When Kathrine Kurtz’s Deryni Rising first published in 1970, fantasy as a genre and marketing category was in its infancy, or rather pre-infancy. The book was launched in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series and is one of the only original novels in that line as most to all of the books were reprints of authors like Clark Ashton Smith and Lord Dunsany. The Ballantines saw something special in this historical fantasy novel and one could very easily speculate what they saw helped inform their decision to include it their new line.
Superficially, this is a logical decision, the novel is very evocative of Arthurian and court based fantasy: the novel takes place primarily in the castle and land of Gwynedd as one king – Brion Haldane – dies under suspect circumstances on a hunt and his son Kelson Haldane, prepares to assume the throne amidst challenges from a usurper in the form a dark sorceress. Kurtz wastes no time in getting the ball rolling, killing off Brion early and immediately putting Kelson’s life in danger, even considering how she wasted little time making Kelson a target by having his father killed.
Much of the action presented in the novel takes place in a short time and focuses on a relatively small cast. With Kelson’s coronation looming, he is aided by his father’s close advisor Alaric Morgan and Morgan’s cousin Duncan (a Monsignor). Unfortunately, because of Morgan’s Deryni blood, Brion’s widow Jehanna has no trust for the man who acts as a paternal figure to Kelson and seeks to have him tried for Brion’s murder. People of the Deryni heritage possess magical and psychic powers, causing many to fear them and, over the years, drive them out of Gwynedd. As of Deryni Rising and the years since they’ve been driven out, people of Deryni blood have come to be viewed as something akin to demons.
So, Kelson has to deal with his grieving mother who doesn’t trust the man who has now become his protector and best hope for survival until his coronation; coming to terms with powers he has inherited from his father (The Haldane Potential); growing unrest on the royal council he is inheriting; and multiple attempts at his life. This all leads to a magical duel (as depicted on one of the many reprints of the novel) on the day of his coronation. His fortitude throughout his ordeals is an indication that Gwynnedd is in good hands with Kelson wearing the crown. Morgan hints at this in points at the narrative, suggesting that even as beloved and great a king as was Kelson’s father Brion, Kelson may surpass his father’s greatness.
(2004 Revised Edition)
I came to Deryni Rising having read a great deal of fantasy from recent years (past 10-15 years) and it was refreshing to engage with characters and a story that wasn’t as cynical and dark as modern fantasy. There are some dark moments for sure, a king is murdered and another’s life is under constant threat. But there isn’t a pervasive cynicism in the novel, there’s a very hopeful tone throughout the novel and it comes across neither as cynical or sarcastic: it is a very honest and engaging novel.
Despite the novel knocking on the door of the 50-year old mark, Deryni Rising manages to hold its own in terms of tone and style. In other words, for my reading tastes, it has aged quite well and perhaps that is why the novel remains in print and so well-regarded. What also came across, and perhaps this is aided by the wonderful narration performed by Jeff Woodman, is the characterization. His subtle tone and voice changes for each character went a long way in helping to make each character distinct, accentuating the strong characterization imbued by Kurtz herself. There are some fantastic scenes, featuring Crowning Moments of Awesome for Kelson where he comes across, as the kids say, as a BOSS. What makes these scenes so great is how powerful Kurtz’s story/narrative had me within its grip. For the most part, this build-up is all through character dialogue and interaction rather than physical action. There are some great physical moments of awesome, too. My point being that Kurtz excels at depicting these scenes of building tension to a satisfying payoff.
I’d recently joined audible.com and was looking for something different to read, and something a bit older in terms of genre. These Deryni books by Kurtz have long been back-burner books I anticipated reading, but some Twitter conversations (Hi Fred, Joe, Paul & Jonah), as well as mention of Kurtz as a potential, rather ideal and essential recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement on the Coode Street Podcast convinced me to give this one a try. In fact, those aforementioned friends and I decided to do an informal re-read/discussion on Twitter, which lead to this review (you can check out Joe’s thoughts here). I’m very glad I dove headfirst into Deryni Rising and now have yet another long fantasy series to explore.
Highly Recommended
© 2015 Rob H. Bedford
Audible Studios 2009 / Read by Jeff Woodman
Review copy purchased from audible.com
Excellent, Rob. I’ve been looking for older books to read. I’ll put this on my list!