After a long wait since The Harrowing of Gwynedd (1988), here's book number two in Kurtz's latest medieval, Celtic-flavored fantasy trilogy—an unremitting power struggle involving kings, nobles, the Church, and magic-powered Deryni. Upon the death of his consumptive brother Alroy, 16-year-old Javan comes to the throne of Gwynedd determined to win his independence from the ruling Regents' Council that has repressed the people, enslaved or anathematized the Deryni, and contributed to Alroy's death (they drugged him to make him more tractable). The Regents further intend to maintain their evil rule by controlling Javan, his younger brother Rhys Michael, or their heirs. Among Javan's utterly loyal followers are, secretly, some Deryni who help Javan awaken the Deryni-like magic powers that are the heritage of his Haldane forebears. But his enemies—the most dangerous of whom are Paulin (sort of a chief inquisitor, and head of the most brutal anti-Deryni sect), other bishops, and powerful anti-Deryni nobles- -deploy some biddable Deryni of their own (the bad guys hold their families hostage) whose presence serves to counter Javan's own magical abilities; a horrid, magic-destroying drug is readily available, so Javan and his Deryni allies dare not reveal themselves. A non-Haldane claimant to the throne provides an additional complication. Finally, the disbelieving and easily swayed Rhys Michael is kidnapped by Paulin-instructed fake Deryni and tempted into a premature marriage, while Paulin's multiple treacheries threaten to overwhelm Javan. A grim, brutal installment, but well up to Kurtz's usual standard: layer upon layer of patient detail, life-sized characters, and controlled, intricate plotting.
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-345-33260-1
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1992
At Buckkeep in the Six Duchies, young Fitz, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry, is raised as a stablehand by old warrior Burrich. But when Chivalry dies without legitimate issue—murdered, it's rumored—Fitz, at the orders of King Shrewd, is brought into the palace and trained in the knightly and courtly arts. Meanwhile, secretly at night, he receives instruction from another bastard, Chade, in the assassin's craft. Now, King Shrewd's subjects are imperiled by the visits of the Red-Ship Raiders—formidable warriors who pillage the seacoasts and turn their human victims into vicious, destructive zombies. Since rehabilitating the zombies proves impossible, it's Fitz's task to go abroad covertly and kill them as quickly and humanely as possible. Shrewd orders that Fitz be taught the Skill—mental powers of telepathy and coercion possessed by all those of the royal line; his teacher is Galen, a sadistic ally of the popinjay Prince Regal, who hates Fitz all the more for his loyalty to Shrewd's other son, the stalwart soldier Verity. Galen brutalizes Fitz and, unknown to anyone, implants a mental block that prevents Fitz from using the Skill. Later, Shrewd decrees that, to cement an alliance, Verity shall wed the Princess Kettricken, heir to a remote yet rich mountain kingdom. Verity, occupied with Skillfully keeping the Red-Ship Raiders at bay, can't go to collect his bride, so Regal and Fitz are sent. Finally, Fitz must discover the depths of Regal's perfidy, recapture his true Skill, win Kettricken's heart for Verity, and help Verity defeat the Raiders. An intriguing, controlled, and remarkably assured debut, at once satisfyingly self-contained yet leaving plenty of scope for future extensions and embellishments.
Pub Date: April 17, 1995
ISBN: 0-553-37445-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Spectra/Bantam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.
A tightly wound caseworker is pushed out of his comfort zone when he’s sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children.
Linus Baker loves rules, which makes him perfectly suited for his job as a midlevel bureaucrat working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, where he investigates orphanages for children who can do things like make objects float, who have tails or feathers, and even those who are young witches. Linus clings to the notion that his job is about saving children from cruel or dangerous homes, but really he’s a cog in a government machine that treats magical children as second-class citizens. When Extremely Upper Management sends for Linus, he learns that his next assignment is a mission to an island orphanage for especially dangerous kids. He is to stay on the island for a month and write reports for Extremely Upper Management, which warns him to be especially meticulous in his observations. When he reaches the island, he meets extraordinary kids like Talia the gnome, Theodore the wyvern, and Chauncey, an amorphous blob whose parentage is unknown. The proprietor of the orphanage is a strange but charming man named Arthur, who makes it clear to Linus that he will do anything in his power to give his charges a loving home on the island. As Linus spends more time with Arthur and the kids, he starts to question a world that would shun them for being different, and he even develops romantic feelings for Arthur. Lambda Literary Award–winning author Klune (The Art of Breathing, 2019, etc.) has a knack for creating endearing characters, and readers will grow to love Arthur and the orphans alongside Linus. Linus himself is a lovable protagonist despite his prickliness, and Klune aptly handles his evolving feelings and morals. The prose is a touch wooden in places, but fans of quirky fantasy will eat it up.
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21728-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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