Deryni Checkmate

Someone once told me "Women can't write good fantasy because they're afraid to kill your favorite characters" ... I then introduced him to Katherine Kurtz and the Deryni. I never heard that statement again. I have been reading this epic saga over and over again for 20 years, and I will be reading them over and over again for the next 20 years. Katherine Kurtz's blending of "Magic" with fact based "Church" ritual and her use of real medieval living truly makes you feel that the Kingdom of Gwynedd could truly have existed. If you are looking for a series of books that you just cannot put down, these will keep you on the edge of your seat turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning. Though I must warn you to never assume what will happen next; and I advise always having a tissue on hand just in case.

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?

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. It's not as fast-moving as Deryni Rising, and they expected it to be so. I agree, it's not the best book in the series, but there are some very good scenes in it, and it is necessary to read this book to understand what happens in the final book, High Deryni. Now, that book is really worth reading, and you can't appreciate it as well if you haven't read this book. There are some new characters in Deryni Checkmate that become very important later on, and some of the characters from Deryni Rising are elaborated on. I find it very entertaining to read the development of these characters. They can easily become favorites (as they have for me) if you can appreciate the trials they go through in this book.

A well-done, suspenseful, entertaining book. I must disagree with the reviewers who gave it a low rating. It requires concentration to fully understand the plot with all of its subplots. The conflicts of the persecution of the Deryni and the threat towards Alaric Morgan's duchy are continually entertaining. The end is clearly a cliffhanger (and an excellent, though sad one) leading up to the next book, High Deryni. A must-read.

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 two of The Chronicles of the Dernyni, Deryni Checkmate. It is an excellent story, with complex plots and subplots. Treachery and intrigue abound, while courage and honor are put to the test. This is the cliffhanger that concludes in High Deryni. A definite must read...