Alaric Morgan has been pledged to the service of King Donal, stillgrieving following the death of his out-of-wedlock son, Kelson.Alaric brings peace of mind to Donal because he is Deryni, a raceof people who employs powerful magic --- a magic that can be usedto protect 14-year-old Prince Brion. Yet, as comforting as thatthought may seem, Donal carries a great burden.First of all, the Deryni are a feared group, watched by the Churchwith scrutinous eyes. And the Camberian Council secretly overseestheir activities. Donal walks a precarious edge as the Church andits bishops would love nothing more than to excommunicate him,especially Bishop Oliver de Nore, whose brother was executed byDonal's order for involvement in the murder of Kelson.Secondly, while Alaric will have the power to aid the Prince, theDeryni is currently only four years old. In order for the Prince tohave the protection he needs, Alaric must first be protectedhimself. Not only does the Church have interest in Alaric but sotoo do factions from neighboring Torenth. Prince Hogan and hismage, Zachris Pomeroy, want the throne and they know that the firststep to success is eliminating Alaric.So goes CHILDE MORGAN, a new novel in the world of the Deryni. Onceagain, Katherine Kurtz displays an incredible talent for inspiredstorytelling and a masterful gift for fantasy without resorting tothe pitfall cliches of the genre. In many ways, CHILDE MORGAN, aswell as Kurtz's other works, are historical artifacts --- the tomesof a far gone time that resembles our own past with just enoughmagic thrown in to make it seem otherworldly. Much like George R.R. Martin's realistic fantasy-world feel, Kurtz's land of Gwyneddultimately feels genuine and honest, with strict rules and a senseof actually having existed. Her capacity as a writer of tremendousability prevents the story from being a dry historical read, thoughyou sense the weight of history and time on every page --- whichonly inspires the story and invigorates it.While it does have its more kinetic moments, CHILDE MORGAN restssolely in the hands and mind of King Donal, and it is with him thatthe soul of this story exists. Donal is a tremendous character toget to know, and through Kurtz we are with him in his mostintrospective moments. We endure his tiresome but necessarystruggle to ensure the safety of his son and young Alaric,withstand the betrayals by those around him, and fight the enemiesfrom neighboring lands and from the Church.Picking up this novel as a new reader may come as a confusingendeavor initially. Names fly fast and furious, and you areinstantly caught up in events that reference the past. It is quiteunfortunate that the vast majority of titles in this series havegone out of print, though the first two books, DERYNI RISING andDERYNI CHECKMATE, have been issued in hardcover recently, 30 yearsafter their original printing. However, this should not dissuadeyou from pressing on with CHILDE MORGAN. To do so would result inyour missing out on a tremendous and beautifully told tale from agifted and overlooked talent.
I've enjoyed the Deryni series, but Ms Kurtz's recent additions haven't been as good as the early books. I still enjoy reading more stories in this rich world, but my favorites will always be the early works.This particular book focuses on the early childhood of one of the main characters in the later Deryni series, Alaric Morgan. Having read all of these other books, I already knew the fate of the characters.The Deryni world is one for which I have always wanted the gaps filled. Unfortunately, that means most of the history is filled with tragic death. Although I knew it was coming, Ms Kurtz is true to form. She writes such that the reader cares so much for the characters that even though we know what is coming, it is still an emotional read.Seeing the names in her genealogies with the dates of death, and reading the mentions of those deaths in other books, still doesn't prepare the reader for how well she weaves the story of the character's actual demise.Child Morgan works as a fill-in-the-gaps book in the history of the Deryni world and its people. It is well written and the characters are vivid. But it can't stand alone without the rest of the books, and its only appeal is to fans of the Deryni world.
What do You think about Childe Morgan (2006)?
Most of the failures of this book are included in the other reviews. However, I feel you must know that this book probably has the laziest ending I've ever seen in a fantasy novel. You will NOT be rewarded with fireworks for all the gossip you just schlepped through. Instead, the ending comes as close as you can get to a big old Deus Ex Machina. God knows why, since she hardly backed her characters into a serious corner anyways. I realize one probably gets tired with how many books she's written, but it's unbelievable that her editor didn't make her rewrite it. I'm sure this will not stop her fans, but to my friends who might be curious: don't read this. It's not horribly bad enough to be funny, just bad. Plain ol' bad.
—Jason
I'd forgotten how much I loooooove Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels. Within a paragraph she's completely enveloped you in her rich world of Gwynedd, based on 14th century England and alive with details. I was thrilled a few years ago when she started writing these stand alone books, like King Kelson's Bride. This one was a little rocky at first, in that she reminded us of what had happened in the previous book a few too many times, but after the first few chapters it was wonderful stuff. I love seeing Morgan as a child, and the characters of his parents, the old king, etc., are classic Kurtz: real and human and engaging.
—Jessica
This is a book #2 about Deryni, humans with magical powers. Deryni are feared throughout the kingdom, therefore they have to hide their true identities from those who are not Deryni. The story is centered about Alaric Morgan, who is a young Deryni boy pledged to king's service. He is to serve Prince (future king) Brion. But books gives various twists and turns that might put them all in danger.The book is well written, with tons of different characters. I guess I should have read the book #1 first.
—Adna
