The Harrowing of Gwynedd (Volume 1 of The Heirs of Saint Camber)

by Katherine Kurtz

Book Overview

Evil times had come for rthe Deryni, the humans with strange, magical powers. The Regents of the boy-king Alroy sought their destruction. And now Bishop Alister Cullen was dead, depriving the Deryni of their greatest friend. But no one could be sure he was really dead. His body lay unchanged and incorruptible. As those questions remained unanswered, the effort to save Deryni had to continue. In the meanwhile, Camber's daughter Evaine pursued the most...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345332598
• ISBN13: 9780345332592
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Del Rey
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.5" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Missing pages

The story is good. The book had missing pages.

More to come?

This was an excellent book. I hope that this won't be the end of this generation of characters in the Deryni series. All of Ms. Kurtz novels feature main characters of strong moral value, and this is not an exception. This is a novel full of the usual well written and thought out scenes, and strong charaters. It is, as are of her Ms. Kurtz books enjoyable and believable. It has a good number of surprises as well, and it's own fair share of suspense and intrigue. The charaters struggle and risk all they have for what the feel is the greater good. They stop at nothing to do what is right, and accomplish it while attempting to hurt as few others along the way as possible. this is a page turner of a book. It won't dissapoint.

One of the better of the Deryni series

I have mixed feelings about the Deryni series. At it's best it is very authentic, mixing a very detailed pseudo-pagan medievalism with a well thought out magical system. It fails sometimes though in the characterizations and motivations and gets rather gimmicky and embarrassingly self-imitative at times. But this book is not one of those. The books featuring St Camber and his children and the beginning of the Haldane line are generally quite fun and illustrate medieval religious issues in a fantasy format. I haven't come across too many books that deal with the issue of Sainthood in an almost physical way, which is odd because there are so many medieval based fantasy characters out there. Or if I have come across fantasy books featuring the issue of Sainthood they must have been so bad I can't remember any of them. This one is good. All the more so since it studies a character who was both admirable and interesting. And as I remember it, it's been awhile, the plot has some surprising quirks. You might want to read the three previous books that feature Camber himself, or you might want to let this story introduce you to the legend.

The Harrowing Of Gwynedd

I applaud Katherine Kurtz's ability to introduce her characters to all readers so that they feel like family. I was moved to tears by the ending of this novel, yet was left with a smile on my face. I can only say that this is a MUST read for deryni fans, and everyone else on the planet as well. The heirs of Saint Camber is a stunning example of a fantasy series that, in another time, could be true.

Another book of courage and tragedy........

The Harrowing of Gwynedd sees the Deryni people on the verge of extinction, as a small group of them attempt to make stand. The story centers on Evaine, daughter of Camber, as she leads the struggle. She is a mother, a soceress, and a warrior, whose skills are tested to the limit. Her success or failure will determine the fate of her people. Read this book and see what happens. Her character is both strong and believeable, as her presence dominates this book