The Bastard Prince

Book Description

THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER

The power-hungry former Regents of the three Haldane princes were pleased. They controlled Gwynedd once more, now that Rhys Michael was king--malleable, wine-loving, and soft. Or so they thought... Unbeknownst to the Regents, Rhys Michael was coming into his birthright. With secret Deryni aid, he struggled to grasp the magic bequeathed to all anointed kings. And when Marek--heir to Gwynedd's last degenerate deposed Deryni despots--marched into Gwynedd at the head of an army, even the Regents had to admit that Rhys Michael must take to the field himself as king to repel the pretender. Rhys Michael saw his chance at last. He swore that the power of the throne--from now on and for all time to come--was to be held by Gwynedd's rightful king. For this, for his sons, and for his country, the king would risk all... FIRST PAPERBACK PUBLICATION

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly A small band of rebels attempts to overcome a tyranny of church and corrupt nobility in the rousing and tragic conclusion to Kurtz's fourth Deryni trilogy. When Marek of Festil, the bastard son of Gwynedd's last Deryni king, makes a move to gain the throne, the ruling council reluctantly allows King Rhys Michael to meet the challenge. (Having held the young man and his wife, Michaela, in their grip since arranging the deaths of his two older brothers, the nobles and high churchmen fear an assertion of independence before the king fathers a second child to assure the succession.) As Rhys Michael travels to Culliecairn to meet with Marek, another group of the now-proscribed Deryni seek to awaken the psychic powers of the king and queen through Michaela's young maid, Liesel. With strong characterizations and sustained tension, this volume once again reflects the atmospheric gloom of a dark and secret land, full of treachery and cruelty but shot through with light and a promise of hope. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal An unexpected threat to the throne of Gwynedd affords puppet-king Rhys Michael Haldane a rare opportunity to assert his independence from the self-serving council of regents who hold him in thrall. His actions, and his growing realization of his own innate gifts, initiate a chain of circumstances that heralds the beginning of a new age for a beleaguered land. As in her other Deryni novels (Deryni Magic, Ballantine, 1991), Kurtz portrays credible characters caught in a struggle to remain true both to themselves and their faith amid a tangle of betrayal and intrigue. Fastidious attention to period detail and a knack for empathic storytelling have won the author a sizable readership, and her latest effort will not disappoint her fans. Purchase where the series is popular. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.