Death of an Adept

DEATH OF AN ADEPT is the fifth, the latest,(and thus far, the last) volume in THE ADEPT series. Hopefully, authors Kurtz and Turner Harris will reincarnate the series at some point in the future, as it is engaging and highly enjoyable. DEATH OF AN ADEPT, moreover, moves the series in new directions. DEATH OF AN ADEPT finally sees Sir Adam Sinclair marry his lady love, Dr. Ximena Lockhart. The two settle into married domesticity at Strathmourne House where they are soon under attack by The Lodge of The Lynx, their nemesis throughout the series. Several Adepts do die in the course of the story, and in some particularly unpleasant ways. It appears that Kurtz and Turner Harris have finally realized that mere self-centered selfishness such as we've seen before in the series does not equate with real evil, and have redrawn their bad guys, particularly Francis Raeburn, as corrupt and sociopathic---in a word, vile. Peregrine Lovat and his wife Julia are almost overcome by an occult device known as a "Hand of Glory" made from the body parts of a gibbeted criminal. Sir Adam himself is captured by Raeburn and used as the sacrificial victim in a particularly detailed and gruesome Black Mass. Raeburn reanimates the spirit of the nefarious William de Soulis, a Scottish sorcerer of the 1700s who wreaks havoc in his new incarnation. DEATH OF AN ADEPT is a tale noir far more than any of its predecessor novels. There are even a few four-letter words sprinkled into the dialogue, something that hasn't happened before in this series, which always had the quaint and proper air of the drawing room about it. DEATH OF AN ADEPT is both a modern murder mystery and a gothic horror tale. Kurtz and Turner Harris do a fine job here. It's a shame they haven't continued the series as of yet, because here, embryonically, we have a syncretic "Profiler Meets Dracula" theme which opens up all kinds of fascinating possibilities for this already well-established series and its characters.

In every one of Ms. Kurtz's "Adept" books, there comes a moment of such overwhelming mythic beauty that I get watery-eyed, or cry. "The Death of An Adept" is no exception, and for me, it is when the young psychic artist Peregrine finally gains his wings as a magical adept in his own right. Every book in this series is a fine successor to the occult fiction of Dion Fortune, combining hermetic principles effectively with skillful and dramatic storytelling and a high moral sense. Here, as previously, we see that evil is its own punishment, and that a good heart, and one annealed by self-discipline and fine training, can overcome many (supernatural) obstacles.

I started reading the Adept because K. Kurtz wrote it and I liked her Deryni series. I had no idea how good it was. Since that first book, I have continued to read and be impressed. Death of an Adept keeps the standard of the Adept series has high as ever. It is a fitting end to the series of events that started in book 1. I loved it. I usually get bored with book series after awhile, but The Adept is proving to be the exception. I can't wait for the next book. Here's hoping that The Adept series continues to hit new heights.

I picked up "The Adept" on a lark several years ago, and found it to be one of the most enjoyable books I'd read in a long time. Kurtz and Harris have maintained a consistent level of excellence and faithfulness to their characters throughout the series. While the subject matter is often complex -- Masonic rituals, Druidic references, and so on-- the writing style is clear and conversational, so you almost don't realize the rate at which you're turning the pages. The characters are well-rounded and far from stereotypical