Deryni Checkmate
Chronicles of the Deryni, Book 2
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Narrated by:
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Jeff Woodman
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By:
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Katherine Kurtz
About this listen
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Overall
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Rhapsody is a woman, a singer of some talent who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage--one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world.
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Good story! Terrible narration.
- By CharmY2K on 04-30-15
By: Elizabeth Haydon
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Son of Avonar
- Bridge of D'Arnath, Book 1
- By: Carol Berg
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Magic is forbidden throughout the Four Realms. For decades, sorcerers and those associating with them were hunted to near extinction.But Seri, a Leiran noblewoman living in exile, is no stranger to defying the unjust laws of her land. She is sheltering a wanted fugitive who possesses unusual abilities-a fugitive with the fate of the realms in his hands...
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Great Series!
- By Bob-o on 08-30-16
By: Carol Berg
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I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire
- Ravenloft: Strahd, Book 1
- By: P. N. Elrod
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Some of the parchment pages were the color of cream, thick and substantial, made to last many, many lifetimes. Other pages were thin and desiccated, positively yellow from age, and crackled alarmingly as Van Richten turned them over. There were no ornate illuminations, no fussy borders, only lines of plain text in hard black ink. The flowing handwriting was a bit difficult to follow at first; the writer's style of calligraphy had not been in common use for 300 years. No table of contents, but from the dates it looked to be some kind of history.
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Love it...just one complaint....
- By Ryan Conrad on 03-15-14
By: P. N. Elrod
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The Second Generation
- By: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Years have passed since the end of the War of the Lance. The people of Ansalon have rebuilt their lives, their houses, their families. The Companions of the Lance, too, have returned to their homes, raising children and putting the days of their heroic deeds behind them. But peace on Krynn comes at a price. The forces of darkness are ever vigilant, searching for ways to erode the balance of power and take control. When subtle changes begin to permeate the fragile peace, new lives are drawn into the web of fate woven around all the races.
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Good story
- By Tom Hiltbrunn on 01-04-15
By: Margaret Weis, and others
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Katherine
- A Novel
- By: Anya Seton
- Narrated by: Lorna Bennett
- Length: 29 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the vibrant fourteenth century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets—Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II—who rule despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king’s son, falls passionately in love with the already-married Katherine. Their affair persists through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption.
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my favorite novel brought to life
- By Heather on 10-04-23
By: Anya Seton
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Between Two Fires
- A Novel
- By: Mark Noce
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Saxon barbarians threaten to destroy medieval Wales. Lady Branwen becomes Wales' last hope to unite their divided kingdoms when her father betroths her to a powerful Welsh warlord, the Hammer King. But the fledgling alliance is fraught with enemies from within and without as Branwen becomes the target of assassination attempts and courtly intrigue.
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An epic tale!
- By Voracious Reader on 09-14-16
By: Mark Noce
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Magic Casement
- A Man of His Word, Book 1
- By: Dave Duncan
- Narrated by: Mil Nicholson
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Princess Inos lived an idyllic life in her fathers' sleepy, backwater kingdom, and she was best friends with her childhood companion, the stableboy, Rap. But when a prophecy seemed to say Inos should be married, she was exiled to the Impire to learn to be a lady. She was far away when Rap's magical talents began to emerge, and it was he who told her of the fate awaiting them both.
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One of my favorite Fantasy Series
- By Sean Dustman on 10-12-12
By: Dave Duncan
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The Legend of Huma
- Dragonlance: Heroes, Book 1
- By: Richard A. Knaak
- Narrated by: Richard Topol
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Only fragments of the account of Huma survived the Cataclysm that broke the world of Krynn. The fullness of his tale has never been told – until now. One man took up the call to defend the world against the Queen of Darkness. He was the first Hero of the Lance, driven by his devotion to the Oath and the Measure and his love for a silver dragon. His life made him a hero. Here is the tale that made him a legend….
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poor performance, good story
- By Tim & Michelle on 10-25-16
By: Richard A. Knaak
What listeners say about Deryni Checkmate
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Boats
- 06-18-22
One of my Favorite Series
King Kelson is a great character that needs help, thru loyalty, friendship and a bit of magic help comes to those to deserve it.
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- Tork
- 01-15-18
Lover this book
I must have read it ten times by now. Listening is just as good. Love it.
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- steven fulford
- 05-01-17
keeps the high standards of the previous book
What did you love best about Deryni Checkmate?
The interaction of church and the crown.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Deryni Checkmate?
When the bishop reveled himself as a Deryni also
Which character – as performed by Jeff Woodman – was your favorite?
Duncan
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
civil war and inquisition run wild!
Any additional comments?
This continues the great beginning of the first book with additional complications of a civil war. Well thought out, well read, great characters.
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Overall
- D Spaulding
- 06-16-09
THRILLING!
More politics and intrigue and Deryni magic! One might think the prejudices in this work mirror our world's conflict with race and religion, and at times it -is- a little heavy handed, but well worth the listen! The narrator is -excellent-. I highly recommend this work
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- C. Buck
- 04-18-18
Very enjoyable
I enjoyed listening to this book very much. I can't wait to get the next one.
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- KH
- 12-16-14
Church vs. State
Originally published at Fantasy Literature.
Deryni Checkmate, first published in 1972, is the second novel in Katherine Kurtz’s epic fantasy series that’s set in a world called Gwynedd (loosely based our own medieval UK) where some people have inherited magic from a race called the Deryni which has interbred with normal humans. The church of Gwynedd considers magic anathema and is using its wealth, power, and influence to rid the world of Deryni magic. Thus, Kurtz’s story is clearly inspired by our own middle ages when the Roman Catholic Church dominated Western religious and political systems and, having strayed from its Biblical roots, lorded it over the political leaders and the rest of the citizenry.
In the previous novel, Deryni Rising (1970), we met young King Kelson who ascended the throne after his father was killed by an evil Deryni sorceress. With help from his father’s friends and advisors, Kelson discovered his own Deryni powers and defeated her. Now, only a few months later, Kelson is 14 and he realizes how inexperienced he is. He relies on the help of his uncle Duke Alaric Morgan and Morgan’s cousin Monsignor Duncan McLain, a priest of the church. Both men are half-Deryni. But the church is after Morgan (at the beginning of the novel they don’t yet know about Duncan). They’ve ex-communicated Morgan which means that Kelson is not allowed to have any sort of relationship with his Uncle at a time when a neighboring kingdom is threatening to invade and Kelson needs Morgan’s connections and military expertise. The church is threatening to put the entire region under interdict if Morgan will not turn himself in and recant his powers. This causes a rift between the church and state and threatens to lead toward civil war and even a split in the church itself.
Meanwhile, an anti-Deryni zealot named Warin de Grey is gathering minions and terrorizing citizens. Because they both have the same enemies (the Deryni), the Archbishop is courting Warin, but he doesn’t know all the zealot’s secrets. Another subplot involves Morgan’s sister Bronwyn and her fiancé Brian, who is Duncan’s brother. They get caught up in an incident involving another evil sorceress. Thus we see that Deryni magic has the potential to be a weapon of terror and destruction, which helps us sympathize with the church’s traditional stance on the issue, if not with the Archbishop who is actually leading the witch hunt.
I don’t typically enjoy older medieval-style epic fantasy as much as I used to; I’m a little tired of all the pomp and circumstance, all the courtly mannerisms, and just the heaviness of it all, but I like Katherine Kurtz’s heroes — especially Morgan and Duncan. I suspect that I’ll also become increasingly fond of Kelson as he matures into his role as king. I’m certainly interested in what happens to these people in the next book, High Deryni. Will Morgan and Duncan be reinstated? Will all of Gwynedd be punished for the sins of its Duke? Will there be a Reformation in the church? What will Kelson be like when he becomes a man? I plan to find out.
I listened to Audible Studio’s production of Deryni Checkmate which is 9.5 hour long and excellently read by Jeff Woodman. He has a pleasant English accent, nice pacing, and does a great job with both male and female voices. I will choose High Deryni in this format, also.
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- Douglas Sundseth
- 01-27-24
Good Story, Mediocre Narrator
Kurtz did a brilliant job of making both the heroes and villains of this piece believable. Nearly all of them believe that they're doing the right things, even when their actions are what I would consider evil. The only exception is a character who does evil in one of the most banal ways possible.
The protagonists (here Duncan and Morgan, not King Kelson) are faced with a multitude of existential threats and their struggle against all of them at once is both believable and serious, and their actions do not stretch credulity.
The church represented here is clearly based on the medieval Roman Catholic church, but no mention of any hierarchy above kingdom level is made, which makes things a bit odd. It's not clear how much power individual church leaders have, either in law or in persuasion, which damages the story a bit.
Among the best elements of this series is its excellent demonstration of both the good and evil of organized religion. The power of the morally certain for both good an ill is very strong, both in fiction and in reality.
Jeff Woodman, the narrator, has a pleasant voice and presents a decent version of the characters, but he consistently pronounces a few words wrong. In particular, his pronunciation of "interdict", which is a core element of the plot, is not supported by any dictionary I've found. The result is that the story flow is interrupted every time the word comes up.
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Overall
- Leo Fry
- 07-01-09
NOGO
Ist book was fine,but this one was not upto par.Installed Characters that did nothing for the story but take up space.About 3 hours of the book had anything to enhance the story.I will try next of series and hope it is better.
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1 person found this helpful