In the King's Service (2003 novel)
Hardcover Edition
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| Author | Katherine Kurtz |
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| Cover artist | Matt Stawicki |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Childe Morgan Trilogy |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
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Publication date
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2003 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardcover) |
| Pages | 359pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | (first edition, hardcover) |
| OCLC | 52860126 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3561.U69 I5 2003 |
| Preceded by | King Kelson's Bride (publication date), The Bastard Prince (literary chronology) |
| Followed by | Childe Morgan |
In the King's Service is a historical fantasy novel by American-born author Katherine Kurtz. It was first published by Ace Books in 2003. It was the fourteenth of Kurtz' Deryni novels to be published, and the first book in the fifth Deryni trilogy, the Childe Morgan trilogy. The events of this trilogy are a direct prequel to the first Deryni trilogy, the Chronicles of the Deryni.
The novel is set in the land of Gwynedd, one of the fictional Eleven Kingdoms. Gwynedd itself is a medieval kingdom similar to the British Isles of the 11th century, with a powerful Holy Church (based on the Roman Catholic Church), and a feudal government ruled by a hereditary monarchy. The population of Gwynedd includes both humans and Deryni, a race of people with inherent psychic and magical abilities who have persecuted and suppressed for almost two centuries. The novel begins one hundred and fifty-four years after the conclusion of The Bastard Prince and thirty-eight years before the beginning of Deryni Rising. The plot revolves around the court of King Donal Haldane, where several Deryni secretly work in service to the king. While Donal risks everything to secure a Deryni protector for his young son and heir, a new generation of Deryni, including Lady Alyce de Corwyn, struggles to find their place in the dangerous political and religious environment.
The events of In the King's Service span a period of nine years, from 1082 to November 1091. The novel begins as members of the Camberian Council congratulate Lord Sief MacAthan on the birth of his son, Krispin. However, when Sief returns to Rhemuth later that night, he discovers that the child is actually the bastard son of King Donal Blaine Haldane, who fathered the child on Sief's wife, Lady Jessamy MacAthan, in an attempt to breed a Deryni protector for his sons and heirs. When Sief angrily attacks the king with his powers, Donal is forced to kill the Deryni lord with his own arcane abilities. The Camberian Council later investigates Sief's death, but they are unable to confirm their suspicions regarding the paternity of Jessamy's son.
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Wikipedia