Rhemuth Castle - The Official Site of Katherine Kurtz

1. In what order should the Deryni books be read?

We have listed the books in chronological order. Katherine recommends reading them in the

order published. (That means starting with the Chronicles of the Deryni and then reading the Camber series.) Members of alt.books.deryni newsgroup have debated this at length without reaching a consensus. Most recommend starting with either Deryni Rising or Camber of Culdi, although a reasonable argument can be made for starting with The Bishop's Heir. The Heirs of Saint Camber is a particularly dark trilogy so it's not a recommended starting point except for readers with a taste for the darker books. Deryni Archives, Deryni Magic, and Codex Derynianus should be read after the other books to be fully understood.

2. Are there two Deryni Archives? What's the difference?

The Deryni Archives book contains short stories written by Katherine Kurtz.

Deryni Archives: The Magazine contains fan fiction which is edited by Julianne Toomey-Kautz and Laura Jefferson, as well as Katherine herself.

3. What are the Eleven Kingdoms?

The Lay of the Lord Llewellyn appears at the front of Camber of Culdi.

Now, these are the Names of the Eleven Kingdoms, sung rightly well of old:

Howicce, and Llannedd, and fierce Connait; mountainous Meara, the Land Beyond the River; and Kheldour, the windswept; and pastoral Eastmarch; Tolan, and Torenth, and myth-ridden Mooryn; and lost Caeriesse, which sank beneath the sea; and far-reaching Gwynedd, seat of the Haldane Kings.

                --Lay of the Lord Llewellyn  
                   Troubadour to the High  
                   King of Mooryn

Tolan, Torenth, Caeriesse, Gwynedd, Howicce, Llanedd, Connait, are all pretty

straightforward. (It should be noted that the Duchy of Haldane is a part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. However, a cursory summary of the history of Gwynedd's founding would seem to indicate that the Haldane duchy was, among several other pieces of land, a precursor to Gwynedd rather than absorbed by it.)

Mooryn is the original land now comprised of Corwyn and Carthmoor. Meara became Cassan,

Kierney, and what's now called Meara. Kheldour became the Duchy of Claibourne and the Earldom of Rhendall. The Earldom of Rhendall, like the Earldom of Kierney's relationship with Cassan, is held by the heir of the Duke of Claibourne. Also a product of this splitting was the Kheldish Riding, held directly as a Crown territory (I believe) And Eastmarch split into Eastmarch and Marley.

         --Felan

4. How do I pronounce all these names?

Please see the Pronunciation Guide for pronunciation help with Katherine's exotic names.

For more information, please follow this link to the FAQ online that Rebecca Davis has created at FAQ The Rebecca Davis FAQ needs to be updated as it does not cover material from Childe Morgan forward.

DeryniFAQ