Deryni Rising
core novel 1970 Chronicles of the Deryni
Record
| First published | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.96 (7,867 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| Page count | 271 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780441016600 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Deryni Rising, first novel in Katherine Kurtz's Chronicles of the Deryni, is set in the historical-fantasy kingdom of Gwynedd, where the ruling Haldane line has long concealed a dangerous secret: some of their blood carries the magical powers of the Deryni, a people branded outcasts and persecuted by the all-powerful Church. When King Brion Haldane dies suddenly while hunting, his young son, Prince Kelson, must prepare to take the throne, only to learn that his father had hidden from him a ritual capable of awakening the boy's own dormant Deryni heritage. Before Kelson can be crowned, the sorceress Charissa, a Deryni noblewoman with a rival claim, threatens to strike during the coronation itself and seize the crown by force.
Where it sits
- Universe: Chronicles of the Deryni
- Series: The Chronicles of the Deryni core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Katherine Kurtz
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Adult Literature), 1971: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (The Chronicles of the Deryni): The original Deryni trilogy, the first 3 Deryni novels Kurtz published. The wider Deryni setting later grew to further trilogies (Camber of Culdi, Childe Morgan) and additional novels/collections spanning decades -- deliberately not researched or registered, out of scope for now.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Chronicles of the Deryni: position 1 of 3: next Deryni Checkmate (1972)
- Internal chronology, within Chronicles of the Deryni: position 1 of 9: next Camber of Culdi (1976)
Sources
← Chronicles of the Deryni dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.