Customer Reviews

Stalking Darkness: The Nightrunner Series, Book 2

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Stalking Darkness" concludes the tale of Seregil and Alec, the dashing thief and his orphan ward, begun in "Luck in the Shadows." The early chapters see Seregil and Alec prowling through Rhininmee. As in "Luck," both characters flourish in this setting, and their relationship grows in steps appropriately hesitant for a mentor and his charge. The first half of the novel peaks as Seregil and Alec make a key discovery, but the pace stumbles after they reach a dead end and the focus shifts to trite fantasy prophecy.

The necromancers' brutal countermove revs up the pace again, but then the plot falls into stock fantasy with evil minions seeking the artifact of their god while the prophesied good characters must stop them. The subtleties of Seregil's and Alec's characters fade in this rush, next to the stock archetypes of Nysander and Micum. In the dash to the conclusion, Seregil and Alec wrestle with inner doubts of whether their friends are dead and whether Nysander's strategies will stop the evil scheme. However, the reader can easily predict the outcome, and the characters' doubts read like melodramatic excuses rather than suspenseful uncertainty even though the ending does simmer with a few unexpected twists.

The true conclusion is the relationship between Seregil and Alec. Here, Flewelling's work drips with poignant originality as she confronts an awkward subject, and the final machinations feel perfectly appropriate for both characters.

"Stalking Darkness" straddles a line between exciting but predictable adventure fantasy like Raymond E. Feist and more character-focused work like Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. The overall outcome is never in doubt, but the delicate relationship between Seregil and Alec pulls the reader through the stock fantasy elements.

The second book in the Nightrunner series continues with the tales of Seregil and Alec, who we first met in LUCK IN THE SHADOWS. STALKING DARKNESS picks up where the first left off. Having been unsuccessful at avoiding a war with Plenimar, the kingdom of Skala is bracing itself for battle. But Seregil, Alec and the wizard Nysander know this is no simple war, for Plenimar plans to defeat Skala by resurrecting the evil and powerful Dead God, Seriamaius. To do this, they need to collect the various elements of the Helm of Seriamaius. Any mortal who wears the Helm will become the living incarnation of the horrible god. Nysander has been guarding one of the elements, the Plenimarans hold another, but the third is still undiscovered. Seregil is sent on a mission to find and retrieve the crystal crown so that he and Nysander can destroy it.

An ancient prophecy suggests that Seregil's role may be larger than he would like, and when the Plenimarans manage to capture all the elements for the Helm, it is up to him and his friends to destroy the evil once and for all.

There is far too much happening in this book to really sum it up in a short review. The tone darkens considerably in the second novel of this series, but the story and characters continue to deliver. Flewelling continues to develop her characters, who refuse to act like stereotypes and constantly surprise us with their realism and depth. There is plenty of action and adventure, lots of magic - both the good kind and the very, very dark kind, and a very satisfying romance. The climax is powerful and shocking.

STALKING DARKNESS is a fantastic follow-up to LUCK IN THE SHADOWS. I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page and the story and images haunted me for weeks after I finished it. It continues to strengthen the series and Flewelling's place in fantasy history.

I liked this book quite a bit better than the first one in the series, which had some rough edges. The characters of Seregil and Alec are still very charming and lively, and the plot crackles along nicely.

This book still suffers a little from Flewelling's writing, which is bloated with adjectives, adverbs and unnecessary backstory, but I enjoyed it a lot despite that. I also felt curious as to what happens to Alec and Seregil in the next book, so you know the author has succeeded in making me love and care about these characters.

This is a really fun read. Before you read Stalking Darkness, however, you should probably read the first book in the series, Luck in the Shadows. Mind you - the fact that you should do that is unfortunate, because Luck in the Shadows is a noticeably weaker book than this one is.

"Stalking Darkness" is fantasy entertainment in the tradition of some of the genre's greats. You've got your good guys. You've got your arch bad guy who's trying to get the magic doohickey so that he can perform the ritual that will give him tremendous powers. You've got your escalating series of conflicts, your mysterious characters whose true loyalties are unknown, your intriguing subplots, and so forth. Some people may object that the book is too formulaic, but I don't view it that way. Although the elements may be stereotypical, Lynn Flewelling breathes life into them by paying attention to detail and adding new twists that you don't expect. For example, consider Nysander. In the first book, "Luck in the Shadows", he appeared to be a very typical 'wise old bearded wizard mentor' figure. In this volume, however, he is revealed to be a much more complex character. He is neither all-knowing nor supremely confident. Instead, he struggles with his tasks and has doubts about himself.

Another facet of Flewelling's plot that deserves credit is that it never slows down. She never needs to pause and spend fifty pages having characters chat with each other, or waste time on anything that's not relevant to the plot. In fact, almost every chapter in the book contains some new surprise or development. I particularly enjoyed the fact that she doesn't always take the most obvious approach to writing a particular scene, but instead uses betrayals and other plot intrigues to keep the reader on their toes.

Lastly, I'll agree with other reviewers who applauded the author's handling of the relationship between Seregil and Alec in "Stalking Darkness". I'm willing to read about any couple in a fantasy novel; to me, it doesn't matter whether the characters involved are gay or straight. What does matter is that the relationship is well-written and interesting. In "Stalking Darkness", the interaction between Seregil and Alec feels real, and the characters' reaction to it are remarkably human.

Stalking Darkness, the second novel in Lynn Flewelling's wonderfully refreshing Nightrunner series, is absolutely delightful. The plot thickens and the tone darkens and the development and direction Lynn takes is absolutely fabulous.

Alec and Seregil's relationship continues to deepen in the most wonderful of ways and every single character plays an important role and gets enough face time to satisfy, no matter who your favorite character may be.

The ending is poingant and beautifully and while one aspect is very sad, the other is a wonderful new beginning.

This book was definitely a worthy sequel to a wonderful series!

Wow. This didn't seem like the second book in what is already at least three volumes and the author promises more. Alec and Seregil are trained thieves, or nightrunners, in the country of Skala during a period of brewing war. The necromantic forces of Plenimar, sworn enemy of Skala, are pulling together all the pieces they need to assemble a powerful artifact that will ensure the defeat of Skala. But Alec and Seregil and others are on hand to try to prevent that.

Along with the blossoming love-affair between Alec and Seregil and the mysteries surrounding both of their backgrounds, the tale is thrilling and exciting. I almost feel like the story is complete and full at the end of this book. Flewelling is great at spinning a yarn to grab your attention.

My Scale:
1 star--wretched, don't bother;
2 stars-somebody will like it, flawed;
3 stars-pretty darn good with some flaws;
4 stars-great, I'll re-read it;
5 stars-flawless, a classic of the genre.

This is the second novel in the Nightrunner series, continuing the story begun in *Luck in the Shadows*.

The World:
At the edge of the Gathwayd Ocean lie four lands: Plenimar, Mycena, Skala, and Aurenen. The first three are home to humans, the last to the Aurenfaie, a long-lived, magic-using race. Since the Great War eight hundred years ago, there has been a tenuous peace between the human countries, but Aurenen (which had to intervene to end the war), is all but closed to outsiders. When Aurenfaie and humans interbreed, the offspring are also magic users. The Great War killed many of the sorcerers, so there is now a shortage of magicians. Technology in this society is magic-based, not machine-based: horses are still the primary mode of transportation; swords and archery are the primary weapons. There are two opposing types of magic: Oreska magic, which is wholesome and life-enghancing, that of the Aurenfaie and Skalan sorcerers; and the dark magic of Plenimar, the necromancy of the Sanctum. During the Great War, Plenimarian necromancers awoke the god Seriamauis, the Eater of Death. Tales of his powers to raise the dead are now regarded as fables.

From what the author reveals of Skala, we can say that it is an egalitarian society ruled by a Queen. Of some importance to the novel's development, Skalan social mores are accepting of sexual variation and sexual behavior. There seems to be no societal bias towards any given form of sexual orientation. There are public houses of prostitution for men and women both heterosexual and homosexual.

The Plot:
Seregil is an Aurenfaie exiled from his homeland, living in the Skalan capital city of Rhiminee with his apprentice, the orphan Alec. Seregil maintains several identities in Rhiminee: Lord Seregil, a foppish wastrel, and The Rhiminee Cat, a thief and a fixer being the two most prominent. But Seregil and Alec's true vocations are the defense of Skala and her Queen against all enemies, as members of the secret society of Watchers.

The leading foreign enemy is the Plenimarian Lord Mardus and his sorcerer Vargul Ashnazai, who are seeking to re-establish Plenimar as the supreme state, with the Nameless God as its tutelary deity. Mardus uses espionage, trickery and necromancy. He and his sorcerer are trying to reunite a set of magical tools, which when together will enable the Nameless God to manifest and rule the earth. On a more mundane plane, economic tensions between Skala and Plenimar are growing, leading to the threat of conventional war.

The leading internal enemies of the Queen is the conspiracy known as the Lorans, Skalan nobles who loathe the part-Aurenfaie ruling family and wish to return to a line of succession that is human-only.

The novel continues the interwoven stories of Seregil and Alec in their dual roles as foppish nobles and spies; Nysander and the Watchers battling the growing threat from Mardus and his necromancers; and Beka Cavendish (daughter of Seregil's fellow Watcher Micum Cavendish), who is newly enlisted in the Queen's army and shows us the military aspect of Skala's fight for freedom.

The Review:
This is an above-average-to-superior sword-and-sorcery tale, with gratifying complications and compelling characterizations. Seregil and Alec grow in complexity as the novel progresses, and there are some delightful scenes as Alec develops from a backwoods bumpkin in to an accomplished spy.

What Flewelling does particularly well in this outing is to explore several of the character's conflicting bonds of loyalty. When it comes to the test, does the honorable person choose loyalty to family over loyalty to the Queen? The good of the many over the few?

There is somewhat more overt sexuality of various orientations in this book than the previous, but Flewelling handles the scenes in a manner somewhat less salacious than your average episode of *Friends*. I wouldn't object to my middle-school daughter reading this series (By contrast, Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series is off-limits for another couple of years, and her new series is too sexual for even for me). Again, if you find bisexuality or homosexuality offensive, don't read this series.

The challenges of back-story presentation and of building suspense to the climax are also handled in a particularly adroit fashion. Flewelling's use of the device of giving young Alec a history lesson as a way of establishing the Skalan back-story is much less intrusive in this volume than the previous one. The nnnovel has a satisfying internal rhythm as the stories braid together, with internal sub-conlflicts built up and resolved until the denouement and resolution at the end.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

The story of Alex and Seregil and the impending war between two countries comes to a full-tilt, action, thrilling culmination in the second title in the series. And yet, there's more to come even still.

All the secondary characters become as vividly portrayed as the leads, and the world becomes so vividly real in your imaginations, you can see the cities, the countrysides, the homes of the characters.

Magic and kidnapping, major evil and heroic feats. Strong female characters and a country with a tolerance level for all people, you want to go there!

Great fun!

"Stalking Darkness", the second of the three part nightrunner series (though technically the ending of a duet), proves to be a worthy continuation of the series with some major hits and a few misses.

Lynn's writing style is strong throughout the book and has arguably improved over the first book, lacking the dragging descriptions like at Alec's first visit to the Oreska house, and mostly without the characters stopping suddenly to explain major histories and philosophies of the world out of nowhere. The plot reveals itself with a welcome amount of suspense that wasn't present in the first book, which strengthens this book over the first in that regard.

However, what keeps me from giving this book five stars like I did the first book is the plot itself. The story starts out as investigative thievery and intrigue reminiscent of the first book, foreshadowed by the coming of a war between Skala and Plenimar. As the book goes on...the plot shifts from it's nature of political intrigue from the first book, to a story fraught with fantasy cliches; namely dealing with an ancient artifact of ultimate evil power and four people chosen by an ancient prophecy to defy this evil and save the world.

Cliched plot aside, as usual it is the characters that not only save this book from mediocrity, but make it an extremely satisfying read. The characters are simply beautifully handled, and one must be surprised at how real these people can seem sometimes. Their individual personalities are very realistic in a way that allows you to feel vicariously what each character must be feeling in any given scene. At times I've even felt myself identifying with the characters' feelings myself. ...Even the villains have their own third dimension to them.

I commented on the presence of homosexuality in my first review so it's only fair I do so here too. In the beginning Alec and Seregil start out as really good friends, but by the middle it becomes plainly obvious that they love each other. Like the first book the plot gets all of the attention and the "love" aspect sits in the background as an addition which sometimes feels like a mere afterthought. Even so, it's enough so that this book definitely isn't for the homophobic. If you have a problem with homosexuality, then either pass this book up, or get over your insecurities and appreciate the story despite it.

Overall, I recommend that you buy this book ASAP. It is a marvellous read and truly what I would call excellent fantasy. The overall plot fits the standard fantasy mold, but the characters are what shape this book into a force to be reckoned with.

Here the events of Luck in the Shadows continue. It's not as good as the first book, so prepare for some disappointment. Characters rush to save the world in a surprising, though not fabulous, ending.

The plot is shoved around and ends up alright, but I'd only recommend it if you really like fantasy and want to finish the series.