Rating: 
Summary: I Found it so-so
Review: (THERE ARE SPOILERS IN HERE!) As a long-time fan of Katherine Kurtz's, I have been awaiting this trilogy for some time now. That said, I feel it wasn't up to her usual standards, and at times I found it just plain disturbing. It is the first in the Childe-Morgan trilogy, and as such, most of the book was spent in setting the stage for events and people to come later. But I have to agree with several other reviewers in that the plot was choppy at best, certain events are really not very plausible, and I never really developed attachments to any of the characters. Kurtz's grasp on the workings of the medieval church and the interactions between church and state continue to be excellent, however. And the world of the Deryni continues to be fully and beautifully realized. That said, I was really disturbed by the rape and murder of the boy Krispin MacAthan towards the end of the book. I don't consider myself a prude, by any stretch of the imagination, but it just seemed to me to be rather over the top and unnecessary. Kurtz has never shied away from violence where she felt it was needed, but (and maybe it's just me) I think there are some things that are better left alone. I do want to see where the books go from here, but I probably won't be adding this one to my collection of Deryni novels.
Rating:
Summary: I Found it so-so
Review: (THERE ARE SPOILERS IN HERE!) As a long-time fan of Katherine Kurtz's, I have been awaiting this trilogy for some time now. That said, I feel it wasn't up to her usual standards, and at times I found it just plain disturbing. It is the first in the Childe-Morgan trilogy, and as such, most of the book was spent in setting the stage for events and people to come later. But I have to agree with several other reviewers in that the plot was choppy at best, certain events are really not very plausible, and I never really developed attachments to any of the characters. Kurtz's grasp on the workings of the medieval church and the interactions between church and state continue to be excellent, however. And the world of the Deryni continues to be fully and beautifully realized. That said, I was really disturbed by the rape and murder of the boy Krispin MacAthan towards the end of the book. I don't consider myself a prude, by any stretch of the imagination, but it just seemed to me to be rather over the top and unnecessary. Kurtz has never shied away from violence where she felt it was needed, but (and maybe it's just me) I think there are some things that are better left alone. I do want to see where the books go from here, but I probably won't be adding this one to my collection of Deryni novels.
Rating: 
Summary: A huge disappointment
Review: After reading her other books as they have come out over the years I picked up this one.
Kurtz really let her fans down with this one....
None of the characters have the warmth or depth as they have in the other books, and Donal, Kelson's grandfather, is a disgrace to the Haldane name.
I got about 15 pages from the end and put the book down in disgust.
Rating:
Summary: Has not engaged me thus far...
Review: First, let me say that I am still working on this book. I have gotten maybe 100 pages or more into the story line. It has not really drawn me in as of yet. This is a bad sign. A good story usually hooks you in the the first 20 pages. curiosity will lead me to finish the book but so far little else. No characters stand out to me as of yet, the storyline isn't all that engaging, and the writing is ok but nothing electric. I assume this book will end up as mediocre as it has been so far. So not a bad book but certainly nothing as interesting as the original deryni series or the saint camber books( original series).
Rating:
Summary: Has not engaged me thus far...
Review: First, let me say that I am still working on this book. I have gotten maybe 100 pages or more into the story line. It has not really drawn me in as of yet. This is a bad sign. A good story usually hooks you in the the first 20 pages. curiosity will lead me to finish the book but so far little else. No characters stand out to me as of yet, the storyline isn't all that engaging, and the writing is ok but nothing electric. I assume this book will end up as mediocre as it has been so far. So not a bad book but certainly nothing as interesting as the original deryni series or the saint camber books( original series).
Rating:
Summary: More Genealogy Than Story
Review: For fans of Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series and Alaric Morgan fans in particular, this is the start of a long-awaited trilogy dealing with the enigmatic and powerful half-Deryni Duke of Corwyn, who we first met in Deryni Rising. Alas for us, Alaric doesn't make an appearance until the very end of the book, and then only as a babe. Kurtz uses an entire book to delve into, the admittedly, complicated relantionships surrounding the Gwynnedd court, as well as Deryni bloodlines and alliances. Sprinkled with armed incusions and many births, deaths, and weddings, this book reads more like a genealogy than a story. It's a credit to Kurtz's writing that she makes all this as interesting as she does, however, this is a difficult book to like because it's essentially setting the stage for the REAL story we've all been waiting for - Alaric's childhood and youth as King Brion's ally and friend.She drops some tantalizing hints to lure the reader in - bringing up the heritage and legacy of Lewys ap Norfal's kin, who initially play a fairy big role at the start of the book, only to have them fade into the background. The Camberian Council appears again as well, but prove to be impotent. Considering the consternation they were having over Donal's child (...), I found it intriguing that they acquiesced to the marriage of Alyce to a human, thus ensuring that any of her children would be hated "half-breed" Deryni. Yet none of these intriguing points is ever carried through with, although with two more books to go it could be these dropped plot threads will be resolved down the road. Still, it doesn't leave much meaty story to keep reader's interest engaged. The majority of the book has to do with Alyce de Corwyn, who is Alaric's mother. She's a fine enough protagonist, but the book lacked a lot of what I loved most about Kurtz's earlier Deryni works - the sense of history come alive, the derring-do of the knights and the secret and magical workings of the Deryni sorcerers. I attribute much of this to the lack of a strong villian. Our heros have to have worthy (and evil) opponents in order to really shine in comparison. Where is this era's frothing Archbishop Loris? The rogue priest, brother to a bishop is meant to be one - but he's a strawman. He's evil without substantial motivation and thus has no true impact on our heros. Much of the book's plot then boils down to two questions: 1. Will Donal Haldane get a magical protector for his heirs? 2. Who will inherit the Duchy of Corwyn? Interesting questions, but not really interesting enough to devote an entire book to. Overall this was a disappointment. After waiting all this time for a new Deryni adventure, Kurtz seems to have been too busy with diagramming her genealogy trees to remember how to actually write a story. In most cases I would say, unless some of the tangled relantionships are of interest to you, you could safely skip this book and pick up the second (upcoming) one without missing a beat.
Rating:
Summary: Give it a miss!
Review: I don't know why Ms. Kurtz wrote this book---it doesn't give any new information or interesting sidelights to the Deryni series. She raises a few questions, but the answers turn out to be meaningless... For example, there is a question about Alaric Morgan's true parentage, but then it turns out that he is fathered by just the man we would've assumed anyway--his mother's husband, named Morgan, is his true father.
This book does answer the question of how Duncan and Alaric are related through their mothers, but in such a way that the informaton is almost meaningless.
If you love the series, by all means read the book. If this is your first Deryni book--read another one, because this is not representative of the series!
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment (spoilers included)
Review: I grew up devouring the Deryni and Camber books, so I eagerly awaited the beginning of this new trilogy. I am sorry to say that I was incredibly disappointed. Although this story DID feature a look at the women characters, and Ms. Kurtz DID include a formidable woman abbess, in the tradition of Hilda of Whitby or St. Hildegarde, the book consisted largely of description of Alyce de Corwyn's life and times as she came of age, with virtually no plot. We meet a plethora of new and interesting characters, many of whom get killed off. We have the appearance of a stock villainness, who appears, commits a heinous sin, and conveniently dies. Over and over, we hear of Alyce's willingness to be married off as part of her dynastic duty, yet that thread is dropped in the most improbable of ways. We get an update on how Deryni are doing at this court, a look at a Haldane King who is ruthless, and basically meet a bunch of stock characters. Unfortunately, Ms. Kurtz still seems unable to write an ambivalent hero (or a likeable villain) unless Donal and Jessamy are supposed to be so, but neither elicited strong emotional reactions one way or another. Again, beautiful and vivid world-building, an interesting look at the convent, in particular, and I enjoyed learning more about Alyce (who seems rather too perfect for my liking), but I was very disappointed in the lack of plot holding this book together.
Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment (spoilers included)
Review: I grew up devouring the Deryni and Camber books, so I eagerly awaited the beginning of this new trilogy. I am sorry to say that I was incredibly disappointed. Although this story DID feature a look at the women characters, and Ms. Kurtz DID include a formidable woman abbess, in the tradition of Hilda of Whitby or St. Hildegarde, the book consisted largely of description of Alyce de Corwyn's life and times as she came of age, with virtually no plot. We meet a plethora of new and interesting characters, many of whom get killed off. We have the appearance of a stock villainness, who appears, commits a heinous sin, and conveniently dies. Over and over, we hear of Alyce's willingness to be married off as part of her dynastic duty, yet that thread is dropped in the most improbable of ways. We get an update on how Deryni are doing at this court, a look at a Haldane King who is ruthless, and basically meet a bunch of stock characters. Unfortunately, Ms. Kurtz still seems unable to write an ambivalent hero (or a likeable villain) unless Donal and Jessamy are supposed to be so, but neither elicited strong emotional reactions one way or another. Again, beautiful and vivid world-building, an interesting look at the convent, in particular, and I enjoyed learning more about Alyce (who seems rather too perfect for my liking), but I was very disappointed in the lack of plot holding this book together.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding character development
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed each of Kurtz' works. While I have not recognized recently the same compelling sense of drama that was developed in her earlier books, I believe her character development reached new levels of artistry in this work -- which is, perhaps, why reviewers seem to agree that, even if the plot is not highly developed in these pages, the book is a must-read.
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