| abstract
| - A fantasy series, by Katherine Kurtz, about medieval power politics in a world where there is a race of psychic humans: the Deryni. The first installment in the series was published in 1970, making it a relatively early example of modern fantasy, and one which is not modelled on Tolkien. Most of the stories take place in Gwynedd (pronounced "GWI-neth"), intended to mirror Britain, including clear fantasy counterparts to Scotland and Wales. In some ways, however, Gwynedd feels closer to Germany or Poland, since it is in central Europe, sharing a border with Torenth, a realm which is the counterpart of Russia with aspects of Hungary (such as the vineyards of Arjenol and Komnénë). Gwynedd and Torenth have a history of conflict that spans centuries. The Deryni (pronounced "dâr-IN-ee" The word is both singular and plural, both noun and adjective.) are all empathic, and mildly telepathic. Sufficiently powerful Deryni can perform full mind control, telekinesis, and some Ritual Magic. They can't teleport freely, but they can construct portals, and teleport from a portal to any other they know well - a fairly unusual restriction in fantasy. Extensive and/or repeated use of the powers in a short timeframe is also physically exhausting. While the simpler psychic powers can be developed without special training, the ritual magic has to be formally taught. Since the Deryni have been persecuted for centuries, they've forgotten much about their powers, particularly the ritual magic and Healing. Though the Deryni are treated by the characters as a separate race, patterns of inheritance suggest they're more like redheads, and there is intermarriage between Deryni and ordinary humans. Deryni have never been as numerous as the ordinary humans with which they live, and the persecution has further reduced their numbers. The church in Gwynedd, and the surrounding kingdoms, is very closely based on medieval Catholicism (minus a Pope equivalent), with liturgical services in Latin and using the real world's Bible. Torenth is depicted with an Eastern Orthodox style Christianity, complete with services in Greek, churches with icons, and metropolitans (as opposed to bishops) headed by a patriarch. The majority of the protagonists are Deryni, and many of the villains are senior churchmen, but some of the Deryni are bishops, some of them are villains, and some of the bishops are good. The power struggles are largely political, with no side having a monopoly on virtue. The overarching challenge of the books is that of building a just and stable social order for humans and Deryni despite their differences, their historical baggage and their capacity for evil. The books were mostly published as a sequence of trilogies. In publication order, they are:
* The Deryni Chronicles
* Deryni Rising
* Deryni Checkmate
* High Deryni As this trilogy starts, the Deryni in Gwynedd have been persecuted by the church for two centuries, unfortunately for the new king, whose mother is Deryni (and suffers from internalized guilt and self-loathing because of this fact). Matters are further complicated by threats from a rival royal house of highly-trained Deryni from Torenth who use their arcane powers in an attempt to reconquer their neighbours. The first trilogy includes some forms of magic (specifically summoning nasty creatures) which have never been seen since. This in a sense justified since persecution of Deryni is still ongoing in some areas and openly advocated by some highly-placed people, laymen and clergy. Also, it's Deryni villains past the Moral Event Horizon who do most of this sort of thing (Charissa in the coronation duel and Rhydon at the behest of Wencit of Torenth while torturing a captive).
* Camber of Culdi
* Camber of Culdi
* Saint Camber
* Camber the Heretic This was a Prequel series set over two centuries before the first trilogy, providing the Backstory. As the first book begins, Gwynedd has been ruled by Deryni tyrants from Torenth for 80 years, producing widespread anti-Deryni feeling.
* The Histories of King Kelson
* The Bishop's Heir
* The King's Justice
* The Quest for Saint Camber. In the first two books, the archbishop deposed at the end of the first trilogy escapes from his prison and joins a rebellion in the formerly independent kingdom of Meara.
* The Heirs of Saint Camber
* The Harrowing of Gwynedd
* King Javan's Year
* The Bastard Prince This prequel trilogy follows on directly from Camber the Heretic, without any break.
* King Kelson's Bride - in which he finally gets married for more than a few seconds. Kelson also helps the heir to Torenth (another 14 year old boy) defeat an attempted coup d'etat and releases him from his oath of fealty, forging a new alliance of equals after centuries of rivalry. The victory is not complete however, for Evil Uncle Teymuraz escapes. Kelson and his courtiers also continue the work of reestablishing Deryni heritage; Duncan consecrates a chapel dedicated to Saint Camber using magic with an archbishop at each elbow.
* The Childe Morgan trilogy
* In the King's Service
* Childe Morgan
* (Forthcoming) This trilogy begins about three decades before Deryni Rising. The focus is largely on the backstory of Duke Alaric Morgan (who is born at the end of ITKS) and his cousin Duncan McLain, as well as their immediate ancestors, but readers also get to see more of Kelson's father King Brion who is murdered in the opening of Deryni Rising, as well as a younger Prince Nigel. In addition, there are several volumes of supplementary material:
* Deryni Archives includes short stories by Kurtz that provide glimpses of the major characters' lives outside the novels, including Rhys Thuryn's discovery of his Healing ability, the ordination of Deryni Denis Arilan, and Derry's entering the service of Duke Alaric Morgan.
* Deryni Magic contains explanations of how the magic works and how the Deryni trait is inherited, as well as a short story describing life in a Healers' school.
* Deryni Tales is a volume of fan fiction, with one story from Kurtz herself involving the disappearance of renegade mage Lewys ap Norfal.
* Codex Derynianus has genealogies, maps, and minibiographies of the many major and minor characters; it is purportedly written by a "Brother Theophilus" much as the real-world Croyland Chronicle was partly if not entirely written at Croyland Abbey over the course of several centuries.
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