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Resurrection Man #2
The Night Watch
The fabulously acclaimed Resurrection Man uncovered a world where the horrors of modern war and technology had given rise to magic. Now the magic returns--and nothing will ever be the same...
338 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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263 people want to read
About the author
Sean Stewart
38 books148 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sean Stewart (born June 2, 1965) is a U.S.-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sean Stewart moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1968. After stints in Houston, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, Irvine, California and Monterey, California, he now lives in Davis, California, with his wife and two daughters.
He received an Honors degree in English from University of Alberta in 1987, following which he spent many years writing novels. He gradually moved from writing novels to interactive fiction, first as lead writer on the Web based Alternate Reality Game The Beast.
He served as a consultant on several computer games, and was on the management team of the 4orty2wo Entertainment experiential marketing and entertainment company, where he was lead writer for Haunted Apiary aka ilovebees and Last Call Poker. His newest novel Cathy's Book seems to represent the melding of his two careers, as it crosses the alternate reality game format with a teen novel. In 2007, he and several 4orty2wo co-founders left that company to start Fourth Wall Studios.
Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award Best First Novel winner (1993): Passion Play
* World Fantasy Award Best Novel winner (2001): Galveston
Sean Stewart (born June 2, 1965) is a U.S.-Canadian science fiction and fantasy author.
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Sean Stewart moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1968. After stints in Houston, Texas, Vancouver, British Columbia, Irvine, California and Monterey, California, he now lives in Davis, California, with his wife and two daughters.
He received an Honors degree in English from University of Alberta in 1987, following which he spent many years writing novels. He gradually moved from writing novels to interactive fiction, first as lead writer on the Web based Alternate Reality Game The Beast.
He served as a consultant on several computer games, and was on the management team of the 4orty2wo Entertainment experiential marketing and entertainment company, where he was lead writer for Haunted Apiary aka ilovebees and Last Call Poker. His newest novel Cathy's Book seems to represent the melding of his two careers, as it crosses the alternate reality game format with a teen novel. In 2007, he and several 4orty2wo co-founders left that company to start Fourth Wall Studios.
Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award Best First Novel winner (1993): Passion Play
* World Fantasy Award Best Novel winner (2001): Galveston
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 17, 2022
Sean Stewart is one of those writers I used to buy sight unseen (before he unfortunately dropped out of writing novels and decided to devote his time to writing interactive online games). His books tend to be very character driven, something I personally like, and he has an individual writing style that manages to be 'writerly' without getting bogged down in stylistic tricks.
Basically it is the story of a future earth in the year 2074 after an inundation of magic has flooded the world (this flood started soon after WWII in Stewart's timeline) and only pockets of human civilization are left in the sea of wild and magical frontiers (in this the story can be seen as a member of the same universe as Resurrection Man and Galveston). The novel concentrates on two societies, the Southside, which is a relatively technological and militaristic state located where Edmonton used to be and Chinatown, located in the appropriate region of Vancouver. The former community has made a Faustian deal with the spirits that haunt the Northside in return for the opportunity to be left alone, while the latter lives in the midst of its spirits, especially the three godlike, and archetypal, beings the Dragon, the Lady and the Monkey and the beastlike barbarians (magically mutated humans from the initial magical explosion).
Following the lives of several intertwined groups of characters from each community, Stewart examines the dynamics of these two opposing points of view in an era where the high tide of magic is finally starting to recede and, as ever, human machinations and politics attempt to take advantage of the situation.
Stewart manages to populate his world with many interesting, and realistic, characters. None of them are painted in black-and-white terms and even the 'villians' have realistic motivations that point to a multi-faceted melding of both self-interest and even love of community. The real star of the book for me, though (even with Stewart's finely realized and well-drawn characters) was the world itself. It is a world we can recognize, and yet at the same time it is completely alien. The small enclaves of humanity fighting for survival in a world that can barely be understood in the rational terms humanity had been wont to apply to it before the 'Dream' overtook them are intriguing reflections of both humanity's ever-present willingness to fight against the odds, as well as an acknowledgment of the myriad of ways in which this can be done. In many ways I felt that Stewart had managed to capture the air of the medieval romance (in terms of world-building if not in style or content) with the minor 'kingdoms' of humanity placed in the midst of the ever encroaching 'wild wood'...a place where demons and ghosts walked and adventures or power might be bought, though at a very high price. The lure of the dream-world is always in contention with the obligations and comforts of human society.
I also like the way in which Stewart paints magic. It is a wild and largely uncontrollable force, though as mentioned certain deals can be made with it in exchange for ability or power. It seems to me to be an appropriate way to look at something that truly is the reverse of 'science' in that while magic does follow certain rules these are more along the lines of adhering to agreements and obligations than being a cookie-cutter 'physics of magic' where spells of fireball or lightning can be produced given the proper reagents and incantation. It is a force that is mysterious and wild, in that sense at least it mirrors nature, though it cannot be easily understood or defined by rules of cause and effect in any systematic way.
The story itself deals with the beginning, and dissolution, of relations between the Southside and Chinatown as we see the leaders from each community vying for power and control. In the midst of this the heir to Southside's virtual king must make a choice that will determine not only her own future and safety, but that of her people and one of the 'heirs' to a great power of Chinatown must come to terms with her place in the world and her familial relationships as well. This book, like all of Stewart's, is primarily about human relationships. He examines how they grow, and end, in the midst of stress and change. He also looks at the price they exact upon us and the give-and-take that must be accepted in our attempts to balance our personal and individual desires with our public and communal responsibilities.
All in all _The Night Watch_ is a great book. It's a well-written story of human relationships set against a backdrop of conflict and magic in a world that could almost, but not quite, be our own.
Also posted at Shelf Inflicted
Basically it is the story of a future earth in the year 2074 after an inundation of magic has flooded the world (this flood started soon after WWII in Stewart's timeline) and only pockets of human civilization are left in the sea of wild and magical frontiers (in this the story can be seen as a member of the same universe as Resurrection Man and Galveston). The novel concentrates on two societies, the Southside, which is a relatively technological and militaristic state located where Edmonton used to be and Chinatown, located in the appropriate region of Vancouver. The former community has made a Faustian deal with the spirits that haunt the Northside in return for the opportunity to be left alone, while the latter lives in the midst of its spirits, especially the three godlike, and archetypal, beings the Dragon, the Lady and the Monkey and the beastlike barbarians (magically mutated humans from the initial magical explosion).
Following the lives of several intertwined groups of characters from each community, Stewart examines the dynamics of these two opposing points of view in an era where the high tide of magic is finally starting to recede and, as ever, human machinations and politics attempt to take advantage of the situation.
Stewart manages to populate his world with many interesting, and realistic, characters. None of them are painted in black-and-white terms and even the 'villians' have realistic motivations that point to a multi-faceted melding of both self-interest and even love of community. The real star of the book for me, though (even with Stewart's finely realized and well-drawn characters) was the world itself. It is a world we can recognize, and yet at the same time it is completely alien. The small enclaves of humanity fighting for survival in a world that can barely be understood in the rational terms humanity had been wont to apply to it before the 'Dream' overtook them are intriguing reflections of both humanity's ever-present willingness to fight against the odds, as well as an acknowledgment of the myriad of ways in which this can be done. In many ways I felt that Stewart had managed to capture the air of the medieval romance (in terms of world-building if not in style or content) with the minor 'kingdoms' of humanity placed in the midst of the ever encroaching 'wild wood'...a place where demons and ghosts walked and adventures or power might be bought, though at a very high price. The lure of the dream-world is always in contention with the obligations and comforts of human society.
I also like the way in which Stewart paints magic. It is a wild and largely uncontrollable force, though as mentioned certain deals can be made with it in exchange for ability or power. It seems to me to be an appropriate way to look at something that truly is the reverse of 'science' in that while magic does follow certain rules these are more along the lines of adhering to agreements and obligations than being a cookie-cutter 'physics of magic' where spells of fireball or lightning can be produced given the proper reagents and incantation. It is a force that is mysterious and wild, in that sense at least it mirrors nature, though it cannot be easily understood or defined by rules of cause and effect in any systematic way.
The story itself deals with the beginning, and dissolution, of relations between the Southside and Chinatown as we see the leaders from each community vying for power and control. In the midst of this the heir to Southside's virtual king must make a choice that will determine not only her own future and safety, but that of her people and one of the 'heirs' to a great power of Chinatown must come to terms with her place in the world and her familial relationships as well. This book, like all of Stewart's, is primarily about human relationships. He examines how they grow, and end, in the midst of stress and change. He also looks at the price they exact upon us and the give-and-take that must be accepted in our attempts to balance our personal and individual desires with our public and communal responsibilities.
All in all _The Night Watch_ is a great book. It's a well-written story of human relationships set against a backdrop of conflict and magic in a world that could almost, but not quite, be our own.
Also posted at Shelf Inflicted
September 4, 2025
Truly amazing book! Has Stewart’s most thorough and thick world-building, and densest plotting, as he fits more plot into 338 pages than many other authors achieve in over 1000!
However, that density left me confused at times and I had a hard time tracking some story threads. There’s also a few scenes that I wish had been included instead of reported post hoc.
Also, if you’ve been looking for something to fill the Neil Gaiman-shaped hole in your library, I strongly recommend Stewart. In a way, he does better some of the things Gaiman attempts in American Gods.
Seriously considering giving this 4.5 and rounding up to 5 stars!
However, that density left me confused at times and I had a hard time tracking some story threads. There’s also a few scenes that I wish had been included instead of reported post hoc.
Also, if you’ve been looking for something to fill the Neil Gaiman-shaped hole in your library, I strongly recommend Stewart. In a way, he does better some of the things Gaiman attempts in American Gods.
Seriously considering giving this 4.5 and rounding up to 5 stars!
September 28, 2020
I honestly liked this book better than its predecessor, Resurrection Man. The plot is more expansive, sprawling across two cities in a tense political standoff, whereas the previous book was a tight close-up of one family. I enjoyed watching the characters square off against each other. Even though I'm normally not one for stories of political maneuvering, this one really worked for me. And the way Stewart handles magic in this story is really interesting. He really conveyed the sort of omnipresent, unpredictable, amoral threat that it represents in this world.
February 19, 2023
I think I'd actually give this little fantasy/sci-fi blend 4 stars, but I read it through a time of intense busyness and upheaval, snatching a few pages here and there when I could, so I don't think I truly got the full gist of the story. I really liked the poetry, the artistic descriptions, and the characters presented, but I also felt like it was more fragmentary than linear, and I felt I could have done with more. However, maybe that was just me reading it when I did, and a reread is probably in the future.
December 8, 2020
A cool fantasy set in my hometown
Read
May 21, 2022Interesting and loved the information regarding what happened to that specific tribe
June 6, 2017
This book has many of the same elements that make Galveston so enjoyable. The blending of the magical with the modern has rarely been done better than by Stewart. The writing is fantastic: the language is immaculate, poetic, and atmospheric. The characters and scenes are carefully drawn, along with their context, fitting together like subject and background of a painting. The setting is surreal, and the slow revelations about the characters and their relationships are done brilliantly.
The thing is... the setting and story are so inventive that practically everything that happens is unexpected. I mean, it's understood that the writer (and the characters) know things that the reader doesn't. But the enjoyment from reading a story is the challenge of figuring things out - and I'm afraid the challenge in this case was a bit much for me. It was certainly interesting and creative and even fun to read, but I would have liked a bit more emphasis on the underlying storytelling to lead the reader along.
Anyway, certainly recommended for fans of Stewart's other writing, and for any fantasy readers who don't mind going with the poetic flow and finding out where it leads when it gets there.
The thing is... the setting and story are so inventive that practically everything that happens is unexpected. I mean, it's understood that the writer (and the characters) know things that the reader doesn't. But the enjoyment from reading a story is the challenge of figuring things out - and I'm afraid the challenge in this case was a bit much for me. It was certainly interesting and creative and even fun to read, but I would have liked a bit more emphasis on the underlying storytelling to lead the reader along.
Anyway, certainly recommended for fans of Stewart's other writing, and for any fantasy readers who don't mind going with the poetic flow and finding out where it leads when it gets there.
November 29, 2010
I've been told that this the weakest of the three books Stewart has set in this world. Hoping that's true I'm definitely intrigued enough to seek out the other two books in the series. I liked the Vancouver setting, and the general premise of a world that's had to deal with magic's sudden reappearance, and now years later, with the hints that it will disappear. It's an interesting set-up, but I just didn't feel Stewart did much with it. We have numerous viewpoint characters, all of whom are miserable for various reasons throughout the novel, but it just doesn't feel like there's a grand purpose or resolution to the story. Point of view shifted around so often that it as hard to tell who we were supposed to be identifying with or rooting for. I also felt that Stewart would describe some things in painstaking detail, such as a woman painting a picture (literally watching paint dry!), then spend only a sentence or two on action in the book that would have been far more interesting if he'd applied the same level of detail.
November 19, 2021
A post-magical apocalypse political thriller and story about succession and inheritance in several senses.
Stewart writes beautifully and creates original, well-detailed worlds. There were two aspects of this book that didn't work so well for me: first, the political thriller plot became incoherent, and second, the Chinatown culture seemed stereotypical (martial arts, empty cups of tea, whatever). On the other hand, I loved his evocation of the North Coast forest, and the way the elegance of his descriptions is grounded by down-to-earth characters and moments of humor.
I'd recommend this, but not as strongly as GALVESTON or CLOUDS END.
Stewart writes beautifully and creates original, well-detailed worlds. There were two aspects of this book that didn't work so well for me: first, the political thriller plot became incoherent, and second, the Chinatown culture seemed stereotypical (martial arts, empty cups of tea, whatever). On the other hand, I loved his evocation of the North Coast forest, and the way the elegance of his descriptions is grounded by down-to-earth characters and moments of humor.
I'd recommend this, but not as strongly as GALVESTON or CLOUDS END.
February 6, 2013
This was a weird pick up for me. I found it because I was looking for Charles Stross and my fingers paused over it because I've read two other books called Night Watch and adored them both. I had some used book store credit so I took a gamble.
Parts of this novel I really really liked. There are some character based passages that are blindingly good. Stewart can definitely write, but the plot threads never quite come together like they need to. I'd pick up another one by Stewart given the chance, but this wasn't the kind of book that left me actively seeking him out.
Parts of this novel I really really liked. There are some character based passages that are blindingly good. Stewart can definitely write, but the plot threads never quite come together like they need to. I'd pick up another one by Stewart given the chance, but this wasn't the kind of book that left me actively seeking him out.
May 13, 2009
I liked Resurrection Man so much better. Bring the magic in, don't get rid of it... Perhaps it's also that the magic was so negative, so inimical. It killed off most of the population of the world. And impersonal. I had trouble figuring out which developments were technological and which were magic.
But the book seemed also to have so many dead ends. The machine with a soul, that just disappeared. The man... After all that, he just froze? Too many incompletely characterized people.
But the book seemed also to have so many dead ends. The machine with a soul, that just disappeared. The man... After all that, he just froze? Too many incompletely characterized people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2015
I've read the other two books in this series, although it has been a while. (I really loved Galveston, by the way.) I liked this well enough, but it seemed derivative -- so much so that I kept wondering throughout the entire book if I'd already read it and just never noted it here. I don't think so, but man, it's an awful lot like his other books.
Want to read
August 30, 2007I started reading this one day and was immediately pulled into it, but I am trying to catch up on a huge backlog, so I am leaving this one for a time when I am a bit more able to focus.
My hardcover first edition is also signed, from when I saw Sean at ARGfest in San Francisco in 2007.
My hardcover first edition is also signed, from when I saw Sean at ARGfest in San Francisco in 2007.
August 31, 2009
Very well written, this novel's an interesting hybrid of contemporary fantasy and science fiction. I'll be pulling more if Stewart's books off my To Be Read shelves soon (I do remember liking Mockingbird years ago when I read it, but I think I liked The Night Watch even more).
September 19, 2010
Definitely the least satisfying of the Sean Stewart books I've read. The characters were interesting, but he didn't go deep enough to make the story truly satisfying. Perhaps it's a consequence of it being a story of the ebbing of magic in the world?
December 4, 2011
A brief but, for me, enthralling entry into Sean Stewart's alternate reality of contemporary society in a world re-charged with magical phenomena. I re-read this every few years just for the experience of the poetically spare prose.
August 24, 2007
More magic flood. This one is set in Vancouver which is very cool, literally and figuratively. Read it if you love Canada.
Want to read
September 19, 2008this will be either really fun or really lame
February 5, 2009
An exceptionally poetic and immersive modern fantasy work. Stewart is one of the most overlooked fantasy authors, and this is one of his best works.
February 11, 2011
One of my all-time favorite books
April 6, 2017
Where Resurrection Man felt original, this loose sequel was derivative. It was overall enjoyable, but I felt that I'd seen most elements before in other books (and in more compelling guise). The idea of hazy god-like "Powers" reawakening, the blend of West Coast urban fantasy & Chinese mysticism, the harsh proto-Slavic plains population with their love of beets and warfare... nothing surprising to find. In fact I felt that to a degree he was relying on these elements as sketchy tropes and not even filling in his own details. For example, it might have been interesting if we'd known more about the technology like computer familiars (which help make optimal partially-synthetic soldiers) or the homes and vehicles that were imbued with artificial intelligence. Instead they were pretty much taken for granted and left nearly as undeveloped as the "Powers." I'd say Stewart is a graceful enough writer that he pulls it off without crashing and burning, but it's only ambitious in a cliché area.
April 13, 2017
A cold, distant, magic-came-back sort of apocalypse, but one look at the frozen Northside will make it clear that's what it was.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews