Tales from the TBR: Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

[owlmoose]

The book: Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

The summary:

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.

How I found it: I literally do not remember where I bought it or why, because it was so long ago. Ten years, at least, maybe much longer. I can't really give a good explanation of why it's languished so long, either; possibly reluctance to start a new series.

What inspired me to read it now: On a whim, I included this book on a Twitter poll that I ran to pick my TBR book for November. It tied with Indexing for first place, so I decided it needed to be read next.

The verdict: A rollicking and readable fantasy adventure that I wish had stood a just a little better on its own, rather than spending so much time setting up the rest of the series. But that's my only complaint, really. It started out rather dude-heavy, but more female characters show up eventually, and I suspect they'll become more important in later books.

The main protagonists, Alec and Seregil, meet cute in a dungeon and spend the rest of the story building a strong partnership, defying death, and getting embroiled in international politics. Each man is charming and appealing in his own way, and I enjoyed their mentor/friend dynamic from the beginning. In many respects, their vibe scratches the same itch for me as the Gentleman Bastards in Scott Lynch's books, especially when Seregil's long-time teammate, Micum, is on stage -- the strength of the bonds among the three men, the kinds of scrapes they get into, the way they always have each other's backs. ( Cut for a spoiler, although it may be useful knowledge for setting expectations. )

Besides great character work, I also appreciated Flewelling's worldbuilding. Although a fair amount of the information comes through infodumps in the earlier chapters, once past that part it never slows down the story, and I find the world pretty fascinating. Seregil's home of Skala is ruled by a queen, and her heir is the leader of the military -- a fact that is reflected in all aspects of the world, with women holding positions of military and political power throughout the country. I look forward to seeing this dynamic play out in future books.

As I suggested above, Luck in the Shadows ends on a significant cliffhanger -- although a few significant plot threads are resolved, many are not, and some questions are answered mostly with more questions. So of course I will keep reading. Thanks to everyone who recommended this book to me! I look forward to discovering what happens next.