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430 ratings, 4.18 average rating, 53 reviews
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published
September 1st 1996
by Bantam Spectra
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 479 pages
isbn
0553575422
(isbn13: 9780553575422)
description
"A new star is rising in the fantasy firmament...teems with magic and spine-chilling amounts of skullduggery."–Dave Duncan, author of ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 565)
One thing I want to say before I launch into a summary/review: the main characters are not gay; they're bisexual. Both of them express interest in and have relationships with women. It's a silly thing to get nitpicky about, but I do. On with business.
Alec is a young man, just turned sixteen and recently orphaned, who earns a living trapping and trading furs. He's lived his entire life in the wilderness, learning how to survive and navigate seemingly featureless plains and endless ...more
Alec is a young man, just turned sixteen and recently orphaned, who earns a living trapping and trading furs. He's lived his entire life in the wilderness, learning how to survive and navigate seemingly featureless plains and endless ...more
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"Luck in the Shadows" by Lynn Flewelling is the tale of Seregil of Rhiminee, a swords-and-sorcery version mixture of James Bond and the Stainless Steel Rat, and Alec, his protege. Nysander the wizard [continuing the Bond theme:] is reminiscent of M. I had never seen the series before, but read some good things about it while perusing my Friends Page; unfortunately I can not remember who had the kind words. The review contains spoilers, so beware.
One major plot thread of the book...more
One major plot thread of the book...more
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Read in August, 2008
There was a lot to like here: interesting, fun characters, lots of intrigue and theft and stealing and disguises. The plot suffers from some major pacing issues that make it drag on quite a bit in places. The earlier bits had some of those annoying paragraphs packed with made-up words that always drive me crazy in fantasy novels. And the whole story generally has more standing around and talking about plot things than I generally like, which is a shame because for the most part the action sequen...more
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Read in June, 2008
I wasn't expecting much when I started this. I thought that the book would be a bit like reading a RPG or some cliché fantasy (which I both don't like very much).
After a bit of a bumpy start (sudden change of POV, a lot of facts about the world in the dialoge and a plot that seemed to confirm my expectations), it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the book.
The different POVs remain, but they become more structured after a while and don't change as sudden as they do in the be...more
After a bit of a bumpy start (sudden change of POV, a lot of facts about the world in the dialoge and a plot that seemed to confirm my expectations), it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the book.
The different POVs remain, but they become more structured after a while and don't change as sudden as they do in the be...more
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Read in November, 2007
When I first read this book in college I put it in the "so bad it's good" catagory, as did many of my friends. After rereading it, I'm not sure why I felt that way. While it's certainly not timeless prose (nor was it meant to be) I don't think it's bad either. Sure, there were a few sentences here and there that could have been better, but nothing drastic.
I admit there was an awful lot of info dumping going on, which was probably necessary but it did get old after a while. I fou...more
I admit there was an awful lot of info dumping going on, which was probably necessary but it did get old after a while. I fou...more
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recommends it for:
queer folk, fantasy adventure lovers
Yes, I love this book, but I just have to say: could she choose a cheasier title? While the cover art and title indicate that you might be in for standard fantasy cheese whiz, if you can get past the embarassment of carrying this book around, it's actually quite a good read. You probably have to like fantasy adventure to be able to get into this, but the characters and relationships are great. Plus every time you blink, there's another queer character - such a nice change from standard fantas...more
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Read in December, 2007
Solid entertaining fantasy with engaging characters, a good read, but regrettably for me, not as good as the hype I'd read. I'd expected more - more romance, more dash and derring-do, more plot twists. I expected author Flewelling to make me love these characters, this world.
She doesn't quite manage to do that, but Seregil shows promise as an interesting character and I'll continue reading this series to find out what happens to him.
Another disappointment: this book ends as a cliffhanger...more
She doesn't quite manage to do that, but Seregil shows promise as an interesting character and I'll continue reading this series to find out what happens to him.
Another disappointment: this book ends as a cliffhanger...more
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recommended to Li by:
my awesome friend Elena
I love this series. The night runner series is my favorite series EVER (yes even more than Harry Potter and even more than some of my favorite Mercedes Lackey series). It is well written, the plot keeps you going and guessing, and the characters are intriguing/well developed. Lynn Flewelling is a very intelligent writer; she really took the time to develop the world the characters are in, so that you (the reader) really grow to love and know the characters well. The first two books are amazi...more
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Oh ho dear readers! A fantasy novel with a special twist. A twist i have been wanting for so long.
Come, yes thats good...come. Sit here by me young queers let me show you how things used to be. In exchange for this tale I ask only for a place to rest my head and warm meal, possibly ale as well. Now get comfortable and listen to my tale...
Come, yes thats good...come. Sit here by me young queers let me show you how things used to be. In exchange for this tale I ask only for a place to rest my head and warm meal, possibly ale as well. Now get comfortable and listen to my tale...
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This is great in that is it fun, filled with adventure and manages to have the buddings of a relationship without it becoming the point of the story. You slowly get to learn and explore each of the characters as the story progresses. Both the people and the relationships (both friendship and romance) in this story are believable and real, making you feel and connect with the characters. Seregil and Alec are some of my all time favorite characters and I have read this series more than once....it ...more
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Read in January, 2008
I had this and Bone Doll's Twin out from the library, when the Book Fairy brought the rest of the Tamir trilogoy. Of course, I read them first, intending to get to this one sometime later. Then the Library Elf sent me an email saying there were books due back in 3 days and I can't renew this one because someone else wants it!
So I can either get this back at some later date to read it, or read it in two days.
Reviews seem mixed on it, but the gist seems to be, standard fantasy fare with i...more
So I can either get this back at some later date to read it, or read it in two days.
Reviews seem mixed on it, but the gist seems to be, standard fantasy fare with i...more
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This was a bit slow at first--as is generally the case with fantasies because of the establishment of the world--but once it started getting to the meat, it really picked up. However, this book ends on a to be continued..., literally. So this story spans two books. The second book picks up one week after the events at the end of this one. I suppose I would say it is a flaw that the story begun in this book is not concluded (some people who don't like the book enough may not want to read ...more
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The tremendous novel that starts it all in Flewelling's excellent Nightrunner fantasy series. Seregil, a master thief for the nobility and a secret spy for the Skalan queen, teams up with the young, impish Alec to cause general mischief and to battle mysterious enemy forces that are out to destroy the kingdom. Flewelling creates a fully-realized fantasy world complete with wonderful wizards, spells and prophecies. But all of these trappings aside, the novel's true success stems from an action...more
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Read in January, 2001
Lynn Flewelling is a typical fantasy writer, but with a good sense of the macabre. It's not overwhelming but there are enough bits and pieces to keep you off-balanced and unnerved.
Luck in the Shadows is a good adventure with interesting characters. Her evil characters border just short of caricatures but her main characters are developed enough to be likeable and relatable.
I wasn't as interested in the intrique as much, but the adventure is the process of learning the trade of spying an...more
Luck in the Shadows is a good adventure with interesting characters. Her evil characters border just short of caricatures but her main characters are developed enough to be likeable and relatable.
I wasn't as interested in the intrique as much, but the adventure is the process of learning the trade of spying an...more
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Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
Yes
This book, the first in a series, is a recent discovery. A fantasy world, where gay and lesbian people are unnoteworthy, and many people seem to be casually bisexual. The world is richly imagined, and I quickly became attached to the characters. All three are worth the read. I just read her three prequel books, starting with The Bone Doll's Twin, and found them enjoyable too, if not as insistently page turning as Luck in the Shadows and Stalking Darkness. She's someone I'm going to keep my ...more
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Read in March, 2002
recommends it for:
fantasy lovers
Okay: Adventure fantasy story. Intrigue, political plotting, murder, magic. All the hallmarks. Catch: The main character/hero is gay, everybody else is bisexual, and it just doesn't matter. It twists the novel a little bit, and Flwelling deals with the issue enough to make you think about how it's changed (and hasn't changed) the fantasy narrative. Mostly how it hasn't. Except in funny and interesting twists. But that's it. Seregil and Alec make a better fantasy couple than many books I've read,...more
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Read in November, 2008
I really did enjoy this story line a lot, but there are some definite bumps at the beginning. In an effort to give you a whole history of the world and its people from the very beginning, the author somewhat heavy-handedly has Seregil teach Alec that history. Once Alec has the basics down though, the story gets significantly better.
This story does contain some reference to homosexual relationships, for those whom that would really bother, but it is actually handed gracefully unlike many othe...more
This story does contain some reference to homosexual relationships, for those whom that would really bother, but it is actually handed gracefully unlike many othe...more
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Read in August, 2008
This has long been a favorite and a comfort read, even if I think the author/her publisher were foolish for attacking the fannish community that sprung up around this series some years back. Fanfic and fan art only encourage book sales; they'd have done better to look the other way instead of making enemies out their audience.
Re-reading the first three in this series in preparation for the recently-published Shadows Return.
Re-reading the first three in this series in preparation for the recently-published Shadows Return.
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Read in October, 2007
I really enjoyed "Luck in the Shadows" despite the fact that it was not terribly original. What kept me reading was the relationship that develops between the two main characters, Alec and Seregil, and the adventures they are involved in - fighting, spying, perilous journeys and magic. Overall, an enjoyable and entertaining read but not one I plan to revisit later on. Still, I am interested enough to continue on with the series.
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Just read this and now I have to go out and play a computer game just so I can be a thief.
I loved the main characters, a consummate spy and his apprentice who are obviously destined to become lovers. The author explores gender and sexuality in all of her books, and I like how she does it very matter-of-factly and integrates it into the world in such a way that it doesn't smack you in the face with a political stance.
I loved the main characters, a consummate spy and his apprentice who are obviously destined to become lovers. The author explores gender and sexuality in all of her books, and I like how she does it very matter-of-factly and integrates it into the world in such a way that it doesn't smack you in the face with a political stance.
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