Deryni Checkmate [Paperback]

Katherine Kurtz (Author), Illustrated by Darrell K Sweet (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Del Rey Books (Science Fiction And Fantasy) (1983)
• ASIN: B001L9SBJG
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,086,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars THE CHURCH STRIKES BACK, September 16, 2002

By 

Sesho "www.sesho.libsyn.com" (Pasadena, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deryni Checkmate (Chronicles of the Deryni) (Mass Market Paperback)

The middle piece of a work in a trilogy is usually less satisfying than its bookend pieces simply because you know nothing will be resolved until the third work. In Deryni Checkmate this attribute is not so glaring as it could've been. Kurtz has written a novel that stands alone or as part of the series.

Deryni Checkmate takes up right where Deryni Rising left off as King Kelson tries to organize his kingdom after defeating an evil sorceress. He has many problems working on his mind. First, the powerful Archbishop Loris is using the chaos to further his end of getting rid of all Deryni or at least making them renounce their powers. Similar to Adolph Hitler and the Jews, Loris uses the Deryni as a scapegoat for everything evil in the world. He is also covertly supplying aid to a rebel leader, Warin, who believes he was appointed by God to wipe all Deryni off the face of the earth. So what if Warin believes that he is a messiah? Loris believes he can control him. Also, Wencit of Torenth, a Deryni lord, plans to start a war for the opposite reason, to extend Deryni rule over all humanity for once and for all. Can you blame him? The Deryni have been slaughtered and harassed for 200 years.

The Church's first order of business is to isolate Kelson from his best friend and mentor, Morgan. His offense? Practicing Deryni magic out in the open, a blasphemy against God. In this novel, Kelson is really not the main character. Instead, Kurtz focuses on the adventures of Morgan and his cousin, the priest Duncan as they try desperately to evade the Church and Warin and still be able to help the young king see his way through what is rapidly developing into a civil war.

Deryni Checkmate is a more psychological novel than Deryni Rising, focusing instead on the moral decisions facing the characters than swordfights. What I like about this fantasy world is that it is fantasy without all the magical unicorns and orcs and goblins that fluff most of the genre. It has more to do with the relations between two races. The series is also a cautionary tale about the power of the Church. When the Church serves as a brake for society, a force to hold us back until we are wise enough to use power for good, it's positive. When the Church becomes an Exterminator, a prosecutor, it becomes a servant of evil.

This is a good series. I don't know why it's currently out of print. Well, I guess there is a reason. It doesn't sell. It's too bad. You can always pick them up at used bookstores or here on Amazon. The next book in the series is High Deryni.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May the "Deryni" never end!!!!!!!!, March 20, 2006

By 

Dragon Friend "dragons, wizards, & faeries RULE" (Redwood City, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deryni Checkmate (Hardcover)

Someone once told me "Women can't write good fantasy because they're afraid to kill your favorite characters" ... I then introduced him to Katherine Kurtz and the Deryni. I never heard that statement again.

I have been reading this epic saga over and over again for 20 years, and I will be reading them over and over again for the next 20 years.

Katherine Kurtz's blending of "Magic" with fact based "Church" ritual and her use of real medieval living truly makes you feel that the Kingdom of Gwynedd could truly have existed.

If you are looking for a series of books that you just cannot put down, these will keep you on the edge of your seat turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning. Though I must warn you to never assume what will happen next; and I advise always having a tissue on hand just in case.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Branching into Series, April 3, 2001

By 

Jason Gonella "philosopher" (Lancaster, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deryni Checkmate (Chronicles of the Deryni) (Mass Market Paperback)

With this book, Kurts takes Deryni Rising, and transitions it from stand alone novel to introduction to a series, and she does a good job of it as well. There are many possible threads left over from the first book, and she picked them up adeptly.

Since there exists in Gwynned a race of Sorcerers known as the Deryni, there would exist people who hate and/or fear them. In this world they are found largely in the church. This sets up a conflict between the King and his Archbishop, the two single most powerful individuals in the kingdom. That all of this happens on the eve of war makes it more stressful for King Kelson, and Archbishop Loris would rather go down in flames than compromise.

The allegories that can be made for racism are abundant and clear, as the status of Deryni is inherited, so can one be held responsible for an accident of birth?