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The Legacy of Lehr
Best known for her beloved Deryni series, Katherine Kurtz rockets into new territory in this breathtaking science fiction murder mystery. The interstellar cruiser Valkyrie has been ordered to take an unexpected detour from its normal route to pick up a strange and valuable cargo. Capt. George Lutobo cannot disobey the commands of his emperor, but the idea of bringing four huge, blue-furred lionlike creatures onboard a luxury vessel makes the captain uneasy. Nor does he trust the big cats’ escorts, husband and wife scientists Mather Seton and Wallis Hamilton. Though these magnificent felines possess remarkable psychic abilities and are worshipped as deities on their home planet—and, for that reason, are essential components of the diplomatic negotiations between worlds—they are nevertheless frighteningly dangerous beasts, powerfully built, with razor-sharp claws and teeth. Soon after the creatures’ arrival, the discovery of a dead passenger, ripped to pieces and clutching a clump of blue fur, seems to justify Captain Lutobo’s fears. The killings continue, each as savage as the last, though Seton and Hamilton insist that the great felines could never have escaped from their cages. But the dark mystery only deepens when one of the imprisoned cats is murdered—the manner of its death impossible to fathom—and one terrible truth becomes frighteningly No one and no thing is safe any longer aboard the Valkyrie. Thrilling, surprising, and marvelously inventive, Katherine Kurtz’s The Legacy of Lehr is an exciting science fiction adventure that displays a daringly different side of the acclaimed fantasist best known for her popular Deryni and Knights Templar fantasy series.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1986
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169 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Kurtz
92 books742 followersKatherine Kurtz is an American fantasy novel writer. She is best known for her Deryni series. She currently lives in Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 17, 2012
I read it in high school and I remember liking it then. Recently I was able to find it on Goodreads again after searching for it for several years. Got it from the library and read it again.
Must say I am disappointed with the high school version of myself, almost as much as I am disappointed in the book. Where to start? Let’s start with the good.
The book is a quick read. I could have finished it in one evening if I had not starting reading it so late. Also there is a cool picture of a blue Smilodon on the cover. Now the cats in the books have tails, unlike Smilodons, but what ever. A cat fighting against green lasers on a spaceship is just freaking awesome. (Incidentally if I remember correctly that is also the reason I read it in high school). The book is basically pulp science fiction. As long as you know that when you start the book you should be fine.
Now the bad.
1. She uses the word 'hugely' in a sentence. “...yawned hugely...” I stopped reading Declare by Tim Powers because of that word. (“…hugely surprised…”) I would have stopped reading this book too, but I was over halfway through. Am I the only one that has something against this word? I don’t mind seeing it on the internet, but to hear it in conversation or see it in print…
2. The characters talk about reason is such a way I wanted to quote Professor Kirke, "What do they teach in schools these days?" Characters would say things such as, "It's not reasonable," or “That is superstition.” Even though it is VERY clear there are people and aliens who are telepathic, can see the future and do other things in the realm of spooky religious flim-flam. So we have a hokey setup between science and religion. Heck, someone is even able to manufacture a sort of telepathic machine that acts as an irritant. So even though we are in the future with all sorts of freaking weird aliens, space ships and strange crap happening, people are going around saying things you would expect to find in Dawkins or Ingersoll. Empirical methodology over reaching into territory it has no business to be in.
Entertaining enough for a quick read but I doubt I will read any more books by the author.
But what do you expect with a blue saber-toothed tiger on the front? (A lot, thus my disappointment).
Must say I am disappointed with the high school version of myself, almost as much as I am disappointed in the book. Where to start? Let’s start with the good.
The book is a quick read. I could have finished it in one evening if I had not starting reading it so late. Also there is a cool picture of a blue Smilodon on the cover. Now the cats in the books have tails, unlike Smilodons, but what ever. A cat fighting against green lasers on a spaceship is just freaking awesome. (Incidentally if I remember correctly that is also the reason I read it in high school). The book is basically pulp science fiction. As long as you know that when you start the book you should be fine.
Now the bad.
1. She uses the word 'hugely' in a sentence. “...yawned hugely...” I stopped reading Declare by Tim Powers because of that word. (“…hugely surprised…”) I would have stopped reading this book too, but I was over halfway through. Am I the only one that has something against this word? I don’t mind seeing it on the internet, but to hear it in conversation or see it in print…
2. The characters talk about reason is such a way I wanted to quote Professor Kirke, "What do they teach in schools these days?" Characters would say things such as, "It's not reasonable," or “That is superstition.” Even though it is VERY clear there are people and aliens who are telepathic, can see the future and do other things in the realm of spooky religious flim-flam. So we have a hokey setup between science and religion. Heck, someone is even able to manufacture a sort of telepathic machine that acts as an irritant. So even though we are in the future with all sorts of freaking weird aliens, space ships and strange crap happening, people are going around saying things you would expect to find in Dawkins or Ingersoll. Empirical methodology over reaching into territory it has no business to be in.
Entertaining enough for a quick read but I doubt I will read any more books by the author.
But what do you expect with a blue saber-toothed tiger on the front? (A lot, thus my disappointment).
November 6, 2018
No dragons - big blue Lear cats more than handle the gap!
Kurtz's deft touch with character and story is fully on display in this book, which drew me in from from the first page. Mather and Wallis feel like the kind of people who would be great company at an extended dinner party, extended siege, or as detectives in a complicated murder mystery. Life aboard a star liner, at least this one, turns out to be a little of all off the above! A most enjoyable read that only cost me two nights' sleep and worth every moment!
Kurtz's deft touch with character and story is fully on display in this book, which drew me in from from the first page. Mather and Wallis feel like the kind of people who would be great company at an extended dinner party, extended siege, or as detectives in a complicated murder mystery. Life aboard a star liner, at least this one, turns out to be a little of all off the above! A most enjoyable read that only cost me two nights' sleep and worth every moment!
January 23, 2017
Lu pour la première fois en 2003 ou 2004, j’avais alors une douzaine d’années, et ce fut mon premier livre de science-fiction, avant même Asimov, avant même tout le reste. Je pense que j’aurais pu tomber sur largement pire. Roman pour enfant, il m’a marquée, à l’époque terrifiée et angoissée, et j’ai voulu le relire par nostalgie. Après avoir repoussé l’achat par crainte de la déception, j’ai pris mon courage à deux mains, trouvé un exemplaire d’occasion (épuisé le livre, forcément), et j’ai commencé ma lecture aussitôt le livre reçu.
Donc, les Chats de Lehr raconte comment deux officiers impériaux (un commodore et unE médecin, j’avais pas souvent des héroïnes dans mes bouquins !) doivent livrer au nom de l’Empereur quatre chats de Lehr, de beaux chats bleus, style petit lion ou gros maine coon. Seulement, une fois à bord, des passagers d’une autre espèce paniquent (forcément, ce sont en gros des oiseaux) car les chats leur rappellent les démons de leur religion. Et cette panique semble fondée puisque bientôt, on retrouve un cadavre, tenant dans sa main, des poils bleus.
Donc, une enquête, un peu fantastique sur les bords, mais trop. Le tout est plutôt bien mené, les relations entre les personnages sont tendues, développées, et la traduction est plutôt bonne. On y retrouve presque un petit côté Conan Doyle ou Agatha Christie, c’est riche en mystère, en tension, etc.
Bon par contre, le côté SF a un peu mal vieilli, avec des bases de données sur des ordinateurs à écran vert (je ne sais même pas si vous avez connu ça), des « vaposeringues » et du « plastacier ». Hum. Heureusement que certains éléments sont intemporels !
Pour conclure, je mets un joli 8 en tant que roman pour enfants ; pour adulte, ç’aurait peut-être été un 7, mais si vous avez des enfants, c’est une lecture que vous pouvez tout à fait partager avec eux, et avec plaisir.
Donc, les Chats de Lehr raconte comment deux officiers impériaux (un commodore et unE médecin, j’avais pas souvent des héroïnes dans mes bouquins !) doivent livrer au nom de l’Empereur quatre chats de Lehr, de beaux chats bleus, style petit lion ou gros maine coon. Seulement, une fois à bord, des passagers d’une autre espèce paniquent (forcément, ce sont en gros des oiseaux) car les chats leur rappellent les démons de leur religion. Et cette panique semble fondée puisque bientôt, on retrouve un cadavre, tenant dans sa main, des poils bleus.
Donc, une enquête, un peu fantastique sur les bords, mais trop. Le tout est plutôt bien mené, les relations entre les personnages sont tendues, développées, et la traduction est plutôt bonne. On y retrouve presque un petit côté Conan Doyle ou Agatha Christie, c’est riche en mystère, en tension, etc.
Bon par contre, le côté SF a un peu mal vieilli, avec des bases de données sur des ordinateurs à écran vert (je ne sais même pas si vous avez connu ça), des « vaposeringues » et du « plastacier ». Hum. Heureusement que certains éléments sont intemporels !
Pour conclure, je mets un joli 8 en tant que roman pour enfants ; pour adulte, ç’aurait peut-être été un 7, mais si vous avez des enfants, c’est une lecture que vous pouvez tout à fait partager avec eux, et avec plaisir.
January 23, 2021
I just reread it after a little over a decade, although I first read it as a teenager not long after it was first published. There are parts that have worn well, and things that haven't. A team of Imperial agents have captured 4 large cats and are transporting them to the Emperor. They divert a cruise ship to do this, and when a murder happens, the cats are blamed. The team leaders (Mather Seton and Wallis Hamilton) need to help solve the murder to protect the cats.
Honestly, murder in space with a touch of psychic abilities is good mental cotton candy right now. Yes, the technology is dated, but I honestly read right over it and my mind translates it into something modern, like it does with all older SF. It's a fast read, and it doesn't ask a lot of its reader. It's a good comfort SF mystery. I enjoyed the premise, and most of the characterizations.
However, some things itched in the 21st century. The colonialism is very apparent -- although, I don't think that is necessarily a detraction. It is neither glorified nor vilified; it simply is. More problematic, though, are some of the character descriptions. Also, some of the (alien) cultural appropriation grated, as well.
Still, I enjoyed the story on my rereading. My favorite lines still made me smile. I was reminded of a semester that I spent researching global vampire mythology, and the time I spent looking for cat mythologies as well. It's not great literature, but it is a very good example of a rainy day read.
Honestly, murder in space with a touch of psychic abilities is good mental cotton candy right now. Yes, the technology is dated, but I honestly read right over it and my mind translates it into something modern, like it does with all older SF. It's a fast read, and it doesn't ask a lot of its reader. It's a good comfort SF mystery. I enjoyed the premise, and most of the characterizations.
However, some things itched in the 21st century. The colonialism is very apparent -- although, I don't think that is necessarily a detraction. It is neither glorified nor vilified; it simply is. More problematic, though, are some of the character descriptions. Also, some of the (alien) cultural appropriation grated, as well.
Still, I enjoyed the story on my rereading. My favorite lines still made me smile. I was reminded of a semester that I spent researching global vampire mythology, and the time I spent looking for cat mythologies as well. It's not great literature, but it is a very good example of a rainy day read.
October 30, 2020
This book sat on a sibling's shelf for many years, the blue big cat on the cover catching my attention. Now imagine waiting years to pick up a book, and finally getting around to it. The characters were lively, and the premise promised on the cover (front and back) was interesting.
But the problem was that I had been promised psychic alien cats. What I got was .
The cats are definitely there and are a key part of the story, I just thought . I can pin-point the moment that I went from being invested in this story, to deciding it had gone off the rails and was just pulp story. Page 100, the page just before chapter 7. I realise that this was setting up the reader for what comes in the second half of the novel but, honestly, at the time I read it, it felt like it came out of no where.
There were a few other things that made me pause:
F U N
* I note that the character of Mather does a boolean search on a green monochrome monitor that slowly reveals the text (rather than the computer using images, video or audio in the manner we expect today), and the character Wallis uses a print out that I imaged as dot matrix printer paper (rather than putting the information on a handheld device in the manner we expect today). This made me feel somewhat nostalgic.
U M
* suggests a direct blood transfusion be set up from , saying "We've exchanged blood before, so I know we're compatible." You don't think it would be wise to separate the blood? No reference to some sci-fi device to perform this function?
O H D E A R
* Although I appreciated the author's inclusion of a diverse cast, the description of Wing as "Slight and wiry in the manner of his Asian forbears" (page 13) made me think the author had not met many people from background different to the author's background.
* While trying to work out the mystery of what is happening on the ship, Wallis says "And psychotic individuals have been known to believe they were almost anything - and to act accordingly." I believe in modern times it is preferable to say that a person suffers from a condition, rather than describing the person as the condition.
Despite the problems above, the story sufficiently held my interest until the end, so it gets an extra star.
Read this if you want a quick, pulpy, late 80s sci-fi.
But the problem was that I had been promised psychic alien cats. What I got was .
The cats are definitely there and are a key part of the story, I just thought . I can pin-point the moment that I went from being invested in this story, to deciding it had gone off the rails and was just pulp story. Page 100, the page just before chapter 7. I realise that this was setting up the reader for what comes in the second half of the novel but, honestly, at the time I read it, it felt like it came out of no where.
There were a few other things that made me pause:
F U N
* I note that the character of Mather does a boolean search on a green monochrome monitor that slowly reveals the text (rather than the computer using images, video or audio in the manner we expect today), and the character Wallis uses a print out that I imaged as dot matrix printer paper (rather than putting the information on a handheld device in the manner we expect today). This made me feel somewhat nostalgic.
U M
* suggests a direct blood transfusion be set up from , saying "We've exchanged blood before, so I know we're compatible." You don't think it would be wise to separate the blood? No reference to some sci-fi device to perform this function?
O H D E A R
* Although I appreciated the author's inclusion of a diverse cast, the description of Wing as "Slight and wiry in the manner of his Asian forbears" (page 13) made me think the author had not met many people from background different to the author's background.
* While trying to work out the mystery of what is happening on the ship, Wallis says "And psychotic individuals have been known to believe they were almost anything - and to act accordingly." I believe in modern times it is preferable to say that a person suffers from a condition, rather than describing the person as the condition.
Despite the problems above, the story sufficiently held my interest until the end, so it gets an extra star.
Read this if you want a quick, pulpy, late 80s sci-fi.
June 6, 2022
A fast-paced sci-fi thriller - and that in itself makes this a fun read. However the book is just too short to justify it's association with either genre. The story is set in a new world, implied to be far into the future after multiple planets have been colonised. However, we get very little insights into how everything works there, giving us little fodder for imagination. I have no idea why transporting the Lehr cats was important enough to draw one of the Prince's most favored men in, that is never fully established. The commodore is said to be a smart man, but he figures out most of the answers by very conveniently using his psyschic abilities.
May 2, 2023
When a space passenger liner detours to pick up a military expedition that includes 4 psychic blue cats for the Emperor, & passengers & crew are discovered eviscerated, clutching blue cat hairs in their fists, suspicion immediately falls on the Emperor's cats. But when the cat hair doesn't match the royal cats--and human type B blood is found on all the bodies--the expedition head is forced to investigate.
August 2, 2019
A much more enjoyable book than I expected when I first started reading it.
December 17, 2021
Vampires? In a space-based sci-fi? Murder mysteries and imperial intrigue.
December 23, 2024
Great light read
Great light storytelling, flawless characterbuild. Interesting piont of views. Kept me reading until the end. Whodunnit in space and mythology.
Great light storytelling, flawless characterbuild. Interesting piont of views. Kept me reading until the end. Whodunnit in space and mythology.
September 4, 2025
Space vampires! Psychic blue panthers! Bad anthropology!
November 10, 2025
Katherine Kurtz is one of my favorite authors. This trek into the realm of science fiction was interesting, I just wish it had been longer to allow for better character development.
January 5, 2015
A great sci-fi mystery. I picked this up in a used bookstore intrigued because I didn't know Kurtz did anything outside of fantasy; it was well worth it. Even though it's almost 30 years old the technology doesn't feel dated. The characters are likeable (or disagreeable as the case needs be) and the mystery has a little of the "locked door" feel to it. The cultural anthropology developed for background of the story is really unique and satisfying. I hope I can find more things like this that Kurtz has done!
May 2, 2017
Frankly, I read this because it had cats as main characters, and I enjoyed it very much.
December 15, 2014
1990 grade B
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews