Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: I love the Deryni series. However, while I enjoyed this one very much - I will tell you that all you need to read is the last chapter. The rest of the book has a few too many characters and plot developments, when all you need to know is the ending. Ok, maybe it is good to see how Kurtz arrived at the ending... Read and enjoy, I fully expect the next books in this series to be much better, now that the plot was explained. The title should have been "The King's Protector". You will understand when you finish this one...
Rating:
Summary: Great book and good history
Review: I loved this book. It has been a while since I read the Deryni series and this was a great refresher. It was very interesting to take a peek into the earlier histories of all the characters. The book delivered exactly what it said it would, a look back. A definite must read.
Rating:
Summary: Great book and good history
Review: I loved this book. It has been a while since I read the Deryni series and this was a great refresher. It was very interesting to take a peek into the earlier histories of all the characters. The book delivered exactly what it said it would, a look back. A definite must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Warning, this is historical romance, not fantasy.
Review: If your looking for the old Deryni action, the clash of arms, the onslaught of repressed mental powers, you won't find it here. This is primarily a romance novel; you know, which princess will be married to which "powerful knight, prince, etc,. at the behest of the King. What little action there is, is given short shrift. You really have to go back to the early novels of the Deryni to get much action (The Chronciles of the Dernyi, Volumes 1-4.) Most of the more recent novels of the Deryni are actually romantic novels in disguise.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Novel I've Read This Year
Review: In the King's Service is easily the best fantasy novel I've read this year. While, as one reviewer above stated, there's not really a plot as such, still, I too, couldn't put it down.If you're interested in the history of Duke Alaric Morgan and King Brion Haldane you'll not want to miss this book. The book fills in a gap in the histories of both these characters. There isn't a lot involving the Camberian Council in the novel-presumably they will become more involved in the second and third installments. Nevertheless, there is a lot to keep serious fans interested. If you're fascinated by the history, geography, religion, and politics of the Eleven Kingdoms, as I am, this book won't disaapoint, save in that we aren't told everything we'd like to know, only giving tantalizing hints. I for one, am fascinated with the Order of the Knights at Incus Domini, the Anvilers, of which Se' Trelawney becomes a member.
Rating:
Summary: not among her best but still pretty strong
Review: 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 Camber series depending on taste). For most of us long-time readers of Ms. 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 desirious of seeing (Alaric, Duncan, Kelson) don't yet appear in this work, which is a generation earlier. Well, one does but as a baby and not until the very end and since his dialogue would pretty much be "uurp" and "bbbllhttt", it doesn't really count. Kelson's father appears as a young child and one looks forward to seeing how his relationship with Morgan evolves over the trilogy's action.
King's Service doesn't reach the higher levels of the Deryni works, an admittedly quite high standard, but it doesn't fall far below. Probably the biggest reason for its falling short is its time setting and structure. Unlike many of her other novels, which focused in sharp, vivid detail on a lot of characters over a relatively brief period of time; King's Service keeps the plethora of characters but stretches out the events over years and years. Unfortunately this lessens the overall emotional impact of many of the scenes as we quickly move on to more action, sometimes months or years later. It is also difficult to really get to know most of the characters because we move so freely and widely in time and space and number of characters. Some of them have potential were they to be carried into the next book, but as many readers will know, Ms. Kurtz is not leery of killing off major characters and she does so several times here, though she does tuck a few away for safekeeping until the next book.
Alyce Corwyn, who will be Morgan's mother (as fans will know so nothing given away here), stands out as the strongest and most vividly realized character, though still not in the vein of earlier Deryni inhabitants; her appearance in the next book may raise her to that level however.
Other characters remain a bit shadowy and tenuous. One character in particular stands out as a bit two-dimensional, seemingly brought on stage only for a needed major plot point, making her appearance and actions seem a bit forced. King Donal is portrayed as a man torn between his desire for justice and right and his desire to protect his kingdom and especially his heir. Here again, the characterization falls a bit shallow; it would have been nice to have seen his torment more often and more fully. As it is presented, it reads a bit hollow since it occurs so quickly.
The various plot lines will seem familiar to fans: Mearan rebels, Torenthi incursions, church antipathy toward Deryni, a king trying to protect his lineage, various coming-of-age stories. Their familiarity bleeds them a bit of intensity, as does the fact that Kurtz is showing the earliest stages of many of these problems which lead to the full blow-up of most of them in Kelson's time. But if they pale somewhat in intensity and originality, they still retain the ability to compel interest and at times move the reader. I can't say I avidly and breathlessly turned every page, but I still wanted to and enjoyed reading it in a single setting. A few plot points felt forced and I have to say the closing scene involving Brion I found utterly implausible which coming at the end left a little of a bad taste. But she manages to mostly avoid the pitfall of many prequels--the sense you sometimes get that writer is simply working mechanically backward filling in the blanks to come. As always, she is a master of ritualistic detail, which some will revel in and others probably skim through.
The frequent, lengthy, and important delineation of bloodlines can get a bit overwhelming; the opening chapter is especially taxing in this regard but if you can fight your way through that discussion you'll do fine the rest of the way.
Mostly one gets the sense that this book is in fact more necessary prequel than a full-fledged Deryni novel. The sweep of years and characters has cleared the historical table so to speak and managed to put the reader at the point where Alyce, Morgan, Duncan, Brion, etc. will be able to take more full stage in the next book while setting the trendlines in place for the actions we know as fans are to come. In that regard, King's Service does its job and if it isn't a top tier Deryni novel, it has ambitions for being more than just serviceable exposition, ambitions that it mostly achieves. One of the ways it goes beyond simple exposition is the way she drops references to seemingly important people and groups and magic systems that are not at all familiar and that will clearly be explained in the next book. So rather than just give the reader comforting background information, she offers up tasty hints of things to come leaving the reader wanting more information. Recommended with a strong sense that book two will be much better and in that top level.
Rating: 
Summary: A Novel of Intrigue and Minor Magic
Review: In the King's Service is the first novel in the Childe Morgan trilogy. It takes place during the reign of Donal Blaine Haldane and fits chronologically after The Bastard Prince and before Deryni Rising. King Donal has provided his son with a guardian by getting a son on Jessamy, the wife of Sief MacAthan, one of his councilors and a member of the Camberian Council. Sief is also a very impulsive and jealous man and, when he discovers the true parentage, Donal finds himself fighting for his life as Sief unleashes the Deryni mind powers against him, but the Haldane powers prove stronger and Donal is left with the still warm body of Jessamy's husband. Donal Blames the death of an heart attack and arranges to have the baby raised in the Royal Nursery. The Camberian Council discovers most of the truth, but cannot determine the motive for the King siring a child on Jessamy. However, they continue to keep an eye on Jessamy, the daughter of Lewis ap Norfal, who had rebelled against the authority of the Camberian Council itself. Meanwhile, Keryell Earl of Lendor has taken a new wife after the passing of Stevana in childbirth and is leaving his two daughters, Alyce and Marie, with the queen until they are to depart for a convent school. Since Jessamy was especially close to Stevana, she takes the girls under her wing and even accompanies them to the convent. There she introduces the girls to her daughter Jessilde, a novice in the order. The next day, Jessamy leaves and the girls are started on their studies and on making new friends. This story is a study of character and intrigue. The action is minimal and mostly offstage, although battle, accidents and homicide seem to run rampant through the plot. Of course, an approximately equal number of births balance out the deaths, but the turnover is astonishing, although not unrealistic for medieval times. Nevertheless, this story is unusual in that no major wars, rebellions, invasions or other large-scale violence occurs during the whole tale. Moreover, the church is only modestly destructive against the Deryni. There is only one significant clash between the King and the Church and it is more personal than otherwise. Overall, this is an unusual novel, more like the shorter works in its plot and consequences. However, it does occur in a significant period in the evolution of the kingdom, less than a decade prior to the birth of Kelson Haldane. Moreover, it concludes with the birth of Alaric Morgan. Highly recommended for Kurtz fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of intrigue and minor magic in a medieval setting.
Rating: 
Summary: No Plot Line to Speak Of
Review: Is this just about the worst book in the Deryni universe? The lack of a plot, the shallowly-developed characters, and the lack of any cohesive theme spring to mind rather quickly as obvious flaws... Mrs. Kurtz's writing continues to degenerate, it seems, from its high point in "King Javan's Year." This book was horrible by any standard. Just who is the central character supposed to be? Donal, Alyce, and Jessamy are the leading suspects, but none of them are explored appreciably. The story of Vera de Corwyn (Howard) being switched at birth is
implausible at best and almost ridiculous at face value... Marie's death is a rehash of Bronwyn's in Deryni Checkmate. This book should never have been published.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book for Deryni fans
Review: Katherine Kurtz newest Deryni book is really written for fans of the Deryni series. The first half of the book concentrates on Deryni bloodlines and the marriages of state made in her kingdom of Gwynedd. For Deryni fans, the book gives you an overview of the parents and grandparents of your favorite characters. There are several surprises in the book, but no real major conflicts. By trying to introduce so many characters, Kurtz fails to develop any of them fully(with the exception of Alyce de Corwyn)and she does not provide the same endearing portraits as her previous Deryni books. Interesting details like the story of the renegade Deryni Lewys ap Norfal are mysteriously absent (unless you read her other book Deryni Tales). So the book is a bit tiresome for all but the most dedicated fans. While I think the rest of the series will be better, this book should only be read by dedicated fans.
Rating:
Summary: What Deryni Fans Have Been Waiting For
Review: Katherine Kurtz's latest forray into the world of the Deryni is sure to be well-received by her many fans. The book's action takes place some thirty years prior to the events of the series' first trilogy which began with Deryni Rising. It is a time when the gifted Deryni and their powers are still feared by the normal human inhabitants of the Gwynedd who have enacted both secular and ecclesiastical sanctions against them. Even so, the ruthless King Donal Haldane sees value having those powers at his disposal and protects several well-born Deryni in his court. But little does he suspect just how many Deryni there really are in his court. Because while the king is manipulating everyone to his design, other groups such as the Camberian Council are doing some manipulating of their own. For long-time fans of this series, the book is a welcome treat as we are introduced to many of the ancestors of favorite characters. Likewise the origins of some later plotlines are revealed. First-time readers, however, will have difficulty following the geneological lines which make up so much of the earlier chapters. All in all, though, a very welcome addition to the Deryni canon.
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