Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing entry into the canon - spoilers
Review: The book is that it is emotionally dead; characters barely react to events at all, and none of the characters are fleshed out enough that it matters what happens to them. Most notable for the first is Alyce's total non-response to Donal's attempted physical and psychic rape (and the non-response of all the other characters who are aware of it), and for the second the way the murder of a small boy falls completely flat.The book starts a variety of potentially interesting plots and drops them, never to be seen again. Plot events are largely predictable, and one major plot event is a poorly-done rehash of Kevin and Bronwyn from the first book; it comes out of nowhere, goes nowhere, and is never mentioned again, occuring solely to kill off a character in a rather bizarre and improbable fashion. And the romance between Alyce and Kenneth Morgan is rather peculiar and unbelievable itself. What's missing, here, is a sense that Kurtz really cares about the Deryni universe any longer or that she really wanted to write this book.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing entry into the canon - spoilers
Review: The book is that it is emotionally dead; characters barely react to events at all, and none of the characters are fleshed out enough that it matters what happens to them. Most notable for the first is Alyce's total non-response to Donal's attempted physical and psychic rape (and the non-response of all the other characters who are aware of it), and for the second the way the murder of a small boy falls completely flat. The book starts a variety of potentially interesting plots and drops them, never to be seen again. Plot events are largely predictable, and one major plot event is a poorly-done rehash of Kevin and Bronwyn from the first book; it comes out of nowhere, goes nowhere, and is never mentioned again, occuring solely to kill off a character in a rather bizarre and improbable fashion. And the romance between Alyce and Kenneth Morgan is rather peculiar and unbelievable itself. What's missing, here, is a sense that Kurtz really cares about the Deryni universe any longer or that she really wanted to write this book.
Rating:
Summary: "In The King's Service" Lacks Likeable Characters, Plot
Review: The first novel in Katherine Kurtz's long-awaited Childe Morgan trilogy is one of the weakest entries in the Deryni series. Kurtz seems to have lost her zeal for writing about the Deryni universe, having become entangled in a bewildering array of (mostly uninteresting) side projects over the past decade. Die-hard, completist Deryni fans will have to read the book and its sequels regardless, but this is not a book that will attract new readers to the series. Kurtz practically invented the sub-genre of occult historical fantasy. Her strongest novels are characterized by meticulously detailed magical/religious ceremonies. In the King's Service barely reads like a Deryni novel at all. Deryni powers are talked about a great deal, but are rarely on actual display to the reader. Deryni ritual is completely absent. Alaric Morgan is almost entirely missing from the book himself, appearing on the scene only as an infant at novel's end. A young Brion appears fleetingly, but the major characters in the novel are a young Alyce De Corwyn (Alaric's mother), King Donal Haldane (the future King Brion's father), and Donal's Deryni mistress, Jessamy McCathan. Alyce is an appealing character, though long-time readers of the series will know better than to get too attached to her. Donal and Jessamy are despicable people as well as uninteresting characters. Together they commit several appalling deeds and plot one unspeakable one. Distressing things have always occurred in Kurtz's books, but in the past she could be trusted to depict them as ignoble when they were. Here, neither Kurtz nor any of her characters seem to fully realize just how inexcusable Donal's conduct truly is, which makes for a very disconcerting read. Kurtz was never a preachy moralizer, but she used to know evil when she saw it, even in a king. The Camberian Council of course must continue to disgrace the name of Camber of Culdi. This is, in general, in keeping with how things will stand at the beginning of Deryni Rising. However, it is hard to reconcile Barrett DeLaney's passive acceptance of Donal's plans with what we know of him from the other works. However decadent the rest of the Council may be, he at least would be expected to have something to say about a Deryni woman who plots to use her powers to aid the commission of a vile crime. This is, after all, exactly the sort of abuse of Deryni power that the Council was formed to prevent in the first place! The novel does not have much of a plot per se, as others have noted. It is true that many plot threads are just rehashes of episodes from other Deryni books. In addition, many details that had to be included to match what we already know of the future do not quite ring true. The forced "adoption" of Alyce's sister Vera to the human Howards is especially unconvincing. So is the casual way in which Donal breaks with long tradition to marry the Deryni Corwyn heiress (Alyce) to the human Kenneth Morgan, a mere baron himself. A number of Haldanes who will not be on the scene at the opening of Deryni Rising make their appearances here, probably indicating a bloody next few books. The virtual absence of Alaric Morgan from the first third of his trilogy was this book's most serious flaw. The next two books in the series will presumably focus much more on Alaric and Brion, which should serve to give the reader someone to root for.
Rating: 
Summary: strong Deryni entry
Review: The King of Gwynedd, Donal Haldane rules through divine right and his powers are said to come of God. The Deryni, a race of sorcerers, are said to be evil and secular. Church law doesn't grant them the same rights as humans. In actuality, the power of the Haldanes and the Deryni are much alike; Donal has no problems using the Deryni to help him maintain peace in the Eleven Kingdoms. Lady Alycee De Corwyn is the sister of the future duke and a great heiress who knows she must make a dynastic marriage. While she awaits the king's decree, she arrives at court to serve the Haldanes as only a Deryni can. After losing a father and brother to Gwynedd's enemies, Donal implements a plan that would make her child his son's protector by betraying a woman he has come to respect and a man he calls friend. This novel takes place after the massacre of the Deryni following the Haldane Restoration. The survivors are slowly coming out into the open again hoping to prove to the humans that they are not evil just because a few commit malevolent acts. Still they are feared and the church encourages mankind to hate the Deryni but through their loyal service to the crown, humanity is slowly being shown that being Deryni is not a bad thing. Katherine Kurtz still reigns as the queen of historical fantasies in a series she started almost three decades ago. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: There's not a lot of plot here, but i couldn't put it down
Review: This is the newest Deryni novel and is the first book in a proposed trilogy (The Childe Morgan trilogy). The Deryni novels have long been one of my favorite series, and I'm always eagerly awaiting a new Deryni novel. Despite what the book jacket suggests, this novel takes place during the era of King Kelson's grandfather King Donal. Kelson's father Brion is only a young child during this novel, and this is more than a hundred years after the Haldane Restoration of 917. This is one of the time periods that when I looked at the genealogy of the Haldanes, I wondered "what was happening then? Who is Donal?" We get an answer in this book. There is a story here, but there is no true plot, if that makes any sense. We are given a fantastic look at Donal's court and we spend some time with the Camberian Council. Characters mention the Airsid, Orin, and Jodotha (three things I would love to have explored in detail), and there is even a brief mention of my favorite Haldane: Javan (from King Javan's Year). The main story of this novel, spanning several years, however, is that of Alyce de Corwyn and who will be the heir to the duchy of Corwyn. All the while, King Donal needs to have a magical protector for his son, Brion, and he will do anything to get one. To be honest, that's about it. There is plenty of action, several characters are killed off, and I did not want to put the book down, but there is still not a whole lot of plot in this novel. It is more like a series of scenes rather than a story that is truly leading somewhere. Even so, I began to care for some of the characters. Alyce is a very sympathetic character and looks like she might be one of the stronger female characters since Evaine. There are several interesting supporting characters, but one of the most interesting characters in the novel is Donal himself. He is a conflicted character. On one hand he wants to do what is right for Gwynedd, his subjects, and his family. On the other hand, he is absolutely ruthless and is willing to do anything and everything to get his way (which he thinks is right and proper as King and that it is for the good of the realm). I wish that more time would have been spent dealing with the Camberian Council and I only hope that the next two novels will focus more on the Council. There are a lot of ways for this series to go and despite the lack of plot, I loved every minute of this book and I can't wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing. . .
Review: This one book has enough material for a trilogy. As it is, Kurtz--bless her heart--is trying to cram the maximum amount of story into the allotted number of pages, and it shows.
There are so many plot points and characterizations that scream for more development that it would take too long to enumerate them here.
I wish Kurtz could have talked her publisher into a trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best
Review: This story drags and is not one of Katerhine Kurtz's better stories.
Rating:
Summary: Before Alaric
Review: Warning: This review contains spoilers. Opening nearly forty years before the events of _Deryni Rising_, _In The King's Service_ introduces many new characters, some of whom have been mentioned in previous novels. We are also introduced to already known characters such as certain members of the Camberian Council, and Jared McLain and Caulay MacArdry, who both appear in younger incarnations. King Donal Haldane dominates this book, and he is a man and a king of a far different order than his future grandson, Kelson.This, I feel, makes him more historically accurate, since the medieval Kings of our own world could not afford to be pushovers. Donal is not wicked in the same sense that Hubert MacInnis was, but he is ruthless, and not visibly troubled by his conscience for anything he does. What he does, he does to protect his Kingdom and his family, but he demands much of his friends in this cause. Lady Jessamy McAthan bears a child for her King to be a Deryni protector for Prince Brion and his brothers, and when her enraged husband, Sief McAthan, attacks the King, Donal kills him in self-defense. When her son with Donal is brutally killed late in the book, Donal seeks to replace him with a son fathered upon Lady Alyce de Corwyn, but without her knowledge or consent, or that of her husband Kenneth Morgan, a loyal friend to the King. Not until the very end when Donal is caught in a manifestly humiliating situation does he express contrition for what he planned to do. We are also introduced to the Ducal family of Corwyn most notably Lady Alyce de Corwyn, who will become Alaric Morgan's mother. We also meet her siblings, Marie, Ahern and her twin, Vera who will become Duncan's mother. Since it was made clear in the first Kelson trilogy that Alyce and Vera's being twin sisters was kept a close secret all their lives, allowing Duncan to keep his own Deryni blood secret, Ms. Kurtz had to explain how it all came about in this novel. Having been raised by the close human friends of their parents, the manner of Vera's revelation to her sisters does stretch the reader's credulity, somewhat. However, if Duncan can be Dhugal's father, then I can live with Vera's having been raised by human parents. As Marie and Ahern do not appear in previous books, I was wary of growing too attached to them, as the life expectancy of Deryni characters is often rather short. And sadly, both of them do die in fairly horrible ways. Of the two, I liked Ahern best, and had he lived long enough to inherit his senior title of Duke of Corwyn, he would have made an excellent Duke. Alyce loses her father, sister and brother in terrible ways and in fairly rapid succession in this novel, but is able to recover from her grief for each of them almost too soon. I would have liked her to show more prolonged mourning. Fortunately, she still has Vera, and her friend Zoe Morgan, daughter of her eventual husband, Sir Kenneth Morgan. A modest, self-effacing man who is nonetheless intelligent, capable, and loyal, Kenneth Morgan is a welcome addition to the ranks of "good humans" in the Deryni canon. _In the King's Service_ is a fast, enjoyable read. If anything, I found it a little _too_ fast, and finished the book without having formed strong emotional attachments to any one character, which I regret. The timespan of earlier Deryni novels covers mere days, or months, or possibly the course of a year, and the plots moved from day to day in a slower, more intimate way, leaving the reader more time to know and love or hate the people involved, and to know more about the reasons for the actions and choices they make. _the King's Service_ spans almost a decade, and the necessary speed with which events are covered may account for a reader's feeling less emotionally involved with the characters. I found that I missed spending more time getting acquainted with the individual people and really learning what made them tick. I felt I "knew" Camber within a chapter or two of Camber of Culdi. To balance this, I enjoyed having a book with more female Deryni characters, something I felt was lacking in the earlier novels. There is the enigmatic Jessamy-can she or can she not be trusted, even though she was a close friend of Alyce's late mother Countess Stevana? There is the Queen Richeldis, who evidently has the maturity and breadth of mind to make a good marriage with the imperfect and much older Donal, and give him several children in the bargain. And most importantly, we meet the demoiselles de Corwyn, Alyce, Marie and Vera. I look forward to seeing more of Lady Alyce in the second novel, and of Vera, as well. I also liked the glimpse of Brion Haldane as a child in this novel, as I've been curious about him for years. I am eager to see him as a King and adult in the next two books, and to find out how his friendship with Alaric will evolve. And of course, I look forward to watching Alaric Morgan's early life.
Rating:
Summary: Transitional Novel
Review: While this novel is not as exciting as some of the others within the Deryni series, you get the feel that the stage is being set. I would have to agree with previous reviewers that it the novel sometimes does not flow as well as some of the earlier books, however that does not detract from the overall value of the book. I found that I could not put the book down and eagerily await the next book within the series.
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