The King's Deryni

Starred review from April 6, 2015
Kurtz returns to her magical medieval world after an eight-year hiatus to complete the Childe Morgan trilogy (following Childe Morgan) within her long-running Deryni series. Eight-year-old Alaric Morgan is despised by many because of his magical Deryni heritage, but King Brion of Gwynedd sees him as a future protector for himself and his realm, and oversees the boyâs training for knighthood. Alaric also begins to discover his mystical powers with the help of the mysterious Sir Sé Trelawney. As he tries to survive in human society, Alaric witnesses the cruelty that humans can mete out to his kind, and later helps King Brion find his own mystical powers. Although the scope of the story is defined by the events in previous novels, the attention to detail brings the setting and characters alive in a way few authors can manage. The book will thrill existing Deryni fans, although new readers would be better off starting with an earlier novel in the series.

December 1, 2014

This conclusion to the "Childe Morgan Trilogy" (In the King's Service; Childe Morgan) follows Alaric Morgan's destined path to learn how to use his Deryni powers in service to the King of Gwynedd.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
If readers were to catch a glance of Kurtz's Deryni series out of the corner of their eyes, they might assume it to be straight-talking, high-fantasy fare. Certainly, there are kingdoms, knights, wizards, and all the things that would make Song of Ice and Fire fans feel comfortable, but they might not be expecting the subtle jolt that ensues when the series' intriguing genre niche is revealed. The King's Deryni, the third book in Kurtz's Childe Morgan trilogy and sixteenth in the Deryni, can be called something like the opposite of magic realism. Into her sweetly refined high-fantasy world, Kurtz injects key elements of the historical Middle Ages. When matters of the Holy Church, an unmistakable allegory for the medieval Catholic Church, start rattling around the political intrigue of young King Brion and his secretly magical retainer, Alaric, some subtle twists on well-known fantasy-kingdom tropes begin to emerge. Readers expecting more edgy outcomes from the mix may be disappointed, but those looking for a classic tale of fantasy heroism will find just what they came for, with a little extra flavor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)