Deryni novels

The Deryni novels are a series of historical fantasy books written by American-born author Katherine Kurtz. The first novel in the series to be published was Deryni Rising in 1970, and the most recent novel in the series, Childe Morgan, was published on December 5, 2006. As of May 2007, the series consists of five trilogies (one not yet completed), one stand-alone novel, one short story, two collections of short stories, and two reference books.

The series is set in the land of Gwynedd, one of the fictional Eleven Kingdoms. Gwynedd itself is a medieval kingdom that roughly parallels 10th, 11th, and 12th century England, Scotland, and Wales[1] with a powerful Holy Church (based on the Roman Catholic Church), and a feudal government ruled by a hereditary monarchy. The population of the Eleven Kingdoms includes both humans and Deryni, a race of people with inherent psychic and magical abilities. Throughout the course of the series, relations between humans and Deryni result in ongoing political and religious strife that is often interconnected with the individual lives of the main characters. While the plots of the novels often involve political, ecclesiastical, and military conflicts on a grand scale, they are counter-balanced by details of the characters' personal lives. Neither race is depicted as inherently "good" nor "evil", as both humans and Deryni are depicted as protagonists and antagonists at various points of the series. Additionally, the novels often depict the characters engaging in various forms of magic, and such scenes vary in importance from minor events to significant plot points.

Contents

Novels

The five Deryni trilogies were published in an order which does not match the internal literary chronology of the series. The first four trilogies alternated between the 12th and 10th centuries, while the fifth trilogy is set immediately prior to the events of the first trilogy. The stand-alone novel, King Kelson's Bride, takes place after the third trilogy. The trilogies are briefly listed by publication date below, with a more detailed listing after.

The Chronicles of the Deryni

The Legends of Camber of Culdi

The Histories of King Kelson

The Heirs of Saint Camber

The Childe Morgan Trilogy

Other novels

Short stories

Reference books

Sources

External links