Customer Reviews

Last Watch

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's January 2009, and I just got my copy through Amazon from a third party vendor, and oh, is it worth getting!

While the events of Night Watch, Day Watch, and Twighlight Watch are referred to in this novel, and I wish I had the self-discipline to re-read the prior 3 volumes before tackling this one, I did not.

Last Watch really is more of a whodunit or a "who's doing it" than a traditional fantasy format. Investigation of a murder apparently committed by a vampire in Scotland indicates the possiblity of a conspiracy, including and utilizing humans, to attack Others and obtain a magical artifact hidden in the Twilight by the legendary sorcerer Merlin. Anton constantly struggles to mount an effective attack against the conspirators, but difficulty in identifying them and their continual ability to stay a step ahead convinces him their's a traitor in the highest levels of the Day or Night Watches or even the Inquisition. Complicating matters is Anton's contiual wrestling with guilt over some of his prior acts and his foreboding that he has somehow caused this problem.

Clues along the way help Anton gradually penetrate the confusion and identify the perpetrators, but that's a long way from anticipating their next moves and stopping them. There is plenty of suspense and action in this "nominal conclusion" to Anton's story.

The story ends with room for a sequel, so as a fan, I can only hope.

I got into these books after I saw the Nightwatch movie and realized how much better series was and Last Watch draws a nice conclusion to everything, however it does leave room for more books to be writen in the future which I really hope! Last Watch is filled with action and I seemed to read it straight through and just couldn't put it down. If you're a fan of the series I would highly recommend it and if you're a new comer then you need to read the other books because this one probably isn't going to make any sense to you.

In which it turns out that Lukyanenko's been more tightly plotting these books than I suspected. I've enjoyed the Watch series as much for the world created as for the intricate stories of deception, spy games, and more, but I've commented in the past that the series is frustrating for essentially being a series of zero-sum games. A lot of that changes in Last Watch, which ends up pushing things to interesting, complicated new levels, expanding the action beyond Russia and tying together all of the books into one complex finale. There's a lot of action in this book, and in some ways, it's the most straightforward of the set, but it's also the most satisfying in many ways, as a lot of closure and character threads are resolved. I hate to see the series end, but with a final volume that works this well, it's hard to complain too much. Here's hoping more of Lukyanenko's work gets translated to English soon, because I've quite enjoyed these.

This book is amazing, just like the other books in the Watch series. I am thoroughly pleased.

I borrowed this book as part of my Prime Membership based on the reader reviews. I had saw the Night Watch movie a while back, so decided to give this final book in the series a try. Although I have not read the other three books, I was still able to get into the story rather easily. The balance of power between the Night Watch and Day Watch was a very original storyline for me. The relationship between good and evil and the interaction between the different races of supernatural beings made this book a hit for me. I enjoyed the book immensely and plan on reading the other three books in the series. I hope there is a sequel because I would love to read more by this author. Hopefully, the first three books will be as good as this one.

excellently priced, paperback quality and it reads like a train. very pleasant, especially since this book isnt in my city library yet :)

Definitely a page turner. After I finished reading it though I didn't think it was quite as strong as the first three books, but still a great way to continue the series. I'd like to read a prequel to these books if he ever writes it.

Whole series is a must read for anyone who is real aficionado of modern urban horror/fantasy. Beautifully written and masterfully translated into English. Lukayenko's masterpiece offers glimpse into contemporary Russian literature and society that so lacks in the West. The story, and characters themselves are so natural so real. It is unfortunate that movies based on series, though very visually rich and masterfully directed do not do the justice to the whole series. Highly recommended.

As the fourth book in the Night Watch series, it makes use of past characters and story lines but introduces the reader to an entirely new dilemma. While the mystery element and spots of danger are interesting and keep the reader hooked, the final is a bit of a let down.

For any other writer, I might have given this 3 stars. But The previous 3 books set a high standard that Lukyanenko doesn't come anywhere near. In the previous books in this series, Lukyanenko (who trained in child psychiatriatry) excels at character development, showing deep insight and making you care what happens to the individuals. Last Watch is all plot and no character, and shows signs of having been rushed to press, with many internal inconsistencies. Both my son and I loved the first 3 books of this series and were deeply disappointed by Last Watch.