Vol. 1), Luck in the Shadows (Nightrunner

I really liked this charming book. It had a great mix of
humor and emotion, and the characters were very easy to
like.
The book is about a sly, charming thief and spy, Seregil, who picks up
an apprentice when he is captured and they meet in a dungeon.
His companion, Alec,a modest, backward lad of fifteen, has an
aptitude for theivery and sleight of hand, so they become
partners. They work for the Queen, gathering information
about the approaching war with their age old enemy, Plenimar.
They also learn about themselves, especially Alec, as they
traipse about the country, robbing and carousing. However,
they are not simply roguish theives, their mission is much
more important. When a magical artifact strikes Seregil and
he falls into a coma, the responsibility of getting him to
his teacher and friend, the wizrd Nysander, falls to Alec.
In this, he proves himself, and through many other challenges
they must face in the future.
This was an amusing book, filled with wonderful jokes and
hilarious situations. The characters were lovable and real,
brought to life by the talented Lynn Flewelling. I recommend
this to all who love to laugh and live on the edge.

I came across Lynn Flewelling's books rather by accident. I was looking for books in the vein of a book I am in the process of writing as a sort of learning experience, and sheer dumb luck from an the store.com recommendation based on my searches found me this book. I believe that my tiresome search at midnight truly was a stroke of luck in the shadows, and Lynn has swiftly earned a place among my favorite authors.
Lynn's overall style is both descriptive and fluent. She tends to linger on description at points, but in general she doesn't go crazy with the detail and maintains a comfortable pace. I could clearly see what was happening at all times. Her characters are definitely the best part of the book. I found Seregil's enigmatic charm fascinating and Alec's innocent naivete refreshing. I also found Alec's gradual transition from an unworldly, illiterate hunter-boy to an educated, sharp-minded apprentice thief amazing and very realistic. The two of them alone were enough to keep my interest throughout the book and the supporting characters like Micum Cavish and the wizard Nysander add to that. Lynn has a unique way of making her characters believable, interesting, and most importantly of all: Human. Lynn also employs a delightful sense of humor with characters making subtle, but witty remarks and innuendos. Never have I laughed so much while reading a fantasy book. Seregil's verbal jousts with the Thero character are priceless.
The plot is an interesting one. Without spoiling anything I will say that the plot in this book involves a lot of political intrigue, scandal, and good old fashioned housebreaking. I've read comments about the presence of homosexuality in the book. The Seregil character is indeed bisexual and he does appear to have a "thing" for Alec. However, the love interests are a trivial aspect of the story. Seregil's sexuality is vaguely alluded to at some points but only once is homosexuality ever discussed directly and that whole discussion takes place in roughly one page, and only a few times are Seregil's feelings for Alec directly expressed through a few lines of internal monologue. In short, it's the plot that gets all the attention and the "love interest" generally sits in the back burner. So simply put: only a very insecure person prone to overwhelming bouts of homophobia would find the presence of homosexuality in the book the least bit disturbing.
Now to this book's weakness. The only discernable weak point in this book is how the conflicts are presented. As the story unfolds, the book turned from a fantasy book to basically a Scooby Doo mystery set in a midievil time period, with many conferences between the main characters about discovered clues and plans to uncover "who did it". Not to say this isn't interesting, it is. My main problem is that Lynn doesn't set any particular tone in the presentation of this. Save a few notable exceptions there isn't much suspense. More like "We found evidence A, now we must investigate person B to uncover evidence C, which will lead us to concoct theory D and proceed to break into person E's house to find evidence F". However, the characters will charm you the whole time and the delicious human element makes up for practically everything.
In conclusion, I feel I'm lucky to have found this book and give it my highest recommendation, which coming from me is very rare. I'm doubly glad that the night I found this book I decided against only buying one book in favor of getting the whole series at once. I urge you to do the same thing. You won't be disappointed.

Spies, intrigue, thievery, plots, murder, scheming, disguises, sword fights, traps, escapes; really, it's more about the politics than sorcery and dragons and elves, like far too many fantasies I've read lately. Yes, there is magic and a mention of dragons and a species (the Aurënfaie) that is definitely elf-like, but that's not the focus of the book. And despite the impression given by other reviewers, neither is the fact that same-sex relationships aren't out of the ordinary in this world. None of that is ever overly dwelled on, just mentioned where appropriate, to give color and definition to this world and the characters.

The story really focuses on Seregil -- a very minor noble-turned thief/spy with an intriguing past -- and the boy, Alec, whom he rescues and takes as his apprentice. It's a hard life, full of constant danger and near-death escapades, but it's one that Alec takes to as though born for it.

After what seems like a routine burglary, the two of them are quickly caught up in something much, much bigger. Something that nearly kills them multiple times and will likely affect nations in the long run. The whole picture is never visible, never entirely given away -- despite the constant point of view switching, which does get tiresome -- even by the end of the book. One mystery is, if not solved, then well on its way to being revealed, but the larger picture still remains concealed and Seregil, Alec and their friends have yet to glimpse it.

The book leaves off at what was likely an annoying place when it first came out, but with the sequels readily available now, it's easy to just pick up the second book and keep going.

This was a fun book centered around a roguish spy, his new apprentice, the mentor, and the hijinks and zany plots they become embroiled in.

Ultimately the book was not terribly memorable, but it certainly was engaging. I found that Flewelling's choice of a floating 3rd person perspective allows the reader to get the points of view from multiple characters, it also keeps the reader from being able to really delve into someone's perspective. There were times when Alec was afraid for Seregil, Seregil was conflicted about why he took on an apprentice, and Nysander reflected on his relationship with Seregil, but these perspectives lacked the depth that other POVs can deliver.

The world she developed was a fairly standard Medieval Fantasy Europe, perhaps polished up a bit once they get to Rhiminee. The introduction of the Watchers brought a neat flare to the world, and the rift in the nobility due to the Aurenfae made setting up conflicts very succinct. Much like a Catholic/Protestant division in European nobility, the role of the Aurenfae in Rhiminee allows for nobles to be embroiled in a grander conflict which yields complexity to the entire tale.

See, I'm writing this, trying to think about the world, and I can't think of a whole lot to say. There was magic, yeah, and a magic school, great, oh, a secret about the head mage, so that's cool. And now what? Oh there's a forest, and a nice little farm, and a scaaaaaary castle. Besides the Aurenfae deal, the Watchers, and the different gods, it's all stuff I've seen before, and better besides.

Doesn't make it bad, just makes it not stand out.

It was quite fun, and I'm very interested to see how the different twists and turns play out, so I'll definitely read the next one. I hope the world gets fleshed out more.

The first book by Flewelling I read was "The Bone Doll's Twin", a much darker start to a second fantasy series that is actually a prequel to her Nightrunner series. Got that? So, having finished that book, I turned back to Flewelling's first series, a much lighter, more contemporary set.
"Luck in the Shadows" tells the story of a young country bumpkin, Alec, who gets mixed up with a thief and spy named Seregil. They save each other's lives, and Seregil agrees to take Alec on as an apprentice. He brings Alec to Rhiminee, the capital city of Skala, a peaceful kingdom that, by decree of an ancient prophecy, is always ruled by a Queen. (Nice touch.) Seregil is distantly related to the current Queen and is part of a secret society of spies and sorcerers that help protect Skala from her enemies.
A lot of this first book is given over to Alec's training as a beginning spy. The subplot, which sets up action for Book 2, is actually more interesting than the main plot, which is thrown in about 2/3 in and feels both rough and rushed. It involves a secret conspiracy against the Queen, forged documents, stolen gold - basic fare, dealt with matter-of-factly and with few surprises. The subplot, concluded in Book 2, is also pretty standard - evil artifact which will destroy the world - but as it places our heroes in much more personal and immediate danger, we end up caring about it more.
Flewelling can't seem to decide whether Alec should be a prodigy or a victim of his own helplessness; he's breaking and entering like an expert within a week, but he still can't find his way around the big, bad city. I wish there were more female characters; aside from the Queen (a very minor character at best) and the daughters of Seregil's friend Micum, almost everyone in this book is a man. The fact that Seregil is gay helps a little, but still. Oh, well, you can't have anything. The series does improve down the pike, so if you're looking for light, fun fantasy, this is worth the investment.

"Luck in the Shadows" has to be the most promising debut fantasy novel that we've seen in many years. It's a startling book, which breaks with conventions at almost every possible opportunity. There's true intrigue and suspense here, a fast-moving plot, and a real permeating sense of danger throughout. For once I can wholeheartedly recommend this one to just about anybody.
The book starts when a teenage hunter named Alec is imprisoned and tortured by guards after he accidentally wanders onto private land. He escapes with the assistance of a fellow prisoner named Seregil, who offers to take Alec on as an apprentice bard. However, Seregil isn't who he appears to be. More and more facets of his mysterious past and dangerous mission are revealed as the two of them break into a foreign visitor's room and steal a mysterious token, then have to go on the run with an entire army on their heals. Admittedly this plot summary may not sound too different from some typical genre fantasy, but Flewelling's skill at character development lifts it above the rest. Alec and Seregil are not merely caricatures; they are fully fleshed-out and realistic people. Alec lost his father right before the beginning of the book. Unlike certain other authors, Flewelling doesn't simply have him ignore the traumatic experiences that he went through. She acknowledges that losing family members and having your life ripped apart has psychological effects that don't simply disappear after a few days. Alec's need to rebuild his place in society and find a new family haunts him for the rest of the book.
The plot really moves into high gear when Seregil is attacked by hostile magic, in a form that causes eventual madness and violent behavior. His attempt to battle against encroaching insanity, while Alec tries to locate the famed wizard Nysander, who may be able to cure him, is the high point of the book, and it leads to a sort of mini-climax within the first two hundred pages. After that portion of the plot is resolved, there are countless other threads still hanging around. The good guys have to deal with spies in their midst, impending foreign invasion, and the threat of more hostile magic by a mysterious and sinister figure. There's so much going on in "Luck in the Shadows" that it's amazing that the author can handle it all in less than five hundred pages. But she does, and in grand style. The ending is a classic that provides a satisfying conclusion while still leaving some questions open for the sequels. Above all else, it should be noted that the forces of evil in this book are truly frightening, rather than just being cardboard cutouts who act bad because the plot requires it.
I had previously read the first book in Flewelling's other series, "The Bone Doll's Twin", and thought that it was a good effort, but had some major flaws. "Luck in the Shadows", however, is a much more complete work, one where the author took the time to get all of the details right. Tough I know that some such promise is made concerning every new fantasy author, I feel that she really will come to be viewed as one of the major authors of the genre, and that the Nightrunner series will be a classic for future generations.

This novel is fantastic! A well rounded cast of characters that you will root for and a rich story full of adventure! Worth the read if you like fantasy! Also a great beginner fantasy novel because the lore and magic isn't complicated. I recommend this book constantly!

Luck in the Shadows, the first book of Flewelling's Nightrunner Series, is, quite simply, a masterpiece of modern fantasy. It rocketed to the top of my list of all-time favorite books and cemented Flewelling as one of my favorite authors. Subsequent reading of her others books has only confirmed that initial impression.
Luck tells the story young Alec of Kerry, a poor peasant taken prisoner by a mad lord for a crime he didn't commit. He fully expects to be tortured to death, but his fate takes a sudden unexpected turn when his fellow cellmate turns out to be Seregil of Rhiminee, a master spy, thief, and noble. When Seregil escapes, he takes Alec with him, although he's not even sure why himself. Alec eventually becomes Seregil's apprentice and they find themselves embroiled in a plot by a neighboring warring country to invade Seregil's home kingdom of Skala. Seregil is on a mission for the Queen and after a "routine" break-in in which Seregil steals some innocuous seeming tokens; they find themselves on the run from an army with Seregil being affected by some sort of dark magic. As Seregil slowly slips into madness, Alec tries desperately to get his new friend to the wizard Nysander, who Seregil had told him was his only hope.
Nysander manages to save Seregil, but there is still much intrigue to unravel, as there are spies and turncoats within the Skalan nobility to be uncovered, dark magic to thwart, and a war to avoid at all costs.
Flewelling has created a richly detailed world that is very different from many other fantasy depictions. It is completely plausible and she's left nothing out. But even more impressive than her world-building, is her character development. With Seregil and Alec, she has created two of the most three-dimensional and thoroughly likeable characters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in a book. They are completely realistic and by the time you come to know them, you feel they are old friends. Her secondary characters are just as well-drawn and fully-realized. Even her bad guys are richly detailed, not the mere one-dimensional "evil people" to which so many fantasy writers resort. Her plot more than lives up to the world and its characters, delivering a rip-roaring adventure filled with magic and mystery, all the while deftly weaving in the beginnings of a very subtle romance.
She even manages the difficult task of writing a satisfying ending while leaving the door open to continue the series. I believe time will prove Flewelling to be a giant in the genre. I look forward to reading her books for years to come.

Alec is a young hunter's son, captured and tortured, and waiting to die when he is rescued by a strange and multifaceted man by the name of Seregil. So begins "Luck in the Shadows."
I fought against reading this one for a while, until a friend of mine pretty much shoved it into my hand. I should have given in years ago, because I really loved this book's characters and story.
There are quite a few strengths to Lyn Flewelling's writing. For one, we have a society that is matriarchal, or at least equalized, without the typical "just reverse the roles" writing. This is not a simple society that Flewelling has written, but an intricate and interesting one.
Secondly, her use of wit - not just humour - is much appreciated. The plot is particularly dark in places, and her deft touch with an appropriate bon-mot is just what is needed to keep things light enough to be enjoyable.
If there are flaws, they're few, but sometimes one can tell that this is the first novel, in that scene shifting is sometimes a little bit clunky. It is entirely forgiveable, though, and the book is one I consider a must-read of fantasy. Be warned, however, that this is book 1 of 2, followed by "Stalking Darkness," and "Luck in the Shadows," will leave you unsatisfied by itself - it requires "Stalking Darkness" to enjoy it and to finish the tale.
Also, the relationship between Alec and Seregil is very sensitively written in this first book, with enough hints that you know they're going somewhere wonderful.
Flewelling is definately a strong new voice in fantasy, and I will follow her writing.

This first book in the Nightrunner series introduces us to Alec of Kerry who's been imprisoned for reasons he doesn't understand. He's resigned to his unknown fate, but his cellmate turns out to be a master spy whom Alec eventually knows as Seregil. Seregil rescues Alec and soon finds the younger man to be indispensable in more ways than one. Seregil begins training Alec as his apprentice in many skills: spy, thief, rogue, master of disguise. The two mistakenly steal a magical object, which almost destroys Seregil, but Alec rescues his mentor by bringing him home to Rhíminee, in Skala, where Seregil recovers, only to find himself at the center of a plot to destroy his homeland. And to top it all off, Seregil is beginning to feel attracted to his young student. Seregil must stifle his feeling so that he and Alec can put an end to the danger to Skala, but the danger may prove to have longer fingers than either of them anticipate. "Luck in the Shadows" begins a bit slowly, but soon the reader is in the thrall of the story, speeding along through the adventures. It's an amazing beginning to a trilogy that will send the reader scampering for the next book.

I wanted to love this book. Gay male romance, swords and sorcery, an elf-like race... many of my favorites were to be found here. And at first, I did love it. Seregil and Alec caught my imagination immediately and have not let go since. The two characters are wonderfully developed. Seregil has many "gay" characteristics that never become stereotypical and Alec as the young innocent is a delight. Anyone who enjoys character over plot will enjoy discovering the humanity in the mysterious Seregil and the courage in Alec.

But while the two main characters are the strong point, the rest is weak. In addition to unoriginal supporting characters, Flewelling relies heavily on dialogue to convey information. Over and over, a more knowledgeable character - usually Seregil - would inform a less knowledgeable character - usually Alec. Much of this information came without much context, but would be needed to understand future events. It didn't take long for this to become tedious. Readers who enjoy political intrigue and information-heavy fantasy will appreciate this book more than I did, but the heavy-handed writing makes it difficult to slog through at times.

The world building was detailed, but hampered by a reliance on many fantasy conventions. While Flewelling has created a society much more relaxed about sexuality and supposedly more egalitarian, she didn't go very far in exploring what else these attitudes might change. Instead, we have the typical division of labor between men and women in the household, no indication that same-sex couples can marry, and no female characters who seem to have any effect on the plot.

Despite the flaws, I do recommend the book as an entertaining read.

I would have preferred to give "Luck in the Shadows" two and a half stars. It's competently written, but I just didn't find it very interesting. The storyline was very typical of fantasy novels (with strong shades of a certain other author for a large part of the book), and was definitely the first part of a series, rather than being self-contained. The unanswered questions about the artefact that affected Seregil, those hunting it, and the apparent coming war were very annoying. Is the storyline that suddenly developed of plots against the Queen picked up in the subsequent novels? If not, it comes across as filler. A tighter structure, a less typical storyline, and a greater concentration on what skills a good thief and spy needs to have would have improved "Luck in the Shadows" significantly.

I did enjoy this book. The characters are well thought out and the plot (for the most part) was quite thrilling. I say "for the most part" because I found the scenes where the characters were verbally retelling the history of the land to Alec to be tedious. These scenes were scattered throughout the first half of the book and they really stalled the pacing. I found Seregil to be a great character. He's a bit of a rogue but he has a great heart. The friendship between he and Alec grew slowly but it was entirely believable. But overall, I can't say that I was impressed enough to continue reading the series. If, indeed, there is something "brewing" in Alec and Seregil's relationship, I saw--or felt for that matter--nothing indicating this. There were very vague references to Seregil being gay but I saw and felt no such thing regarding Alec. Not enough for me to want to continue reading about them anyway. Still, it was a good read and I do recommend it for those who want more action than romance. I was just hoping for a little more of the latter.

The story had amazing qualities, but the romance between the two lead characters(aged 16 & 58) came of as the others advertisement for NAMBLA(National Association of Man Boy Love). Seriously I am fine with gay characters but the developing relationship between Seregil and Alec was inappropriate on levels hitherto unknown.

There is little urgency in this initial volume, and that's a good thing (sometimes it seems I read book after book whose plotting tumbles after itself at a DaVinci Code pace).
Here we have stays in the country, music lessons, journeys by ship, dinner parties ... and, simultaneously, we have mysterious sigils, powerful transformative magic, derring-do (no large-scale battles), and ultimately a mystery.
Most of the first book sets up the characters and details their engrossing and delightful adventures, culminating in a mystery/conspiracy plot. If you're a Buffy fan, you'll recognize the pacing ... this would cover five or six episodes, with the seasonal "arc" only occasionally coming to the fore.
Very refreshing to have a protagonist (well, one of the two) whose skill with a sword is not necessarily as important as his acting ability. Really, the whole book was a charmer (slightly reminiscent of Kage Baker's Anvils of the World, but less precious, more grounded).
If you like your secondary world fantasies pleasant and light without being flippant, engrossing without being fast-paced, and well-written (but not over-written), give this one a look.
Note: 4 stars from me is high praise for a thoroughly good book. Only classics (or those which ought to be) get 5 stars, 3 stars is for an enjoyable book. Most books, sadly, seem to merit 2 or less.

I got this book originally because a friend of mine who has good taste recommended it. One chapter in and I was hooked. The author has a interesting twisty mind that translates well to the page. The book might sound, in the little bits on the back of the book, like your normal run of the mill 'different world, spies, swords, magic, ho hum' but it's SO not.
The characters are really interesting people, the situations are not something you saw coming ahead of time, and the world isn't the same world you read in every other Sci-fi/Fantasy novel.
I don't classify this as a 'gay novel' or 'bisexual'. Which is all ok with me, I think it's great that a more mixed bag of books is available to the general public. Which is to say I read the book, and will read more in the series because it's just plain good reading, instead of supporting the book because the author had the courage to write conviction (which is also awesome)
I highly recommend reading this series.

Fantastic characterization, a lovable main character, and all the best elements of fantasy.
The thing I especially love about this book that made it unique was the focus characters being two thieves working together. The story unfolds in the eyes of the main character Alex who meets up with mysterious Seregil when they are both imprisoned by the same nobleman. Orphan and roamer Alex is dragged through the world on the coattails of this mystery man, travels to faraway lands from his privincial home, and gets embroiled into the midst of great intrigue amidst the first churnings of war between two countries.
As the somewhat clueless, awkward young man begins to experience things he's never met up with before, you see a new fantasy world unfold in front of his eyes and your own (including some unrequited (so far!) man-to-man romance, always a plus in my book).
Great fun, great read, can't wait for more...

This book was obviously conceived as part of a series. Although many plot threads are begun, few are tied off. Those that are are strangely rushed and unsatisfying. However, the fun and adventure of the first 7/8 makes up for the disappointment of the last 1/8. The characterization is well done; as a reader I was really interested in what the characters were thinking and feeing.
To others reading their way through the Tamir series - this book has a one paragraph summation of her reign which may be a slight spoiler. I'm not sure because the events discussed have not happened yet in the series, but she is definitely talking about the same queen.

When young Alec of Kerry is accused of spying and thrown into a dungeon, it might just have been the most fortunate thing that ever happened to him. For his cellmate, Seregil, was a daring spy, theif, and rogue who took the hunter under his wing.
Starting from the fast-paced prison break of the opening scenes, Flewelling quickly draws you into the magical world of theives, spies, and noble intrigues. Another of my perennial re-reads, I love to revisit these characters. Although the first 100 pages or so of this book contain some "fill the reader in on the world" conversations (which are, surprisingly, not as contrived as you might think - they're quite in character for the born storyteller Seregil), they fall off after that, leaving behind an absolute gem with excellent characters, a well-paced plot, and exceptional attention to detail. With sharp characterizations and excellent observations, the author brings her characters to very real and true life.

I just finished re-reading this book and was completely blown away again by how much I love it. This is one of those rare books in the fantasy genre which make you want to not stop reading. I have found it exceedingly difficult to find new books to read, in fact only a handful of authors spring to my mind when thinking of excellent fantasy which makes me want to turn the page. And I find this very sad.
When I read this though, I can't put it down and simply have to finish it. I love the characters of Alec and Seregil, as well as the wizard Nysander, and even Thero(he is rather amusing). Of course Seregil is the favourite, with his humourous personality and love of life.
If you like novels with excellent characters, a solid plot, humour, action and friendship then I can not recommend this book enough. The next 2 books in the series are just as excellent, and are amoung my favourites on my bookshelf. Do yourself a favour and go and buy them, they will not disappoint!!

I would be honest: I started reading this book because of the M/M relationship. I figured if I won't like the book at least this part will be to my taste. What can I tell you, homosexual themes or no, this is one great book! I read the summary and some reviews (negative) so I didn't expect it to be that good. Aside from the engaging plot which made it impossible to stop reading, there is another part that made this book stand out among all the other books I read from the library recently: the characters. There are too many books which leave me with no impression after I finish reading them, and the characters there are just to deliver the plot. Not that there is a visible flaw in the writing (not to me anyway) but they're just...there.

Well not in this book. Each and one of them has ten layers and it actually feels like you're reading about real people, with real personalities who are not mostly defined by their fears, insecurities and other flaws/advantages (what other authors seem to do much).

Another thing that makes this book stand out in my eyes is that the writer doesn't try to force any emotion on the reader. Without all those silly attempt at drama or angst or even humor, she just tells the story and if the reader chooses to laugh or cry it's done because of the events in the book entirely and not because the author wanted it to be a dramatic/funny part. I don't think that there is a need to mention how much more real the story feels that way, lighter and more enjoyable to read.

By the time I finished reading this book I felt like Alec and Seregil are my friends. That didn't happen a long time with a book. If I had it in my language I would buy it to my friends and family.

Though well written there were instances that threw me out of the rhythm and made me go "wait WTF?", and what I know about the future books it doesn’t give me much incentive to read further.

Full review on my blog:

https://redletalis.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/luck-in-the-shadows-l-flewelling/

This (and the other books in the series) have quickly become some of my favorite books. I find Seregil to be completely fascinating, as is the world he lives in.
Alec is the young, naive son of a reclusive woodsman and hunter. He is shocked into the "real" world after his father dies and he is captured as a supposed spy. It is in prison that he meets Seregil and is vaulted from the world of solitary animal trapping and hunting to the life of a thief and spy.
The adventures the two find themselves in are well written; the friendship they come to share is touching and and playful. Seregil rarely speaks of the past, and while this does test their relationship, they grow closer as the story progresses. The way Seregil treats money (he is a highly successful thief and sees no reason not to spend his wealth) is amusing, as is Alec's reaction to his generosity.
Definitely at the top of my recommendations, as is the rest of the series.

Luck in the Shadows is a palatable debut fantasy, featuring two likable, capable, handsome leads who are More Than They Seem. Neither mediocre nor revolutionary, it is a solid first novel from Lynn Flewelling, who since its arrival in 1996 has been prolific. While I am lukewarm about reading the next book in the series, I am curious to see how Flewelling has evolved as a writer.

Luck in Shadows is about Alec, a country lad who is introduced to skulduggery by the rogue Seregil. Much of the novel deals with the ever-increasing bond and devotion between them. Their relationship is one of the novel's best elements, as it contains shades of friendship, mentoring, family, dependence, and romance. The plot is rather ordinary and extraneous: the author is more concerned with the characters' relationship than with plot points.

In my opinion, the novel's highlight is the description of magic: It is complex and ritualistic, providing the story's darkest moments. The author creates her own magical vocabulary with sigla, dyrmagnos, and drysian. Anytime an author invents words I remember, I am impressed. I also like how Flewelling populates her world with interesting supporting characters such as Thero, Beka, and Ylinestra. I suspect that they will play larger roles in subsequent volumes.

I think that the novel's weakness is the trivial tone. Seregil's rascally nature undermines the gravity of the events so that it is hard to take dangers seriously. I believe that a grimness is missing, however, I may just prefer darker stories. Additionally, I think that the connection between the characters and the plot is too removed. The events seem impersonal. If the plot affected Seregil and Alec more directly, the novel would have more impact for me.

Flewelling writes clearly and descriptively, if not memorably. She uses exclamation points too much for my tastes.

There is so much to say about this incredible book that I am at a loss of where to begin.

Flewelling's Nightrunner series has done naught but truly amaze me. This book (which is the first of this amazing series) starts with a kick and ends with a punch...with no small amount of flavor to hold it together in the middle.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of this book are the deeply three-dimensional characters Mrs. Flewelling builds in the course of her story. Alec, young and trusting, will captivate you with his sweet ingenuousness. Seregil, playful and darkly enigmatic, will immure you with his mystery. And as you read this story and the stories which follow, you will come to laugh with them, cry with them, and, eventually, love with.

The only thing that might leave something to be desired is that you can get lost in the complexity of the world and the characters within. However, this is one of the things I personally find makes this story so marvelously compelling.

So if you want to enter into a delicately rich world filled with wonders and moments that will leave your heart a-flutter, then snuggle up in a chair next to a fireplace and prepare to steep your mind in this masterwork of fantasy.

I can't recommend the Nightrunner books *enough*. Each one has been a page-turner that I could not put down once I started. I recently reread Luck In The Shadows, and still couldn't put it down, even knowing what happened. A fantastic, adventurous plot, great characters, a sense of humor, and a good fantasy world that you can immerse yourself in. I particularly admire the sensitive way the development of the main characters' relationship is handled throughout the three books.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Alec and Seregil are great characters. They aren't alike as far as temperaments go but they are two wonderful heroes and I'd be hard pressed to choose between them. The secondary characters are all well thought out. I never felt like anyone was thrown in without being really needed. One of my favorites of these would be the great wizard Nysander.

The world that Flewelling builds is very interesting. She goes into great detail without boring you and, pretty soon, you feel you are in the book experiencing everything along with the characters. A lot of intrigue and suspense that neatly sets the stage for the rest of the books yet gives you enough to be satisfied when you are done with this one. There's wizards and magic and even a centaur or two but, for all the fantasy aspects, this world feels like an alternate universe with some similarities to England in the Middle Ages or the 1800's. I couldn't decide which since it tended to shift from the time in the cities to the time running around the countryside.

The suspense and the action were both very entertaining. A lot of times I tend to skip these scenes with women writers but I couldn't get enough and was sucked in desperately wanting to know how or if our heroes, both, would make it through to the end.

A word of caution, this book does contain [...] undertones. This doesn't bother me in the least since I read and watch m/m romances all the time, especially in anime and manga. However, some people may be put off by this. I will say that it is not, at least in this first book, anything major. One of the characters is bisexual and he happens to be attracted to another character. Nothing happens and, as the love is unrequited, the man in love doesn't try anything. They have a wonderful friendship and, it seems to me, this was setting up the stage for an actual romance for the, so far, heterosexual character.

Like many people, I have some mixed emotions. To get the record straight, I really enjoyed this book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's one of those books I end up reading till 4 in the morning so I can finish it. The characters are fun, if not entirely original, and it was like a jolly romp through Flewelling's world.

From another perspective, I can see how people criticize her "hit em over the head" approach to writing in her frsit novels. It lacks some of the finesse that I would require of a book with this potential, and like I've seen others point out, we're expected to believe kind of whaterver she throws at us as plausible.......like the folding longbows. Thus certain areas in the book you can see where Flewelling loses her grasp on the material because she might not be as able as in other areas. On the bright side though, I laughed quite often in this book. Some of the dialogue is very funny.

As a note on the series, I'm not a big fan. The first book is the best because the characters are new. For me, everything else goes downhill from there. I found my interest in the characters waned as the stories continued.

Also, I much more enjoyed her later Tamir series because they are much better edited and organized than in this series. The Luck Series being her first couple of published books I'd say it's an entertaining good start.

I developed a real empathy for Seregil and Alec because of their sympathetic and understanding nature. I appreciated the action pact approach to the story. I look forward to many adventures portraying these characters. I developed an empathy for the characters Seregil and Alec because of their sympathetic and understanding attributes. I am looking forward to more adventures with these characters.

Strong start, love the two main characters. Seregil has nice mysterious feel and enjoyed Alec holding up with his own expertise. Without giving away spoilers, after Alec's heroic effort, Seregil lost his mystique for me. The ending was most unsatisfactory. Not sure I am interested in book 2.

I read this book and recommended it to everyone in my family - they've all read it now and loved it. The sequel was even better, if that could be said! Endearingly real characters with real life emotion and fast paced action. I loved the twists and turns! I read the book in one night. The second time I read it, it was the same way

One original character trait barely carries "Luck in the Shadows" through hackneyed fantasy archetypes. The orphan boy Alec teams up with the dashing thief Seregil after they escape a dungeon cell. They flee to Seregil's home city under the pursuit of evil foreigners, but upon their arrival this plot vanishes in favor of political intrigue. The sly thief characters blossom in the urban scheming, making the evil necromancer plot feel tacked onto the beginning as fodder for the sequel. Fantasy clichés abound: the rural orphan boy hero, the venerable wizard Nysander, and evil necromancers seeking ancient artifacts. Alec matures into his role, but the harried rush to the conclusion dilutes the earlier focus on his growth.
Seregil's ambiguous sexuality provides the only flash of originality. Flewelling subtly builds this trait with Seregil's scheming in Wolde and his manipulation of the riverboat captain, and she appropriately omits it from dialog until Seregil reunites with friends like Nysander outside of Alec's hearing. These interactions hint at the burgeoning attraction Seregil may feel for Alec, but a reader aware of this plotline in advance may catch several musings in the first few chapters that appear to foreshadow an eventual relationship between them, even at this uneasy initial stage.
Flewelling's prose clanks along with rare flashes of vividness. The early chapters drag with info-dumps, yet combat is glossed over with scant detail. The dialog sputters with modern colloquialisms, and the dialog attributions stumble with adverbs. The prose often shifts to a new paragraph when inserting a sentence of description into a character's dialog, jarring the reader when the same character continues speaking in the new paragraph.
"Luck in the Shadows" straddles the fast plot of adventure fantasy like Raymond E. Feist and the character-focused, introspective style of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. The unique relationship growing between Alec and Seregil could have formed the ideal core for a character-focused work, but "Luck in the Shadows" buries this original spark under bushels of stock fantasy trappings.

I find myself saying with alarming regularity that a book could have used a good editor. Sometimes I mean the author needed a fact checker, at other times I mean that the author could have used an expert at story structure and reader accessibility to help with the writing. This book needs one of the latter

I read this book when it first came out and thought it was ok for a pseudo-medieval fantasy but it was just one of many. It didn't inspire any interest in the rest of the series although I did pick at least one up and read a chapter or two before being distracted. Recently, however, I listened to the unabridged audiobook. The reader, Raymond Todd, gave it truly heroic effort, but hearing the book out loud crystalized for me what was wrong with the writing and probably why I have never finished another one of the author's books.

Admittedly this was a first published book-- but the amount of exposition in the first two thirds of the book is mind boggling. Alec kept having these conversations about the way the world-- his world! worked so the reader could be clued in on information. It would have been better had the author woven most of this into the story rather than large chunks of plodding exposition. Also, if we are to accept Alec's viewpoint as the reader's veiwpoint-- a sort of Watson character-- then it would have been better had the author stayed out of the other characters' heads this early in the story. Then there was the mulling over of things. For instance, there is a whole scene where, after being attacked by bandits, the party sits down and discusses at length what they learned from examining the effects of the dead bandits. And it took them so long to arrive at the inevitable conclusion that I wondered that any of them had ever survived engagement in political intrigue before.

Finally, after a long, uncomfortable and harrowing journey, Alec is told that it wasn't really necessary, it was sort of a character building exercise. That really ticked me off. I would have liked Kerry a lot better if he had just stalked off at that time with a hearty good bye!

As for Seregil-- there's not a lot that can be said about Seregil that isn't a spoiler, However, he is just not as charming and interesting as one expects a man of mystery to be.

Then there are the canoodling wizards and the apprentice whose purpose can be seen a mile way.

All in all, it wasn't horrible but it could have been a whole lot better.

From start to finish a great read! The main characters are all well thought out and you can't help but flinch when the heroes get in a tight spot. Lynn Flewelling has created a unique world and peopled it with intriguing characters, both good and bad. I've also read "Stalking Darkness" and I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

Spend your money on this book! A long time fantasy reader, I found this book grabbed me from the start and didn't let go. Difficult to put down, fun story with intrigue, adventure, magic...what more can you want? I felt there was a lot of originality throughout the book (hard to find), and the writing was easy to read. There is a lot to learn about the place and politics, but there always is in a good fantasy novel, and the details are delivered in a very easy way. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed a fantasy novel this much in years. Well done!!! I will be buying the whole series...

I really liked the transformation of Alec. There is a thread underneath that begs to be pulled to unravel the next chapter of this great story.

One of the best yarns I have had the pleasure to read in a very long time.

This book is one of my favorites! The characters pasts are in the shadow and that just makes it all the more interesting! If you like the works of Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind then you just have to read this series too!

I read all the Nightrunner books over the course of this summer, and I was very pleased with both of them. Though there were a few hiccups here and there, overall I was very impressed with the books. The stories are involving and the dialogue convincing (with a few exceptions in the beginning of Shadows Return), and the characters are well crafted and lovable. Not your average stock fantasy, with truly interesting and unique magic and an engaging central plot. I was extremely pleased with the first two books, and enjoyed all the others as well, though the first two were in my opinion slightly better than the rest. Read them both, and if you haven't had enough, read the rest. I know I couldn't stop myself.

I chanced upon the Nightrunners series while I was ordering for the high school library for which I work. I read all three books and was pleased with the detailed and complex world in which these well thought-out characters live. The books were all entertaining and detailed with a thread of humor that I found very engaging. It was like meeting a new person and feeling as if you'd known them all your life. The issue of the relationship between Seregil and Alec is handled with the same good humor. It becomes simply another facet of these very fascinating characters. I am looking forward to reading more about this world and these people.

This series is one of the best out there. Flewelling createsrich and complicated characters and settings, staying clear of stockplot points and instead weaving a wonderful world inhabited by real people. Alec and Seregil, our heroes, are entirely sympathetic even as they are not always admirable, and their friendship (and in later books relationship) is warm, wonderful, and all that one should be, regardless of sexual orientation.
I HIGHLY recommend this series! Don't miss it!

I love this book. The pacing, the characters, the description--everything about it is tight and enthralling. I was in tears from the first page wishing that I could write as well.
The thing that truly sets LUCK IN THE SHADOWS apart are the well-rounded character portrayals. No one is static here. Everyone grows and changes.
The action flows beautifully and logically from start to finish, and leaves you wanting more. Luckily, I had STALKING DARKNESS on hand so that I could go right into the next book.
I highly recommend it--and have done so more times than I can count!

My friend recommended this set of books to me, as I am a fantasy aficionado. The world that Lynn Flewelling creates is rich, varied and intricate in its detail. While a little slow in the beginning, Luck in the Shadows quickly brings characters that almost everyone can relate to in some way and which makes them enjoyable. I recommend reading these three books in order and together, so that the impact and suspense is not lost on the reader. Definitely one of my favorite books that I've read in the past year or two. Sarcasm and love, terror, hatred and confusion all combine in a realistic and very enjoyable read.

Flewelling puts the right ingredients into the first book of the Nightrunner series. There is intrigue, suspicion, and determination in this novel. She also adds some bold sexual roles to her characters, something rare in the fantasy genre. Overall it is not like the complex world of Jordan, nor does it have the character depth of Eddings. It is nevertheless a compelling book worthy of your attention.

Read this book way back from the library, since then have the rest of the series so took advantage of ordering this copy to complete my set. Really like the story line and the characters, great adventures and danger.

When I started reading this book I thought it was going to be another epic story but it turned out to be pretty good. I like the way that Flewelling draws her world and the history behind it. Some of the characters such as Nysander and Alec are a bit predictable but I have hopes that the characters will develop through the trilogy.
Flewelling keeps dropping hits about Seregil's past and we just want to learn more about it, doesn't always work for me, but it did this time.
All in all a good and fun read.

I worked in a bookstore when this title came out. Out of all the thousands of books in the store, this one grabbed my attention. I took it home and stayed up FAR TOO LATE reading, savoring, enjoying every moment. Wonderful characters, interesting plot....very cool twists. They are so...human! even if they aren't. I want to know this world Lynn created. I want to be there too. I care about them. I can hardly wait for the next in the series...hurry Lynn!