Suggested Reading Order

[DesertRose]

It's probably either a minor miracle or a testament to how nerdy I am that I ever read the whole series, since I picked up Deryni Magic at a book clearance sale that was held in what had once been a home-improvement store (along the lines of Home Depot or Lowe's, it was a big space), and I was both confused and intrigued reading it, since it's meant to be a companion book and not really something to be read independently of the rest of the Deryni series. 

I don't really recommend going about it the way I did, since I basically did things in the most backwards way possible, LOL.   

But I started accumulating the rest of the series at used book shops, since I bought Magic in the early 1990's, so a lot of the ones that were published earlier were not so easy to find in bookstores that sell new books.  It was either The Harrowing of Gwynedd or King Javan's Year that was the first one I bought newly published.

And here I am; the only works of hers that I don't own in hard copy are The Legacy of Lehr (which, I must confess, I've never read either), St. Patrick's Gargoyle (though I just snapped that up on Kindle yesterday), the two Templar books (The Temple and the Stone, which I also just snagged yesterday on Kindle, and The Temple and the Crown), a first edition Codex Derynianus (I have a second edition, though), and Venture in Vain, and the latter two are limited editions, so they're a bit thin on the ground.

[revanne]

Back in 1984 when I was 25 I returned to Oxford to collect my Master's degree - Oxford still having the medieval system whereby you can convert a Bachelor's degree to a  Master's after 4 years on payment of £10, which even as a penurious new Mum was within my reach. (My daughters who have both worked extremely hard for their Master's degrees are seriously unimpressed).

I stayed with an old college friend and her husband for a week and they gave me Deryni Rising to read "You'll like this, it's got religion in it".  I was hooked by the combination of fantasy which I loved, and  the Christian worldview that somewhat weirdly ( in the view at least of most of my family and friends)  I shared. Within that week I had read the first of the Kelson era trilogies and the first Camber era trilogy and they lodged in my imagination. From time to time I made attempts to look for the books again but never with any luck.

Scroll on nearly 30 years, 3 children, about 30 assorted pets and ordination to the Anglican priesthood later, to when I acquired a Kindle and found some novels co-authored by Katherine Kurtz (the Adept stories). I enjoyed them but they didn't have Duncan or Joram in them, a big drawback. The Deryni series were not then available in electronic format in the UK but access to Amazon revealed the possibility of cheap second hand copies from across the pond and I revisited the originals and devoured the rest of the series. Having read everything published on the Deryni and still hungry I went looking on the Web and found Rhemuth Castle open to well-intentioned members of the public and a gracious welcome offered by it's denizens. What did I use to do with my spare time?

[Laurna]

I revisited the originals and devoured the rest of the series. Having read everything published on the Deryni and still hungry I went looking on the Web and found Rhemuth Castle open to well-intentioned members of the public and a gracious welcome offered by it's denizens. What did I use to do with my spare time?

Haha!  I know what you mean, Revanne.

Actually Rhemuth Castle has saved me from hours upon hours of World of Warcraft. I find I can not read and write on the same day I play WOW. Therefore I consider Rhemuth Castle good for my brain. Much more interactive than mindless gaming. I am so glad we did not have gaming when I was in college, I may never have read these books if I had that avenue for escapism. It is good to remind myself to keep reading. And it is good to motivate young people to read.

[whitelaughter]

Haven't read the 'later' books (last I read was Harrowing) but up to that point read in publication order.
The obvious advantage of chronological order is that the canonization of Camber will be as much a shock to the reader as it was to the characters. I didn't find any 'spoilers' for the later books; the Quest is mostly learning about things that happened after Camber as near as I could see.
I'd still recommend starting with Deryni rising though; it is a superb stand alone work.

[Lioness08332]

I haven't read any of these books in many many years. I have recently reacquired a few of them & I'm looking to fill in the holes in the collection this weekend at my local used book stores (wish me luck) and with Amazon & Half Price Books. This has always been my favorite series and Ms. Kurtz, my favorite author.  I am so glad this topic was here because I could not for the life of me remember where to start! Thanks for the help! Fortunately, I do have Deryni Rising!

[DesertRose]

I haven't read any of these books in many many years. I have recently reacquired a few of them & I'm looking to fill in the holes in the collection this weekend at my local used book stores (wish me luck) and with Amazon & Half Price Books. This has always been my favorite series and Ms. Kurtz, my favorite author.  I am so glad this topic was here because I could not for the life of me remember where to start! Thanks for the help! Fortunately, I do have Deryni Rising!

Welcome!  I know the used bookstore nearest me usually has copies of most of the Deryni series, or at least, they did last I looked.  Amazon usually has used copies in decent shape, too, for fairly reasonable prices, unless you're looking for a first-edition Codex Derynianus, in which case you'd better be ready to spend some $$$$.   

[revanne]

Amazon used copies were a godsend for me as sadly few of KK's works are readily available in the UK. Even with shipping costs across the pond they were quite reasonable although my codex ( not first edition) had to be a birthday prezent to myself.

[Evie]

 Welcome to the Castle! I am in the process of reading some of the series also when time permits. (I've read the Kelson-era books many times, but lost my Camber and post-Camber books along the way and have only recently managed to replace them.) They are also available in ebook format now, as well as the newer Childe Morgan trilogy. And we have lots of Deryni fan fiction on the forum as well.

[Laurna]

I have them all in hardback, I have the first series in soft back ( these are the ones I bought in college from a used bookstore), and now I have them all again in e-book. What I love about the e-book, is that in my research of people, I can put in to my Kindle a search for a character name and review half recalled facts to make them accurate. As for my Codex second edition? It is getting so much abuse, I will soon need a second copy of it.
Now, if the codex would just go on E-book style, then my research would be perfect. 

[Lioness08332]

My hubby & I are going bookstore hopping on Friday... both used & new. We'll see what I can find. Then I'll order what's left over from Amazon.  I started re-reading DR yesterday afternoon. WOW, how much I had forgotten! It really has been too many years!

I have had a great time exploring just this section of the castle! Now on to the other wings!

Lioness

[Evie]

Now, if the codex would just go on E-book style, then my research would be perfect. 

There were plans for this, although they have been at least postponed due to Rob Reginald's death and KK not having all his files yet.  (At least not at that time; this might have changed.)

[Marko]

Back in 1983 I was looking for a new series of books to read after spending 8 months at sea on what was then the Navy's newest Aircraft Carrier.  I found Camber of Culdi at a B. Dalton bookstore in Hayward, CA.  The synopsis on the inside cover sounded interesting, so I bought it. The following week I went back and bought the other 5 then available books.  I read the rest of the Camber books and then the original Deryni series.  When the Bishop's Heir came out in paperback, I re-read the books in the order that I had purchased them.  When I've needed to do a refresher since then, I read them in chronological order.  Not sure if I would recommend that order for someone new to the series, since the Heirs of Saint Camber can be a bit heavy and rather dark.

[DesertRose]

Back in 1983 I was looking for a new series of books to read after spending 8 months at sea on what was then the Navy's newest Aircraft Carrier.  I found Camber of Culdi at a B. Dalton bookstore in Hayward, CA.  The synopsis on the inside cover sounded interesting, so I bought it. The following week I went back and bought the other 5 then available books.  I read the rest of the Camber books and then the original Deryni series.  When the Bishop's Heir came out in paperback, I re-read the books in the order that I had purchased them.  When I've needed to do a refresher since then, I read them in chronological order.  Not sure if I would recommend that order for someone new to the series, since the Heirs of Saint Camber can be a bit heavy and rather dark.

I actually have point-blank asked people who expressed an interest in the KK section on my bookshelf how well they like reading heavy/dark subject material and then I make the decision on where I think they ought to start reading the Deryni series (which often involves loaning them my copy, which is why I get to be Book Goddess on that ).

People who don't mind (or even actively like) stories in which the fecal matter is striking the air oscillator big time for the characters get started with Camber of Culdi; people who prefer lighter stories will get Deryni Rising (although it certainly has its share of perilous/dark moments too).

My mother is a special case.  I'm trying to pull her into KK fandom a bit sideways; now that she's on a WWII history kick again, I've loaned her my copy of Lammas Night (for the second time; she didn't get around to reading it the first time, but that might also have been before she retired from the paid workforce), in hopes of dragging her in the Castle gates. 

[macsorcery]

This is the way I recommend people read the novels:

Let's introduce the way things are:

Deryni Rising
Deryni Checkmate
High Deryni

Lets go back in time and see why things are the way they are.

Camber of Culdi
Saint Camber
Camber the Heretic
The Harrowing of Gwynedd
King Javan's Year
Bastard Prince

Wow I feel horrible now. Lets go back forward to where things are not as bad.

Bishops Heir
Kings Justice
Quest for Saint Camber
King Kelsons Bride

I feel better now, let me complete the circle to arrive back to where I started.

Childe Morgan
In the Kings Service
The King's Deryni

[Piedro Aillard]

Chronological order would probably be better for someone who is new to the Deryni series.

Could someone list the Chronological Order?  I read several books a VERY long time ago, and would like to start at the beginning of the story again...

The chronological order, as in the internal chronology of the whole series, would be:

undated   poem Lay of Lord Llewellyn (in Camber of Culdi, an unspecified time, but the Lord Llewellyn, a great bard and troubadour, died c. 850)

888-888   short story Catalyst (in collection The Deryni Archives (DA), 1986)

903-904   novel Camber of Culdi, 1976
905-907   novel Saint Camber, 1978
914-914   short story Healer's Song (DA)
undated   short story The Examen (in Deryni Magic (DM), 1991, takes place at an unspecified time, but perhaps a few years before First Session)
917-918   novel Camber the Heretic, 1981
undated   short story First Session (in DM, takes place during Camber the Heretic)

918-918   novel The Harrowing of Gwynedd, 1989
921-922   novel King Javan's Year, 1992
928-928   novel The Bastard Prince, 1994

977-977   novel short story Vocation (DA)

1052-1052 short story The Green Tower (in anthology Deryni Tales (DT), 2002)

1082-1091 novel In the King's Service, 2003
1089-1089 short story Venture in Vain (only as a limited edition chapbook, 2001)
1093-1096 novel Childe Morgan, 2006
1099-1106 novel The King's Deryni, 2014
1100-1100 short story Bethane (DA)
1104-1105 short story The Priesting of Arilan (DA)
1105-1105 short story Swords Against the Marluk (in anthology Flashing words! 4, 1977)
1105-1105 short story Legacy (DA)

1115-1115 short story The Knighting of Derry (DA)
1118-1118 short story Trial (DA)

undated   short story The Dream That Became Deryni (DA)
undated   novelette Lords of Sorandor, the story which became Deryni Rising (DA)
1120-1120 novel Deryni Rising, 1970
1121-1121 novel Deryni Checkmate, 1972
1121-1121 novel High Deryni, 1973

1123-1124 novel The Bishop's Heir, 1984
1124-1124 novel The King's Justice, 1985
1125-1125 novel The Quest for Saint Camber, 1986
1128-1128 novel King Kelson's Bride, 2000

888-1120  collection The Deryni Archives, 1986 (DA)
general    companion  Deryni Magic: a Grimoire, 1991 (DM)
general    companion  Codex Derynianus, 1998
general    anthology    Deryni Tales, 2002 (DT)
general    companion  Codex Derynianus II, 2005

Short fiction
Lay of Lord Llewellyn, first published in Camber of Culdi, 1976
Swords Against Marluk,  first in the anthology Flashing Swords! 4, in 1977, repr. 1985, then in anth. Barbarians in 1986, and in anth. Swords Against Darkness, ed. Paula Guran, in 2017
Healer's Song, first in Darkover Grand Council Meeting III program book, 1980, later in fanzine Fantasy Book, Aug. 1982
Bethane, first in anthology Hecate's Cauldron, 1982
Vocation, first in anthology Nine Visions, 1983
Legacy, first in Fantasy Book, Feb. 1983
Catalyst, first in anthology Moonsinger's Friends, 1985
The Priesting of Arilan, first in DA, 1986
The Knighting of Derry, first in DA
Trial, first in DA
The Dream That Became Deryni, first in DA
Lords of Sorandor, first in DA
The Examen, first in DM, 1991
The First Session, first in DM
The Green Tower, first in DT, 2002