Luck in the Shadows: The Nightrunner Series, Book I

I've read many fantasy series and this one I had to put down after page 250 because it just couldn't hold my interest. The action is slow and the descriptive prose does not capture one's imagination. There was no sense of anticipation like one would find in a Jordan, Goodkind, Farland, or Bakker book. I was excited at the prospect of a gay protagonist as well but this was certainly not of import in the first 250 pages. I really wanted to like this series but, alas, I have to give it a 1 star rating. Sorry Flewelling...

There seem to be a whole lot of preconceptions/misconceptions about this book, and about the Nightrunner series in general. So, rather than focus on what this series is, I'm going to try to write about what this series ISN'T. Hopefully this will help clear a few things up. May contain some spoilers.

This book is NOT:
-A gay fantasy novel.
-A fantasy novel about gay people.

This book IS:
-A book that likes to take traditional gender roles and throw them to the wind.
-A classic-style fantasy novel, that includes several romantic relationships, just one of which happens to be between two men. That relationship is not, at any time, a focal point of the novel or the series; it is simply an inclusion. Yaoi fangirls/boys expecting some hot and heavy boyXboy sexcapade will be quite disappointed.

This book is NOT:
-Written as, or part of , a trilogy, with all the pros and cons a trilogy entails. Nor is it a pentology.

This book IS:
-In the author's own words, "an open-ended series of interrelated books". Currently, there are 4 books in the series, with a 5th book planned for an early 2010 release.

This book is NOT:
-A quick-fix action-adventure that throws the reader into a series of battles and other dire situations right off the bat
-A book that sacrifices plot for character development, as some other people seem to think

This book IS:
-A great classic-style fantasy adventure, reminiscint of such masters of the field as David Eddings or Robin Hobb. War, murder, magic, intrigue, betrayal, love, self-discovery, redemption. These are all subjects the author uses, like a painter with a large palette.
-A book with very strong character development and interesting, 3D characters, both the likeable and the vile ones.

Some of the criticisms about this book are that the plot is slow, character development is over-heavy, the "enemy" is rather nebulous, and that the "romance" between two of the main characters is only hinted at as a future possibility. While everyone is of course entitled to their own opinion, I would like to counter these arguements by saying that the plot is by no means slow. A lot of things happen in just this first book of the series, and they happen quickly. While it is indeed true that character development and background detail play a larger role in this first book, and there aren't many plot resolutions or tie-ups, this is intended as a build-up so that later, more dramatic events can take place, and be more potent. Remember, this is a series. Not a stand-alone novel. Not a trilogy. Regarding the hinted-at romance between Seregil and Alec, this is once again a deliberate slow-build, meant to familiarize the reader with both characters as they are, before events and circumstances begin to change both them and their relationship with one another.

Anyone who still has any lingering doubts as to the general pace of the story, I will say that by the second book, events begin to move very quickly indeed, and the formerly mysterious "enemy" comes full-throttle into the story.

Hopefully this has dispelled some of the misconceptions about this book and the series. I hope people will read (and hopefully enjoy) these books for what they are, not what they aren't or what you WANT them to be.

Luck in the Shadows turned out to be a stunning disappointment. After reading 300 pages into the novel, I just can't read anymore. The tale lures you in with a quick beginning only to lead you on from there at a just-too-slow-for-comfort pace. 300 pages into an almost 500-page novel, the romance has only been thought about briefly, and the enemy has only been alluded to and never seen. Flewelling throws plot into the wind to prioritize character development which also goes nowhere fast. The story is an airid wasteland which leaves one choking for some sort of interesting character. Seregil, our main character's mentor, is sometimes that character, but is usually just as boring as everyone else.

I feel terrible being so negative about this novel when it is very popular with other gay/lesbian fiction fans. Yet the truth is, I have no idea what anyone saw in it to begin with. Maybe it would have been decent if it was 2 or 300 pages shorter, because the turtle pacing is simply unbearable.

Fantasy at its strongest, Flewelling has crafted a world where prophecies hold sway, and society has formed to adapt to this. In a realm where it is foretold that so long as a woman sits the throne, the kingdom will prosper, Flewelling thereafter shows us a society where gender roles are eroding quickly, and that a bit of gay romance doesn't cause much of a stir. I'm all packed - when can I go there? Seriously, though, the plot itself is captivating, and there's a nice slice of humour in the characters, as well as a darker subplot that will keep you wondering who will survive to make it out of the shadows that so threaten the lives of the characters.

This book had me captivated as soon as I began it. I've read it three times since and still look forward to reading it again. I loved how Lynn uses her characters and really has fun with them. There were many scenes that had me laughing out loud while others, had me nervously biting my nails. A great read!