Customer Reviews

Deryni Tales

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This collection of fan fiction from the Deryni universe is enjoyable, but not especially gripping. The one exception to this is, as other writers have noticed, John Mohr's story, "Lover of Shadows." That is a beautifully-crafted interesting and marvelous story. I hope he writes some more. It is a pleasure to encounter familiar characters again, such as Joram, Evaine, Rhys, Richenda, Dhugal and so on, and get some more information about them.

This collection also cleared up something for me, in that Ms. Kurtz explains that she tries to write her female characters closer to the way medieval woman actually lived. Her choice, of course, but, I have to say, if I wanted to read about the way women lived, I would read history, not fantasy. I also notice, interestingly, that she does not follow our medieval history by producing great female abbesses or theologians. Surely, the Church of Gwynedd could produce a Hildegard of Bingen, a Hilda of Whitby or a Catherine of Siena? Again, her choice, but I have to say one of the reasons I only get the Deryni books from the library instead of buying them is that the only women who actually hold real power are either misguided or evil, and that her most sympathetic and interesting characters are invariably male.

In Deryni Tales, Katherine Kurtz has pulled together 8 of the best fan-written stories dealing with her Deryni universe. The stories are not only well worth reading, but showcaes the talent and devotion of these Deryni fans. There is also a story by Kurtz herself in the volume, reason alone for having the book, but all of the stories are more than worthwhile reads. If you have read the Deryni series and enjoyed it, you owe it to yourself to read these additional Tales.

Briefly: A welcome addition to the Deryni canon. These tales by new writers return the soul to the Deryni universe that I felt had paled in the later Deryni books--then again, the awe I have of the original trilogy is difficult to overcome, especially the original "Deryni Rising."

After 30 years, the issues of Jews in Gwynedd are addressed, albeit sparingly. Daniel Kohanski and Jay Barry Azner's tale "Arilan the Talmud Student" offers a delightful but brief glimpse into the people whose faith founded the Christianity that is so central in the Deryni universe and Ms. Kurtz' writings. We are left wanting more. If the Deryni, as Ms. Kurtz explains, "were the Jews of Gwynedd...taking the heat that would have been reserved for the Jews of our world"(p.26), the question begging to be answered is "What of the Jews who were also Deryni?"

Arguably the best story in the book is Lohr E. Miller's "Lady of Shadows": well-crafted, rich, and filled with love, loyalty, and fealty--but among the Haldane/Gwynedd antagonists! Charissa de Tolan, the villian sorceress of "Deryni Rising" and her border baron lover, the mercenary poet Christian-Richard de Falkenberg. This story alone is worth the price of the book.

We can only hope that these writers will continue in the craft, and that they and similar talent can continue to enrich the tapestry of The Eleven Kingdoms.

It is hard to accept that Katherine Kurtz introduced readers to the Deryni universe over thirty years ago because of how fresh and current the DERYNI TALES' stories remain. Though the octet of tales from other authors besides Ms. Kurtz comes from Deryni Archives: the Magazine, they retain their excitement and offer proof to how robust the mythos remains. Ms. Kurtz provides an engaging new story to add to the overall strength of the collection. DERYNI TALES is clearly for long time friends who have already fallen under the charm of the series. New readers are better suited to start with the novels for fuller understanding though this collection provides a well written taste of Deryni.

Harriet Klausner

In the tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover anthologies, Katherine Kurtz's "Deryni Tales" is a compendium of stories set in the author's Deyni universe that have been written by fans. The book contains eight stories which have previously appeared in the author-sanctioned "Deryni Archives: The Magazine" fanzine plus a new story, "The Green Tower", written for this collection by Ms. Kurtz.

"The Green Tower" provides tantalizing hints to events in Kurtz's forthcoming Childe Morgan trilogy, the next installment in the history of the Deryni in the Eleven Kingdoms. The story concerns an apocryphal tale of a magical working gone awry and introduces the reader to ancestors of such major characters as Alaric Morgan, Duncan McLain, and Jehana of Bremagne, as well as various members of the contemporary Camberian Council. We also get a glimpse of how and for what reasons marriages are arranged in Gwynedd.

Of the fan-written tales I particularly enjoyed Daniel Kohanski and Jay Baryy Azneer's "Arilan the Talmud Student", Sharon Henderson's "Deo Volente", and Melissa Houle's "Dhugal at Court." All in all, this was a very enjoyable effort which should satisfy Ms. Kurtz's army of fans until the first book of the Childe Morgan trilogy is published. Hopefully, "Deryni Tales" will echo the success of the Darkover anthologies and see the publication of additional volumes.

I was initially hesitant to read this collection of Deryni short stories. The Deryni series is one of my all time favorites, but Deryni Tales is fan fiction. I don't normally read fan fiction, but it appears that with Katherine Kurtz herself editing the collection, these stories are now part of the Deryni canon. This was important to me as I did not want to read anything that did not officially fit into the Deryni canon.

I'm glad that I did read these stories. While nothing major happens (as far as affecting any of Kurtz's storylines or characters), but it does shed some light on events throughout the Deryni history. Surprisingly enough, some of these stories are just as good as anything Katherine Kurtz might have written. Some she claims to wish that she had written them. There are several stories that I thought were simply excellent: "Lovers of Shadows", "A Midsummer's Questing", "Arilan the Talmud Student", "The Green Tower", and "Dhugal at Court". Okay, I see that this is more than a couple stories. I'm not sure there is really a weak link in this collection. The only disappointment for me was that there was only one story set in the era of Joram and Evaine (A Midsummer's Questing"). Hopefully there will be future volumes of Deryni Tales that will further illuminate the world that Katherine Kurtz has created. If the fan fiction she publishes is this good, I will gladly accept more while I wait for Kurtz to publish another novel of her own. Highly recommended for fans of the Deryni.

Normally, I tend to avoid fan fiction, so it was with some trepidation that I bought this novel. However, a fan of the series I couldn't stay away. It far exceeded my expectations!

Everyone seems to focus on the stories "Arilan the Talmud Student" and "Lover of Shadows"--for me the best though is "A Midsummer's Questing." Spoiler-free, let me say that teh author shows a deep understanding of the psedo-Catholic doctrine extant in Ms. Kurtz's work and also of the true meaning behind the Love of God.

All the stories are excellent examples of fan fiction. The reason for 4 stars is that a few just don't have the same spark as Kurtz's novels. They're not bad, just lacking something intangible.

A fine collection of some of the best offerings from the Deryni Fan community. These tales, originally published in the Magazine _Deryni Archives_, have now been polished and re-worked into a fine fan anthology. Ms. Kurtz also presents a new short tale of her own in this volume.

Among this collection are some wonderful tales from author's I sincerely hope to see in print again soon. Lohr Miller's _Lover to Shadows_, a piece about Charissa's private life, is worth the price alone. Frankly I cannot praise this piece too highly.

Arilan the Talmud Student, addresses the subject of Jews in Gwynedd. A thought provoking and well written tale.

I could go on and on, but simply put there is not a tale in this volume not worth reading. If only to see how the universe is envisioned, or perhaps more aptly put, expanded upon by a group of very fine writers.

I can but hope that one day a Volume II will be published.