Kurtz, Katherine
Entry updated 11 March 2024. Tagged: Author.
(1944- ) US author employed in various fields including oceanography and cancer research, as well as a stint as instructional designer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Her fiction, basically Fantasy, though with a sensation of underlying premises arguable in sf terms, has been dominated from the beginning by the unfolding Chronicles of the Deryni sequences, all set in a highly detailed, coherent Parallel World whose society is hierarchical and in many of its aspects medieval Welsh. By internal chronology they are: The Legends of Camber of Culdi, comprising Camber of Culdi (1976), Saint Camber (1978) and Camber the Heretic (1980); The Heirs of Saint Camber, comprising The Harrowing of Gwynedd (1989), King Javan's Year (1992) and The Bastard Prince (1994); The Chronicles of the Deryni comprising Deryni Rising (1970), Deryni Checkmate (1972) and High Deryni (1973) – all assembled as The Chronicles of the Deryni (omni 1985) – King Javan's Year (1992) and The Bastard Prince (1994); and The Histories of King Kelson, comprising The Bishop's Heir (1984), The King's Justice (1985), The Quest for Saint Camber (1986) and King Kelson's Bride (2000). These chronicles tell the history of a group of humans whose witchlike Psi Powers, the explanation for which hovers between sf and mysticism, cause them to be persecuted by a medieval Church. The first-written novel Deryni Rising is perhaps the best, but the whole is generally much above average for Heroic Fantasy and is well characterized, although sometimes archaic and modern language clash. Appended to the series are two supplementary volumes: The Deryni Archives (1986) and Deryni Magic: A Grimoire (1991).
Kurtz's other work of interest includes The Legacy of Lehr (1986), juvenile sf; and the Adam Smith sequence with Deborah Turner Harris [for these titles and for other fantasies, see Checklist]. [JC/PN]
see also: Del Rey Books; Magic.
Katherine Irene Kurtz
born Coral Gables, Florida: 18 October 1944
works
series
Chronicles of the Deryni
- Deryni Rising (New York: Ballantine Books, 1970) [Chronicles of the Deryni: pb/Bob Pepper]
- Deryni Checkmate (New York: Ballantine Books, 1972) [Chronicles of the Deryni: pb/Bob Pepper]
- High Deryni (New York: Ballantine Books, 1973) [Chronicles of the Deryni: pb/Alan Mardon]
- The Chronicles of the Deryni (Garden City, New York: Nelson Doubleday, 1985) [omni of the above three: Chronicles of the Deryni: hb/Dan Horne]
Chronicles of the Deryni: Legends of Camber of Culdi
- Camber of Culdi (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1976) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Legends of Camber of Culdi: pb/Ted Coconis]
- Saint Camber (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1978) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Legends of Camber of Culdi: pb/Darrell K Sweet]
- Camber the Heretic (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1980) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Legends of Camber of Culdi: pb/Darrell K Sweet]
Chronicles of the Deryni: Histories of King Kelson
- The Bishop's Heir (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1984) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Histories of King Kelson: hb/Darrell K Sweet]
- The King's Justice (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1985) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Histories of King Kelson: hb/Darrell K Sweet]
- The Quest for Saint Camber (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1986) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Histories of King Kelson: hb/Darrell K Sweet]
- King Kelson's Bride (New York: Ace Books, 2000) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Histories of King Kelson: hb/Jon Sullivan]
Chronicles of the Deryni: Heirs of Saint Camber
- The Harrowing of Gwynedd (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1989) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Heirs of Saint Camber: hb/Michael Herring]
- King Javan's Year (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1992) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Heirs of Saint Camber: hb/Michael Herring]
- The Bastard Prince (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1994) [Chronicles of the Deryni: Heirs of Saint Camber: hb/Edwin Herder]
Chronicles of the Deryni: The Childe Morgan
- In the King's Service (New York: Ace Books, 2003) [The Childe Morgan: hb/Matt Stawicki]
- Childe Morgan (New York: Ace Books, 2006) [The Childe Morgan: hb/Matt Stawicki]
- The King's Deryni (New York: Ace Books, 2014) [The Childe Morgan: hb/Christopher Brewer and Christos Georghiou]
Chronicles of the Deryni: miscellaneous titles
- The Deryni Archives (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1986) [coll: Chronicles of the Deryni: pb/Darrell K Sweet]
- Deryni Magic: A Grimoire (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1991) [Chronicles of the Deryni: pb/Michael Herring]
- Codex Derynianus (Grass Valley, California: Underwood Books, 1998) with Robert Reginald [guide to Deryni: hb/Hannah M G Shapiro]
- Codex Derynianus II (Grass Valley, California: Underwood Books, 2005) with Robert Reginald [exp vt of the above: guide to Deryni: pb/Hannah M G Shapiro]
- Venture in Vain (San Bernardino, California: Millefleurs, 2001) [story: chap: Deryni: pb/]
- Deryni Tales (New York: Ace Books, 2002) [anth: Chronicles of the Deryni: pb/Victor Stabin]
- The King's Deryni (New York: Ace Books, 2014) [Chronicles of the Deryni: hb/S Ferdon, Christopher Brewer, Christos Georghiou]
Adam Smith/Adept
- The Adept (New York: Ace Books, 1991) with Deborah Turner Harris [Adam Smith/Adept: pb/Tom Kidd]
- The Adept: The Lodge of the Lynx (New York: Ace Books, 1992) with Deborah Turner Harris [Adam Smith/Adept: pb/Daniel R Horne]
- The Adept: Book Three: The Templar Treasure (New York: Ace Books, 1993) with Deborah Turner Harris [Adam Smith/Adept: pb/Bryant Eastman]
- Dagger Magic (New York: Ace Books, 1995) with Deborah Turner Harris [Adam Smith/Adept: hb/Joe Burleson]
- Death of an Adept (New York: Ace Books, 1996) with Deborah Turner Harris [Adam Smith/Adept: hb/Joe Burleson]
Knights Templar
- The Temple and the Stone (New York: Warner Aspect, 1999) with Deborah Turner Harris [Knights Templar: hb/Greg Call]
- The Temple and the Crown (New York: Warner Aspect, 2001) with Deborah Turner Harris [Knights Templar: hb/Greg Call]
individual titles
- Lammas Night (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1983) [pb/]
- The Legacy of Lehr (New York: Walker and Co/Millennium, 1986) [hb/Michael William Kaluta]
- Two Crowns for America (New York: Bantam Spectra, 1997) [hb/Kinuko Y Craft]
- St Patrick's Gargoyle (New York: Ace Books, 2001) [hb/Jon Sullivan]
- The Man with the Knives (Upper Montclair, New Jersey: Temporary Culture, 2010) [novella: chap: hb/]
works as editor
series
Knights Templar
- Tales of the Knights Templar (New York: Warner Aspect, 1995) [anth: Knights Templar: pb/Gary Ruddell]
- On Crusade: More Tales of the Knights Templar (New York: Warner Aspect, 1998) [anth: Knights Templar: pb/Greg Call]
- Crusade of Fire: Mystical Tales of the Knights Templar (New York: Warner Aspect, 2002) [anth: Knights Templar: pb/Greg Call]
about the author
- Mary A Burgess and Robert Reginald (writing as Boden Clarke). The Work of Katherine Kurtz: An Annotated Bibliography & Guide (San Bernardino, California: Borgo Press, 1993) [nonfiction: in the publisher's Bibliographies of Modern Authors series: pb/Beth Gwinn]
links
- Rhemuth Castle: The Official Site of all things Katherine Kurtz
- Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Picture Gallery
previous versions of this entry