Shadows Return: The Nightrunner Series, Book 4

If you loved the first three Nightrunner books, that is reason enough to give this one a chance. Is it everyone's cup of tea? No. Is it written in the same manner as the previous books? Not really. The plot is narrower, and there are certainly a greater number of personal monologues. However, even if these elements don't suit you, I wouldn't give up on the series quite yet. The new characters (both major and minor) are compelling, and the twists are engaging. The doubts Alec and Seregil have feel genuine, and the small conflict between the two toward the end of the story is worrisome, but will surely be resolved. Overall, my personal opinion is that it is a wonderful book. I couldn't put it down. Thank you for bringing Seregil and Alec back, Lynn.

Heh, say one thing about me, say I've been very damn unproductive all day when Shadows Return has been released, because I've been reading! Somehow I should have known this before, but since I got my hands on my copy of the latest Nightrunner book, I haven't been able to put it down until I'd finished it. In retrospect I'm rather glad that I got into this series as late as I did by a random recommendation, because it would really have sucked big time to have waited for book 4 for 9 years (volume 3, Traitor's Moon came out in 1999 followed by Flewelling's next project the Tamir Triad). Call me impatient... Having read the first three Nightrunner books just a little while ago, one thing that definitely strikes is the change in style. With I think about 110,000 words, Shadows Return is shorter than Traitor's Moon, but Flewelling definitely manages to pack those pages with a lot of plot that makes the book a pageturner and in my case a one day read, because I just couldn't put it down anymore. I still haven't finished her Tamir Triad (am in the middle of Hidden Warrior right now), but even so it's great to see how her style has changed over the years and even though we still have the same lovable characters and a familiar setting, there's much more subtlety and unexpected plot twists in the book. Oh and did I mention that one very significant character from Seregil's past showing up and how it's a) in a different way than you'd usually expect and b) that you're really torn in the end whether to like or pity said character? I sort of like how the end of this particular subplot is consciously left open so we may hope for a recurring character there :) In general I had the impression like Lynn said in the interview that I had with her a while ago, that her writing has improved, but one thing surprised me particularly positively and that was how she goes much more into depth in Shadows Return. Her villains are much more fleshed out, their motivations are twisted, but altogether `logical' in a villainous sort of way, but she also plays with some previous perceptions of characters, twisting it around so you don't really know whether or not to dislike this character anymore. Yay for character-based writing is all I can say :D Of course Shadows Return did have awesome Alec & Seregil moments, maybe even more so because they're separated for most of the book. As far as the ending is concerned, it rocked. I loved how the main plot of Shadows Return found a conclusion, but leaves enough loose ends to make you want to read the next Nightrunner installment The White Road (due next summer). Let's hope for recurring characters and of course Alec and Seregil's past will catch up with them again ;) For anyone who's new to the Nightrunner books, I'd suggest to start with the first three books, Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness and Traitor's Moon, because even though Shadows Return is different in many ways, it continues the story more or less seamlessly and

I read the reviews that weren't favorable before reading the book myself and was first of all irritated by the huge spoilers- thanks a bunch, people- and secondly, I think they were just flat out wrong. I was completely entranced by this book even more than the first three and could not put it down. If you liked the first three, I think you are more likely to love this one than to be one of the few who didn't. It is more focused on Alec and Seregil rather than wars and treaties and a whole host of other characters, but frankly, that made me like it more. Other than that, I thought the pacing, plot and characterization was just as wonderful as the first three. So, ignore the nay-sayers and read it yourself. If nothing else, it's not like it's a $30 hardcover that's going to set you back a bit. Can't wait for the next installment!

I just wanted to say that as someone who is extremely fond of (and, dare I say, dependent on) storytelling in all its forms and genres, I don't think I have been as deeply moved in the last *decade* as I have been by Alec's and Seregil's story. To unexepectedly discover such devastatingly endearing characters on such compelling journeys (and in such a vivid, immersive world) has been nothing short of miraculous. To be able to watch gay characters take the roles of genuine heroes -- compassionate, brilliant and vulnerable -- has been a revelation that has uplifted my soul, freed my imagination, and given me hope. Thank you for your work, Ms. Flewelling! Please don't ever stop writing, and please don't ever doubt that your work is doing good in the world. I just read "Shadows Return", and I have to say that I enjoyed every page. There are an awful lot of critical reviews running around, so I confess I was holding my breath when I first cracked it open, but I have to say that I wasn't disappointed for a second. For instance, (*SPOILER ALERT*) the engaging complexity of the characters is epitomized in the character Ilar, who is ostensibly a traitorous villain at first but quickly becomes a layered, unpredictable, pitiable person who surprisingly becomes a touchstone for the various emotional currents. Personally, even though I know he's done terrible, brutal things in the past, I think his particular journey is utterly heart-wrenching, and I spent a lot of the book worrying that he was not going to get a chance to find redemption or healing or, well, peace. I was thankful that he exited the story when he did, because that hopefully means his journey is not over! But of course what I enjoy most about this book (and the whole series) is the unpredictable, ongoing, ever-deepening bond between Alec and Seregil. Too many relationships in fiction nowadays seem to spring from shallow acquaintances, flimsy premises and implausibly short periods of time. As this book shows, even after all these years, Alec and Seregil's relationship is one that continues to struggle against their insecurities and fears (and of course their harrowing circumstances), and it's this depth and fragility that makes their story so compelling and believable and, most of all, real.

SHADOWS RETURN is the fourth installment of Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series. After finishing the first three books almost nine years ago now, she has returned with a new exciting book about our two favorite nightrunners; Seregil í Rhiminee and Alec of Kerry. Like her other books, SHADOWS RETURN starts with a small interlude to allow the readers to learn more about the two main characters, obviously meant to refreshen everybody's memories about the previous adventures of our two heroes. But even those chapters are exciting in their own way and wonderfully written. The book quickly takes up pace when both Seregil and Alec are sent back to Aurenen by Queen Phoria to retrieve Klia. On their way towards her, they're ambushed and seperated as Zengati slavers take them along on a trip which is more hair-raising than the both of them could possibly imagine as shadows from Seregil's past start to come back and Alec learns more about his heritage and the rhui'auros' mysterious prophecy. Shadows Return is definitely more horrifying and grotesque in it's own way than the previous books, but also far more impressive as Flewelling grows on in writing. Though nine years are between the release of TRAITOR'S MOON and SHADOWS RETURN, Flewelling has managed to get into the skins of her characters once more and write another fantastic story. I'm sure that the next book in the series will be even better!