Casket of Souls

Nightrunner, Book 6

By: Lynn Flewelling

Narrated by: Adam Danoff

The Nightrunners are back in this gripping novel full of Lynn Flewelling’s trademark action, intrigue, and richly imagined characters. More than the dissolute noblemen they appear to be, Alec and Seregil are skillful spies, dedicated to serving queen and country. But when they stumble across evidence of a plot pitting Queen Phoria against Princess Klia, the two Nightrunners will find their loyalties torn as never before.

Even at the best of times, the royal court at Rhminee is a serpents’ nest of intrigue, but with the war against Plenimar going badly, treason simmers just below the surface. And that’s not all that poses a threat: A mysterious plague is spreading through the crowded streets of the city, striking young and old alike. Now, as panic mounts and the body count rises, hidden secrets emerge. And as Seregil and Alec are about to learn, conspiracies and plagues have one thing in common: The cure can be as deadly as the disease.

A Note From Author Lynn Flewelling

Dear Listeners,

It's been brought to my attention that there is some confusion over the noticeable difference in some of the pronunciations between the first three books of this series, and the last three. The reason for this is quite simple. Starting with Shadows Return, I've had the pleasure of talking in considerable detail with narrator Adam Danoff. So the differences from the first three books may be a bit jarring at first, but what you will hear in the later books are the proper pronunciations of names and things, as the author intended. I'm delighted with these new interpretations, and I hope you will be, too. Happy listening!

Lynn Flewelling

©2012 Lynn Flewelling (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Flewelling is the best thing that could have happened to the fantasy genre." ( BookWeb)

Fantastic book

Loved it struggled to put it down!! I've read 6 books now of the series. They have all been Great!

Triumphant return to captivating intrigue

Without a doubt my favorite volume in the series, Casket of Souls brings our beloved Nightrunners back home to their element and puts them right to work at what they do best, showing us our favorite characters at their very best. Rife with politics and peril, this book resolves much of the overarching story of the series, with some great surprises, shocks, and some interesting new twists thrown in.

Adam Danoff continues to deliver excellent work in bringing this series' characters to life. The youthful and eager sound of his voice melds with our heroes seamlessly.

Well Done, Bravo!

As with the other books in the series, this too was entertaining, a page turner or an all nighter, and just plain fun. I recommend it be read in order of the series for full character development and story line. Once you listen to Luck In The Shadows, you’re not going to want the tale to end!

Excellent story

It was return to form for the series with intrigue, plots, and palace conspiracies with in the series. The story is a traditional mystery set with the mythological Setting of night Runner. I think the story is less traditional fantasy in terms of there being less travel and world building as you might have read from prior books in the series, but over all, the way the offer tells it actually makes it unique.

Story somewhat slow-moving, but love the narrator

What did you love best about Casket of Souls?

Interesting cast of characters. Alec and Seregil's dynamic was a bit more like the earlier books compared with the last 2 books preceding this one.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Casket of Souls?

- when Alec came back from his first nightrunning job and Seregil was worried about him, the scene that followed was well done I thought. "If you die tali, I won't be far behind." My heart was breaking for Seregil at that point.

What about Adam Danoff’s performance did you like?

I liked the way he did the accents, and it was easy to distinguish the characters from one another due to the way he did their voices.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It wasn't as emotionally evocative as Stalking Darkness, but there were some moments that made me laugh. Seregil and Alec dressing as women, Thero wanting to throw Seregil off the box railing at the opera house, Seregil being accused of cheating and then being strip searched.

Absolutely wonderful

I read the ebook version of the previous titles and thoroughly enjoyed them. But listening to the audiobook brought the characters to life in a whole new way. The story had me laughing and crying and everything else in the most delightful way.

Seregil and Alec are back.

What did you love best about Casket of Souls?

I have to admit I was glad to see Alec and Seregil back to their old selves. While I appreciated the addition of Sebrahn 'he' was a little bit of a distraction. I fell in love with the series because I appreciate having a gay/bi character that isn't an effeminate mess.

Which character – as performed by Adam Danoff – was your favorite?

His voice was made for Alec. Some of the more mature characters tend to sound a little young.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of the feelings by Alec surrounding the deaths of friends was especially touching. The author didn't have to go into sappy cliches to make the point.

Any additional comments?

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Pick ONE pronunciation of the names and stick with it. I've noticed in other audio books that when a new narrator takes over that the pronunciation of certain names can change but this is not Danoff's first reading of this. Whoever is the producer on these needs to figure it out.

Another strong entry in the saga

With every book, Flewelling offers stronger plot, richer characters, and a more fully realized world. I'll be sad when it ends. I was cautiously optimistic about this series at the outset, and now I can't wait for the next entry. If I have a criticism, it's that I'm not certain if revealing certain information early in the book increases the tension or lessens it, and whether it makes our heroes look a bit silly for not knowing what we know. Still, it was a page-turner, and I know I'll go back and read it again eventually. Recommended.

She did it again!!! Awesome!

The boys are back, and in the environment they do best in, Full of twists and turns to keep the reader off the track until things pull together for the characters. Masterfully written, competently narrated. I'll be listening to this again soon.

Lynn flewellings books were ahead of there time

And done so well that the bar may be reached again.

my only annoyance is the voice over actor. He sounds too similar between characters. if Lynn ever decided to have then reread, I would pay full price as soon as they were available.

and as always there is so much of the story to go, that I wish she would begining relaying the tails of the night runners again.