Luck in the Shadows (1996)

A very solid early book from Flewelling, which I enjoyed very much after a bit of trouble getting into it. It's relatively simple stuff compared to her Tamir Triad, lacking the underlying darkness of that series (so far, at any rate), but it was very interesting to visit the world of those books at a later stage of its development. I liked all of the main characters, appreciated the gender politics of her world and the open homosexuality (bisexuality?) of one of those leads (still such a rarity in fantasy), and I think the author mostly struck a good balance between the needs of the overarching plot for this trilogy and telling a self-contained tale in this first volume (the balance may have wobbled a little far in favour of the latter by the end, but that's not a huge criticism). I'm looking forward to reading the next book! ( )

I really enjoyed this book, it's a young adult fantasy that edges on the adult. Alec is super sweet and I can see myself patterning a DND character after him (he's a great archer and tracker). Serengil takes Alec under his wing and teaches him the trades of spy and thief, but things stay relatively light, as they're in the service of a powerful mage trying to keep the kingdom together. The acceptance of alternate sexualities in this world is refreshing, Serengil is at least bisexual if not mostly gay and I can see the beginnings of a close relationship blooming between him and Alec - they take care of each other through some life threatening situations, magical and mundane. ( )

I must say that Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling is one of my all time favorite novels. It is the first book in what is currently a five book series. The plot is sound and moves well and I absolutely love the main characters Seregil and Alec. I have read this novel several times and for me it never gets old.

Plot: Alec is a simple woodman. He is good with a bow and he traps and kills animals for a living. Think French fur-trapper type. He has just lost his father to illness and for the first time is on his own. Unfortunately, one day he finds himself in the wrong woods at the wrong time and he is jailed for being a spy. He is tortured and finds himself facing being sold to slavers. Not a pretty future. Then a bard gets thrown into his jail cell. But the bard is not what he seems. This bard is actually a master of disguise, a thief, a rogue so to speak. He escapes his chains and releases Alec out of his. The “bard” springs them both from the dungeon and so begins a beautiful friendship. Seregil, the name of our mysterious bard, believes that Alec would also make a good rogue so he decides for some reason to take Alec with him as an apprentice. Now Seregil might seem like a fishy character but he is actually working for a wizard name Nysander who is a friend to the crown. During one of their first jobs together Alec and Seregil lift a seemingly unimportant wooded disc which causes them to be hunted by a pair of nasty characters, one of which is a necromancer (raiser of the dead). The disc itself has some kind of power that nearly kills Seregil (who is wearing the disc around his neck). With Seregil out of it, and Alec a green woodsman, the boys are in trouble. Alec undertakes a long journey to Seregil’s home city to find the wizard Nysander who might be able to save Seregil’s life. Can Alec reach it before Seregil dies? You will have to read the book to find out.

There are a couple of secondary plots in this book that meld well with the plot of establishing Seregil’s and Alec’s characters. There is also a background plot of a war brewing.

What I love about Flewelling’s novels are her characters even her secondary characters like Nysander and Thero (Nysander’s apprentice) are excellently done and 3-D. I absolutely love Seregil and Alec. Currently I am re-reading the novels and it feels like visiting old friends to me. I am so excited to watch the plot unfurl again. Seregil is an excellent rogue with a heart of gold. There is a lot of depth to his character and you watch him war with lots of internal issues throughout the books. Alec is a doll such an innocent in the beginning. You will wonder how he will ever survive Seregil, but Alec bends rather easily and becomes used to his new life. He grows a tremendous amount in this novel. It is definitely a tie for me between Seregil, Alec, and Vanyel (from the Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey) who is my favorite book character of all time. All of Flewelling’s characters are engaging and believable.

Flewelling writes an engaging book with spectacular characters and a solid plot. There is a lot of history about each of the countries and a religion you have to learn, but the important things are repeated to Alec who is learning all of it with you so it is not so bad. I like her writing style, it is a lot more involved than some other writers but she will pull you in and captivate you.

Luck in the Shadows is one of my favorite books. If I could only keep 10 books out of the 1100 I own, the first three books of the Nightrunner series would make the cut. If you like a good fantasy novel then you will love this series like I do. It is a fantastic read, give it a chance. ( )

I love epic fantasy, so I was delighted to come across the Nightrunner series (though I seem to be late finding it). There are a lot of familiar tropes from fantasy: the rogue hero, the innocent boy, the wise old wizard, a lot of traveling "there and back again," etc. Sometimes this can feel repetitive: why is there always a dark god, that know one knows of, who wants to enslave or destroy the world? For once, couldn't it be a beautiful goddess who wants to protect mankind...from themselves? How does a 16 year old boy manage to stay so innocent? Surely there are girls in the village? But most of the time, such familiarity is comforting and why I keep coming back for more. Flewelling manages to balance familiarity with enough originality to make this a very good start to a series.

First, Seregil is a great character (who owes more than a passing nod to Silk from the Belgariad) because he's so three-dimensional. He's imperfect, funny, self-deprecating, loyal, and wicked deadly. But, he is the only fully developed character. Alec comes across as overly innocent, and so more one-dimensional, but he is a good foil for Seregil and has potential. Unlike Garion, or other such characters, Alec is already on his way to becoming a thief, and more interesting because of it. The pace can be somewhat slow at times as the world-building takes place as the characters travel across the fictional landscape. The underlying plot/conspiracy is built in a similar way. However, one jewel in this slow evolution is Rhiminee - a city so vibrant and well described it is practically a character in the story. The author has a gift for description, and does ocassionally go overboard with it, but I felt like I was in the story as a result.

Yes, Seregil is at least bisexual, and attracted to Alec. But, as with Vanyel in the Last Herald Mage series, this is simply one of many traits of the character. It was nice to see a gay protagonist treated so matter-of-factly. Though the conclusion is not exactly a cliff-hanger, there is obviously much more to come. Overall, I was drawn in and look forward to continuing the series. Highly recommended to fantasy fans. ( )

Officially gave up on Page 112. ( )