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A review by avsdhpn
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A fairly good book overall. For the most part, this is the typical high-fantasy romp and ticks off many of the usual tropes and pitfalls such as a detailed history of the land going back thousands of years, morally ambiguous local religions, elves that aren't "elves", an ambiguous system of magic, a banished evil threatening to retake the land, among other things. The book is split into two main arcs. The first is more adventurous, characters getting from point A to point B while fleeing from antagonists across the large expanse of the map. The second arc is more localized to a single area of the map and deals with more political intrigue and a cloak and dagger narrative.
My criticisms of the book were twofold. The perspective of the story would almost change mid paragraph at times, so at one moment the narrative could be being told from one character, then suddenly switch to another. This led to a little confusion in some parts, especially when reading too fast, leading to having to re-read entire paragraphs.
Secondly, and I find this to happen often in high-fantasy, the book gets overly detailed or overly wordy, leading to sections that just drag on and on needlessly. Some details felt somewhat extraneous, contributing little to the plot overall. Albeit with six other books in the series, these details may eventually be visited later. Essentially, this book could have used another round of editing.
The main appeal of the book is the sexuality diversity, specifically in the deuteragonist Seregil. Admittedly I haven't read a wide variety of high fantasy novels, but for a book written in 1996, a period just coming out of the AIDS crisis and conservative era of Reagan/Bush and into the mid 1990s of the Clinton era, Seregil is a breath of fresh queer air. As far as I am aware, as a queer character he isn't written in the stereotypical fashion of being overly flamboyant, selfish, or waifish. He checks all the boxes of the archetypical fantasy rogue with cunning and agency outside of his sexuality. His sexuality is hinted at, but never explicitly the focus of his journey, with occasional references to his queerness in passing. This strikes a good balance at providing queer representation beyond being a walking talking rainbow flag of angst without also delving into the Dumbledore effect of his sexuality being an after thought.In certain blink and you miss it moments in the book, his character arc also deals with parental homophobia such as his first nightmare, as well as a possible allegory to the AIDS crisis when he is in the full throes of the cursed amulet .
For queer readers familiar with shipping culture, the relationship with Alec and Seregil should also be a treat, as it is very much a blooming "will they, won't they" story so far.The relationship is almost confirmed in the future with a trip to an oracle. Alec's sexuality is never really confirmed, but his growing attachment to Seregil almost borders on jealousy in some parts, such as when Seregil keeps secrets from him or needs to complete solo missions without Alec.
My criticisms of the book were twofold. The perspective of the story would almost change mid paragraph at times, so at one moment the narrative could be being told from one character, then suddenly switch to another. This led to a little confusion in some parts, especially when reading too fast, leading to having to re-read entire paragraphs.
Secondly, and I find this to happen often in high-fantasy, the book gets overly detailed or overly wordy, leading to sections that just drag on and on needlessly. Some details felt somewhat extraneous, contributing little to the plot overall. Albeit with six other books in the series, these details may eventually be visited later. Essentially, this book could have used another round of editing.
The main appeal of the book is the sexuality diversity, specifically in the deuteragonist Seregil. Admittedly I haven't read a wide variety of high fantasy novels, but for a book written in 1996, a period just coming out of the AIDS crisis and conservative era of Reagan/Bush and into the mid 1990s of the Clinton era, Seregil is a breath of fresh queer air. As far as I am aware, as a queer character he isn't written in the stereotypical fashion of being overly flamboyant, selfish, or waifish. He checks all the boxes of the archetypical fantasy rogue with cunning and agency outside of his sexuality. His sexuality is hinted at, but never explicitly the focus of his journey, with occasional references to his queerness in passing. This strikes a good balance at providing queer representation beyond being a walking talking rainbow flag of angst without also delving into the Dumbledore effect of his sexuality being an after thought.
For queer readers familiar with shipping culture, the relationship with Alec and Seregil should also be a treat, as it is very much a blooming "will they, won't they" story so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual assault