Luck in the Shadows

Nightrunner, Book 1

By: Lynn Flewelling

Narrated by: Raymond Todd

When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn't commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But the thing he hadn't counted on was his cellmate.

Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things, none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec's new mentor.

Don't miss the other volumes in Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series.©1996 Lynn Flewelling (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

This story is an epic fantasy that isn't spoken about enough.

I read the first book of this series as a teen and was hooked by Alec and Seregils story. I love this story because the friendships are true, forged over hardship, the motivations and mysteries intriguing. I've read the whole series front to back, as well as the Tamir triad and I just can't get enough of the world. I have so much love for their journey. The narrator does change in later books if that's a huge issue for you but I like both narrators.

I enjoyed the whole series.

Reviewers who bemoan "explicit homosexuality" in these books are being ridiculous. There are no graphic depictions of sex in any of the books, which only tamely and tastefully mention the characters' sexual encounters without going into details. If that is what you're looking for, you will be disappointed. It is only "explicit" or "blatant" in that the love between the two main characters is not hidden, nor is a big deal made of it. I don't think I would even categorize this as LGBTQ fiction, because that aspect of the main characters was not prominent enough to think of it that way.
That nonsense aside, these books were a lot of fun and I really enjoyed them. I binged the whole series too quickly, and now I wish there were more. The characters are endearing. The action is well paced. Flewelling did a masterful job creating her world for her characters to inhabit. I seldom ever feel compelled to write a review, but I enjoyed this series enough to recommend it. I'm sure I'll go through the whole series again eventually.

in love with this story

fantastic narrator he keeps you captivated into the story to the point where you can see it and feel like you're part of it.

pretty good book

while it is long and drawn out, it is a pretty good book. And sure, it leaves things undone, but that is what the other two books are for.

glad I got it on sale and didn't waste my credit

This book makes my 1,170th audio book purchase with Audible. The many good reviews it has led me to believe it was worth my time, but I cannot add myself to it's high praisers. Raymond Todd's "news commentator-ish" reading, and mispronunciations of simple words distract, and spoil the "magic" clearly intended for this tale. To add insult to injury (author to fans) I was baffled to read that at the 4th book of the series, the author decided to sit down with the (new) narrator and explain the proper pronunciations of character names, and things as she originally intended them pronounced. What?! Seems to me that should have been done at Book 1! Reading the reviews of the next books in this series I found that Book 4 led to some real frustrations for the series fans. That further convinced me not to waste my time to invest in this series. I think Lynn Flewelling should have re-recorded the first 3 mistake books, and sent the corrected versions with proper pronunciations and better narration (she declares she was best pleased with) to every Audible purchaser. I do not recommend the purchase of this audio book unless you are getting it for little or nothing as I did. Some narrators of good series who I feel do bring out the author's intent in their renditions are: Edoardo Ballerini, Davina Porter, and Robert Petkoff to name a few. If you haven't already listened to their authors, do a name search and give them a try.