In the late 1990's, I began reading a new series of books by Katherine Kerr that was under the umbrella of "The Deverry Saga". At the time, I did not like to start reading new series until they had been completely released, because I had been too often caught in the fantasy trap of having to wait a year for the next book to be released, and forgetting half the events of the previous books during the long duration. The books, up to that point, had seemed to be release in duologies, given their titles, so I thought I was safe when "Days of Air and Darkness" came out after "Days of Blood and Fire".
Little did I know that the joke was on me. I was immensely frustrated when the story ended with many issues left unresolved. Eventually, "The Red Wyvern" was released, but as I had feared, I had been out of touch with the story for so long that I couldn't get a firm handle on most of the important details. Recently, however, I have discovered that Katherine Kerr finally completed the epic, and so I picked up the remaining books and started reading over from the beginning. In the time since I first read it, 15 years have passed, my reading tasted have changed, and I have become more of a nitpick since I began seriously writing fantasy myself.
This is one of the few cases where my appreciation of a work I enjoyed as a youngster has deepened since I first read it. In fact, Kerr's sheer talent at both character development and engaging dialog are enough to make any writer envious, and fill any reader with delight. She has stated that, from the very beginning 23 years earlier, she knew how the story would unfold and what the elements of the final volumes would be. While it took her a book or two longer than she anticipated, the truth of this can be seen in the ways the final volumes still mesh with the first installments.
So what is it? Across 15 volumes, the reader is taken through a timeline that spans 1,200 years. Using a core of primary characters, we follow each through cycles of incarnations, chains of destiny and karmic debts that rebound across the centuries.
Mostly it began 400 years ago. A prince of the time allowed his selfishness to dictate his actions when he was presented with a choice between magic and love. His badly made choices led to terrible consequences falling on the heads of those he loved and those he called friends, and in his anguish after the tragedies, he vowed to never rest until he had undone what he had done and put these matters right.
When one possess magical powers, one needs to be careful what one vows, as he learned when the lords of destiny took him up on his offer. Now, without being allowed to go to the rest of death, he must trudge down the years, always seeking the souls of those who were wronged as they reincarnate again and again. He is bound by his duty to pay the debts owed, but as the epic unwinds, we see that these same souls are indebted not only to the prince, but to each other as well. One need not possess any kind of magic to forge chains of destiny, and as old acts reverberate from the past into their current lives, they can bind themselves still more tightly to each other through the choices each chooses to make. The more deeply they wrong each other, then more tightly the chains of destiny wind them 'round as they encounter each other again and again in life after life.
There are many things that give this series its epic qualities. One of them is Katherine Kerr's historical knowledge of Gualish history and culture during the time of the Roman occupations. The original settlers of Deverry were Gualish refugees lead to a new world by their druids, and the culture, settings and political systems throughout the series are based upon this historical origin. Another thing is that she has written this story in the manner of a Celtic knot. Rather than present each life sequentially, we actually are mostly following the 'present day' storyline, and then segueing back to various historical points as the story progresses. Thus we learn all the histories in part with each book, and as the final volume closes between our hands, we finally see the entire timeline for the single line it is, just as each complex Celtic knot is only a single line once the eye can trace out all its weaves and turns.
I have been giving this series a high ranking on suggested fantasy lists for a long time, but having finally read the complete Saga from start to finish, I have to upgrade it to a solid 10 out of 10. Anyone in the mood for a genuine fantasy epic that captivates and enthralls would get their needed fix and more from Katherine Kerr's masterpiece.
The Deverry Saga: Act One: Deverry "Daggerspell", "Darkspell", "The Bristling Wood", "The Dragon Revenant"
Act Two: The Westlands "A Time of Exile", "A Time of Omens", "Days of Blood and Fire", "Days of Air and Darkness"
Act Three: The Dragon Mage "The Red Wyvern", "The Black Raven", "The Fire Dragon"
Act Four: The Silver Wyrm "The Gold Falcon", "The Spirit Stone", "The Shadow Isle", "The Silver Mage"
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