Luck In The Shadows - Lynn Flewelling

Luck In The Shadows (Nightrunner vol.1)
Lynn Flewelling
Bantam Specra
Copyright: 1996
9780553575422

The amazon.com product description:

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 one thing he never expected 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, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows.

I really do have to thank one of my former co-workers for introducing me to Lynn Flewelling's books. As good a read as she was saying it would be. Now I've got to go out and find the next two in the series, Stalking Darkness and Traitor's Moon.

Luck in the Shadows is an intriguing introduction to a complex and well-created world. However, it is also the first book in the series, and aggrivatingly, it ends with the words "to be continued". So, be warned that you'll probably want to buy the first two or even three books when you start reading.

I found that the characters and the world combined to grab and capture my interest, even when I should have been doing things other than reading - like working on the assignments for the indexing course I'm taking. It's definitely a sign of a good book when that happens.

Some people have said that Luck in the Shadows is a very slow paced book where not a lot happens, but I didn't find that at all. Instead I found a lot of intriguing build-up to the various plot-lines - there are several developing throughout the story, all of which seemed needed.

Definitely an author I'm going to recommend to anyone who likes fantasy novels, especially Mercedes Lackey's books and Elizabeth Moon's novels.

Personally, I can't wait to start the next book in the Nightrunner series.