The second of the series does not disappoint. Its parallels to the Catholic Inquisition are prevalent and thought provoking. The ending leaves a gaping hole for the next in the series to fill. You definitely cannot leave the series here, but I will take a with some Victor Hugo. ( )

Magic brings sadness and tragedy along with religious intolerance and fanatics to Gwynedd. In the 30 years war Europe saw between 3,000,000 and 11,000,000 people killed, is this the path that Gwynedd is on? This book was a little more complex than the last more character development and a few different plots that wind up tied together at the end. 3 1/2 stars. ( )

This picks up not long after Deryni Rising. There is a new evil Deryni who wants Kelson's kingdom. There is an archbishop who is finally acting on his anti-Deryni agenda. There is a charismatic human who is leading a rebellion to cleanse the land of Deryni -- and those who support them. Excommunication is a very real threat in this time period and has severe consequences. And the problems of being a persecuted minority come to the fore. As the title implies, this is a dark book. Do try to have the sequel on hand.

If you liked Deryni Rising, you will no doubt really like this book. The writing is a bit deeper as characters develop and moral issues are explored. ( )

The Deryni books are great sword and sorcery fantasy. What makes them unique is that they're a blend of historical fantasy and high fantasy. What marks a book out as high fantasy is a completely imaginary world with no links to real history--legend maybe, but the ties are tenuous, even when like Tolkien's Middle Earth, Lackey's Valdemir or Pierce's Tortall, they have a pseudo-medieval feel.

This on, the other hand, is Christian Europe--yet not quite. Gwynedd is recognizably Britain--more so than what you see usually see in high fantasy, even if there aren't any real historical parallels to the Haldane dynasty--or the Deryni for that matter, magically talented people who are persecuted by the Church. But more unusually, their "Holy Church" is quite recognizable as the Roman Catholic Church, and the church's beliefs are important to the characters, particularly Duncan McLain, an ordained priest, one of my favorite characters in the series. Which is why, unlike some reviewers, I can't see these books as anti-Christian, anti-Catholic or at all comparable to Pullman. I loved Pullman's His Dark Materials for it's style and imagination, but there's no question his quasi-Catholic Church, the Magisterium, is just plain evil, and at times Pullman's anti-church clanging anvils got to me. The thrust of the Deryni books is different. It isn't the Church or religion that's meant to be seen as evil, as characters such as Duncan prove--it's specific people within and using the church who are. In this case, Archbishop Loris is the prime baddie, and in the wake of Duke Morgan using magic to support King Kelson, he and his cousin Duncan are threatened with excommunication, Morgan's duchy with interdict, and the Deryni with new persecution. I found this just as good a read as the first book. ( )

Deryni Checkmate is the second in a a trilogy of fantasy books, and seems to defy the curse of the second in a trilogy by being more interesting than its precursor. Deryni Rising, the first book of the series, was little more than a stage setter for the more pressing and complex problems that are presented in Deryni Checkmate. There's quite a bit to keep track of. Church politics, regional uprisings, sorceress warlords, identity issues, madness borne of love, mysterious long-dead saints, all these things combine to make for an engrossing read.

The reason that I would not give Deryni Checkmate five stars is because of the writing itself. While Kurtz is a clear writer, who has fashioned a complex plot that is still easy to keep track of, her writing leaves something to be desired. If you are someone who just wants the story, this won't be an issue. If reading someone nod apologetically at someone who is watching distractedly at a man who is pacing agitatedly makes you want to start rearranging words on the page, be prepared to pause at times throughout this book to regain your composure. ( )