Deryni Rising

Deryni Rising
By Katherine Kurtz
Ballantine Books, 1970, 270 pgs. Fantasy

After his father is mysteriously murdered, Prince Kelson, age 14, is suddenly placed into the daunting role as King. (Is Charissa involved?) Protected and tutored by Alaric Morgan and Father Duncan, two Deryni loyal to his father, young Kelson must come of age while struggling with a family secret, his newly discovered magical powers and the political unrest in his alternate medieval kingdom, Gwynedd. Being known as a Deryni could be a death sentence, using those powers openly could seal one's fate. But Kelson and his protectors MUST try to maintain their hold on the kingdom. As the magic thickens, so does the plot.

As one reads this book, keep in mind that it was written over 40 years ago so it may seem a bit old fashioned. Katherine Kurtz was one of the first who dared to write in the then new genre, fantasy. There is a small amount of mild language. While I didn't love this book, I would still recommend it to someone (teen or adult) who was just trying out the magical genre of fantasy. "Deryni Rising" if the first book in the "Chronicles of the Deryni" series.

mpb