Deryni Tales

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.

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.

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.

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.