Flewelling’s wizardry shows in complex story

TRAITOR’S MOON, by Lynn Flewelling, Bantam/Spectra, New York, 1999, 540 pages, softcover, $6.50.

What an exotic world Bangor author Flewelling has created for readers in her Nightrunner series of books, the third of which is “Traitor’s Moon.” There’s sorcerers, dragons, fairies, swordplay, political machinations and, above all, complex, believable characters.

“Traitor’s Moon” picks up where “Luck in the Shadows” and “Stalking Darkness,” the first two books in the series, left off. (In her opening remarks, Flewelling emphasizes that the series is not a trilogy, contrary to fantasy practices.) The book focuses on Seregil the Exile, an Aurenfaie banned from his homeland because of a reckless, youthful act, and his younger comrade in arms and lover Alec i Amala. By day, they’re foppish Skalan noblemen, by night, they’re nightrunners, spies who gather valuable information for the royal court.

As “Traitor’s Moon” opens, conditions look grim in Skala, as that country is losing a war to nearby nation Plenimar. Plenimar has recruited black magicians for its offensive, and Skala’s handful of wizards isn’t enough to counter.

So Skala’s dying queen Idrilain decides to send her youngest daughter, Princess Klia, to the magical nation Aurenen, hoping that she can negotiate an end to a 300-year-old closing of that country’s borders to Skalans, so Skala can obtain supplies from Aurenen. Despite his lifetime ban, Seregil is recruited to serve as Klia’s adviser, with Alec coming along to assist him.

Klia, Seregil and company are facing an uphill battle, as a majority of the heads of Aurenen’s 11 clans must agree to end the Edict of Separation. Magic, mystery, murder and intrigue follow to spice up what would normally be tedious political posturing. In such an enchanted place, nothing can be taken at face value.

It helps to have read the previous two books, but it isn’t essential, as Flewelling does an admirable job of providing background. There are a lot of characters to keep track, especially among the Aurenfaie and all their clans. She has included a map of the region, but a glossary would have helped as well.

Still the well-developed Aurenen is a fascinating place to visit, and Seregil proves a complicated but sympathetic tour guide. Even after more than 500 pages, Flewelling just closes another chapter in the Nightrunner series, and leaves the reader wanting to find out more about its eclectic cast.