Camber of Culdi by Katherine Kurtz

4.5 Stars

Book One of The Legends of Camber of Culdi

Every once in a while I get the urge to revisit old favourites and Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels are definitely faves of mine.  I think the Camber books and the Heirs of Camber books are some of Katherine's strongest work.

Yeah, there's stuff in here that might be problematic these days - I mean, it was originally published in 1976 - but I can deal with that.  I'm happy to say that although I notice the problems over 40 years later (with a few rereads between), they don't impinge on my enjoyment of the book.

Magic, intrigue, memorable characters, tension, humour, tragedy, it's all here.  I still cry at certain passages and chuckle out loud at others.  (More crying than chuckling in this one.)

Yeah, still faves, even 40+ years later.  :)

The King's Deryni by Katherine Kurtz

3.5 STARS

Childe Morgan Trilogy - Book 3

Deryni Rising, the first in the Deryni novels by Katherine Kurtz was published in 1970 and was the book that instilled a love for fantasy that is still strong today, almost 45 years later.

The King's Deryni is the latest of Katherine's Deryni novels, closing The Childe Morgan trilogy. The previous book in this series, Childe Morgan, was published in 2006. It's been eight years, yes. EIGHT years. George R.R. Martin doesn't even compete. *LOL*

Now the books of the last 15 years, beginning with King Kelson's Bride, have not been as totally wonderful as the previous books and series. Too many characters, not enough important and interesting events plot-wise and just... they've not been the same. That being said, The King's Deryni was more than I expected, even though some of the events were just retellings of incidents that we had seen before in Deryni Tales and flashbacks in other Deryni books.

The King's Deryni is basically telling us the story, the broad strokes of which we know quite well, of Alaric Morgan and his king, Brion Haldane, and how Morgan came to be the man and the hero we were introduced to way back in Deryni Rising. If you're not a fan of the Deryni, you will not enjoy this book at all. It's a book for the longtime fan, I think. Fleshing out characters and tales that we all know. Although, I need to do some research to find out what happened to Llion, Alaric's long-time mentor and protector.

I took my time reading this book, savouring it because I fear that it might be Katherine's last. She has just turned 70, but I hope... oh, I do hope, that she has enough left in her to write the book about the year 948. I know she intends to, but I don't know if there's another 8 years left!

So, the writing is not what it once was. The plotting is not what it once was. Characterisation has taken a bit of a hit - and yes, I still bitch about the precociousness of Alaric the child. But this is a book about my beloved Deryni by my favourite Katherine and since it's official publication date was December 2nd, the day before my own birthday, I like to think it was written just for me, and as such I have cut it some slack. I have loved reading it and some of the passages, some of the tales told therein have shown flashes of the wonder of earlier volumes. The scenes concerning the grey mare especially were of that sort.

So, yes. Definitely not of the ilk of The Legends of Camber of Culdi trilogy, nor The Harrowing of Gwynnedd nor High Deryni - this Deryni book, The King's Deryni was still a treat for me. :)

It's Here!! It's Here!!

It's here!! It's here!!

I had pre-ordered it from Chapters and it was only supposed to be released on December 2nd, the day before my birthday, but it arrived today!! Yes, Canada Post is delivering on Sunday because they have so many parcels to deliver, according to the fellow that came to the door.

Anyway! Katherine is my most favourite of faves and while the last few books of hers haven't been up to the standards of the Camber series and the Heirs of Camber series, I still have hope. She's the only author I will buy in hardcover, no questions asked.

I am going to be good and finish the novella I'm currently reading but then, I'm diving in! I'm SO excited!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 16

Day 16 - Favourite female character.

Believe it or not, I laid awake in bed last night mulling this one over and over. I don't have a helluva lot of favourite female characters that easily come to mind. But there are some! There's Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island. Young Anne. Remoth, the gold queen dragon from Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider books. Aeron from Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's The Keltiad. There's also Arya from Geroge R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. Savil from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books.

But my true favourite is my namesake, Evaine MacRorie Thuryn of Katherine Kurtz's The Legends of Camber of Culdi and The Heirs of Saint Camber trilogies. From her first appearance as a young girl through her growth as a young woman, a wife, a mother and all the while a most learned academic and most powerful sorceress, she owns the pages. She's like the actress that steals every scene she's in, even if she only has one line. A terrific character whose name I'm proud to borrow. :)

30 Day Challenge - Day 15

Day 15 - Favourite male character.

Well... this is a toughie. I spoke about Benjamin January in previous posts. There's Silk from the David Edding's Belgariad series. John Clark from the Tom Clancy novels. F'nor from Anne McCaffrey's dragon books. Athos from Dumas' The Three Musketeers and later books. Michael Geste from Beau Geste and sequels. Rhys Thuryn and Joram MacRorie from the Camber books by Katherine Kurtz. Mikhail Vasilyovitch Bayul from Amy Lane's Promise series (and yes, I must use his FULL name.). Tyrion Lannister from George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series.

I guess my favourite, after all these years, rereads, books under the bridge and all, would be Alaric Anthony Morgan, Earl of Culdi, from Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series. I fell in love with him when I was a teenager and at 56, I'm still in love with him. :)

30 Day Challenge - Day 4

 

Day 4 - Favorite book of your favorite series.

Well, I guess I screwed the pooch yesterday. *LOL* I hadn't re-read the whole list for the month, so had no idea that this would be the next subject on the list. :) Anyhoooo....

My favourite series is the Deryni series which is made up of various trilogies in the same universe, but set different eras. The 'present' era of King Kelson (The Deryni Chronicles, The Histories of King Kelson), the 'long ago' era of Camber (The Legends of Camber of Culdi, The Heirs of Saint Camber) and the near past of The Childe Morgan.

Out of all these, my favourite volume is what is probably the darkest of all Katherine's works, The Harrowing of Gwynedd, book 1 of The Heirs of Saint Camber.. In retrospect, it's the book in which Katherine gets her George R.R. Martin on. The kingdom is in bloody turmoil and the Deryni people are being persecuted, hunted down, proscribed, executed - it's all gone to hell in a handbasket pretty much. I can't tell you how many times my heart gets broken during this book. Weep? Oh, you betcha!

I don't quite know why I'm drawn to this book so strongly. I think it is one of Katherine's best works, but more than that, I think it's that even when things are so horribly dark, so frighteningly bad, there are moments that are uplifting, hope-giving, even happy. :) Not a lot of them, but they are there. And for someone like me who always looks for the silver lining, that's all I need, even when the final chapter is making sob out loud.

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

                    

Day 3 - What is your favorite series.

Soooo many to choose from! *LOL* I'm a fantasy fan, so really, there are tons! A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin? Pern by Anne McCaffrey? Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy? Go back into my childhood and choose the Trixie Belden Mysteries? Monica Edwards' Romney Marsh or Punchbowl Farms series? Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series? Nora Roberts' Chesapeake Bay Saga? The Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux (and Madeleine Urban for the first few.)? The Special Delivery series by Heidi Cullinan? The Callisto series by Lin Carter? All of them are huge favourites for me. The Riverside Series by Ellen Kushner? You see my dilemma! *LOL*

Yesterday I spoke of my love of the Deryni series by Katherine Kurtz, it really is my favourite. I fell in love with Alaric Morgan as a young girl and I'm still in love with him today. :) And even so, even so, my favourite volume in the whole of the Deryni series is The Harrowing of Gwynedd (Volume 1 of The Heirs of Saint Camber) which makes me weep every time I reread it.

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

Day 2 - A book that you’ve read more than 3 times.

Instead of going to my fallback of To Kill A Mockingbird, I decided to change it up this time and choose Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz because of it's importance to my reading life.

I was around 15 years old and my reading obsessions at the time were historical romances, mysteries and Harlequins. I was at my aunt's and she'd received a box of books from a lady she worked with and told me I could check through and see if anything appealed to me. I found Deryni Rising. It was set in something similar to the middle ages, it had kings and queens and the like and it would wile away a summer's afternoon.

Well, my friends, it certainly passed that afternoon and started my love affair with fantasy novels, an affair that's going on 40+ years. :) I reread Deryni Rising from time to time. I must be up to about 10 times now. I reread others in the Deryni series as well. They are total faves of mine.

Codex Derynianus by Katherine Kurtz and Robert Reginald

5 STARS

Codex Derynianus: Being a Comprehensive Guide to the Peoples, Places & Things of the Derynye & the Human Worlds.

Amazing book for the total Deryni fan! And that'd be me. :) I've been waiting for years to get my hands on my own copy of this and finally, I have!