High Deryni

A conclusion of this first series, with many things wrapped up, and threads still left open. As a kid, I probably overlooked the moral problems and the rapid pace of the conclusion.

The individual and adventuresome scenes are good. The torture scenes are dark. The author's writing and plan have improved since the first book, and revisions to the first two books were later released. From here, Kurtz jumps back to a prequel trilogy and a more cut-and-dried time for the Deryni. That gets away from...

... a very mixed message in this trilogy. Wencit shows that Deryni aren't inherently good or evil, and uses power to control. But then so do Morgan and McLain. Does the end justify the means? The Council revealed in the book is even worse. So are Loris and the church - is he really the top of the hierarchy? A lot of this is left unresolved, which isn't great for the final book of a series.

The ending builds up to a grand 4 vs 4 duel, though it is never resolved whether it should be only to defeat (per the council) or to the death. But all of that evaporates in a few short pages. I won't spoil it, but the ending stinks.

I started this because I wanted to reread, and I'll keep reading into Camber. Not sure how many I read as a youth. I am still fascinated by the mind magic of the Deryni, and how it differs from the spell magic of so many other writers.