Katharine Kerr

Now that I've just been posting in the Silverberg thread, it feels fitting to post here as well. My only Silverberg book, The Face of the Waters, reminded me very much of my only Katharine Kerr book, Polar City Blues. It started out as an enjoyable read, but when I had reached the end, it turned out that I had gained nothing new.

Both books had in common that their originality seemed to have been invested in minor/medium concepts, rather than in style/storytelling, so that the reading experience felt very plain. I probably won't read a Kerr book again; there is simply too much better stuff out there.
 
I have the first 8 (I think) of the Deverry series but haven't read them for ages, I did really enjoy them though. I liked the idea that you meet the same souls in different reincarnations because of events that bind you to them.

I loved Nevyn's character and also like Jill and Rhodry. I might have to look up the newer ones and see what I think of them.
 
Originally posted by Thadlerian
originality seemed to have been invested in minor/medium concepts, rather than in style/storytelling
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I would have said that the originality of Katherine Kerr's books was due to major (rather than minor) concepts, the use of which was her style of storytelling.
 
Actually The Shadow Isle is the penultimate book, the final book will be The Silver Mage, to come out next year-ish.

The book got so big that it had to be split in half (yet again).

Am now once again eagerly waiting for the final Deverry book.
 
I have started reading KK again after many years and I am actually really enjoying her tapestry. Sure, it has issues - most writers do, but her creation of Deverry is rather mermerising. Only trouble is I think Rhodry is a loser - Jill would do better to run off with his old enemy - far more backbone. And as for Nevyn suddenly deciding to manipulate events - gosh, what took him so long! Still, a nice gentle read for the winter.;)
 
Was it Katherine Kerr who wrote "Polar City Blues" and "Polar City Nightmare"? I enjoyed both of them.
 
I am still perservering with the third novel in Deverry, The Bristling Wood, and am actually really enjoying it. I am having to concentrate quite hard on remembering who is whose mother's sisters aunt ' son whose actions resulted in a blood feud, but generally I am able to keep the tangle of bloodlines and succession relatively straight.
Rhodry still deserves a kicking, and it is amazing how Nevyn seems to go awol just when he is needed, but otherwise I am more involved with this series than I have been in any fantasy for years - other than Anne McCaffrey.;)
 
After wading through 8 of these books I am now getting bored. It is a bit like a long running soap opera - you know what is going to happen, but it takes heaven knows how many installments to get there. I have now got to the point where I don't really see much pint in reading the rest, and think it is time I gave it up to read something else.
 
I just finished Resurrection. A great novella in the tradition of the Book of Job.
 
I finished The Shadow Isle. Not bad but it is obviously an book in between books and building up for the grand finale in The Silver Mage, which I assume will be out sometime in 2009.
 
Can someone list the books in this series, including the forthcoming one? I forget where I left off, except it involved the horsekin and the siege against a frontier Dun being broken (I think). It has been years and years since I read Kerr, but I remember liking it, mostly, but that the series started to veer off track with the last few books.

I really loved the historical flashbacks to the Deverry civil war. I thought that was a really effective mechanism for both telling the story, and providing the reader with context and world-building. Anyone seen it done elsewhere?
 
Clansman said:
Can someone list the books in this series, including the forthcoming one? I forget where I left off, except it involved the horsekin and the siege against a frontier Dun being broken (I think). It has been years and years since I read Kerr, but I remember liking it, mostly, but that the series started to veer off track with the last few books.

I really loved the historical flashbacks to the Deverry civil war. I thought that was a really effective mechanism for both telling the story, and providing the reader with context and world-building. Anyone seen it done elsewhere?
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Look here. Fantastic Fiction usually does a pretty good job.
 
Here they are in order:

Daggerspell
Darkspell
The Bristling Wood
The Dragon Revenant
A Time Of Exile
A Time of Omens
Days of Blood and Fire
Days of Air and Darkness
The Red Wyvern
The Black Raven
The Fire Dragon
The Gold Falcon
The Spirit Stone
The Shadow Isle
The Silver Mage (yet to be released)
 
For those Katherine Kerr fans outside of the US, and who need help translating the above list:

The Bristling Wood is the US title, this book is properly called Dawnspell.
The Dragon Revenant is the US title, this is properly called Dragonspell.

Days of Blood and Fire is the US title, this is properly called A Time of War.
Days of Air and Darkness is the US title, this is properly called A Time of Justice.

Clansman, you would have been reading A Time of Justice, in which Rhodry (having found the dragon Arzosah) would have aided the deverry, elven and dwarvish forces in defeating the Horsekin forces besieging the city of Cengarn.
 
Well, "properly" is a relative term since she is an American author. Clansman would then be more familiar with the US titles as those are the ones available in Canada and not those other "properly called" ones.
But who's being picky ;)
 
Teresa Edgerton said:
Another writer whose name comes up from time to time, and yet somehow lacks an active thread.

Katharine Kerr, author of the excellent and popular Deverry books, and occasionally of fine science fiction. She also edits anthologies from time to time.

Come out of hiding and make yourselves known you fans of the estimable Ms. Kerr -- I know you're out there.
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I have actually never even heard of this author. I will be hunting her down and stalking her books as soon as I can get out of bed.
 
Too much of a good thing. I got lost somewhere between A time of Omens and the next one. Moving on to other writers now.
 
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