Customer Reviews

High Deryni (Chronicles of the Deryni)

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With this novel, the initial trilogy of the Deryni comes to a close, and in ways that are ultimately unexpected.

The previous volume left quite a mess for King Kelson to clean up, with a civil war to the south, an invading army to the north, a treasonous Earl, an adamantly opposed Archbishop, all lining up for various reasons against Kelson. His internal opponents are so blinded by their own dogmatic resistance to be able to comprehend that they are making their own situation worse by their opposition. They are convinced of the evil of the Deryni, and will oppose a Deryni Duke, even if it means that an evil Deryni warlord will invade and conquer.

King Wencit of Torenth already has the upper hand by his trechary, having slaughtered the armies in the north, the Cassini and Kheldish armies and is ready for pitched battle against a divided Gwynned. But even then, he has plans to skip the battle, a new plot and counterplot, a master schemer he is, pitting himself against both Gwynned and the Camberian Council.

There are a few interesting twists and a rather unsatisfying ending, but it does work out for the best, with no small amount of pain on the part of the victors. War is hell, and it is difficult to be king.

High Deryni is the conclusion to the cliffhanger of Deryni Checkmate. You must read the latter to understand this book, because everything is set up in that book. The suspense is unbelieveable as King Kelson and Company faces one challenge after another, finding both enemies and allies in unexpected places. This book leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat. There is also a surprise ending. No more talk, read the book, and its prequel

Katherine Kurtz does a splendid job of concluding her trilogy of Deryni novels. I especially enjoyed the resolution of Alaric Morgan's and his cousin Duncan's excommunication from the Church, and the revelation of Arilan's secret. The tension left me on the edge of my seat. A very satisfying conclusion.

An excellent look at a different type of culture that one can take for enjoyment and a bit of excapism. Good fantasy with well developed characters and plot.

I thought this novel found a way to wrap everything up nicely from the preceedeing novels, yet still leave the readers wanting more. Mrs. Kurtz delved into her characters lives masterfully again, and it payed off completely. I loved the way everything came together, and the heroes were able to overcome. I also liked the way she accurately showed the "villains" points of view, so they seemed less "evil", then just simply prejudiced and wrong.

I have followed the tales of the Deryni for years, and am hopeful that they won't end here, especially with such a weak ending. This is the third and last book of this series, but there are still so many unanswered questions. I am not the least bit dissapointed in what was developed in this installment, and truly loved the book despite my views on how it was ended. I would like to see much more however, and hope that Mrs. Kurtz plans to share more of the story with us in the very near future.

Although only fourteen years old and of Deryni background, Kelson Haldane has become the king of Gwynedd. Already having faced a difficult struggle to gain the throne, he has an even thornier time to keep his crown. The wary Church loathes anyone with the Dernyi magic flowing in their blood; let alone one wearing the crown. Kelson's nobles resent him on two counts; being a teen and his Deryni blood.

His rival monarchs also detests the upstart youth. Especially opposed to him is the ambitious King Wencit of Torenth, a sorcerer who plans to be the one sovereign ruling the eleven Kingdoms; he recognizes in the teen a potentially dangerous opponent. On the plus side Kelson has the support of powerful Duke Alaric Morgan and Father Duncan McLain, although both have been excommunicated by the Church for using magic.

The revision of the original Dernyi trilogy is a solid ending to a fine rewrite. The story line focuses on mostly political manipulations to either keep or dethrone Kelson. Although it behooves the audience to read the previous two tales (see DERYNI RISING and DERYNI CHECKMATE) as this is not a stand alone book, fans of the series will enjoy this more complex and in fairness convoluted version filled with new twists.

Harriet Klausner

The Church vs State fuelled war that began in the previous Deryni novel continues here, with the king out at the head of an army, trying to put down an anti-Deryni uprising.

While he does that, his advisors are looking to come to some sort of compromise with the church, diplomatically and religiously so that they can concentrate on stopping the violence.