Having discovered that you had slightly misinterpreted the setting of the book by a Spanish author – with large chunks of it set in Spain simply because Spain is the centre of the universe, as opposed to somewhere suitably Continentally decedent for odd Art to take place – it got you thinking about the other series you are reading at the moment, where the action mostly takes place in Moscow.
This is The Night Watch and The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. It’s a trilogy. The third one is coming out (in translation) soon.
Good books. The whole premise, that supernatural forces are among us and in constant battle, is made interesting by the fact that this fight is now extremely hedged about by bureaucratic bylaws and policed rigidly for any overstepping of the agreed boundaries. Which is amusing and quite inventive.
The books are structured as three almost separate stories, but which nevertheless link together and resolve themselves into a whole in the end. There are multiple points of view too, as each story is mainly told by a different character. Both Light and Dark characters get a look in, which adds dimension to the world the author has created.
It’s not without it’s flaws though. You found yourself wondering if it wasn’t cheating a bit to have a first person narrative when you are also dropping in on the thoughts of other characters occationally, for example. And the author can be a bit heavy handed with his explanations. But overall it’s clever, if not very profound, and you’ve ever been a sucker for that.
However, somewhere in the middle of the first book, you realised that had the author been British (or Spanish, or from anywhere else), Moscow wouldn’t have been the first choice of location.
Modern British authors only send their heroes to the Russian capital if they are writing some kind of thriller. That’s it.
It’s important that while they are there they stay in a cockroach infested Soviet style hotel – in the Jasper Fforde universe Muscovites must keep a few rooms intact just for such visitors - where the mod cons are hot and cold running prostitutes and little else. The hero will take up with a sad eyed, chain smoking member of the world’s oldest profession, partly because there are, apparently, no other women in the city other than prostitutes, partly so that she can glower and look miserable and save the author time on further description by standing for all the other Russians around who we are to presume are constantly glowering and looking miserable, and partly because her father will turn out to be a former colonel in the KGB.
Just so that we can have a nod to modernity, they also have to ritually go to the nightclub where the mafia runs its extensive business empire from. There will be pumping techno music and every man will be wearing bad shirts. Which is a good fifteen years out of date as an image, but then that’s probably the least of our problems at this stage. Everyone will be drinking vodka. Without any food in sight.
And to get there, there will be a drive through a forest of ugly concrete tower blocks, more tower blocks and nothing but tower blocks (with more prostitutes signalling wildly from the side of the road all the way). The hero may remark on the lack of vegetation in the way of trees, grass or flowerbeds. Although it’s more likely to be winter and therefore the city will be covered with (grimy) snow and temperatures will be at least minus 25.
Once you’d pinpointed that, you realised that one of the reasons you are enjoying this book is that Moscow just happens to be the place where they are, where the author lives and where most of his audience will recognise. So his characters trot round the place interacting with the scenery doing things like opening fridges (to get out a bottle of human blood), riding up escalators on the metro (in a vampire induced trance) or going on a jaunt up the distinctive Ostankino TV tower (to attack the temporary HQ of the Dark Forces). You, of course, are sitting there happily exclaiming “I had a fridge like that” or “I know those escalators” or “So that’s what the restaurant up there looks like”
But while the events are (melo) dramatic, the scenery isn’t part of that, really. And that’s got to be the first novel set in modern Russia you’ve read that you can say that about. Which tells you just how many novels set in modern Russia you’ve read which were written by Russian authors.
You also wonder what will create the most sense of dislocation in a foreign reader who isn’t familiar with Russia. You suspect it would be the frequent references to legendary rock musicians and their works, whose music and lyrics the author has, quite neatly, worked into the plot and none of whom anyone in the West will ever have heard of.
I so like the way you tell stories, Sol. You are thinking in another language today too which gives it an interesting lilting quality. I have to jaunt up a TV tower now to attack temporary headquarters of evil.
I’ve heard about these books and they certainly look most interesting. I always feel a bit naughty reading books in translation, but as I’d stand no chance even with French books in the original language, I just get on with it. It’s always intriguing to speculate on how well the translator has managed to convey the author’s “voice” as well.
I watched the film adaptation of The Night Watch and something tells me the book is ten times better (as usual).
Oh you made me laugh. I am now absolutely convinced that you would love my crappy vampire novels. I checked the UK Amazon and the release of the books are haphazardly done it seems with later books in the series out, but earlier ones being re-released this year. If you wouldn’t mind me mailing one or two to you, let me know.
Now these sound fun = they might even wean me off my long run of non-fiction.
Have you read the Pratchett/Gaiman collaboration “Good Omens” which features the fight between Good and Evil? Since the two angels representing God and the Devil have been on earth longer than anyone else, they have come to a pragmatic truce. Pratchett and Gaiman describe them as being like consular officials representing countries which are nominally antagonistic with each other but who end up collaborating because are stranded in an outpost they both consider barbaric.
Your post sparked another random neuron, but it’s flickered out. I’ll drop by and comment again if I remember what it was.
Aphra.
Enjoying my lurk, as usual. I don’t usually read vampire books, but I could make an exception.
Russian books are a bugger to translate, I reckon. The prose often ends up sounding choppy. And a bit over sentimental, if it’s possible to do both at once.
B, who is reading these books in Russian, says that they are using a lot of slang (he wrinkles his nose in faint disgust when he says this), which is particularly hard to get right. I do think there’s something off about the voice of these translations, but I can’t put my finger on it really. The dialogue sounds a bit styalised?
I do like Russian though. You can cram a lot of information into a small space and it’s so direct. And sylalised isn’t actually bad.
In fact, there aren’t many vampires in the book. They are considered quite low in the magical pecking order. As are warewolves. Teehee.
I know what you mean about Good Omens, Aphra (good book) but mostly these guys are still at daggers drawn. But daggers which have been blunted by order of EU directive 372 sort of thing. Except for a splendidly bitchy scene in the second book where a Russian Light One and an Estonian Dark One come together in mutual disgust at the Americans at the next table who are in a Beer Hall in the Czech Republic drinking _American_ Budwiser.
The film is suposed to be… different. And I’d love your Vampire books, imani, but I am in a bit of a hand wringing state over all the books I have which are unread and I have actually promised myself not to acquire new ones until I’ve made inroads. I can’t believe I have got to this state. It makes me feel quite ill.
Besides, it the shipping would be quite expensive, wouldn’t it? I’m making Aphra come and _get_ her tea. *Looks hopeful* Mmmmmm. Canada.
[...] I have subsequently picked up. The Lies of Locke Lamora, courtesy of Helen and The Night Watch, courtesy of Sol. Then, if I get through those three without getting distracted, the rest of the pile which [...]