Luck in the Shadows: The Nightrunner Series, Book I [Mass Market Paperback]

Here we have stays in the country, music lessons, journeys by ship, dinner parties ... and, simultaneously, we have mysterious sigils, powerful transformative magic, derring-do (no large-scale battles), and ultimately a mystery.

Most of the first book sets up the characters and details their engrossing and delightful adventures, culminating in a mystery/conspiracy plot. If you're a Buffy fan, you'll recognize the pacing ... this would cover five or six episodes, with the seasonal "arc" only occasionally coming to the fore.

Very refreshing to have a protagonist (well, one of the two) whose skill with a sword is not necessarily as important as his acting ability. Really, the whole book was a charmer (slightly reminiscent of Kage Baker's Anvils of the World, but less precious, more grounded).

If you like your secondary world fantasies pleasant and light without being flippant, engrossing without being fast-paced, and well-written (but not over-written), give this one a look.

Note: 4 stars from me is high praise for a thoroughly good book. Only classics (or those which ought to be) get 5 stars, 3 stars is for an enjoyable book. Most books, sadly, seem to merit 2 or less.

Luck tells the story young Alec of Kerry, a poor peasant taken prisoner by a mad lord for a crime he didn't commit. He fully expects to be tortured to death, but his fate takes a sudden unexpected turn when his fellow cellmate turns out to be Seregil of Rhiminee, a master spy, thief, and noble. When Seregil escapes, he takes Alec with him, although he's not even sure why himself. Alec eventually becomes Seregil's apprentice and they find themselves embroiled in a plot by a neighboring warring country to invade Seregil's home kingdom of Skala. Seregil is on a mission for the Queen and after a "routine" break-in in which Seregil steals some innocuous seeming tokens; they find themselves on the run from an army with Seregil being affected by some sort of dark magic. As Seregil slowly slips into madness, Alec tries desperately to get his new friend to the wizard Nysander, who Seregil had told him was his only hope.

Nysander manages to save Seregil, but there is still much intrigue to unravel, as there are spies and turncoats within the Skalan nobility to be uncovered, dark magic to thwart, and a war to avoid at all costs.

Flewelling has created a richly detailed world that is very different from many other fantasy depictions. It is completely plausible and she's left nothing out. But even more impressive than her world-building, is her character development. With Seregil and Alec, she has created two of the most three-dimensional and thoroughly likeable characters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in a book. They are completely realistic and by the time you come to know them, you feel they are old friends. Her secondary characters are just as well-drawn and fully-realized. Even her bad guys are richly detailed, not the mere one-dimensional "evil people" to which so many fantasy writers resort. Her plot more than lives up to the world and its characters, delivering a rip-roaring adventure filled with magic and mystery, all the while deftly weaving in the beginnings of a very subtle romance.

She even manages the difficult task of writing a satisfying ending while leaving the door open to continue the series. I believe time will prove Flewelling to be a giant in the genre. I look forward to reading her books for years to come.