In order to claim the throne of Gwynedd, young Kelson Haldane had to reveal his magical Deryni powers, putting him at odds with the most powerful clerics in the land, who view the Deryni as agents of evil. One such man—Archbishop Loris—has dedicated himself to the eradication of the Deryni. In a ruthless campaign of persecution against them, Loris targets one of the proudest Deryni in all the land: Kelson’s most trusted friend and advisor, Duke Alaric Morgan. While Morgan fights for his reputation—and his very life—a rogue Deryni has been honing his powers to use as a weapon against all of humanity, putting all of the Deryni at risk. Outright war is in the offing. And as the different factions of Gwynedd battle each other, the young Kelson must find within himself the strength to keep his kingdom from falling apart…
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Deryni Checkmate: The Chronicles of the Deryni, Book 2
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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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Katherine Kurtz has been writing fantasy novels for well over three decades. She is married and until last year made her home in Ireland, in a mildly haunted gothic revival house called Holybrooke Hall. She and her husband have recently returned to the United States and taken up residence in a historic house in Virginia, with their five Irish cats and one "silly-looking" dog.
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First Sentence
MARCH has long been a month of storms in the Eleven Kingdoms. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
MARCH has long been a month of storms in the Eleven Kingdoms. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format: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?
By Jonathon
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I really didn't enjoy the first book in the series much, because it was so narrow in scope. In this book, however, Kurtz adventures out into the world she created and has multiple conflicts happening at once. A fantasy book that focuses on three characters (I'm referring to Deryni Rising) is such a bore to read, especially when they aren't well-developed!
I'm hoping the 3rd book will also be an improvement on this one, as many of the characters are still too shallow, and the shifting point of view gives away the thoughts of some characters whose thoughts should be more of a surprise (for example, the Morgan's would-be assassin on the boat, and Rimmell the architecht).
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This was a wonderful book, and I also must disagree with the low ratings. While not as good as the first book, the book was still good. A lot of new characters were introduced, and Kelson becomes a more interesting character.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Phew--a stinker
I just read this series because I had picked up "The Harrowing of Gwynnedd" in a second-hand store and really enjoyed it. Read more
Published on Mar 10 2000 by Mary L. Roane
2.0 out of 5 stars
Phew--a stinker
I just read this series because I had picked up "The Harrowing of Gwynnedd" in a second-hand store and really enjoyed it. Read more
Published on Mar 10 2000 by Mary L. Roane
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great continuation of the story.
I'm am sitting here wondering if those people who gave this book such a bad review even read it; or perhaps they didn't understand it. Read more
Published on Dec 22 1999 by Brandie L Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves a higher rating than many others give here.
I think part of the reason the other people here give it such a low rating is because so many tragic incidents occur and that disagrees with them. Read more
Published on Oct 6 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping!
A well-done, suspenseful, entertaining book. I must disagree with the reviewers who gave it a low rating. Read more
Published on Aug 15 1999
1.0 out of 5 stars
i dunno
i still dunn
Published on Jun 25 1999
1.0 out of 5 stars
I have to keep reviewing this book!
Again, sadly, bad. That's all I can say
Published on May 10 1999
1.0 out of 5 stars
Uh oh, look out, we've got a stinker here.
Not to say anything personal to the author, but this book is really bad! Nothing compared to Harry Potter.
Published on April 30 1999
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bad.
The worst book I've ever read by far. Dangerously bad
Published on April 6 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent, suspenseful novel...
King Kelson of Gwynedd faces a war on two fronts: a Church led internal rebellion, and an invasion from a neighboring land; while covert forces loom in the background, in volume... Read more
Published on Mar 3 1997
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