Rating: 
Summary: More and Better
Review: 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!
Rating: 
Summary: Strongly recommended
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy continuation of the series.
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay book, the series loses some luster
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Kept me up all night
Review: I read this in one sitting. Couldn't put it down until I knew what happened. Once again the author has managed to weave her spells around the reader until you are mesmerized with the struggle of the characters. A real case of the good guys vs the bad guys. If you haven't read the first book in this series you should but it will also stand on its own as a story. Then get the third one. You won't be sorry you have them all. These are definite keepers.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing!!
Review: I had forgotten what it is like to find a book that you cannot put down for anything longer then 5 minutes. I read "Luck in the Shadows" and was addicted and immediately had to go and buy the 2nd and 3rd in the series (fortunately for me they were already out). I read "Stalking Darkness" in one night, refusing to put it down until I had found out everything.
I recommend this to anyone who loves excellent fantasy, which combines magic, fighting, friendship and love .
I adore Seregil and Alec comepletely, and read with anticipation for their relationship to develop further. If you are a close minded person, and have problems understanding homosexuality, then maybe you should pass this one up. You are missing out on a fantasy treat though. This book is my favourite of the series, and i recommend it!!
Rating:
Summary: Not a full five. A 4.87 They just didn't have a 4.87
Review: I'm going to start being more specific in my reviews. I chose a five star because 4.87 is closer to five than to four... Excellent book. Gotta love the descriptions in this book, especially during the final battle. Interesting twist towards the end. This review is rather sucky right now, but once I get a chance to, I will rewrite this one and re-edit it...but I don't have that much time at this point. This book touches on new magic and tricks though. It doesn't contain as much culture and interesting "things to learn on earth" type stuff though. No urchin roe nor as many descriptions of exotic foods or gadgets. New magic with delightful descriptions which allow the reader to picture in their minds, what exactly is going on. So in a way, that makes up for it.
Rating:
Summary: Continue the "Nightrunner" series and enjoy great fantasy...
Review: The sequel to "Luck in the Shadows," "Stalking Darkness" completes the 'Nightrunner' duet and brings you a strong fantasy novel with rich characters. Seregil and Alec are a wonderful pair, and their relationship is both loving and special. Kudos to Lynn Flewelling for presenting a world so rich and varied, and in writing the pair with as much wealth of personality as she did. The dark plot uncovered in "Luck in the Shadows," is brought to boil in this second novel, and the continuation and conclusion of it is gut-wrenching. Prophecy, magick, and a great deal of skill is involved in this plot, and you'll enjoy the reading. Whenever at times the story gets quite dark, there's an entertainingly light scene or two that keeps the tone from being overly sombre, but the seriousness of the tale is not sacrificed. If you've enjoyed Tanya Huff, Charles De Lint, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin or James Clemens, give Lyn Flewelling a shot with this first duet. 'Nathan
Rating:
Summary: If you don't buy this book, I'll have to hunt you down.
Review: "Stalking Darkness" is the second book in Flewelling's Nightrunner Series, and a direct continuation of the previous book, so you'd best have read the first installment to know what's going on. You've got action, you've got suspense, you've got murder and dark magic and skullduggery (whatever that means. I got it off the cover of one of the books). All of the events set up in the first novel come to a head here, resulting in both great gains and terrible losses for our heroes Alec and Seregil. Read this. But read "Luck in the Shadows" first. Then read "Traitor's Moon." And every other book the author writes thereafter. You'll be doing three people a favor: Yourself, by finding a wonderful source of entertainment in a great story; the author, by putting her kids through school with your purchase; and me, by bestowing upon me the honor of taking my advice to heart.
Rating:
Summary: If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would!
Review: This book is absolutely terrific! The characters are engaging and the plot just keeps moving at lightning speed. Just when you think you know what will happen next, something totally unexpected happens. The author skillfully weaves elements from the first book in the series, Luck in the Shadows (also terrific), into the plot of this book. Interesting but unimportant-seeming details suddenly take on new meaning as events unfold. On to book 3--Traitor's Moon!
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