Unknown to the rest of the population, the Others are a race of magicians who, in addition to their magical abilities, can enter the world of Twilight which exists separate to our own existence. Each Other is born neutral but at some point during their development they will feel drawn to either the Dark or the Light and once that decision is made this will influence the rest of their lives.

In order to keep the two sides apart two forces have been established. The Day Watch is made up of Others who have an allegiance to the Dark and watch over the agents of Light; and the Night Watch, made up of Light magicians and similarly keep an eye on the Dark.

Anton is a young Light magician, a member of the Night Watch based in Moscow who has just been given his first posting out in the field. When he comes across a young women who has been badly cursed he feels compelled to try and remove the cloud hanging over her. Little does he realise that this will be the first of many experiences that will draw him into the middle of a battle with far reaching consequences.

The Night Watch is the first book in a trilogy set in post-Soviet Russia where the traditional ideas of good and evil are questioned. In this world, vampires and other "evil" beings can exist in relative peace provided that they abide by the rules of their licence. The Others are split into two factions with very different agendas but are forced to maintain a status quo by a series of rules that declare that a single use of magic by either side gives the opposing side the right to one use magic up to the same level in any way they wish.

This book was originally written in Russian and was been translated into English in 2006. Initially I was concerned that this could make the writing a little stilted as the author is, to some extent, reliant upon the translator to make his book a success. In the case of The Night Watch the translation has been very skilfully done allowing the story to flow and draw you into the depths of the world of Twilight.

This fantasy thriller is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Truly original and totally compelling.

Synopsis
Walking the streets of Moscow, indistinguishable from the rest of its population, are The Others. The Others are magicians, possessors of supernatural powers and capable of entering the Twilight, a shadowy world that exists in parallel to our own, each Other owes allegiance either to the Dark or the Light. The two factions, having long before realised that open struggle can only create chaos and disaster, coexist in an uneasy truce, each side aware of, and keeping a close eye on, the other's activities around the city. Their aim is not mutual destruction, but rather the maintenance of the precarious balance between good and evil.

Anton, a young Other, who owes allegiance to the Light, is a Night Watch agent, newly seconded to patrol the streets and metro of the city, to protect ordinary people from the vampires and magicians of the Dark. On his rounds, Anton comes across a young woman, Svetlana, who he realises is under a powerful curse that threatens the entire city, and a boy, Egor, a young Other, as yet unaware of his own enormous power, whom Anton narrowly saves from vampires.

Anton is assigned a partner, Olga, a powerful female Other who is trapped in the form of an owl in punishment for a past error of judgement. Together with their colleagues in the Night Watch, they struggle to remove Svetlana's curse and to protect Egor from the vampires that pursue him.

Set in a vividly realised post-Soviet Russia, where vampires operate under license and Good and Evil exist in a Cold War-like balance of power, The Night Watch is a page-turning fantasy thriller, an international bestseller that represents the most original writing in its genre since Anne Rice's An Interview With a Vampire...