High Deryni
by Katherine Kurtz
Ace Books, $24.95; 449pp

This is the final book in a series that has remained one of my all time favorites. I just LOVE the whole world of the Deryni. And this book, expanded and revised from the original 1973 version is the smashing conclusion to the first three books of this ongoing saga; Deryni Rising and Deryni Checkmate.

I have always been in love with Alaric Morgan, the Duke of Corwyn, the King’s Champion and all around blond hottie! (and I usually go for brunets!) (Once the film came out, I have always sort of pictured Morgan looking a lot like Sting in the film “The Bride.”) He usually wears black, is skilled in many areas and urbane and just well—very swoonable!

So the tale so far is the young king Kelson, just barely 15 or so, has to take on an evil Deryni king from the East who covets Gwynedd, Wencit of Torenth. The book opens with the aftermath of a treacherous raid on loyalists by members of a ragtag army of a religious zealot who feels that Deryni are the spawn of the Devil and should be eradicated (and anyone supporting them, of course, should be, too). Just to complicate things.

Morgan and his cousin the Deryni-priest Duncan McLain on an errand for the king, come upon a young wounded rebel with a broken sword in his thigh. In the last book, Morgan found he has the gift of healing; a Deryni power long thought disappeared. So he and Duncan take care of the soldier without revealing who they actually are.

Don’t you just love them?

Anyway—of course the war-mongering and battles escalate. In the midst of this, Morgan’s aide Lord Sean Derry is kidnapped by Wencit and one of Kelson’s previous loyal baron’s defects to the other side, leaving his wife and young son at the mercy of what have now become his enemies.

Ahh—it’s a wonderful collage of tense confrontations and nastiness from the bad guys; with the good guys manfully working against terrible odds.

And best of all, Morgan finds he loves Richenda, the wife of the traitorous baron. But they do nothing about it but share their feelings.

The book, impossible to put down, moves along at a spanking pace with lots of treachery, magic and Deryni yumminess from Alaric—as well as Duncan and Kelson and members of the mysterious Camberian Council—a Deryni regulating body.

The ending is good and well thought out.

(To be honest—I am not sure what all has been ‘revised and expanded.’ The small essay by Lin Carter in the original 1973 version is gone and in its place Ms. Kurtz has written an “Interlude.” The flyleaf does not say—but heck—who cares!!)

Now—all Ms. Kurtz has to do is write the story of Morgan and Richenda which I have waited years and years for! - Sue Martin