With young King Kelson on the throne of Gwynedd, the priesthood of the Eleven Kingdoms felt its control deeply threatened. For Kelson was half Deryni -- part of that race of humans gifted with extrasensory powers...a race that had ruled two centuries earlier, but was dethroned and driven underground. Now, the final battle for ultimate power was about to break into open conflict, led by the Church which equated the supernatural powers of the Deryni with witchcraft and heresy!

With Kelson Haldane, the first king of magical Deryni heritage to sit upon the throne of Gwynedd in centuries, the priesthood of the Eleven Kingdoms, old enemies of the Deryni, will do anything to regain control of the kingdom, even if it means inciting civil war, in a revised and expanded edition of the fantasy classic.

More than thirty years ago, Katherine Kurtz changed the face of fantasy with the Deryni Chronicles. In 2005, Ace published a newly revised and expanded Deryni Checkmate in hardcover. Now, that edition is available in mass market for the first time.

In the conclusion of the Deryni series, political power meets its match in the power of magic as the time approaches for the king's wedding.

Camber was the greatest of the Deryni who wanted to retire. But it was not to be. The kingdom of Gwynedd groaned under the tyranny of Imre and his sister and mistress, Ariella. And when Camber learned that Cinhil Haldane, a descendant of the previous kings, still lived, he was determined to set him on the throne in place of the evil ones....

New York Times bestselling author of In the King's Service Alaric Morgan has been pledged to the king's service. His Deryni blood makes him ideal to safeguard the Haldane kings and ensure that Prince Brion shall have the protection of his hereditary magic.