Luck in the Shadows: The Nightrunner Series, Book I: 1 Mass Market Paperback – 1 Aug. 1996

Where do I begin. This series is full of wonderful stuff. It's exciting, touching, nail biting, and memorable. I LOVE the characters, the world and the plots. It felt like I soaked into it and never wanted to leave. Still as fresh as when they were first written. Don't miss them, and Luck in the Shadows!!Edit re: Audible Version. This will always be one of my favourite books but the audible version is enormously disappointing. What possessed the reader to introduce all the DREADFUL accents? For some reason he read some of the characters with Scottish or Irish accents. I assume that was his intention, because they are only vaguely recognisable as such. This is a fantasy. There’s no reason for anyone to be Irish or Scottish. Especially if the reader can’t do those accents without sounding ridiculous. It’s horribly distracting. Audible: This is one of the best fantasy series ever written please pay a good,, expressive actor to re-record it. This audible offering does a terrible disservice to the original.

My first impression was that this was intended for a late teenage audience, given the youthfulness of Alec. However, stick with the series and the themes get more mature. If it's romance you're after, it builds up slowly (you'll have to wait until later books), but it's well worth the wait!Alec starts off an honest, straightforward woodsman but on meeting the spy Seregil he's soon introduced to a much wider world of intrigue. Hisingenuous character gives Flewelling the chance gradually to expand themagical and fantastical elements of her well-drawn world. Alec learnsespionage and dissembling from Seregil, against a backdrop ofimpending war and pursuit by evil magics. Soon, he's on first-hand termswith much that he once believed mythical. Seregil is a more mysteriousfigure, witholding much about himself even as he tutors Alec and the bondbetween them grows.

Having read The Bone Doll's Twin first I felt I wanted to know more about the characters, so it was straight to Amazon to see what else I could find by Lynn Flewelling.I duly ordered the (so far) full set of her books. I didn't think after completing the Bone doll trilogy that the writing/character depth could be improved upon and was sad to see the end of the characters I had come to care about so much. I thought the next set would probably be ok but not live up to the others.BOY WAS I WRONGI picked up Luck in the shadows (written before the tamir trilogy unknown to me at the time!)and once opened I could literally not put it down. I have read all three books in the series in 2 days. I absolutely loved it.OK so the overall plotline isn't what you'd expect from diehard traditional fantasy books but the author's insightful and intriguing characters are what make this an unforgetable and unmissable tale.I felt the full gamut of emotions for the central characters, so much so the plot became secondary to alec and seregil's relationship. I am hungry to know where life will lead them next, what will happen along the way and how their relationship will develop further.Be open minded and view the characters "outside of the box" and you will love these characters as I and so many others do.

Brought this on recommendation, thinking i'd give it a go but not expecting to be that impressed,WRONG from the start i couldn't put it down, this is story telling at its best, so much so i brought the other 4 in the series and have read all 5 in just over a week.From the start you are pulled into the plot, with all its twists and turns till your head spins,its action packed, funny in places, sad and a really good read,right to the last page.

Lynn Flewelling's world is very well constructed and thought out, it is slightly daunting at times in this book and I advise you to pay attention to it from the word "go" as missing one or two things can get the better of you as things get more complex!Alec and Seregil are great characters and while any book with an M/M relationship has the potential to be pure exploitative fluff, their relationship develops and matures at a very reasonable and realistic pace and as a result is handled very tactfully. Alec and Seregil are great, likeable and extremely complex characters and as the series progresses I've found this has only become more and more true.Pick up Luck In the Shadows and if you enjoyed it, grab the concluding book to this storyline as I felt it surpassed this one in all areas, definitely recommended!

There are a lot of very positive reviews here for this wonderful set of books - so I shan't go back over the storyline again.What I do want to say is, I purchased this book only a week or so ago, started reading it and immediately ordered the rest of the set as I knew I was going to love all the books. To be fair, the world building does go on a bit, and it wasn't until the third book that I really got into the story, but what pulled me in totally were the characters of Seregil and Alec. I love them! I think the most recent two books (shadow's return and The white road)are my favourites, so even if you're not sure - do continue, they're worth it.If you enjoyed Robin Hobb's Farseer, Liveship and Tawny man books - then you will probably enjoy these.

Got the book a couple of days ago. :)The edges was a bit bend, but otherwise okay.

Brilliant series. Have enjoyed all of them. The intricacy and depth of the story lines, attention to detail and development of the characters, the amazing creativity of building her own world and language that really works and is believable. And especially the sensitivity with which LF develops the love and relationship between the two (male) heroes. I mean, who wouldn't want to find his or her tali ....

This is the first book I've purchased in a long time that I've finished. The best part is that the story doesn't end in this one!

"Luck in the Shadows" is an incredible start to a series that will keep you hooked from the very beginning. As my first book in this style, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was blown away by the immersive world-building, well-developed characters, and engaging plot.The book's world is vast and filled with different aspects that are expertly explored, making it easy to become fully immersed in the story. The characters are great, and I found myself becoming more and more invested in their lives as the story progressed.What I particularly enjoyed about this book is that the characters face real challenges that they have to overcome, rather than just a simple god versus god clash. This makes their journey all the more interesting, and the tension in the story is maintained at a consistent level throughout.While it is clear that the two main characters will eventually become a couple, the romance is developed in a natural and believable way that feels like a real relationship rather than a plot device. Additionally, it is refreshing to see a gay love story presented as simply a romance without any gratuitous sex scenes.My only regret after finishing this book is that there are only seven books in the series. I found myself fully immersed in the world and characters, and I'm excited to see where the story goes next. If you're looking for a series that will keep you hooked and fully engaged, then "Luck in the Shadows" is definitely worth checking out.

Très bon début de série, même si l'histoire est un peu lente par moments, mais c'est indispensable pour poser les bases de l'univers. Ce que j'adore, c'est que nous découvrons les histoires et le contexte en même temps que Alec car il a vécu quasi reclus dans les bois pendant toute sa vie.Les personnages sont hyper attachants, même les secondaires.Ce premier tome commence plusieurs intrigues, dont une plus sombre et complexe non résolue dans ce tome et qui continue dans le suivant.J'ai vraiment adoré ce livre, totalement addictif. Je recommande !

This is the extraordinary beggining of one of my favourites series ever. I absolutely adore the story, characters as well as the worldbuilding. If you like high fantasy, you should read this book!

I just reread this book for...the third time? Fourth? Something like that. Regardless, its place in my short list of all-time top favorite fantasy series remains secure.Luck in the Shadows has good writing, a complex plot, and enticing characters. It combines rogues and wizards, and royals and gutter rats, and places them all in a country standing on the brink of war. The book starts off with a bang, but Flewelling teases us with storylines that take whole volumes to come to fruition. (Which is not the same as a cliffhanger, BTW. This story wraps itself up just fine, while leaving room for continuing adventures in this amazing world Flewelling's built.) There's no doubt I've fallen in love with the two main characters, Alec and Seregil, but the supporting players are rich and nuanced, too. Thero? Beka? Fantastic.Seriously, this book exemplifies just about every reason I spend so much time reading epic fantasy. I think I originally picked it up because it was listed as m/m fantasy, but it can hold its own among the epic standards just based on the characters and the setting and the plot, which is all gritty and wonderful.I haven't told you the best part, though:The romance.OK, I can't believe I just typed that, because seriously? I think sometimes I must not have a romantic bone in my body. Lately, I've been finishing more and more books wishing the authors would have just skipped over the love stories. Some are reasonably well done, of course, but those stories are getting buried in the flood of paint-by-number romances. It's almost like there's a checklist out there, and authors haven't caught on yet that following it isn't doing them any favors. (Insta-love? Check. Otherworldly chemistry? Check. Poor Suffering Martyr syndrome? Check. Traumatic past? Check...) When I finally found a book a couple months ago that didn't have the slightest hint of a romance, I very nearly re-read it immediately just for the opportunity to revel in the lack of formulaic drama. I could swoon just thinking about it.This is not that romance. The romance in this series is barely a twinkle in the author's eye by the last page of LitS; it doesn't take off for real until well into the second book. The characters fall in love slowly, and organically, and...and healthily! BTW, there are several reviews pointing out the age difference between the two mains, but I stand behind my "healthily." (The rest of this paragraph has slight spoilers...which I'd recommend risking if the other reviews about the age gap are giving you pause.) The older character doesn't age the way a human does, so it doesn't come across like he's a dirty old man, and perhaps more importantly, the extremely slow burn gives the impression that Seregil, the older one, has zero intention of taking advantage. By the time they get together for real instead of just in their own imaginations, the power imbalance is gone. It's a relationship of equals. Believe me, I'm really not one for the May/December trope, but this book doesn't come across that way to me.Further, the author doesn't expect the characters to be invested in the romance before we readers are. In fact, she draws things out so skillfully, we're left practically panting for the characters to finally muster up their courage and get on with it already. And speaking of which: don't make the mistake of thinking Alec and Seregil are basing things on lust and chemistry. No, this is the real deal.In other words, the romance in this book is just about the most romantic thing I've ever read, and I – as jaded an unromantic as anyone could probably be – just want to cheer at the sheer sweetness of it all.But don't forget what I said before! This moving, captivating, SLOW love story is stretched out on the frame of really, really good tale. Those looking for a book where the plot is merely a support structure for the love story would probably be disappointed – I wasn't kidding...this first book barely even hints at the love story to come – if it weren't for how finely-crafted a fantasy this is. If you're looking for a book where the love story is secondary to the story-story, or if you're patient enough to let the author show you how satisfying delayed gratification can be, I think you'll probably like this quite a lot. (I have a hard time imagining anyone NOT liking this book/series quite a lot.)As for me, regardless of whether this was the third or fourth time I've read this book, I have no doubt I'll find myself back in Rhiminee on many more occasions.