The Bishop's Heir
Dust-jacket illustration by Darrell K. Sweet for The Bishop's Heir
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| Author | Katherine Kurtz |
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| Cover artist | Darrell K. Sweet |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Histories of King Kelson |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
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Publication date
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1984 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardcover) |
| Pages | xvii, 346 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | (first edition, hardcover) |
| OCLC | 10506380 |
| 813/.54 19 | |
| LC Class | PS3561.U69 B5 1984 |
| Preceded by | Camber the Heretic (publication date), High Deryni (literary chronology) |
| Followed by | The King's Justice |
The Bishop's Heir is a fantasy novel by American-born author Katherine Kurtz. It was first published by Del Rey Books in 1984. It was the seventh of Kurtz' Deryni novels to be published, and the first book in her third Deryni trilogy, The Histories of King Kelson. Although The Legends of Camber of Culdi trilogy was published immediately prior to the Histories trilogy, The Bishop's Heir is a direct sequel to Kurtz' first Deryni series, 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 12th 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 physic and magical abilities who have been brutally persecuted and suppressed for over two centuries. The novel begins over two years after the conclusion of High Deryni, shortly after the seventeenth birthday of King Kelson Haldane. As a recurring political rivalry threatens to erupt into open rebellion, Kelson must face a dangerous combination of new and old foes who rise up against him.
The Bishop's Heir details the events of a period of time lasting roughly a month and a half, beginning in late November 1123 and ending in early January 1124. The novel begins as the Curia of Bishops meets in Culdi to choose the successor to the deceased Bishop of Meara. The selection of the next bishop is a delicate matter, as the Mearans have made several attempts to secede from Gwynedd over the past century. King Kelson Haldane addresses the assembled clerics, then departs to make a survey of the local barons. Shortly thereafter, Kelson is reunited with Lord Dhugal MacArdry, an old friend who he has not seen since before his coronation, and the king decides to visit Dhugal's father, Earl Caulay MacArdry of Transha.
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