Katherine Kurtz has returned to the world of Gwynedd
after a six year absence with the long-awaited novel King Kelson’s
Bride. Although the title
promises a romance-style novel which focuses on Kelson’s selection of a
wife and the building of a relationship, the book itself more closely
follows Kelson’s political dealings with the kingdom of
Torenth as he travels to Beldour for the coronation of King Liam
after Liam has served as a squire in Kelson’s court for four years.
On the way to Torenth, Kelson visits Orsal, where, at
the instigation of Rothana, the woman he loves but cannot marry, he arranges
to meet with his cousin Araxie and consider her as a possible queen.
Although Kelson and Araxie haven’t seen each other in several
years, they consider the match out of a sense of duty rather than any sort
of emotional attachment.
King Kelson’s Bride is much more optimistic
than Kurtz’s last trilogy, “The Heirs of Saint Camber.” Deryni are becoming more accepted as part of Gwynedd society
and even manage to acquire a surprising ally.
Peace with Torenth seems to be attainable for the first time in two
centuries. Several marriages
are arranged, many based on affection rather than simply politics, and other
possible relationships are shown beginning.
Unfortunately, King Kelson’s Bride is not a
good introduction to the Kurtz’s world.
Kurtz expects her readers to have knowledge of the characters and
their relationships from early novels.
While this allows Kurtz to create a richer novel, it also means that
new readers may find themselves trying to figure out what the characters are
talking about. However, readers
are advised to read “The Deryni Chronicles”* and
“The Chronicles of King Kelson”** before embarking on King
Kelson’s Bride. Fortunately,
all of the books are well worth the time to read and the possible effort to
track down.
Kurtz frequently builds on events which occurred in
previous novels, usually alluding to the background the reader needs, but as
often as not assuming the reader already understands what has happened.
Duke Nigel’s dispossession of his grandson Albin, for instance,
plays a major role in Kelson’s actions.
Kurtz does a good job reminding the reader why Albin was
dispossessed, but unless the reader has read The Quest for Saint Camber,
the specifics are left undefined. A similar case is when Kurtz refers to the captivity Sean
Derry suffered at the former Torenthi monarch, Wencit.
Gwynedd continues to show all the intricacies of a real
nation, and Kurtz has brought her understanding of politics and the Medieval
mind to creating a three-dimensional Torenth, rather than the specter which
has appeared in previous books when Torenth mostly served as a foil to
Gwynedd.
When all is said and done, King Kelson’s Bride
has the feel of a novel written as part of a continuing series.
Kurtz sets in motion several plots which have not come to fruition by
the end of the novel as well as hints of things which will take place long
after the novel has finished. While
this can be somewhat frustrating, it is also one of the strengths of
Kurtz’s writing. The reader knows that the characters have lives outside the
confines of the novel, allowing for Kurtz’s fans to speculate on future
events while waiting for the next novel to be published. With luck, the wait for the next book won’t take seven more
years.
*The
Deryni Chronicles are comprised of Deryni
Rising, Deryni
Checkmate and High
Deryni .
**The
Chronicles of King Kelson are comprised of The
Bishop’s Heir, The
King’s Justice and The
Quest for Saint Camber.
