King Kelson's Bride PDF
Preview King Kelson's Bride
When we first met Kelson (in Kurtz's debut novel, __), he was fourteen and about to ascend to the throne of Gwynedd, the medieval realm that never was, where a small minority of the populace, the Deryni, have magical abilities.
Many novels later, King Kelson--in whom the Deryni blood flows strong--has come fully into his power and it is time to marry and begin the serious business of begetting heirs. Aficionados of The Deryni Chronicles will know that marriage and Kelson don't mix: his first betrothed was murdered on their wedding day and his second was tricked into marrying another. Now the young heir of Torenth, a rival kingdom, is about to be crowned, and securing Kelson's succession has become a matter of urgency--and intrigue. Kelson's mother, his friends, his ex-fiancée, the mysterious Camberian Council, rival powers, and friendly allies all have their own candidates and agendas. With the future of Gwynedd at stake, Kelson has to learn to trust his enemies, use all his magic and might, and find a middle path between his duty as king and his feelings as a man. The king, like the author, succeeds admirably. --Luc Duplessis
From Publishers WeeklyThe latest entry in the bestselling Deryni series is, like its predecessors, set in a land analogous to medieval Wales and featuring the Deryni, a human minority with magical powers. It also resolves the longstanding question of when King Kelson Haldane of Gwynedd is going to get married. He has missed two opportunities, one due to a lady's death and the other to family treachery. He has no wife and no heir save his uncle and cousins, but the old rivals and users of corrupt Deryni magic in neighboring Torenth do have heirs. They also have as many ambitions and as few scruples as ever, so the intrigues fly thick and fast when Kelson seeks to wed Araxie, daughter of the Hort of Orsal, another ruler from the Haldane line. Overcoming these complications (which include the usual magical sequences, at which the author remains as polished and expert as ever) brings Kelson and Araxie together, until what began as an alliance of state warms into a love matchAwhich readers who have followed Kelson this far will agree he deserves. The sympathetic characters are almost too nice, the pacing is often leisurely and a certain lack of the gritty details of medieval society is apparent. Even so, Kurtz, one of the founders of modern historical fantasy, after nearly 30 years continues to be one of its most accomplished practitioners. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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