves on there being some depths to which they would not sink. There had to be some things below you, even if it was only mudworms.'

Page 136:
'It wasn't that the city was lawlwss. It had plenty of laws. I just didn't offer many opportunities not to break them. Swing didn't seem to have grasped the idea that the system was supposed to take criminals and, in some rought-and-ready fashon, force them into becoming honest men. Instead, he'd taken honest men and turned them into criminals.'

Page 255:
'Who knew what evil lurked in the hearts of men? A copper, that's who. After ten years, you thought you'd seen it all, but the shadows always dished up more. You saw how close men lived to The Beast. You found that people like Carcer were not mad. The were incredibly sane. The were simply men without a shield. They'd looked at the world and realized that all the rules didn't have to apply to them, not if they didn't want them to. They weren't fooled by all the little stories. They shook hands with The Beast.'

Seems pretty deep, and it is. However, would you believe that most of the book is actually funny? I'd started reading Pratchett a year ago and I'm still amazed that he can infuse laughter with so much wisdom. Though, I suppose you'd go crazy if you couldn't laugh at this mad world.

Night Watch: Tall, Dark, and Dangerous (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 1243)

Average customer rating:

Wild, wild, sexy Wes....
Truly enjoyed this book!
I agree, this is this writer's best!
Fun Plot!
Brockmann's best

Night Watch: Tall, Dark, and Dangerous (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 1243)
Suzanne Brockmann
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0373273134

Book Description

Hollywood Nights . . . Leading To Hollywood Days

When U.S. Navy Seal Chief Wes Skelly was sent to L.A. on assignment, he agreed to go on a blind date with beautiful single mother Brittany Evans, sister-in-law of a fellow SEAL. After all, he had been secretly in love for years, albeit with a woman who belonged to another man. So what did he have to lose?

Plenty, it turned out. Because suddenly the woman he thought he could never have was available. However, so was Brittany -- and not only that, she was in danger. Because of him. He knew he could keep her safe. But why was he increasingly certain that he was the one in danger?

Customer Reviews:

Wild, wild, sexy Wes...........2006-10-20

Carrying an unrequited torch for the wife of one of his teammates, short and stoic Navy SEAL Wes Skelly is on leave in LA and reluctantly agrees to a blind date with the sister in law a friend. He doesn't count on anything coming of it; after all he's in love with Lana. Single mom Brittany takes his breath away. They immediately have a rapport and he soon finds himself sharing far more with her than any other woman, including details about his love for Lana. Brittany is so different from any woman he has ever met - a total Earth mother, she adopted a troubled boy who was in and out of foster care. When his credit card is declined for their supper, she offers to let him stay on her couch while he is in LA.

Lana's sister, Hollywood "It girl" Amber Tierney has an amorous fan on the brink of stalking; at Lana's request, Wes agrees to look into her security. Of course, Amber has eyes for Wes; Wes suddenly has eyes for Brittany; Brittany has eyes for Wes but thinks he is hopelessly devoted to Lana...

When her son Andy goes to an out of town game, Brittany and Wes suddenly find themselves in close quarters and fighting their growing attraction to each other. When their relationship takes a physical turn, Brittany is just waiting for the floor to drop, and for him to leave her for Lana since the casual agreement they have is suddenly turning more permanent for her. Would he suddenly dump her if Lana were free? We is not sure of his feelings for Brit, but when her safety is in question, all his years of building walls come tumbling down.

Brockmann's 11th in the TDD series has a great tortured duo with so much chemistry dripping off the page you cannot help but hope for a happily ever after. Her heroine is not a wallflower that waits on the sidelines. The only complaint I had was the dialogue was a bit juvenile for two 30-something adults. Like I'm not like sure they'd like talk like that. Despite the dialogue and the constant mentions of Wes's stature, I really liked the story and found myself engaged to the very end.

Truly enjoyed this book!.......2004-04-18

Night Watch by Suzanne Brockmann, is a book you don't want to overlook. The story will have you eagerly turning the pages!

I agree, this is this writer's best!.......2004-03-19

Night Watch is this writers best book so far. Exciting, hot, and yes...it rocks!

Fun Plot!.......2004-03-14

Night Watch was such a fun story. I loved the steamy characters!

Brockmann's best.......2004-02-18

I've been reading Suzanne Brockmann for a while now, and I think she does the humor thing well (but not as well as Jennifer Crusie), the sex thing in a way that's really quite extremely very (I can't think of another intensifier, but you get the idea) hot, and that usually doesn't make me cringe (sorry, I start laughing when sensitive things get laved and suckled), and the testosterone-blessed alpha-male thing like nobody else, but this is her first book that I don't have ANY quibbles with. And I really fell for Wes--maybe because he WASN'T tall, dark and handsome, he was short, fair, and his face was "...a face. Not stunningly handsome...but not Frankenstein's monster, either." When the two of them begin feeling the attraction, they start describing each other as beautiful/handsome, but this feels quite appropriate. The inner dialogue of both characters seems very authentic, and the conversations always read very smoothly--none of the jarring turns of phrase that can take you right out of a storyline. And it was a compelling story, because they were easy characters to care about. Only after reading it again did I start having any 'wait a minute' moments--like, why did Wes bring along a dress uniform to LA in the first place? How can he reach into his pocket for his wallet and the condom in it when...maybe this one should be left to the imagination. But I couldn't really even call those quibbles, I just had to admire how smoothly such details were slipped by me the first time. In fact, I just had to admire it by rereading it over and over again.

Night Watch: Memoirs of a Circumnavigation

Average customer rating:

Night Watch Memoirs of a Circumnavigation
Most enjoyable book I have read in years
pure delight!
Brilliant recounting of an extraordinary adventure

Night Watch: Memoirs of a Circumnavigation
Suzanne Knecht
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401040810

Customer Reviews:

Night Watch Memoirs of a Circumnavigation.......2007-08-19

This is such a great read! It's laugh-out-loud funny! And I feel as though I am in a conversation with the Author. Her point of view is 20/20 and I love the lady -- no fretting, just twirling her binoculars.

I'm buying this book for a friend who thinks she wants to do the same trip!

Most enjoyable book I have read in years.......2002-11-23

Every night I bugged my wife by reading delightful passages to her. She couldn't wait until I was finshed so she could read it, but I hated for the book to end as I enjoyed my time with it so much. I loved it.

pure delight!.......2002-10-02

Night Watch is a great read! a wonderful mixture of action (sailing) and contemplation (cultural reflections). The author has a freshness of style which I admire, managing to be both eloquent and earthy. I was truly sad when the saga ended.

Brilliant recounting of an extraordinary adventure.......2002-08-14

I found this book to be a compelling and heartwarming recounting of an amazing experience. The writing is excellent and I found myself easily transported around the world through Ms. Knecht's delightful narrative. Read this book! It's outstanding!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Deep is this terse paranormal romantic suspense
Deep Is The Night- Night Watch, An Edge of your seat read!

Night Watch
Denise Agnew
Manufacturer: Ellora's Cave
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1419950827

Book Description

Mysterious, gorgeous cop, Jared Thornton came to Pine Forest to investigate his Aunt Eliza Pickle's mysterious death. When he discovers that gutsy Micky is in danger, he vows to protect her against the shadows that haunt her, and a thousand year old vampire determined to silence them forever.

Deep underground, the ancient one rests, plotting his next attempt to create havoc in Pine Forest. Nothing and no one will keep him from spreading his evil as Halloween swiftly approaches and the veil between worlds is thinnest.

Download Description

Inheriting a haunted house in notorious Pine Forest is the last thing Micky Gunn wanted, but escaping the Shadow People who haunted her world drove her toward the town and new terrors. When the Shadow People follow her, things go bump in the night, and weird accidents occur, Micky decides it's time to stop running and to fight back. Mysterious, gorgeous cop, Jared Thornton came to Pine Forest to investigate his Aunt Eliza Pickle's mysterious death. When he discovers that gutsy Micky is in danger, he vows to protect her against the shadows that haunt her, and a thousand year old vampire determined to silence them forever. Deep underground, the ancient one rests, plotting his next attempt to create havoc in Pine Forest. Nothing and no one will keep him from spreading his evil as Halloween swiftly approaches and the veil between worlds is thinnest.

Customer Reviews:

Deep is this terse paranormal romantic suspense.......2004-05-11

Needing to escape the shadow people that haunt her in Colorado Springs, Micky Gunn travels to the Gunn Inn that she recently inherited from her late uncle Carl. In Pine Forest, Micky enters Poppa Joe's UFO Diner expecting alien eyeballs as a delicacy. As she admires a handsome hunk, a crazed patron points a gun at her but the intercession of the stud saves Micky's life.

Denver cop Jared Thornton is in town to learn who killed his Aunt Edith Pickles though he is outside his jurisdiction. Micky is thankful that he saved her life, but resents his take-charge attitude with the local police. When he learns she will be alone at Gunn Inn, he becomes concerned because he feels the same attraction that pulls her. The shadow people still stalk Mickey and a vampiric serial killer is on the prowl. Jared and Micky team up to stay alive and learn what is going on in this small Colorado community as Halloween approaches and another creature waits.

NIGHT WATCH is a terse paranormal romantic suspense that grips the audience the moment Micky enters the diner. The action-packed story line builds up tension on two levels; the deadly weirdness percolates as danger mounts and the love between the protagonists evolves during the taut plot. Micky and Jared are a delightful pairing of two people caught in a maelstrom of paranormal creepiness. Fans will enjoy this tremendous cleverly, designed tale; enabling a reader to appreciate this book as a stand-alone or peruse the first novel (see DARK FIRE) to enhance understanding of subplots not critical to NIGHT WATCH'S prime story, but move forward the overall arching adventure.

Harriet Klausner

Deep Is The Night- Night Watch, An Edge of your seat read!.......2004-05-02

Ms Agnew's new story will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, looking in the shadows and it will heat up your night with love scenes so hot, you dont know if you are sweating from excitement or fear! The Characters interact wonderfully with eachother, giving off the just the right amount of sexual tension, angst and fear. Once you start reading Ms Agnew's newest book in the Vampire Series; Night Watch, you will not want to put it down, if you do, the suspense of what happens next will litterally eat you up inside until you finish reading the very last word. This was the first book of Ms Agnew's that I have had the pleasure of reading and it certainly will not be my last! I eagerly away the next book in the Deep Is The Night Series!! YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Night Music (The Black Watch) (Silhouette Desire, No 1286)

Average customer rating:

One of my favorite authors does it again!

Night Music (The Black Watch) (Silhouette Desire, No 1286)
BJ James
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0373762860

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorite authors does it again!.......2000-04-29

BJ James' NIGHT MUSIC is classic James. I was hooked from the incredibly intriguing Prologue and came away from the Epilogue with a sense of closure and satisfaction that is the hallmark of a great read. Along the way, I enjoyed the magic of what James does so well--creating the strongest possible sense of time and place for her characters to act out their story.

And what a story this one is. Kate and Devlin are two strong, highly skilled people, both of whom have been battered by loss and by guilt. Only through their developing love for one another are they able to find self-forgiveness.

I can't think of another author who gives me as much story, character development, and atmosphere as James. The fact that she manages all that--and manages it so well--within a short category Desire speaks volumes for her talent.

This book is not to be missed. Of course, none of hers are! I hope you have already discovered that. If not, enjoy NIGHT MUSIC and you certainly will.

Average customer rating:

An Excellent Pastiche, Really!

Unsuccessful Attempt at Capturing Holmes' Lightning in a Bottle!

Excellent Sherlock Holmes Novel

A Too Meditative Sherlock Holmes

With added emphasis on psychological motive

Night Watch: A Long Lost Adventure In Which Sherlock Holmes Meets Father Brown
Stephen Kendrick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000HWYYP8

Book Description

In this brilliantly crafted pastiche, Stephen Kendrick brings Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown together in an unprecedented collaboration on a singularly shocking murder case.

It is Christmas Day, 1902, and a priest’s mutilated body has been found in a London church that is hosting a secret interfaith meeting to discuss the possibility of a Parliament of World Religions. A summons from the Prime Minister plunges Holmes into a case with international, political, and ecclesiastical complications. Untrampled snow surrounding the church suggests that the murderer remains within and that he is, presumably, one of the leaders of the world’s great faiths.

Throughout the night, as more deaths are discovered, Holmes and Dr. Watson follow one false lead after another. But with his legendary astuteness, Holmes manages to wrap the case up in less than twenty-four hours—or so it seems. Two weeks later, Father Brown, the meek young priest-translator, pays a call at Baker Street to reveal “a few loose ends.”

The intersection of religion and politics, faith and sin, enmity and forgiveness—these themes are subtly interwoven into this fast-paced mystery that is filled with classic intrigue.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Pastiche, Really!.......2007-02-01

I found Stephen Kendrick's pastiche extremely well done, a page-turner, and I enjoyed it from first to last. He had Doyle's characters all expertly under hand and voice and Chesterton's Father Brown as well. Fans of Holmes and Father Brown do not want to miss this one. I thought that Kendrick's Holmesian study "Holy Clues: The Gospel According to Sherlock Holmes" was fascinating and fairly done, and this novel " Night Watch" contained the same balanced views of the spiritual life. Kendrick does not preach but presents Holmes as he was, a deeply spiritual man without subscribing to an organized religion and Father Brown, the true believer who also happened to have a genius for crime detection. I was very pleased with this story and recommend it highly.

Unsuccessful Attempt at Capturing Holmes' Lightning in a Bottle!.......2007-01-10

In yet another 'recently unearthed' account by Doctor Watson, Sherlock Holmes investigates a grisly murder at a super-secret meeting of international religious figures. The killer, still on the premises, must be one of the attendees. The meeting, not to mention the murder, is so potentially explosive politically that Mycroft Holmes and Church of England officials are involved as well. And the clock is running, Holmes - with an assist from the budding detective/cleric Father Brown - only having hours to unravel the mystery before all hell breaks loose.

Author Stephen Kendrick packs a lot of action and much talk into those hours. More attacks, murders and a chase up the Thames River ensues before the murderer is outed and the raison d'etre revealed.

To be honest, Kendrick started losing me from the first pages. He just doesn't do a good enough job of evoking the Holmesian atmosphere before jumping into the action. Then too he commits several gaffes that jar.

For instance, several times Watson refers to Holmes as 'Sherlock' and addresses Mycroft Holmes as 'Mycroft.' I don't ever recall Watson using Holmes' first name in any of the Doyle stories. I may be wrong but only once did Holmes address Watson as 'John,' that being in the Lion's Mane story. Victorian sensibilities, as evidenced in the Doyle stories, simply didn't lend themselves to such informality.

Likewise Holmes appears very off his form in this story, less a reasoning machine than a uncertain, talky philosopher. He has London bobbies search rooms for evidence, something the Doyle Holmes would never do lest the unskilled helpers contaminate the crime scene.

The books trumpets this as a meeting of Holmes and Father Brown but that theme is underdeveloped, as is the Brown character. I confess I've never read a Father Brown book but the character, as portrayed in the book, is pretty dull.

The reason for all this mayhem is somewhat interesting but the denouement can't compensate, in my eyes, for the poor development of atmosphere, unsatisfying portrayal of Holmes, Father Brown character, etc.

Methinks, a clever idea poorly realized.

Excellent Sherlock Holmes Novel.......2006-01-22

This book is excellent! First, is is true to Doyle's original style and second it a wonderful read. One of the best non-Doyle Sherlock Holmes novels I've read.

A Too Meditative Sherlock Holmes.......2003-10-28

Night Watch is a passing good mystery story. It has trappings of the gothic-- spooky, nocturnal settings; seemingly supernatural happenings; and an interweaving of frightening superstition. The plot also has some enjoyable complexity-- such as when Sherlock solves the mystery, but later, Father Brown re-solves it again, this time with a somewhat different explanation of events!

The book's subtitle suggests a balance between the detective genius of two literary master detectives-- Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown. However, this promise is not delivered. We meet Father Brown when he is very young in this novel, just approximately 20 or 21 years old. He says little or nothing throughout most of the book, and appears as a minor character at best. In the closing pages of the novel, Holmes seems to sense Brown's promise but that promise is simply stated, not dramatically rendered. Holmes says of Father Brown, "don't let that stolid round face and those blank grey eyes fool you. Brown's a little genius, mark my words."

Holmes himself is too meditative -- a kind of crackerbarrel theologian. He waxes philosophic a bit too often. He is portrayed near the end of his professional career, and Watson explains that as Holmes has aged, he has begun thinking more about higher, meditative sorts of truth. But even though Watson states this, it does not jibe well with the Holmes' portrayal as an acid sort of skeptic whom we came to know in the original Arthur Conan Doyle books.

I don't want to seem too hard on Mr. Kendrick's novel. It was entertaining to a point, and provided some entertainment on a chilly autumn evening. However, it can't compete in quality with several other recent pastiches (imitations) of the Sherlock Holmes books, such as those written in recent years by Larry Millett.

With added emphasis on psychological motive.......2003-10-13

Fans of Sherlock Holmes-type mysteries who appreciate a historical setting will relish Nightwatch, a mystery set in Edwardian London telling of a priest's murder during a secret high-level interfaith meeting. It's up to Sherlock Holmes and Watson to uncover the roots of the murder, embroiled in both religious and political connections - with assistance from priest Father Brown. The added emphasis on psychological motive makes this especially intriguing.

Last Watch of the Night: Essays Too Personal and Otherwise

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Magnificent and moving
Easily Monette's best book
Words to *live* by!

Last Watch of the Night: Essays Too Personal and Otherwise
Paul Monette
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0156002027

Book Description

With Borrowed Time and Becoming a Man-the 1992 National Book Award winner for nonfiction-this collection completes Paul Monette’s autobiographical writing. Brimming with outrage yet tender, this is a “remarkable book” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent and moving.......2002-06-25

This books represents one of the finest collections of essays I have ever read. Incredibly moving and filled with the intense passion of a man dying and yet gripped by life, this book has blown me away every time I've read it -- and that's been several times. I'm not sure which essay I like best but at the moment "My Priests" stands out, as it certainly ties in to certain news regarding the Catholic clergy. I wonder what Paul Monette would have had to say about it. Absolutely a must read for anyone with a feeling heart.

Easily Monette's best book.......1998-09-25

"Last Watch of the Night" gets unjustly forgotten in the light of Monette's more famous "Borrowed Time" and "Becoming a Man," but this collection of essays is a better book than either of them. This is what should have been up for the National Book Award, not "Becoming a Man."

The flaws in the book: some of the essays, especially near the end, seem to drift, and are not particularly engaging. These include the soporific "Sleeping Under a Tree." Also, Monette's observations about graves of famous people in "3275" are not even close to as important and insightful as his look at his lovers' and friends' plots.

However, the majority of the book shines true. Alternately bitter, angry, hopeful, and amazed, Monette's words have tremendous emotional force. He is at his best in "The Politics of Silence" and "My Priests," sometimes combining all these emotions in a single paragraph. He sees the dying all around, but can still find glimmers of hope in the conduct of those fighting AIDS. His depictions of the "last watch of the night," where he cares for his sick lover, are heart-breaking.

Although Monette does tend to go off on rages or streaks of uncontained sentimentality, something which marred some otherwise stellar poetry in his book "Love Alone," most often he controls his use of language to the extent where he is able to use forceful emotional passages without drowning his readers. He does this especially well in his essay about his lover's dog, "Puck."

"Last Watch of the Night" stands with his volume of poetry, "Love Alone" and non-fiction, "Borrowed Time," as essential texts of both Paul Monette and the AIDS crisis.

Words to *live* by!.......1998-03-27

Despite and perhaps *because* of the fact that this book is written by someone in the midst of a life or death struggle with AIDS, this book is one of the most moving odes to *life* I have ever come across. From meditations on the importance (or lack thereof) of possessions to thoughts on death and dying, Monette presents a worldview, philosophy, and perspective that is rich and wise. The language he employs is beautiful, poetic, precise, serene... amazing. Some of the topics covered are disturbing and he does speak some angry words, but every one of them is just and every one of them is life-affirming.

Night Watch: Unlocking Your Destiny Through Dreams and Visions

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Night Watch: Unlocking Your Destiny Through Dreams and Visions
Russ Moyer
Manufacturer: McDougal Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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