Deryni Books in Order
Katherine Kurtz has written 7 Deryni books, published between 1970 and 2002. The first book is Deryni Rising (1970) and the newest is Deryni Tales (2002). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 7
- Published
- 1970–2002
- Pages on record
- 1,936 in 6 of 7 books
- Reading time
- 32–48 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,936 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 6 of 7 titles with a page count on record.
The Deryni are the people at the centre of Katherine Kurtz's fantasy fiction, set in the imaginary kingdom of Gwynedd, where magic is the standing subject. Deryni Rising (1970) opens the Chronicles Of Deryni, with Deryni Checkmate (1972) and High Deryni (1973) completing that first sequence. Four reference and short fiction volumes follow: The Deryni Archives (1986), Deryni Magic (1990), Codex Derynianus (1998) and Deryni Tales (2002). Seven titles are grouped here, at a median 324 pages, across a span of 32 years.
How many Deryni books are there?
Deryni has 7 books, released between 1970 and 2002.
Deryni Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 7 Deryni books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119702872/4
- 219723242/4
- 31973–2/4
- 419863252/4
- 519903702/4
- 619983532/4
- 720022772/4
Do you have to read Deryni books in order?
You should read the Deryni books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Deryni book also stands alone.
Where to start with Deryni
Start with Deryni Rising (1970), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Deryni book?
Deryni Tales (2002) is the newest Deryni book released so far.
Is there a new Deryni book coming?
No next Deryni book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Award nominations for Deryni
Wikidata records 5 nominations for Deryni. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award1974Shortlistedfor High Deryni
- Locus Award for Best Novel1973Shortlistedfor Deryni Checkmate
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award1973Shortlistedfor Deryni Checkmate
- Locus Award for Best Novel1971Shortlistedfor Deryni Rising
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award1971Shortlistedfor Deryni Rising
Deryni at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Deryni title on record dates from 2002, 24 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Deryni books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
- Length
- 1,936 pages across the 6 of 7 books with a recorded length, a median of 324 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Deryni books, 3 of 7, were published in the 1970s.
What the Deryni books are about
6 of the 7 Deryni books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 4 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 4 of 6 books
- Gwynedd (Imaginery place) 4 of 6 books
- Gwynedd (Imaginary place) 3 of 6 books
- Science fiction 2 of 6 books
More books by Katherine Kurtz
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Katherine Kurtz books in order 32 books