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The Childe Morgan #1
In the King's Service
The Barnes & Noble Review
In the King's Service is the first book in an exciting Deryni trilogy by Katherine Kurtz that takes place decades before the events in Kurtz's bestselling King Kelson novels (The Bishop's Heir, The King's Justice, etc.).
In the King's Service is the first book in an exciting Deryni trilogy by Katherine Kurtz that takes place decades before the events in Kurtz's bestselling King Kelson novels (The Bishop's Heir, The King's Justice, etc.).
A major character her is King Donal Blaine Haldane, Kelson's enigmatic grandfather. Both hero and villain, protector and tyrant, Donal ruled over Gwynedd at a time when those with Deryni blood weren't killed on sight. Several Deryni sat in the king's court, and a few acted as faithful advisers. In fact, Donal wanted so much to protect his young heir from harm that he covertly impregnated Lady Jessamy, a powerful Deryni with an infamous father, so that she could give birth to a boy who could be raised as a friend and protector to Donal's firstborn son, Brion.
But in a brutal world where rebellion, insurrection, and treachery are commonplace and the Church is increasingly frightened of the Deryni and what they represent, the king's well-intentioned plan goes terribly awry.
Kurtz, a medieval English history scholar, is an absolute master when it comes to creating a complex and convincing magical world into which readers can totally immerse themselves. Fans of historical based fantasy -- like Stephen R. Lawhead's Celtic Crusade novels (The Iron Lance, The Black Rood, etc.) and Marie Jakober's The Black Chalice -- should give this intriguing saga a try. Paul Goat Allen
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2003
77 people are currently reading
758 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Kurtz
92 books743 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 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 19, 2015
It's been almost 15 years since I last visited the Deryni. I prefer to wait until a trilogy is all out before I start, rather than forgetting what happened in the book a couple of years before when the next one comes out.
Set about 30 years prior to the Kelson series, this covers the events that lead up to the birth of Alaric Morgan. The novel itself covers a 10 year timespan with various gaps in the narrative.
I really enjoyed this and it was a pleasure to revisit Gwynedd. This book was more event driven than Kurtz's usual character driven story, but the characters were still mostly fleshed out and sympathetic.
I can wait to get onto to the next volume, and I think I'll need to revisit the older books too.
Set about 30 years prior to the Kelson series, this covers the events that lead up to the birth of Alaric Morgan. The novel itself covers a 10 year timespan with various gaps in the narrative.
I really enjoyed this and it was a pleasure to revisit Gwynedd. This book was more event driven than Kurtz's usual character driven story, but the characters were still mostly fleshed out and sympathetic.
I can wait to get onto to the next volume, and I think I'll need to revisit the older books too.
October 29, 2018
This was not my favorite Deryni book from Kurtz. It felt a lot like a history book in places, and was clearly meant as the set up for the next book. Having already started the next book, I'm glad to see a return to the story-telling that made me fall in love with this world so many years ago.
While there are important story points that are raised in the book, as set up for what must follow, it also felt very familiar and almost like an expanded summary of what we already know from previous books. Some of that was clearly necessary, and some of it was genuinely touching.
Still, Kurtz excels in building her world and the characters are exquisitely drawn. I was left with a desire to go back to that first Deryni book, and I may once I finish this trilogy. It was my introduction to women writing fantasy and as an author myself, I have endeavored to build worlds as cohesive and beautiful as hers.
While there are important story points that are raised in the book, as set up for what must follow, it also felt very familiar and almost like an expanded summary of what we already know from previous books. Some of that was clearly necessary, and some of it was genuinely touching.
Still, Kurtz excels in building her world and the characters are exquisitely drawn. I was left with a desire to go back to that first Deryni book, and I may once I finish this trilogy. It was my introduction to women writing fantasy and as an author myself, I have endeavored to build worlds as cohesive and beautiful as hers.
November 20, 2015
“In the King’s Service” is the first Katherine Kurtz book I’ve read in over 20 years. And while she was amongst my favorite authors as a teenager in the 80’s, I found this pretty disappointing. I don’t know if her writing had changed by the 21st century or I’d just become a more discerning reader.
This begins a trilogy, the “Childe Morgan” of her Deryni series that takes place a generation before the first trilogy she wrote, which is several generations after the earliest trilogy, going by in-world chronologic order.
It begins with some of royal court life in Gwynedd, during the reign of King Donal, the grandfather of Kelson, the main character of several other trilogies, and early on has the birth of Kelson’s father, the future King Brion.
Much of the novel follows the point of view of Alyce, a Deryni, with some magic powers, and just a teenager for most of the book, as she goes from her parents’ court to the royal court and a few years in a convent for schooling, and then back to the royal court and her marriage. She occasionally gets to use her Deryni powers but most of that, her training takes place in between the novel’s scenes.
With her and some chapters from the point of view of an older Deryni woman, the Lady Jessamy, this has a lot more details about wealthy, nobel women’s lives, including dresses and gowns and flowers, in Gwynedd than I recall from earlier novels, which were mostly from mens’ points of view.
A number of characters are introduced but die before they can really set things in motion, so they accomplish pretty much nothing but pad out the narrative.
There’s meetings of the secretive “Camebrian Council” that’s supposed to do a lot of manipulation of humans and Deryni alike behind the scenes to try and achieve their goals of peaceful existence, but in this novel they don’t really end up causing anything to happen. They just talk and observe and offer explanations to each other that clarify things for us readers.
Overall, it was ok, and certainly fun to go back to Kurtz’s Gwynedd after so many years. But as a novel it left some to be desired. I do want to continue with the trilogy, of course, and find out how we get from this to King Kelson…
This begins a trilogy, the “Childe Morgan” of her Deryni series that takes place a generation before the first trilogy she wrote, which is several generations after the earliest trilogy, going by in-world chronologic order.
It begins with some of royal court life in Gwynedd, during the reign of King Donal, the grandfather of Kelson, the main character of several other trilogies, and early on has the birth of Kelson’s father, the future King Brion.
Much of the novel follows the point of view of Alyce, a Deryni, with some magic powers, and just a teenager for most of the book, as she goes from her parents’ court to the royal court and a few years in a convent for schooling, and then back to the royal court and her marriage. She occasionally gets to use her Deryni powers but most of that, her training takes place in between the novel’s scenes.
With her and some chapters from the point of view of an older Deryni woman, the Lady Jessamy, this has a lot more details about wealthy, nobel women’s lives, including dresses and gowns and flowers, in Gwynedd than I recall from earlier novels, which were mostly from mens’ points of view.
A number of characters are introduced but die before they can really set things in motion, so they accomplish pretty much nothing but pad out the narrative.
There’s meetings of the secretive “Camebrian Council” that’s supposed to do a lot of manipulation of humans and Deryni alike behind the scenes to try and achieve their goals of peaceful existence, but in this novel they don’t really end up causing anything to happen. They just talk and observe and offer explanations to each other that clarify things for us readers.
Overall, it was ok, and certainly fun to go back to Kurtz’s Gwynedd after so many years. But as a novel it left some to be desired. I do want to continue with the trilogy, of course, and find out how we get from this to King Kelson…
August 10, 2012
I loved the early Deryni books but this one, no thanks. It reads like bad Deryni fan-fic.
May 28, 2009
I went back to read this first book in the series and though Kurtz still isn't shy about killing her characters off in creative ways, I can't quite connect with this series the way I used to. Though entertaining, it almost feels like she's going through the motions in filling in the history between the Camber books and Kelson. Worth reading for fans, but not as compelling as the earlier works were.
November 12, 2009
Another book that was relatively unsuccessfully stuffed into the confines of an existing plotline. Also, I really wish that Kurtz would have just started with one book and kept writing about the same characters until she inevitably killed them off. What happened to all the characters in the last book in the series?
July 20, 2010
I used to really enjoy this series, and I still do enjoy occasionally rereading the earlier works. However, the "Childe Morgan" trilogy is just dull. It reads like a poorly written history text, with only the slightest attempts at genuine plot or characterization. Very disappointing.
May 24, 2022
Donal Haldane is King of Gwynedd. He uses Deryni for his own purposes, including fathering a Deryni "protector" for his sons with Lady Jessamy. But when Krispin dies tragically, he needs someone new. Jessamy is too old, so he sets his sights on Alyce de Corwyn--heiress to a Deryni duchy after her brother dies. She is recently married to Kenneth Morgan, a human. However, Alyce is already pregnant when Donal sets his plan in motion. They sympathize with him when he confesses everything and offer their future child as protector to Prince Brion--that child in Alaric Morgan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 8, 2024I really enjoyed this novel. While the previous novels take place either during the Kelson era or the Camber era, this novel takes place between the two time periods. Specifically, it serves as a prequel to the Kelson era, telling the story and setting up characters that will eventually play big parts in those later (well, printed earlier) books. As usual, the author does a great job making the story interesting just through the court politics and drama, with the magic of the Deryni supplementing the story instead of carrying it.
July 13, 2018
The first novel of the Childe Morgan trilogy is a bit darker than prior Derynii novels, with a surfeit of murder and rape episodes. Yet it still ends on a hopeful note of optimism for the future of the series.
July 11, 2020
This is not the usual action packed Deryni storyline. This involved more day to day life and really does set up the back story. It's not Kurtz's true voice and I missed the story telling of the earlier books. Having the back story is okay but it feels much too passive for a Deryni novel.
July 26, 2017
Out of this trilogy, this is probably the best. Although I don't even like stating it's best. Many characters are killed off before they develop. It's just as boring as the other two.
August 16, 2020
Some interesting plot points and characters but overall meh. And the ending is flat out disturbing.
December 8, 2020
This prequel had some interesting material, but it seemed rather stilted, possibly because she was trying to make everything fit into the later books.
April 9, 2023
I do like these kind of stories!
June 16, 2024
BCID 151-2821282
given away on Freecycle.
given away on Freecycle.
March 6, 2018
This just didn't have the same sense of character or place as the earlier Deryni series books. It seems like the author is just filling a backstory. I enjoyed being back in Gwynedd but the story felt plodding.
March 2, 2020
This book was enjoyable, and good enough for me to keep reading the series. However, the plot was slow, and the climax? anticlimactic. Good for what it was, and I enjoyed it, but I can understand those who found it boring.
September 10, 2014
This is the first novel in the Childe Morgan trilogy, published in 2003. The second novel, Childe Morgan, was published in 2006. The long awaited third (and probably the very last Deryni novel), titled The King’s Deryni, is due to be released in December, 2014. This is the seventh book in the sixteen-book Deryni saga orchestrated by Katherine Kurtz if read chronologically. Some of the books are out of print but readily available through used book sellers and via Amazon.
When compared to the previous six novels (chronologically) I found this book to be very different in style and content from the earlier ones. Reading it takes a lot less effort. There are fewer words and lines per page and the chapters are mercifully shorter. Most of the earlier books required considerable concentration about who-was-who—not as challenging as War and Peace, but does require some effort to keep track of the character names and their places in the plot. This book does present the reader with some of that same attention-requiring focus but to a much lesser degree. Whereas the six earlier books followed a generational sequence (year 903 to 928), this one jumped over 160 years into the future which meant the cast of characters had no direct connection with previous personalities. This book is a good jumping-on point for new readers.
I have remarked in previous reviews that for a female author Kurtz had failed to provide (again, in the first six books chronologically) enough flesh, bone and emotive female characters. Romantic relationships were non-existent or insufficiently developed. That is more than made up for in this volume. The interrelationships between female characters and their romantic projections about their destinies are plentiful. There are tragic deaths in the plot but there is no lingering on the negative. Page after page of rituals—magic or otherwise—are also absent from this volume, to my delight. Sexual references are sparse but included—even startlingly descriptive in the case of a child being vandalized and an attempted rape.
This narrative is primarily about five individuals: young Lady Alyce de Corwyn and her close friend Zoe Morgan, Zoe’s father Sir Kenneth Morgan, an aide to the king of Gwynedd, and the king himself Donal Cinhil Haldane, as well as the good priest Father Paschal. On the side of evil there is the priest Septimus de Nore and his powerful Deryni-hating brother, Bishop Oliver de Nore. Readers of the previous books may find this book too feminine in style, lacking in masculine force and fervor and without much gritty adventure. But I found it was well balanced with meaningful relationships and dialogue as well as suspense and intrigue.
When compared to the previous six novels (chronologically) I found this book to be very different in style and content from the earlier ones. Reading it takes a lot less effort. There are fewer words and lines per page and the chapters are mercifully shorter. Most of the earlier books required considerable concentration about who-was-who—not as challenging as War and Peace, but does require some effort to keep track of the character names and their places in the plot. This book does present the reader with some of that same attention-requiring focus but to a much lesser degree. Whereas the six earlier books followed a generational sequence (year 903 to 928), this one jumped over 160 years into the future which meant the cast of characters had no direct connection with previous personalities. This book is a good jumping-on point for new readers.
I have remarked in previous reviews that for a female author Kurtz had failed to provide (again, in the first six books chronologically) enough flesh, bone and emotive female characters. Romantic relationships were non-existent or insufficiently developed. That is more than made up for in this volume. The interrelationships between female characters and their romantic projections about their destinies are plentiful. There are tragic deaths in the plot but there is no lingering on the negative. Page after page of rituals—magic or otherwise—are also absent from this volume, to my delight. Sexual references are sparse but included—even startlingly descriptive in the case of a child being vandalized and an attempted rape.
This narrative is primarily about five individuals: young Lady Alyce de Corwyn and her close friend Zoe Morgan, Zoe’s father Sir Kenneth Morgan, an aide to the king of Gwynedd, and the king himself Donal Cinhil Haldane, as well as the good priest Father Paschal. On the side of evil there is the priest Septimus de Nore and his powerful Deryni-hating brother, Bishop Oliver de Nore. Readers of the previous books may find this book too feminine in style, lacking in masculine force and fervor and without much gritty adventure. But I found it was well balanced with meaningful relationships and dialogue as well as suspense and intrigue.
November 4, 2014
I was browsing the shelves of Half-Price Books, not looking for anything in particular, when I spotted a book by Katherine Kurtz which I hadn't read. Looking at the spine, I couldn't determine if it would be a Deryni book or, dare I hope, an addition to her murder series, maybe even a gargoyle book. It was a Deryni book!
In the King's Service isn't precisely a prequel since it takes place after the Camber series. It describes the birth of Prince Brion who will eventually become King Brion, father of Prince (and eventual King) Kelson. It also describes the circumstances surrounding the birth of Duke Alaric. While I recognized some of the minor characters, it's been a while since I've read any Deryni books and it took quite a while to jog my memory. The world of the Deryni is intricate and political. My memory wasn't fully up to the challenge.
I really enjoyed the In the King's Service because it focused on the world of the noble women. The Camber and Kelson series focused on the men's world. It was nice to see it from the other side. I'm curious, though, if women of feudal times would have been so resigned to the inevitability of young marriage (age 11 for Jessamy) and birthing (age 13 for another character) and death in childbirth (age 16 for another minor character).
The children aren't as childlike as I expect children to be. Are they more mature because they don't have a chance to have the kind of childhood I'm used to or is Katherine Kurtz unable to write a truly childlike character?
I don't like how Krispin was treated by other Deryni and by the humans. I enjoyed how Gwynedd treated those who harm children, Deryni or human, in the name of justice. Watching the news, I often with justice such as that were available here in the US.
I noticed as I searched for this title that In the King's Service is the first novel in a new series which will focus on young Alaric. I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.
In the King's Service isn't precisely a prequel since it takes place after the Camber series. It describes the birth of Prince Brion who will eventually become King Brion, father of Prince (and eventual King) Kelson. It also describes the circumstances surrounding the birth of Duke Alaric. While I recognized some of the minor characters, it's been a while since I've read any Deryni books and it took quite a while to jog my memory. The world of the Deryni is intricate and political. My memory wasn't fully up to the challenge.
I really enjoyed the In the King's Service because it focused on the world of the noble women. The Camber and Kelson series focused on the men's world. It was nice to see it from the other side. I'm curious, though, if women of feudal times would have been so resigned to the inevitability of young marriage (age 11 for Jessamy) and birthing (age 13 for another character) and death in childbirth (age 16 for another minor character).
The children aren't as childlike as I expect children to be. Are they more mature because they don't have a chance to have the kind of childhood I'm used to or is Katherine Kurtz unable to write a truly childlike character?
I don't like how Krispin was treated by other Deryni and by the humans. I enjoyed how Gwynedd treated those who harm children, Deryni or human, in the name of justice. Watching the news, I often with justice such as that were available here in the US.
I noticed as I searched for this title that In the King's Service is the first novel in a new series which will focus on young Alaric. I'm looking forward to reading more of the series.
September 25, 2012
In the King's Service is the first in a long-promised trilogy that will tell us about the childhood and youth of my favourite Kelson-time characters, Alaric Morgan and Duncan McLain. Ostensibly, In the King's Service chronicles King Donal Haldane's attempts to ensure his young son, and therefore his kingdom, has a strong protector once he is gone. Around this central thread spin the parents and grandparents of many of the characters from Kelson's time.
This book does suffer the fate of nearly any book that tries to cover a long period of time and a lot of characters in a few hundred pages - the characterisations get skimped on. All the same, it's a interesting insight into the development of the Eleven Kingdoms into what we were introduced to in Deryni Rising. There were lots of names where I was trying to remember who I knew from that family, and others where I was suddenly crying, "Oh, that's so-and-so's father. Now it makes sense!"
On it's own, this book would be very confusing and not particularly satisfying, but as a set-up book (which is what it claims to be), it's a useful beginning. Morgan was only born in the epilogue, so I'll be looking forward to the next one as he grows up. Hopefully it won't cover such a long time frame and we'll get a lot more depth and the corresponding satisfaction.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 25 September 2012]
This book does suffer the fate of nearly any book that tries to cover a long period of time and a lot of characters in a few hundred pages - the characterisations get skimped on. All the same, it's a interesting insight into the development of the Eleven Kingdoms into what we were introduced to in Deryni Rising. There were lots of names where I was trying to remember who I knew from that family, and others where I was suddenly crying, "Oh, that's so-and-so's father. Now it makes sense!"
On it's own, this book would be very confusing and not particularly satisfying, but as a set-up book (which is what it claims to be), it's a useful beginning. Morgan was only born in the epilogue, so I'll be looking forward to the next one as he grows up. Hopefully it won't cover such a long time frame and we'll get a lot more depth and the corresponding satisfaction.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 25 September 2012]
July 11, 2008
A mizture of historical fiction, religion, ESP and fantasy, this series plunges the reader into the darker side of the human psyche in excruciating detail.
The Deryni are a race of humans that possess unusual talents, most of which could be classified as ESP. "Good" Deryni are tyring to explore their own power and potential, and to use that power to help those who need it, humans and Deryni alike. Unfortunately, many Deryni are feared for what they are, and that fear can have terrible consequences. Those readers who have studied the Spanish Inquistion might recognize some of the methods used, though by this time in the series some of the worst of the reactions have been curbed...but not all.
At the same time, this book is also a wonderful love story, and a look at how, even in the darkest moments, the better side of human nature can appear.
The Deryni are a race of humans that possess unusual talents, most of which could be classified as ESP. "Good" Deryni are tyring to explore their own power and potential, and to use that power to help those who need it, humans and Deryni alike. Unfortunately, many Deryni are feared for what they are, and that fear can have terrible consequences. Those readers who have studied the Spanish Inquistion might recognize some of the methods used, though by this time in the series some of the worst of the reactions have been curbed...but not all.
At the same time, this book is also a wonderful love story, and a look at how, even in the darkest moments, the better side of human nature can appear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2014
In the King's Service is the beginning of a new trilogy which details the recent history of the kingdoms that led to the events of her original series focusing on King Kelson, Alaric, et. al. (beginning with Deryni Rising). Though I suppose it could be read independently, I certainly wouldn't recommend it and advise people new to this world to start with her first trilogy (or possibly go chronologically starting with the Camber series depending on taste).
For most of us long-time readers of Katherine Kurtz's series, this begins to fill in one of the more interesting gaps in its timeline. While we see a few minor familiar characters, the ones we are probably most desirous of seeing (Alaric, Duncan, Kelson) don't yet appear in this work, which is a generation ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
For most of us long-time readers of Katherine Kurtz's series, this begins to fill in one of the more interesting gaps in its timeline. While we see a few minor familiar characters, the ones we are probably most desirous of seeing (Alaric, Duncan, Kelson) don't yet appear in this work, which is a generation ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
September 19, 2010
Disappointing. I've read 12 books in the Deryni Universe, this one makes 13, and is the least of them all. The author's previous books are great. This one feels like it was pulled from being tucked away in a drawer, polished a bit, and then sent to the publisher who did very little editing. I don't even know if it was good, or if it was good because I'm such a fan of the Deryni books. If you're a fan, you'll probably like it to some degree. I'm going to read the next one hoping the groundwork in this one will lead to a great story that I expect from Kurtz. Maybe this one book is an anomaly.
April 29, 2015
I am a long time fan of this world, but this book was by far my least favorite. Why? It was very slow and the characters less than compelling. Who wants to read a book where a major plot point is sending preteen girls to a convent for education? In places it read like a history text and relied far too heavily on lush description of rituals that rarely moved the story forward. Like a previous reviewer, I feel like this book's purpose was to fill in the history between a previous series and this new one.
December 9, 2010
To be honest, I love Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels, but her more recent work has been less than satisfying to read. I don't know if she's lost interest, or what. But this one was a limp, palid shadow of her earlier work, telling the story of Alaric Morgan's parents, Kenneth and Richenda. And that's a pity too, as she can write very good novels.
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_13532...
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_13532...
September 20, 2025
This is the first volume of the most recent Gwynedd trilogy. However sequentially it is the third of five trilogies. For me the medieval setting, the concepts of Deryni magic, and the political dynamics make this series compelling. However, because this novel is constrained by a preexisting timeline parts of it feel forced (a problem that continues throughout this trilogy).
January 14, 2015
A rich and well developed look into the personality and cares of Alaric Morgan's mother, Alyce. I love Katherine Kurtz's books and I was not disappointed in this one. As always her characters and settings and rich and well developed. She is not afraid to aproach difficult, contraversial topics.
January 6, 2011
I get that Katherine Kurtz wanted to put some backstory into the Deryni series, but to me this was too much dynastic duty, death and overarch, but not enough actual story to really get to know the characters.
February 15, 2011
Kurtz takes on the generation before Morgan, Duncan, and then Kelson. I never latched onto these characters as tightly as I did those in her other Deryni books, but that's not to say this isn't a great book, and of course: a must for Deryni fans.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews