| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: None (aside from some kissing) Violence level: Medium-High (it gets pretty bloody in parts, in an epic fantasy kind of way) Back Cover: “With young King Kelson on the throne of Gwynedd, the priesthood of the Eleven Kingdoms feels its control deeply threatened, for Kelson is half-Deryni—part of that race of humans gifted with extrasensory powers, a race that ruled two centuries earlier, but was dethroned and driven underground. So, the battle for final power is about to break into open conflict, led by the Church which equates the supernatural powers of the Deryni with witchcraft and heresy!” |
Considering the many-fronted nature of the war, most of the solutions seem pretty un-warlike. It's not so much a matter of winning in battle between opposing armies as it is convincing people to stop fighting. At least, that's the case for one faction of the Church, and for the less organized religious fanatics who are running around causing problems. Even the final confrontation is more of a David and Goliath instead of Israelites against Philistines. It's nice to keep it personal that way.
Because when you get right down to it, what I love most about this book is the wealth of adventure that Morgan has to wade through. It really is just one thing after another with him, and he's integral to almost all of those solutions I mentioned earlier. It's no wonder that he's exhausted by the end, although Kelson is the one who complains (behaving like a fourteen-year-old happens, even when you're king). However, in the middle of all the death-defying and peril (not to mention the loss of yet more members of his family), Morgan does find a little bit of time for a romance of the love-at-first-sight variety.
Just keep in mind that this is old fantasy. I know, the early 70s doesn't seem like it should count as old, but the genre has progressed a lot since then. That means some people are going to be put off by the writing style. But if you can get past the language, you might find what I did—a couple of characters named Alaric Morgan and Duncan McLain who are honorable and charismatic and care deeply for others. I learned a lot about life from those two.