Deryni Magic (A Del Rey book) [Mass Market Paperback]

Katherine Kurtz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1990 | Series: A Del Rey book

Here, for the first time, the secrets of the Deryni, that mysterious race of wizards and healers blessed with arcane mental powers, are revealed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a charming grimoireok/eed , or book of spells, Kurtz tells her fans everything they could wish to know about her creations, the Deryni, a race of people with magical powers who inhabit a medieval Europe-like land. This fictional encyclopedia offers articles on the origins and history of the Deryni, the framework of their church and rituals, explanations of their telepathic and other psychic powers, and of some magical techniques they employ, including shape-changing, dark magic and healing powers. As Kurtz elucidates the skills of the Deryni, she considers the ethical questions involved in, for instance, the ability to read minds (such as the responsibility of a Deryni priest who knows more than he hears in confession), and casts a thoughtful light on our own beliefs about magic and religion. She describes spells, for example, as a trigger to posthypnotic suggestiono, 108 , and she speaks of the Eucharist as "one of the most powerful magical rituals ever devised by humankind." p. 29 Extensive appendices fill in details on the clergy, healing invocations and Deryni esoteric texts, and genealogies, maps and drawings illustrate the book.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

The late Lester del Rey had a theory about the biological seat of Deryni power, a theory that he could have related in astonishing specificity. I just remember that he said it must come from somewhere in the nose, something related to the olfactory senses. I always thought that wa snot a very glamourous way to look at an exciting, epic sweep of fantasy. But after all, magic has to come from somewhere.

--Veronica Chapman, Senior Editor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; First Edition edition (December 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345361172
• ISBN-13: 978-0345361172
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #879,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great, but not one of her best., September 26, 1999

By 

Brandie L Thompson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deryni Magic (A Del Rey book) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read every Deryni book out there at least twice and i'll be the first to admit that this one is my least favourite. She was abviously trying to catch the readers up on her visions of the Deryni, and she did that well. It's not a book you want to read if you aren't a Fan already.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More a Reference, December 27, 2002

By 

S. K. Leggate "Sunni" (Fernley, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deryni Magic (A Del Rey book) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book seems to be more of a reference and informational tool in regards to the Deryni series. It isn't a book to be read and enjoyed from cover to cover.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dull, Pretentious, Pointless, May 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Deryni Magic (A Del Rey book) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really like the Deryni series and I wanted to like this book. Too bad I just couldn't. When the author refers to quotes from her own books as "(a character) entering something into the canon," you know something's not right. Though the book is helpful in compiling most of the instances of magic in the books so far, the overuse of quotes and the dull writing make this a chore to work through. Magic is classified into uses which serve as chapter headings and then doesn't keep to the subject. Not much is "revealed" either, or even clarified. I learned more just re-reading the original books. A definite miss.