KURTZ, Katherine (Irene)

(1944-)

   US writer employed in various fields including oceanography and cancer research, as well as a stint as instructional designer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Her fiction, basically FANTASY, has beendominated from the beginning by the unfolding Chronicles of the Deryni sequences, all set in a highly detailed, coherent ALTERNATE WORLD whose society is hierarchical and in many of its aspects medieval Welsh. By internal chronology they are: The Legends of Camber of Culdi, comprising Camber of Culdi (1976), Saint Camber (1978) and Camber the Heretic (1980);The Heirs of Saint Camber, comprising The Harrowing of Gwynedd (1989), The Chronicles of the Deryni (omni 1985) - which assembles her first novel, Deryni Rising (1970), Deryni Checkmate (1972) and High Deryni (1973) - King Javan's Year (1992) and The Bastard Prince (1994); and The Histories of King Kelson, comprising The Bishop's Heir (1984), The King's Justice (1985) and The Quest for Saint Camber (1986). These chronicles tell thehistory of a group of humans whose witchlike PSI POWERS, the explanation for which hovers between sf and mysticism, cause them to be persecuted by a medieval Church. The first novel is perhaps the best, but the whole is generally much above average for HEROIC FANTASY and is well characterized, although sometimes archaic and modern language clash. Appended to the series are 2 supplementary volumes: The Deryni Archives (1986) and Deryni Magic: A Grimoire (1991). Her other work of interest includes The Legacyof Lehr (1986), juvenile sf.

   JC/PN

   Other works: Lammas Night (1983); the Adam Smith sequence comprising The Adept (1991) with Deborah Turner Harris (1951-),The Adept: The Lodge of the Lynx (1992) with Harris, and The Adept: The Templar Treasure (1994) with Harris.

   See also: DEL REY BOOKS; MAGIC.