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Nightrunner #7
Shards of Time
Acclaimed author Lynn Flewelling brings her beloved Nightrunners series to a close—at least for now—with a thrilling novel of murder, mystery, and magic.
The governor of the sacred island of Korous and his mistress have been killed inside a locked and guarded room. The sole witnesses to the crime—guards who broke down the doors, hearing the screams from within—have gone mad with terror, babbling about ghosts . . . and things worse than ghosts.
Dispatched to Korous by the queen, master spies Alec and Seregil find all the excitement and danger they could want—and more. For an ancient evil has been awakened there, a great power that will not rest until it has escaped its otherworldly prison and taken revenge on all that lives. And only those like Alec—who have died and returned to life—can step between the worlds and confront the killer . . . even if it means a second and all too permanent death.
Praise for Lynn Flewelling’s Casket of Souls
“Full of intrigue and plots upon plots.”—RT Book Reviews
The governor of the sacred island of Korous and his mistress have been killed inside a locked and guarded room. The sole witnesses to the crime—guards who broke down the doors, hearing the screams from within—have gone mad with terror, babbling about ghosts . . . and things worse than ghosts.
Dispatched to Korous by the queen, master spies Alec and Seregil find all the excitement and danger they could want—and more. For an ancient evil has been awakened there, a great power that will not rest until it has escaped its otherworldly prison and taken revenge on all that lives. And only those like Alec—who have died and returned to life—can step between the worlds and confront the killer . . . even if it means a second and all too permanent death.
Praise for Lynn Flewelling’s Casket of Souls
“Full of intrigue and plots upon plots.”—RT Book Reviews
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 381 reviews
May 3, 2024
Astounding!!!
How I'm gonna recover from this one? What a turmoil of emotions I was, going through this book, I still am! Amazing story, spectacular adventure, great action scenes and the mystery, intriguing plot, I love every second of it! Bittersweet for the end of this exceptional journey, this series will be forever in my heart!
I will never forget this series, it's by far one of my favourites, the amazing characters, who lived, who died, the heroes and even the villains, all of them, so rich and interesting!
Hope Lynn create more short stories of this universe, there's so much more to be explored here!
I will always carry with me my favourite characters, specially Seregil & Alec, they will always be in my heart! Congratulations to Lynn Flewelling for this great achievement!!!
I also have this book on Audible, I just adore Adam Danoff's voice, what a subbed performance, when he was doing the villain's voice, it gave more creepy sensation, he made the adventure more alive, if that's possible, great acting! Kudos!!!
Special praises to the artists of this book, Virginia Norey, Robert Bull, Michael Komarck and David G. Stevenson, who created the maps, the illustration and the cover of this book!!!
How I'm gonna recover from this one? What a turmoil of emotions I was, going through this book, I still am! Amazing story, spectacular adventure, great action scenes and the mystery, intriguing plot, I love every second of it! Bittersweet for the end of this exceptional journey, this series will be forever in my heart!
I will never forget this series, it's by far one of my favourites, the amazing characters, who lived, who died, the heroes and even the villains, all of them, so rich and interesting!
Hope Lynn create more short stories of this universe, there's so much more to be explored here!
I will always carry with me my favourite characters, specially Seregil & Alec, they will always be in my heart! Congratulations to Lynn Flewelling for this great achievement!!!
I also have this book on Audible, I just adore Adam Danoff's voice, what a subbed performance, when he was doing the villain's voice, it gave more creepy sensation, he made the adventure more alive, if that's possible, great acting! Kudos!!!
Special praises to the artists of this book, Virginia Norey, Robert Bull, Michael Komarck and David G. Stevenson, who created the maps, the illustration and the cover of this book!!!
July 2, 2016
Nightrunners, Alec and Seregil, are sent by the Queen to the island of Korous where the governor and his mistress have been found gruesomely murdered inside of a locked and guarded room. Once there, they find an ancient evil is awakening and must be destroyed before it reaches it's full strength.
The Nightrunner series is easily one of my favorite series. Lynn Flewelling does a great job not only in this the seventh and final book of the series but with all the books. In Shards of Time, Alec and Seregil along with their Nightrunner friends once again battle the forces of evil. The story grabbed me right from the start and just wouldn't let go. If my grades as school suffered this week, this book is the reason.
If you haven't read this series, you really need to add it on your To-Read list. Although this is reportedly the final book in the series, I sure hope Flewelling ends up continuing it. It would be too sad to never read about the Nightrunners again!
The Nightrunner series is easily one of my favorite series. Lynn Flewelling does a great job not only in this the seventh and final book of the series but with all the books. In Shards of Time, Alec and Seregil along with their Nightrunner friends once again battle the forces of evil. The story grabbed me right from the start and just wouldn't let go. If my grades as school suffered this week, this book is the reason.
If you haven't read this series, you really need to add it on your To-Read list. Although this is reportedly the final book in the series, I sure hope Flewelling ends up continuing it. It would be too sad to never read about the Nightrunners again!
March 17, 2017
Top notch. This is one of Lynn's best works, if not the best, tied with Stalking Darkness. She shines when writing about Plenimaran gods and necromancers. Lynn is not made for all that romance and such. And in the grand finale of the Nightrunner series, there's everything you want or need to enjoy a book. Suspense, drama, genuine horror, a well-laid, multi-layered mystery that is only revealed toward the end, but with enough clues to keep you engaged throughout.
The only disappointment is that Mika plays the role of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek TNG. He is way too smart for his age, and slightly annoying overall. The bad wizard should also not have disclosed some of her thoughts, as they make her sound somewhat childish, but those are tiny details in an otherwise highly enjoyable book. Consistent, thrilling, extremely well written. It's a shame the series is ending. And this is one of the rare few that I'll look back with genuine nostalgia. I remember reading the second volume perhaps a dozen times. Kept me warm through the night in them old days. Now, it comes back full circle. A closure, but hopefully, our heroes will return.
Seregic and Alec hand in hand,
With the aid of Thero's magic wand,
Dyrmagnos fought,
Adventures wrought,
A great story has come to an end.
Cheers,
Igor
The only disappointment is that Mika plays the role of Wesley Crusher in Star Trek TNG. He is way too smart for his age, and slightly annoying overall. The bad wizard should also not have disclosed some of her thoughts, as they make her sound somewhat childish, but those are tiny details in an otherwise highly enjoyable book. Consistent, thrilling, extremely well written. It's a shame the series is ending. And this is one of the rare few that I'll look back with genuine nostalgia. I remember reading the second volume perhaps a dozen times. Kept me warm through the night in them old days. Now, it comes back full circle. A closure, but hopefully, our heroes will return.
Seregic and Alec hand in hand,
With the aid of Thero's magic wand,
Dyrmagnos fought,
Adventures wrought,
A great story has come to an end.
Cheers,
Igor
July 24, 2021
Foi um prazer ter chegado até aqui com Alec e Seregil, eles foram um dos casais que mais amei ter conhecido e acompanhado. Foram muitas aventuras inesquecíveis com os nightrunners Alec, Seregil, Micum, Thero e Mika que entrou na trupe nesse último livro. Adorei tbm ter conhecido mulheres fodas como Beka e Klia que mostraram como uma mulher pode comandar e ser vitoriosa, foi realmente um grande prazer passar horas de aventuras com cada personagem. Nunca vou esquecer essa saga de fantasia, romance que se tornou uma de minhas favoritas! Tenho o segundo e quarto livro como meus favoritos entre os 7, o segundo livro Stalking Darkness foi o que mais me marcou, Alec e Seregil são maravilhosos, casal com um crescimento incrível. É muito lindo ver que a autora os criou tempos atrás e já tinha uma mente evoluída naquela época fazendo um casal de homens serem os protagonistas de uma saga de fantasia tão boa como Senhor dos anéis e game of thrones. Escolhi uma música para representar o amor de Alec e Seregil, é uma canção que combina muito com esse casal de talimeneos... Música talismã sem par de Jorge vercillo. Toda vez que ouço essa música lembro de Alec e Seregil ❤ PARA SEMPRE NO MEU CORAÇÃO!
June 6, 2018
This is the last book in the Nightrunner series (at least for the moment...I have hope that it could be continued if the author wanted to) and it's a good solid adventure once again, and a nice series ender. We follow Alec and Seregil, along with Klia and a couple of other old and new friends as they journey to the sacred Island of Korous to investigate some mysterious goings-on. Ghosts have been reported, and people are going crazy and missing. There's definitely more than meets the eye, and our Nightrunner crew seem like the best people to tackle the job and discover just what is really happening.
This book felt a lot like a self-contained adventure. I think the books in this series all kind of have their own plot, but then they all tie together through the history and shared lives of the characters. By this point it's a case of just continuing to follow the pair I already love, and see where their next adventure takes them, and this time it concerns necromancy, wizardry and a whole lot of mystery.
Alec and Seregil are my favourites, but in this book I found I really liked Thero's new wizard apprentice as a character too. He became quite vital to the plot at different points of the story, and I found him a very endearing child too.
I also liked seeing a little more about the worship and gods of this world in this one because we're set on the sacred island and there's shrines and worship and different relics of the religion.
Overall a very solidly fun story, and a lot of great developments on certain relationships e.g. which I loved following. A fun one, a magical one, and a story I wish kept going for longer. 4*s for this one, and a solid 4*s for the series as a whole :)
This book felt a lot like a self-contained adventure. I think the books in this series all kind of have their own plot, but then they all tie together through the history and shared lives of the characters. By this point it's a case of just continuing to follow the pair I already love, and see where their next adventure takes them, and this time it concerns necromancy, wizardry and a whole lot of mystery.
Alec and Seregil are my favourites, but in this book I found I really liked Thero's new wizard apprentice as a character too. He became quite vital to the plot at different points of the story, and I found him a very endearing child too.
I also liked seeing a little more about the worship and gods of this world in this one because we're set on the sacred island and there's shrines and worship and different relics of the religion.
Overall a very solidly fun story, and a lot of great developments on certain relationships e.g. which I loved following. A fun one, a magical one, and a story I wish kept going for longer. 4*s for this one, and a solid 4*s for the series as a whole :)
June 12, 2015
Now I've finished this series the only thing I can think to do is read it again.
April 14, 2022
4.5 stars
I can't believe my journey with Seregil, Alec and co is over T____T (this series is definitely one of my comfort series now and you best believe I will be rereading multiple times)
I can't believe my journey with Seregil, Alec and co is over T____T (this series is definitely one of my comfort series now and you best believe I will be rereading multiple times)
July 14, 2014
3.5 stars, rounded up for the pleasure of the series as a whole.
This was my least favorite of the series, but it was still good to see Seregil and Alec, and to watch them work together again. I loved having Micum with them once more, although his strengths were underused. This whole series is well worth the read for fantasy fans.
Seregil, Alec, Klia, Theo and company are sent forth to deal with the mysterious and probably supernatural murder of the governor of a recently-annexed island territory. The story begins with a little more exposition than might be ideal, as the history of the situation is laid out. But there is the promise of real adventure. Over the series, we've been introduced to a host of secondary characters, and the writing follows the adventures of at least six main characters, with an omniscient fourth voice. The result is an intriguing, complicated and magical plot with many twists and turns. The flip side is less emotional investment in the point of view of any one character or pair of characters. I found myself racing through this, following the course of events to see how the guys could manage to get out of this mess. But the various moments of injury and peril sat more lightly on the story than in some past books.
The biggest addition to the familiar crew here is the character of Mika, Theo's young wizardly apprentice. I enjoyed some of his contributions. I liked that he sometimes messed up, got lost, and couldn't keep a secret to save his life. But his presence sometimes irked me, suggesting a trope of powerful-young-magic-user who may potentially save the day for his elders. He felt very young in many ways for how the adults treated him, especially in his constant lack of supervision, and the resulting tangling of the plot.
This was very much a tale of discovering, comprehending and dealing with a perplexing and arbitrary-seeming magical threat. The author brought the threads together quite skillfully at the end, but I missed a bit more of the human conflict from earlier tales. I'd have liked to see more of the human side of the story like that play out, with more non-magical opponents to be dealt with. But that's just me, and my love of watching Seregil play politics. Or leapfrog over politics.
This series is wonderful high-adventure fantasy, with two excellent main characters and good secondaries. I enjoy the battles against concentrated evil, and even more the times they are dealing with corrupted humans, mysteries and magic in a more corporeal realm. Seregil's style in mixed company is always a pleasure. This is the last novel, and I will miss Alec and Seregil.
This was my least favorite of the series, but it was still good to see Seregil and Alec, and to watch them work together again. I loved having Micum with them once more, although his strengths were underused. This whole series is well worth the read for fantasy fans.
Seregil, Alec, Klia, Theo and company are sent forth to deal with the mysterious and probably supernatural murder of the governor of a recently-annexed island territory. The story begins with a little more exposition than might be ideal, as the history of the situation is laid out. But there is the promise of real adventure. Over the series, we've been introduced to a host of secondary characters, and the writing follows the adventures of at least six main characters, with an omniscient fourth voice. The result is an intriguing, complicated and magical plot with many twists and turns. The flip side is less emotional investment in the point of view of any one character or pair of characters. I found myself racing through this, following the course of events to see how the guys could manage to get out of this mess. But the various moments of injury and peril sat more lightly on the story than in some past books.
The biggest addition to the familiar crew here is the character of Mika, Theo's young wizardly apprentice. I enjoyed some of his contributions. I liked that he sometimes messed up, got lost, and couldn't keep a secret to save his life. But his presence sometimes irked me, suggesting a trope of powerful-young-magic-user who may potentially save the day for his elders. He felt very young in many ways for how the adults treated him, especially in his constant lack of supervision, and the resulting tangling of the plot.
This was very much a tale of discovering, comprehending and dealing with a perplexing and arbitrary-seeming magical threat. The author brought the threads together quite skillfully at the end, but I missed a bit more of the human conflict from earlier tales. I'd have liked to see more of the human side of the story like that play out, with more non-magical opponents to be dealt with. But that's just me, and my love of watching Seregil play politics. Or leapfrog over politics.
This series is wonderful high-adventure fantasy, with two excellent main characters and good secondaries. I enjoy the battles against concentrated evil, and even more the times they are dealing with corrupted humans, mysteries and magic in a more corporeal realm. Seregil's style in mixed company is always a pleasure. This is the last novel, and I will miss Alec and Seregil.
November 19, 2014
What a great end to the series!
Some minor plot holes but overall an excellent read.
It's amazing how LF manages to write gripping, dark and powerful scenes, yet keep the whole story light, optimistic and well... snuggly.
Good job and looking forward to the next novel!
Some minor plot holes but overall an excellent read.
It's amazing how LF manages to write gripping, dark and powerful scenes, yet keep the whole story light, optimistic and well... snuggly.
Good job and looking forward to the next novel!
March 26, 2014
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Shards of Time is the seventh novel in the Nightrunner series. The Nightrunner series is a long-running fantasy series that has captivated readers for many years. It's a bit sad that this fantastic series comes to an end (at least for now) with this novel, but all good things eventually come to an end. According to the afterword Lynn Flewelling may write more stories later, but at this moment there will be no stories or sequels, so it looks like Shards of Time will be the final novel about the adventures of Seregil, Alec and their friends.
Before I write more about Shards of Time, I'll mention that this review is in equal parts a review about Shards of Time as it is a review about the whole series (because this novel is the final novel of the Nightrunner series, it's approriate to reflect on a few things about the whole series).
I admire Lynn Flewelling's storytelling abilities and her willingness to write about difficult things that other authors would shy away from. I've noticed that she never disappoints her readers and always manages to add intriguing surprises to her fantasy novels (in my opinion she's in the same league as Carol Berg, Martha Wells, Kate Elliott, Gail Z. Martin and Karen Azinger). In this novel she does her best to give her readers a memorable reading experience and she succeeds perfectly in creating an atmospheric fantasy adventure that's both absorbing and entertaining.
Although Shards of Time is the seventh part of the Nightrunner series, it can be read as a standalone novel. Knowledge of the previous happenings will help to understand certain things better, but it's possible to enjoy this novel without knowing what has happened before.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
Seregil and Alec are a bit bored, because their work currently consists of delivering love letters etc. Their everyday life changes when Thero tells that something weird has happened on the island of Kouros. The governor of Kouros and his mistress have been brutally murdered in a locked and well guarded room and ghosts are blamed for their death. Nobody knows what has happened to them. The Queen Elani makes Seregil and Alec barons of the Mirror Moon, which is an estate on the island of Kouros. Seregil, Alec, Micum, Thero, Klia and Thero's apprentice, Mika, travel to Kouros to investigate what has happened to the governor and his mistress. Soon they find out that an ancient evil has been awakened on the island...
The events take place on the sacred island of Kouros. Kouros is the historical and spiritual heart of the Three Lands. It's home to the oldest oracular site in the Three Lands, and it has been said for centuries that the whole island is haunted. Many strange things have happened to its inhabitants. The author writes absorbingly about the historical details concerning Kouros and reveals bits and pieces of history to her readers as the story begins to open up.
The characters and protagonists are still as fascinating and realistic as they have always been. I have to mention that I like Lynn Flewelling's characters very much, because they're memorable characters that are easy to like. All the characters have their own personalities and traits that make them three-dimensional.
It was delightful to read again about Seregil and Alec, because they're charming characters. It was a pleasure to read about their relationship and work, because I've missed reading about them. They're well created characters who love each other and enjoy doing secret work for the Queen.
Reading about Thero and Klia was also nice, because they both have grown as characters. Thero has matured quite a lot during the last couple of novels. It was nice to see that the author has developed him a bit more and now has an apprentice. He's a bit different kind of a wizard than his late master, Nysander, but he's powerful and knows a lot about different things.
The relationship between Thero and his young apprentice, Mika, is handled well. Mika is an enthusiastic student and wants to learn new things. He has a talent for magic and Thero teaches him to use magic. Mika means a lot to Thero - it's easy to see that Thero is fond of Mika and loves him like he were his own son.
The author also writes fluently about the relationship between Thero and Klia. They've become lovers and care about each other. Love between a royal woman and a wizard is a bit difficult, but they haven't let others bother them and Thero has been recognized as Klia's lover.
I also enjoyed reading about Dorin and Doctor Kordira. Dorin is the steward of Mirror Moon and Doctor Kordira is a Plenimaran doctor who lives and works on Kouros. The author writes fluently about trust issues concerning Doctor Kordira, because not everybody trusts a Plenimaran doctor.
The evil characters in the Nightrunner novels have always been truly evil and ruthless characters who will stop at nothing to get what they want. In this novel, Rhazat is one of these evil characters. I'm not going to reveal what kind of a character Rhazat is, but I can mention that when the author introduces Rhazat to her readers, it will be impossible to put this novel down.
Shards of Time is - just like its predecessors - a novel in which the author takes her time to develop the story. This is very nice, because it's enjoyable to read a story that gradually develops to an unputdownable and highly addictive level of fantasy escapism. When the story begins to move forward it's almost impossible stop reading this novel, because you want to find out what happens at the end and how things will be solved.
Lynn Flewelling handles all the political aspects of the story exceptionally well. She writes realistically about how the Skalans, the Plenimarans and the Aurënfaie feel about each other and what kind of tensions exist between them. Writing about the sacred island of Kouros gives the author a chance to explore what has happened on the island when it was occupied by the Plenimarans and how years of living under the Plenimaran rule have changed its inhabitants and their lives.
In one of the scenes the author explores how the Plenimarans made sure that the Aurënfaie didn't have magical abilities. I won't go into details, but I'll mention that the Plenimarans treated the servants (slaves) with magical abilities in a brutal and horrible way.
I think that everybody who has ever read detective stories or mystery stories will enjoy this novel very much. Locked room mysteries have been an important part of detective and mystery fiction for ages and many authors have written their own visions of this kind of mysteries. Lynn Flewelling's vision of this kind of a mystery is charmingly different and fascinating, because it involves dark magic and macabre happenings. She has created a fresh and spellbinding mystery for her readers.
There are many excellent scenes in this novel. It was nice to read about how Seregil felt about the slaves and their situation. I enjoyed reading about how he treated the Aurënfaie servants at the estate, because he offered them a safe place to live and work at the Mirror Moon estate. The Mirror Moon estate is a well created place and reading about its history and strange hauntings is intriguing.
The scenes in which the characters explore the old temple, the oracle's caves and tunnels are also excellent and wonderfully atmospheric. The author's descriptions of these places are so good and vivid that they transport the reader temporarily to another place and offer excellent escapism from reality. It's very relaxing to read about these exotic and beautiful places, because they have a magical yet realistic feel to them.
Magic has always been an important part of the Nightrunner series and there's plenty of magic in this novel too. It was great to read about the supernatural things (ghosts, possessions, dreams, nightmares, necromancy, dra'gorgos etc). The author writes captivatingly about the weird happenings and ghosts on Kouros. Kouros is a bit different kind of place, because there's magic on Kouros and ghosts can be seen around the island. What makes matters even more interesting is that some of the inhabitants have vanished mysteriously without explanation.
One of the most intriguing scenes in this novel tells of a magical ritual performed by Thero. It was great to read about what Thero did during the ritual and how he reacted to what he noticed and how he reacted to it.
One of the best things about the Nightrunner series has always been the loving and passionate relationship between the two protagonists, Seregil and Alec. Lynn Flewelling describes their love for each other in a realistic, lush and romantic way. I think it's fantastic that she has courage to write boldly and lovingly about them and their relationship.
What makes this novel and the whole series especially interesting is that every once in a while the author explores how other persons feel about the homosexual relationship between Seregil and Alec (for example, in this novel Micum speaks briefly with Azrin about this relationship). This brings depth to the storyline, because the characters have their own thoughts and feelings about these things - some characters approve of their relationship while others don't understand it.
Nightrunning has been an essential part of this series since the beginning. As everybody who has read all the novels knows nightrunning is a term used for what Seregil and Alec do secretly for the Queen (for example, they spy and do other similar things). The author writes fascinatingly about how Seregil and Alec do the things they do. They're almost like detectives, but not quite, because they do much more than just investigate things and suspicious happenings. They've always been enthusiastic to investigate what's going on and who's behind weird happenings.
In this novel, Seregil and Alec are eager to solve the mystery of the murders in the locked room, although it may be dangerous and deadly to them. They find out that what the governor Toneus did has set something loose on the island and that something is extremely dangerous and deadly to all living things and wants to escape from its prison. The author writes well about Seregil and Alec's fight against the ancient evil and their willingness to do their duty despite the possibility of something bad happening to them.
Another well known trademark of the Nightrunner series is the use of macabre dark fantasy elements (although the Nightrunner novels are epic fantasy novels, they contain plenty of elements that are normally found in dark fantasy novels). Lynn Flewelling is one of those rare authors who aren't afraid of adding dark and brutal elements to their stories when needed. She writes boldly about necromancy and all things related to it.
In this novel, the darker fantasy elements are present in an intriguing and a bit different kind of way. I like how the author writes about what the characters find inside the locked room and how the guards have been affected by the happenings inside the room, because the descriptions are shockingly vivid and effective (fans of the darker side of fantasy will be thrilled to read about Captain Sedge's condition).
There's always been humour in the Nightrunner novels and this novel also has humorous scenes. There are a few scenes which will put a smile on everybody's face (these scenes may even make readers laugh out loud). One such scene contains interesting discussion about beans.
One of the reasons why I like the Nightrunner series is that the author understands that certain actions have consequences and you have to be prepared to pay a price when you do your duty. She writes well about these realistic and bittersweet moments. There's one such scene in this novel, but there's also joy to balance the bittersweetness.
The cover art by Michael Komarck deserves a special mention, because the cover image looks beautiful. It's a good and atmospheric cover image.
There are many things that I'd like to write about this novel (and also about the whole series), but I think that now is the time to write the final words of this review. If I were to write more about this novel, which I nearly did, I might spoil everybody's reading pleasure by too many spoilers and that wouldn't be fair to anybody.
Shards of Time is a highly entertaining fantasy adventure novel in the vein of the previous Nightrunner novels. It's an excellent read for old fans and newcomers alike, and it's a great ending to one of the best and most entertaining fantasy series ever, because it contains good prose, dark happenings and intriguing mystery elements. It's amazing that this series hasn't lost its splendour over the years, but has stayed fresh and exciting.
Shards of Time is the best kind of escapism available for fantasy readers, because the story is good and the author has plenty of surprises in store for her readers. I can highly recommend this thrilling novel to everybody who loves to read entertaining fantasy. In my honest opinion Shards of Time is an entertaining fantasy adventure novel of the highest order.
Highly recommended!
Shards of Time is the seventh novel in the Nightrunner series. The Nightrunner series is a long-running fantasy series that has captivated readers for many years. It's a bit sad that this fantastic series comes to an end (at least for now) with this novel, but all good things eventually come to an end. According to the afterword Lynn Flewelling may write more stories later, but at this moment there will be no stories or sequels, so it looks like Shards of Time will be the final novel about the adventures of Seregil, Alec and their friends.
Before I write more about Shards of Time, I'll mention that this review is in equal parts a review about Shards of Time as it is a review about the whole series (because this novel is the final novel of the Nightrunner series, it's approriate to reflect on a few things about the whole series).
I admire Lynn Flewelling's storytelling abilities and her willingness to write about difficult things that other authors would shy away from. I've noticed that she never disappoints her readers and always manages to add intriguing surprises to her fantasy novels (in my opinion she's in the same league as Carol Berg, Martha Wells, Kate Elliott, Gail Z. Martin and Karen Azinger). In this novel she does her best to give her readers a memorable reading experience and she succeeds perfectly in creating an atmospheric fantasy adventure that's both absorbing and entertaining.
Although Shards of Time is the seventh part of the Nightrunner series, it can be read as a standalone novel. Knowledge of the previous happenings will help to understand certain things better, but it's possible to enjoy this novel without knowing what has happened before.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
Seregil and Alec are a bit bored, because their work currently consists of delivering love letters etc. Their everyday life changes when Thero tells that something weird has happened on the island of Kouros. The governor of Kouros and his mistress have been brutally murdered in a locked and well guarded room and ghosts are blamed for their death. Nobody knows what has happened to them. The Queen Elani makes Seregil and Alec barons of the Mirror Moon, which is an estate on the island of Kouros. Seregil, Alec, Micum, Thero, Klia and Thero's apprentice, Mika, travel to Kouros to investigate what has happened to the governor and his mistress. Soon they find out that an ancient evil has been awakened on the island...
The events take place on the sacred island of Kouros. Kouros is the historical and spiritual heart of the Three Lands. It's home to the oldest oracular site in the Three Lands, and it has been said for centuries that the whole island is haunted. Many strange things have happened to its inhabitants. The author writes absorbingly about the historical details concerning Kouros and reveals bits and pieces of history to her readers as the story begins to open up.
The characters and protagonists are still as fascinating and realistic as they have always been. I have to mention that I like Lynn Flewelling's characters very much, because they're memorable characters that are easy to like. All the characters have their own personalities and traits that make them three-dimensional.
It was delightful to read again about Seregil and Alec, because they're charming characters. It was a pleasure to read about their relationship and work, because I've missed reading about them. They're well created characters who love each other and enjoy doing secret work for the Queen.
Reading about Thero and Klia was also nice, because they both have grown as characters. Thero has matured quite a lot during the last couple of novels. It was nice to see that the author has developed him a bit more and now has an apprentice. He's a bit different kind of a wizard than his late master, Nysander, but he's powerful and knows a lot about different things.
The relationship between Thero and his young apprentice, Mika, is handled well. Mika is an enthusiastic student and wants to learn new things. He has a talent for magic and Thero teaches him to use magic. Mika means a lot to Thero - it's easy to see that Thero is fond of Mika and loves him like he were his own son.
The author also writes fluently about the relationship between Thero and Klia. They've become lovers and care about each other. Love between a royal woman and a wizard is a bit difficult, but they haven't let others bother them and Thero has been recognized as Klia's lover.
I also enjoyed reading about Dorin and Doctor Kordira. Dorin is the steward of Mirror Moon and Doctor Kordira is a Plenimaran doctor who lives and works on Kouros. The author writes fluently about trust issues concerning Doctor Kordira, because not everybody trusts a Plenimaran doctor.
The evil characters in the Nightrunner novels have always been truly evil and ruthless characters who will stop at nothing to get what they want. In this novel, Rhazat is one of these evil characters. I'm not going to reveal what kind of a character Rhazat is, but I can mention that when the author introduces Rhazat to her readers, it will be impossible to put this novel down.
Shards of Time is - just like its predecessors - a novel in which the author takes her time to develop the story. This is very nice, because it's enjoyable to read a story that gradually develops to an unputdownable and highly addictive level of fantasy escapism. When the story begins to move forward it's almost impossible stop reading this novel, because you want to find out what happens at the end and how things will be solved.
Lynn Flewelling handles all the political aspects of the story exceptionally well. She writes realistically about how the Skalans, the Plenimarans and the Aurënfaie feel about each other and what kind of tensions exist between them. Writing about the sacred island of Kouros gives the author a chance to explore what has happened on the island when it was occupied by the Plenimarans and how years of living under the Plenimaran rule have changed its inhabitants and their lives.
In one of the scenes the author explores how the Plenimarans made sure that the Aurënfaie didn't have magical abilities. I won't go into details, but I'll mention that the Plenimarans treated the servants (slaves) with magical abilities in a brutal and horrible way.
I think that everybody who has ever read detective stories or mystery stories will enjoy this novel very much. Locked room mysteries have been an important part of detective and mystery fiction for ages and many authors have written their own visions of this kind of mysteries. Lynn Flewelling's vision of this kind of a mystery is charmingly different and fascinating, because it involves dark magic and macabre happenings. She has created a fresh and spellbinding mystery for her readers.
There are many excellent scenes in this novel. It was nice to read about how Seregil felt about the slaves and their situation. I enjoyed reading about how he treated the Aurënfaie servants at the estate, because he offered them a safe place to live and work at the Mirror Moon estate. The Mirror Moon estate is a well created place and reading about its history and strange hauntings is intriguing.
The scenes in which the characters explore the old temple, the oracle's caves and tunnels are also excellent and wonderfully atmospheric. The author's descriptions of these places are so good and vivid that they transport the reader temporarily to another place and offer excellent escapism from reality. It's very relaxing to read about these exotic and beautiful places, because they have a magical yet realistic feel to them.
Magic has always been an important part of the Nightrunner series and there's plenty of magic in this novel too. It was great to read about the supernatural things (ghosts, possessions, dreams, nightmares, necromancy, dra'gorgos etc). The author writes captivatingly about the weird happenings and ghosts on Kouros. Kouros is a bit different kind of place, because there's magic on Kouros and ghosts can be seen around the island. What makes matters even more interesting is that some of the inhabitants have vanished mysteriously without explanation.
One of the most intriguing scenes in this novel tells of a magical ritual performed by Thero. It was great to read about what Thero did during the ritual and how he reacted to what he noticed and how he reacted to it.
One of the best things about the Nightrunner series has always been the loving and passionate relationship between the two protagonists, Seregil and Alec. Lynn Flewelling describes their love for each other in a realistic, lush and romantic way. I think it's fantastic that she has courage to write boldly and lovingly about them and their relationship.
What makes this novel and the whole series especially interesting is that every once in a while the author explores how other persons feel about the homosexual relationship between Seregil and Alec (for example, in this novel Micum speaks briefly with Azrin about this relationship). This brings depth to the storyline, because the characters have their own thoughts and feelings about these things - some characters approve of their relationship while others don't understand it.
Nightrunning has been an essential part of this series since the beginning. As everybody who has read all the novels knows nightrunning is a term used for what Seregil and Alec do secretly for the Queen (for example, they spy and do other similar things). The author writes fascinatingly about how Seregil and Alec do the things they do. They're almost like detectives, but not quite, because they do much more than just investigate things and suspicious happenings. They've always been enthusiastic to investigate what's going on and who's behind weird happenings.
In this novel, Seregil and Alec are eager to solve the mystery of the murders in the locked room, although it may be dangerous and deadly to them. They find out that what the governor Toneus did has set something loose on the island and that something is extremely dangerous and deadly to all living things and wants to escape from its prison. The author writes well about Seregil and Alec's fight against the ancient evil and their willingness to do their duty despite the possibility of something bad happening to them.
Another well known trademark of the Nightrunner series is the use of macabre dark fantasy elements (although the Nightrunner novels are epic fantasy novels, they contain plenty of elements that are normally found in dark fantasy novels). Lynn Flewelling is one of those rare authors who aren't afraid of adding dark and brutal elements to their stories when needed. She writes boldly about necromancy and all things related to it.
In this novel, the darker fantasy elements are present in an intriguing and a bit different kind of way. I like how the author writes about what the characters find inside the locked room and how the guards have been affected by the happenings inside the room, because the descriptions are shockingly vivid and effective (fans of the darker side of fantasy will be thrilled to read about Captain Sedge's condition).
There's always been humour in the Nightrunner novels and this novel also has humorous scenes. There are a few scenes which will put a smile on everybody's face (these scenes may even make readers laugh out loud). One such scene contains interesting discussion about beans.
One of the reasons why I like the Nightrunner series is that the author understands that certain actions have consequences and you have to be prepared to pay a price when you do your duty. She writes well about these realistic and bittersweet moments. There's one such scene in this novel, but there's also joy to balance the bittersweetness.
The cover art by Michael Komarck deserves a special mention, because the cover image looks beautiful. It's a good and atmospheric cover image.
There are many things that I'd like to write about this novel (and also about the whole series), but I think that now is the time to write the final words of this review. If I were to write more about this novel, which I nearly did, I might spoil everybody's reading pleasure by too many spoilers and that wouldn't be fair to anybody.
Shards of Time is a highly entertaining fantasy adventure novel in the vein of the previous Nightrunner novels. It's an excellent read for old fans and newcomers alike, and it's a great ending to one of the best and most entertaining fantasy series ever, because it contains good prose, dark happenings and intriguing mystery elements. It's amazing that this series hasn't lost its splendour over the years, but has stayed fresh and exciting.
Shards of Time is the best kind of escapism available for fantasy readers, because the story is good and the author has plenty of surprises in store for her readers. I can highly recommend this thrilling novel to everybody who loves to read entertaining fantasy. In my honest opinion Shards of Time is an entertaining fantasy adventure novel of the highest order.
Highly recommended!
April 8, 2014
I have been a huge fan of the Nigthrunner series since I found it many years ago. This is the last (seventh) book in the series according to the author. I’m really sad to see it end, but can understand that if she is out of stories for these characters, best to end on a good note. She has said short stories are probable, which is good. And it was nice to see nothing “final” happened to them, there is always the possibility for more.
The story was good. Solid magical mystery, good world building, really great secondary character development. After seven books, Alec and Seregil are well developed. It was awesome seeing them together, just like a normal couple, dealing with the situation. No time spent on second guessing their relationship. And neither one was captured or lost, causing the other to search for him for most of the book. Which is a good plot, but we’ve seen it a lot in this series.
Instead the secondary characters got good development. Good pacing, good use of multiple POVs to tell the tale. Good use of aspects of previous tales to build the story. Just wish I had another novel to preorder.
The story was good. Solid magical mystery, good world building, really great secondary character development. After seven books, Alec and Seregil are well developed. It was awesome seeing them together, just like a normal couple, dealing with the situation. No time spent on second guessing their relationship. And neither one was captured or lost, causing the other to search for him for most of the book. Which is a good plot, but we’ve seen it a lot in this series.
Instead the secondary characters got good development. Good pacing, good use of multiple POVs to tell the tale. Good use of aspects of previous tales to build the story. Just wish I had another novel to preorder.
June 27, 2014
3.5 stars, rounding down to 3.
I thought CoS and SoT were both...unnecessary, if that's the right word. The series could've been wrapped up neatly after The White Road. None of the books have really been as good as the first three, though, which is sad but common for a lot of fantasy series. However, I still love the characters as before. I just wish there was more character and less plot, more of Alec & Seregil than Theo & Klia & Mika. Not that I don't like Thero, I just don't find his story as interesting as Alec and Seregil's.
What I would love to see is Flewelling wrap up this series for good and then write some more stuff in the same universe/realm/whatever, but with new characters. She's such a talented writer, and she's really created an amazing world here. The Tamir Triad was also really, really good.
I thought CoS and SoT were both...unnecessary, if that's the right word. The series could've been wrapped up neatly after The White Road. None of the books have really been as good as the first three, though, which is sad but common for a lot of fantasy series. However, I still love the characters as before. I just wish there was more character and less plot, more of Alec & Seregil than Theo & Klia & Mika. Not that I don't like Thero, I just don't find his story as interesting as Alec and Seregil's.
What I would love to see is Flewelling wrap up this series for good and then write some more stuff in the same universe/realm/whatever, but with new characters. She's such a talented writer, and she's really created an amazing world here. The Tamir Triad was also really, really good.
February 4, 2018
The Good
As many gripes as I had with the final book in the Nightrunners series (see below), I have liked and continued to like the wide variety of interesting female characters this series brings to the table. Female warriors, female rulers, female workers, female villains... I especially ended up liking new character Kordira, and wish that she'd had a larger part in the story.
Speaking of Kordira: the in-universe acknowledgement that all Plenimarans are not Pure Evil. It makes sense, in light of the war with Skala and in light of the fact that much of Plenimar was shown to us directly through the eyes of slaves, that we've been seeing the ugliest face of the country, but it was also good to know that among them are ordinary men and women, a doctor who wants to help people - and that not even the Plenimarans are all of one mind with regards to slavery.
Please please please please no
Remember what I said in my review of the last book about how refreshing it was to see female characters who actually mean it when they say they don't want children? Well, apparently I spoke too soon. When Klia first got violently sick in the caves for no apparent reason (at the mention of children being used as oracles... hm...) (and with married father-of-I-don't-even-remember-how-many Micum giving her a speculative look... hm...) I immediately began to get a sinking suspicion that I desperately hoped was wrong - but which was unfortunately confirmed only a couple of chapters later. The whole mess of things that are wrong with this:
-Okay, so it doesn't technically count as You'll Change Your Mind, since technically Klia never outright said that she didn't want children: she said she didn't care whether or not she had children. Even so, though, it skirts so perilously close that at this point it might as well be this. Female and want children? You will be inducted into motherhood. Female and don't want children? You will be inducted into motherhood. Female and have no opinion on children? You will be inducted into motherhood. Because you see, it never actually matters what you want: you're going to be brainwashed into The Baby Cult regardless.
-Speaking of which, Alec made clear in the third and fourth books that he wanted children someday (and was getting so distressed over the thought that he'd never be a father that Seregil even asked him at one point "Well, how did you think this was going to work?"). Klia made it clear in the sixth book that children were not a priority for her (and Thero's inability to impregnate her was even cited as a plus, given that that was one less potential complication for the succession). Yet now, in the final book of the series, Alec has given his child away because it was cramping his lifestyle and Klia is happily pregnant? What is wrong with this picture?
-Klia's lover is an Orëska wizard. Orëska wizards are barren. This was an established part of the worldbuilding straight from the first book: no Orëska wizard can ever have children. So, explanations? One possibility is that Klia is cheating on Thero - which would be a beyond-gross breach of character, given how much time and effort the books have dedicated to building up Klia as a caring, responsible, and in particular loyal person. Another possibility is that Thero somehow miraculously managed to produce a child when no other Orëska wizard before him had - which would be a beyond-gross breach of the previously established Rules of the world, given that the problem of magic running thin in Skala because wizards can't have children was actually a major plot point in one of the previous books. Yet a third possibility is that this is some completely out-of-nowhere immaculate conception - which would be a beyond-gross lazy Ass Pull on the part of the author.
(It turns out that it actually is Thero's child, Because Magical Dragon Bite. Rule-breaking and Ass Pull it is!)
The real Ass Pull aspect of this, though, isn't just because it's breaking the rules of the universe - it comes from the way that magic was presented to us in the first place, and the explanation as to why those rules exist. When Nysander was explaining matters to Alec in the first book, he didn't say that Orëska wizards were barren because they were broken and needed to be made whole again - he said that Orëska wizards were barren because every form of magic exacts some sort of price from its practitioners. There's no such thing as a free lunch - and, considering what happens to anyone who practices necromancy for too long (your body will slowly wither away to a burned-out husk that can never die; sweet dreams, kids), infertility in return for an extended lifespan and the ability to work wonders really doesn't seem like an unfair price. So why does Thero suddenly get to be the one and only Orëska wizard who deserves a free lunch, when he has an apprentice he cares for as a son and his partner had already accepted in no uncertain terms that he could never give her children?
...and to think, I was so worried the series was going to do this to Beka, who if nothing else at least has a fertile husband with whom she can have children without imposing any choices of which suspension of disbelief is going to get broken!
The Verdict
Lynne Flewelling really needs to just phone it in on this series. It seems to be suffering from a classic case of Long Series Syndrome, where the author wrapped up whatever original plans she might have had for it ages ago and now in between rehashing old plot points just keeps throwing random ideas at it that come out of nowhere and make no sense in the hopes that somewhere, one of them will stick. She's not a bad writer, she's had a fair number of really good ideas, and most of her characters are genuinely complex and interesting, but sometimes, it's just time to write something new. This series passed that point a long time ago.
Reading her Afterword, it seems that she does indeed have no further plans to continue this series, and frankly I think that's a good thing. It's well past time to wrap things up, and this one simply needed to be let go.
As many gripes as I had with the final book in the Nightrunners series (see below), I have liked and continued to like the wide variety of interesting female characters this series brings to the table. Female warriors, female rulers, female workers, female villains... I especially ended up liking new character Kordira, and wish that she'd had a larger part in the story.
Speaking of Kordira: the in-universe acknowledgement that all Plenimarans are not Pure Evil. It makes sense, in light of the war with Skala and in light of the fact that much of Plenimar was shown to us directly through the eyes of slaves, that we've been seeing the ugliest face of the country, but it was also good to know that among them are ordinary men and women, a doctor who wants to help people - and that not even the Plenimarans are all of one mind with regards to slavery.
Please please please please no
Remember what I said in my review of the last book about how refreshing it was to see female characters who actually mean it when they say they don't want children? Well, apparently I spoke too soon. When Klia first got violently sick in the caves for no apparent reason (at the mention of children being used as oracles... hm...) (and with married father-of-I-don't-even-remember-how-many Micum giving her a speculative look... hm...) I immediately began to get a sinking suspicion that I desperately hoped was wrong - but which was unfortunately confirmed only a couple of chapters later. The whole mess of things that are wrong with this:
-Okay, so it doesn't technically count as You'll Change Your Mind, since technically Klia never outright said that she didn't want children: she said she didn't care whether or not she had children. Even so, though, it skirts so perilously close that at this point it might as well be this. Female and want children? You will be inducted into motherhood. Female and don't want children? You will be inducted into motherhood. Female and have no opinion on children? You will be inducted into motherhood. Because you see, it never actually matters what you want: you're going to be brainwashed into The Baby Cult regardless.
-Speaking of which, Alec made clear in the third and fourth books that he wanted children someday (and was getting so distressed over the thought that he'd never be a father that Seregil even asked him at one point "Well, how did you think this was going to work?"). Klia made it clear in the sixth book that children were not a priority for her (and Thero's inability to impregnate her was even cited as a plus, given that that was one less potential complication for the succession). Yet now, in the final book of the series, Alec has given his child away because it was cramping his lifestyle and Klia is happily pregnant? What is wrong with this picture?
-Klia's lover is an Orëska wizard. Orëska wizards are barren. This was an established part of the worldbuilding straight from the first book: no Orëska wizard can ever have children. So, explanations? One possibility is that Klia is cheating on Thero - which would be a beyond-gross breach of character, given how much time and effort the books have dedicated to building up Klia as a caring, responsible, and in particular loyal person. Another possibility is that Thero somehow miraculously managed to produce a child when no other Orëska wizard before him had - which would be a beyond-gross breach of the previously established Rules of the world, given that the problem of magic running thin in Skala because wizards can't have children was actually a major plot point in one of the previous books. Yet a third possibility is that this is some completely out-of-nowhere immaculate conception - which would be a beyond-gross lazy Ass Pull on the part of the author.
(It turns out that it actually is Thero's child, Because Magical Dragon Bite. Rule-breaking and Ass Pull it is!)
The real Ass Pull aspect of this, though, isn't just because it's breaking the rules of the universe - it comes from the way that magic was presented to us in the first place, and the explanation as to why those rules exist. When Nysander was explaining matters to Alec in the first book, he didn't say that Orëska wizards were barren because they were broken and needed to be made whole again - he said that Orëska wizards were barren because every form of magic exacts some sort of price from its practitioners. There's no such thing as a free lunch - and, considering what happens to anyone who practices necromancy for too long (your body will slowly wither away to a burned-out husk that can never die; sweet dreams, kids), infertility in return for an extended lifespan and the ability to work wonders really doesn't seem like an unfair price. So why does Thero suddenly get to be the one and only Orëska wizard who deserves a free lunch, when he has an apprentice he cares for as a son and his partner had already accepted in no uncertain terms that he could never give her children?
...and to think, I was so worried the series was going to do this to Beka, who if nothing else at least has a fertile husband with whom she can have children without imposing any choices of which suspension of disbelief is going to get broken!
The Verdict
Lynne Flewelling really needs to just phone it in on this series. It seems to be suffering from a classic case of Long Series Syndrome, where the author wrapped up whatever original plans she might have had for it ages ago and now in between rehashing old plot points just keeps throwing random ideas at it that come out of nowhere and make no sense in the hopes that somewhere, one of them will stick. She's not a bad writer, she's had a fair number of really good ideas, and most of her characters are genuinely complex and interesting, but sometimes, it's just time to write something new. This series passed that point a long time ago.
Reading her Afterword, it seems that she does indeed have no further plans to continue this series, and frankly I think that's a good thing. It's well past time to wrap things up, and this one simply needed to be let go.
September 5, 2020
I can't believe this is the last book 😱😭
I loved it.
The plot here was a bit different but included a lot more magic than usual and honestly, I already miss the characters 😭
I loved it.
The plot here was a bit different but included a lot more magic than usual and honestly, I already miss the characters 😭
June 6, 2021
I wish Lynn Flewelling would keep writing Nightrunner books because I honestly never want to read anything else ever again. I've never been so taken in with a book or series before, and I am so sad that it's come to an end.
May 1, 2020
I have no words for how beautiful that ending was, I cried for a solid minute reading that part. Such a lovely conclusion and I'm so proud of how far all of the characters have come.
July 8, 2015
It took me a while but I finally got there. (9 months!) I didn't think this story was really up to much and there was a lot of running around all over the place but as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed the Nightrunner series. It'll definitely remain one of my favourites and it was great to follow Seregil and Alec on another one of their adventurers.
August 8, 2019
Can't believe this series has come to an end. For almost a year now I've been avoiding ending this series but here we are.
A complete throw back to some of the best moments of earlier books in the series in some of the best ways possible. Even as this is the last book, we all know the Seregil and Alec's adventures are far from over. Luck in the Shadows, dear boys.
A complete throw back to some of the best moments of earlier books in the series in some of the best ways possible. Even as this is the last book, we all know the Seregil and Alec's adventures are far from over. Luck in the Shadows, dear boys.
July 28, 2024
Perfect ending to the series. It was filled with mystery, magic and action.
What I thuroughly enjoyed with this series is that no book ended on a cliffhanger. Each book had it's own plot even though they were all connected.
What I thuroughly enjoyed with this series is that no book ended on a cliffhanger. Each book had it's own plot even though they were all connected.
March 3, 2021
Se acabó la saga y ahora qué hago con mi vida? Que hago con este vacío? Aaaaahhh necesito releer todos los libros unas 20 veces y llorar porque quiero mas libros
January 24, 2023
Non ho parole per dire quanto ho adorato questa saga. Ho amato tutto: i personaggi e la loro caratterizzazione, l’ambientazione, la magia, i misteri. Davvero. Tutto meraviglioso.
Grazie di cuore all’autrice per questa meravigliosa storia che è diventata una delle mie preferite in assoluto. ❤️
Grazie di cuore all’autrice per questa meravigliosa storia che è diventata una delle mie preferite in assoluto. ❤️
June 6, 2018
Diese Reihe begleitet mich schon seit den 90ern. Leider wurden nur die ersten 3 Romane ins Deutsche übersetzt und es dauerte etwas, bis ich Band 4 und 5 auf Englisch gelesen und meine Lieblingshelden von damals wiedergefunden hatte. Band 6 und 7 lagen dann bedauerlicherweise eine ganze Weile auf meinem SUB, sodass ich diese Woche genutzt habe, um noch einmal die Vorgänger zu lesen, bevor ich mich in die letzten beiden Romane gestürzt habe.
Ich muss gestehen, mit dem letzten Band "Shards of Time" hatte ich so meine Probleme. Warum? Zunächst einmal der Ortswechsel. Während mich in den Vorgängerromanen die verschiedenen Handlungsorte gereizt haben, so fehlte mir das bei Kouros, eine heilige Insel mit vielen Ruinen und einstigen heiligen Stätten, völlig. Ich wurde mit dem Ort und seinen Bewohnern nicht warm.
Hinzu kam, dass in den ersten 6 Bänden die Geschichte stark auf die beiden Hauptfiguren Alec und Seregil und ihre Abenteuer ausgerichtet war. Zwar gab es immer wieder auch Abschnitte aus der Sicht anderer Figuren, doch über 80/90 % waren Seregil & Alec. Das war hier leider nicht der Fall. Mit den Abschnitten aus Klias, Mikas und Theros Sicht blieb vielleicht noch etwa 50 % der Handlung für meine beiden Lieblingshelden übrig und auch wenn ich die Prinzessin, den Zauberer und seinen neuen Lehrling Mika mochte und schon aus früheren Bänden kannte, so war es doch nicht ihre Geschichte, die ich lesen wollte. :'(
Worum ging es im Roman? Geister, eine böse Zauberin, dunkle Wesen, merkwürdige Vorkommnisse wie aus einer anderen Welt, welche von den Freunden aufgeklärt und bekämpft werden mussten - ja, einerseits passen sie zu den vorherigen Bänden, andererseits vermittelte der Roman auch ein anderes Lesegefühl, selbst in den Abschnitten von Alec und Seregil.
Insgesamt muss ich sagen, dass mich dieses Buch leider nicht vom Hocker gerissen hat. Einerseits freut es mich, dass ich noch mal ein Abenteuer von dem Pärchen lesen konnte, aber andererseits enthielt dieses Buch zu wenig von den Elementen, die für mich den Reiz der Reihe ausmachen. Und Prinzessin Klia, ihr Liebster Thero und sein Schüler Mika konnten für mich Alec und Seregil nicht ersetzen.
Fazit: Eine tolle High Fantasy-Reihe mit schöner Sword & Sorcery-Action, die zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsreihen des Genres gehört, aber einem leider schwachen Abschlussband.
Ich muss gestehen, mit dem letzten Band "Shards of Time" hatte ich so meine Probleme. Warum? Zunächst einmal der Ortswechsel. Während mich in den Vorgängerromanen die verschiedenen Handlungsorte gereizt haben, so fehlte mir das bei Kouros, eine heilige Insel mit vielen Ruinen und einstigen heiligen Stätten, völlig. Ich wurde mit dem Ort und seinen Bewohnern nicht warm.
Hinzu kam, dass in den ersten 6 Bänden die Geschichte stark auf die beiden Hauptfiguren Alec und Seregil und ihre Abenteuer ausgerichtet war. Zwar gab es immer wieder auch Abschnitte aus der Sicht anderer Figuren, doch über 80/90 % waren Seregil & Alec. Das war hier leider nicht der Fall. Mit den Abschnitten aus Klias, Mikas und Theros Sicht blieb vielleicht noch etwa 50 % der Handlung für meine beiden Lieblingshelden übrig und auch wenn ich die Prinzessin, den Zauberer und seinen neuen Lehrling Mika mochte und schon aus früheren Bänden kannte, so war es doch nicht ihre Geschichte, die ich lesen wollte. :'(
Worum ging es im Roman? Geister, eine böse Zauberin, dunkle Wesen, merkwürdige Vorkommnisse wie aus einer anderen Welt, welche von den Freunden aufgeklärt und bekämpft werden mussten - ja, einerseits passen sie zu den vorherigen Bänden, andererseits vermittelte der Roman auch ein anderes Lesegefühl, selbst in den Abschnitten von Alec und Seregil.
Insgesamt muss ich sagen, dass mich dieses Buch leider nicht vom Hocker gerissen hat. Einerseits freut es mich, dass ich noch mal ein Abenteuer von dem Pärchen lesen konnte, aber andererseits enthielt dieses Buch zu wenig von den Elementen, die für mich den Reiz der Reihe ausmachen. Und Prinzessin Klia, ihr Liebster Thero und sein Schüler Mika konnten für mich Alec und Seregil nicht ersetzen.
Fazit: Eine tolle High Fantasy-Reihe mit schöner Sword & Sorcery-Action, die zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsreihen des Genres gehört, aber einem leider schwachen Abschlussband.
May 5, 2019
actual rating: 3.5
This was a pretty good end to the series. I went with a 3.5 instead of a 4 because I felt like it definitely took awhile to warm up [or possibly I was just having trouble processing audio information the first day I listened to this]. But once the plot picked up I really liked it overall. It brought together a lot of prophecy stuff about Alec and Seregil that has been building up over the series, and it was nice to see a lot of Klia as well. I wish we had some mention of Beka or that perhaps her and her husband had come along, but that's pretty much my only other complaint. Overall this was a pretty good series, definitely more enjoyable than a lot of high fantasy series that I've tried, although it did go a bit off the rails in the middle.
This was a pretty good end to the series. I went with a 3.5 instead of a 4 because I felt like it definitely took awhile to warm up [or possibly I was just having trouble processing audio information the first day I listened to this]. But once the plot picked up I really liked it overall. It brought together a lot of prophecy stuff about Alec and Seregil that has been building up over the series, and it was nice to see a lot of Klia as well. I wish we had some mention of Beka or that perhaps her and her husband had come along, but that's pretty much my only other complaint. Overall this was a pretty good series, definitely more enjoyable than a lot of high fantasy series that I've tried, although it did go a bit off the rails in the middle.
July 25, 2024
Wow. This one was certainly something! It definitely added a new flavor to the previous mysteries explored in this series. Big tense feeling throughout the whole thing that plays into a well written ending.
April 3, 2018
I enjoyed all 7 of the Nightrunner books but this one was by far the best one.
The pace was faster, there was mystery, humor and even a few creepy moments. Flewelling gave her all on this last book and, even though I'll miss these characters, this was a proper send off.
The pace was faster, there was mystery, humor and even a few creepy moments. Flewelling gave her all on this last book and, even though I'll miss these characters, this was a proper send off.
April 9, 2020
9/10 A strong finish to the series.
January 15, 2024
IT CAN’T BE OVER I WON’T LET IT BE OVER 😭😭😭😭😭
October 4, 2023
My adventure with the boys has come come a close :'(
February 1, 2014
Writing: 4
Story: 3
Satisfaction: 3
I really enjoyed the first three books in the Nightrunner series but books four and especially five, Shadows Return and The White Road, were a little disappointing. I didn't even bother to read Casket of Souls. But in Shards of Time, Flewelling has returned to a better form. The plot isn't as strong as in the original three but it's much stronger than the others.
Despite not reading book six, I didn't think it limited my enjoyment of this book. There are a couple new characters but their origins are briefly explained. I do regret not knowing and that's interesting enough to me that I may go back and pick up Casket of Souls just to read about it. Also, Mika is a really cute character and I'd love to see how Thero reacted to his initial presence.
The characters were entertaining as usual but the plot felt a little like a rehash of previous storylines in the series. The characters even note it. Now it's not especially bad to have repeated types of bad guys but it was pretty literally the exact same fight. The last battle scene was also pretty anti-climactic compared to all of the build-up.
Definitely a book to read for the characters and not really for the plot.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley
Story: 3
Satisfaction: 3
I really enjoyed the first three books in the Nightrunner series but books four and especially five, Shadows Return and The White Road, were a little disappointing. I didn't even bother to read Casket of Souls. But in Shards of Time, Flewelling has returned to a better form. The plot isn't as strong as in the original three but it's much stronger than the others.
Despite not reading book six, I didn't think it limited my enjoyment of this book. There are a couple new characters but their origins are briefly explained. I do regret not knowing and that's interesting enough to me that I may go back and pick up Casket of Souls just to read about it. Also, Mika is a really cute character and I'd love to see how Thero reacted to his initial presence.
The characters were entertaining as usual but the plot felt a little like a rehash of previous storylines in the series. The characters even note it. Now it's not especially bad to have repeated types of bad guys but it was pretty literally the exact same fight. The last battle scene was also pretty anti-climactic compared to all of the build-up.
Definitely a book to read for the characters and not really for the plot.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley
May 20, 2015
AND NOW I CRY BECAUSE IT'S OVER.
This was great as a last book. It's actually probably my favorite, though it might be a tie between the first two. It had everything I love - mystery, adventure, horror, and of course all the characters I have come to love. The only one missing was Beka...it's too bad she couldn't have at least made an appearance, but her presence didn't really have a place in this book.
Our last leg of the Nightrunner journey takes Seregil and Alec to the sacred island of Kouros, where the governor and his wife have been mysteriously murdered. Everyone says it was ghosts, but Seregil and Alec, along with Klia, Thero and Micum, are there to learn the truth.
From the very beginning, this book just takes off and doesn't let you go. It's fast paced, fun, and actually a bit scary. I think it probably had less funny moments than the previous books, but the tone of this one was a bit darker, too. I personally loved the supernatural element to it; ghost stories have always been a favorite.
The ending was amazing, but now it's OVER! What am I going to do with no more Nightrunner books to read?? I guess I'll just have to write the author and beg her to write more. Yeah, I'm sure that'll work...
This was great as a last book. It's actually probably my favorite, though it might be a tie between the first two. It had everything I love - mystery, adventure, horror, and of course all the characters I have come to love. The only one missing was Beka...it's too bad she couldn't have at least made an appearance, but her presence didn't really have a place in this book.
Our last leg of the Nightrunner journey takes Seregil and Alec to the sacred island of Kouros, where the governor and his wife have been mysteriously murdered. Everyone says it was ghosts, but Seregil and Alec, along with Klia, Thero and Micum, are there to learn the truth.
From the very beginning, this book just takes off and doesn't let you go. It's fast paced, fun, and actually a bit scary. I think it probably had less funny moments than the previous books, but the tone of this one was a bit darker, too. I personally loved the supernatural element to it; ghost stories have always been a favorite.
The ending was amazing, but now it's OVER! What am I going to do with no more Nightrunner books to read?? I guess I'll just have to write the author and beg her to write more. Yeah, I'm sure that'll work...
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