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With their most treacherous mission yet behind them, heroes Seregil and Alec resume their double life as dissolute nobles and master spies. But in a world of rivals and charmers, fate has a different plan.…
After their victory in Aurënen, Alec and Seregil have returned home to Rhíminee. But with most of their allies dead or exiled, it is difficult for them to settle in. Hoping for diversion, they accept an assignment that will take them back to Seregil’s homeland. En route, however, they are ambushed and separated, and both are sold into slavery. Clinging to life, Seregil is sustained only by the hope that Alec is alive.
But it is not Alec’s life his strange master wants—it is his blood. For his unique lineage is capable of producing a rare treasure, but only through a harrowing process that will test him body and soul and unwittingly entangle him and Seregil in the realm of alchemists and madmen—and an enigmatic creature that may hold their very destiny in its inhuman hands…. But will it prove to be savior or monster?
After their victory in Aurënen, Alec and Seregil have returned home to Rhíminee. But with most of their allies dead or exiled, it is difficult for them to settle in. Hoping for diversion, they accept an assignment that will take them back to Seregil’s homeland. En route, however, they are ambushed and separated, and both are sold into slavery. Clinging to life, Seregil is sustained only by the hope that Alec is alive.
But it is not Alec’s life his strange master wants—it is his blood. For his unique lineage is capable of producing a rare treasure, but only through a harrowing process that will test him body and soul and unwittingly entangle him and Seregil in the realm of alchemists and madmen—and an enigmatic creature that may hold their very destiny in its inhuman hands…. But will it prove to be savior or monster?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I loved this book, which is fourth in a series. Ever since book 2 I've been thoroughly addicted, and I gobbled this one up almost in one sitting. However, I think it would be a bit of a waste to read them out of sequence, since part of the pleasure is watching the slow build of Alec and Seregil's relationship. You might nip in at book 3, but books 1 and 2 are worth getting hold of first if you can.
Flewelling's world has many of the stock elements of fantasy, but she manages to create societies that are convincingly fresh. The main focus is, as ever, on character development and the relationship between her two lead characters. In this book, fighting and political intrigue take a backseat to mysterious magical happenings. Seregil and Alec spend a lot of time forcibly separated, for reasons that the book's blurb gives away, but they're very much in each other's thoughts. There's a fair amount of angst, and I felt this made their relationship seem more real and more precious. Thero, though still a minor player, continues to become more likeable and human. The set up by the end is looking very intriguing for the next book in the series.
If you like Flewelling's books, Sarah Monette's series beginning with Melusine will probably appeal too.
Flewelling's world has many of the stock elements of fantasy, but she manages to create societies that are convincingly fresh. The main focus is, as ever, on character development and the relationship between her two lead characters. In this book, fighting and political intrigue take a backseat to mysterious magical happenings. Seregil and Alec spend a lot of time forcibly separated, for reasons that the book's blurb gives away, but they're very much in each other's thoughts. There's a fair amount of angst, and I felt this made their relationship seem more real and more precious. Thero, though still a minor player, continues to become more likeable and human. The set up by the end is looking very intriguing for the next book in the series.
If you like Flewelling's books, Sarah Monette's series beginning with Melusine will probably appeal too.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
After reading, and really enjoying the first three in this series, I was quite excited when I realised the fourth book was out, but after reading it, whilst it is still a good book, I don't think it is up to the same standard as the previous three. There is less of a focus on the characters in my opinion, and the plot is not exciting enough, up till the last quarter of the book, to carry this off. All in all, still worth a read if you enjoyed the first three, but don't expect great things from it.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I am an enormous fan of the Nightrunner series and I have the utmost respect for Ms. Flewelling, but I am afraid I found this book a big disappointment. I felt this on the day I recieved it, eager to read, but after my initial reaction, gave it some time and reread to make sure it wasn't just overexpectation. Unfortunately, it was not.
Shadows Return lacks the deep characterisation and detailed descriptions of the first three books, and is filled with repetition of, 'Can I escape now? No, not yet,' rather than the action we are used to. I was also dissapointed that Alec and Seregil spend such a huge part of the book apart. Part of the magic is seeing their reactions to each other and how they work together, and this was impossible when all they could do was think about each other. The lack of knowledge about the country (trying to avoid spoilers here), while understandable in their situation, also detracted from the believability that came from Skala's, Mycena's and Aurenen's more elaborate structures.
Finally, there were several errors that were big enough to break me out of the world they were inhabiting. Certain details about Amasa and the Aurenfaie language, in particular. They still irk me, in fact, because it makes me feel that I don't really know this world anymore.
Apologies to Ms. Flewelling if she reads this. I truly mean no disrespect and I know the effort that goes into writing and continuity between texts, but I truly hope that The White Road is back up to the standard of the first three books.
Shadows Return lacks the deep characterisation and detailed descriptions of the first three books, and is filled with repetition of, 'Can I escape now? No, not yet,' rather than the action we are used to. I was also dissapointed that Alec and Seregil spend such a huge part of the book apart. Part of the magic is seeing their reactions to each other and how they work together, and this was impossible when all they could do was think about each other. The lack of knowledge about the country (trying to avoid spoilers here), while understandable in their situation, also detracted from the believability that came from Skala's, Mycena's and Aurenen's more elaborate structures.
Finally, there were several errors that were big enough to break me out of the world they were inhabiting. Certain details about Amasa and the Aurenfaie language, in particular. They still irk me, in fact, because it makes me feel that I don't really know this world anymore.
Apologies to Ms. Flewelling if she reads this. I truly mean no disrespect and I know the effort that goes into writing and continuity between texts, but I truly hope that The White Road is back up to the standard of the first three books.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The best so far?
I first came across the Nightrunner series some years ago, after the US paperback edition of Luck in the Shadows found its way across the Atlantic, and was immediately taken by the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Anne Lyle
yes its different but it's still very good ...
I'm very surprised by the negative reviews on both UK & US website for this book ... as a huge fan of the first 3 installments of the Nightrunner series, I let these reviews stop... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Happy Ending Seeker
Different, but nonetheless a fantastic read.
Having seen some of the other reviews, I was sceptical for the fist few chapters; minor faults were frequently pointed out to me by other reviewers, and this somewhat ruined my... Read more
Published on 24 May 2010 by Ms. S. A. Labern
Loved it!
Just finished reading this and I have to disagree with the other two reviews - I loved the first 3 books and I would say if you liked/loved them then you will this one too. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2008 by Nani
They're back
I was slightly disappointed with this book. It wasn't as fast paced until near the end and as previously noted not much in the way of humour and there was the lack of intimacy... Read more
Published on 22 July 2008 by J. Talbot
Enjoyed this much more on re-read
I wasn't sure about this novel when I first read it, just after publication. There isn't the light-handedness of the previous Nightrunner novels; some of the subjects touched on in... Read more
Published on 16 July 2008 by Amicie
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