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Katherine Kerr was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1944, Later moving to San Francisco where she has lived ever since. After leaving Stanford University, and while working a variety of random jobs, she read extensively in the fields of classical archaeology and literature, Medieval and Dark Ages history.  Her Deverry Series is her most successful works of fiction, however she has written others.  This series includes the Deverry books proper as well as the Westlands cycle and comes to a close with the Dragon Mage.  

The Deverry Series

Act 1

Daggerspell
Jill is a small girl growing up alone with her father, who is a hired soldier.  Their lives cross Nevyn's, a very kind and eccentric old man, who, in his youth, inadvertently caused the deaths of many of his loved ones. He vowed to right his wrongs, and he has spent the last 400 years trying to do so.  One of the souls he must help is Jill, who in a past life was his betrothed, and also her father (who in a past life caused her death).  Rhodry is another soul from this tragedy who they all cross paths with, and he and Jill fall in love.   Rhodry, who is noble born, is exiled by his jealous older brother, and he and Jill run off together.

Darkspell
A young man from the Kings court is ensorcelled and made to steal the Great Stone, a magical jewel that has great power.  Jill and Rhodry must recover the stone from the dark dweomerman, and save the poor man from their evils.

Dawnspell
Nevyn discovers the dark dweomer masters are trying to start a war in Eldidd and must stop them, with the help of Jill and Rhodry.  "Rhodry's wyrd is Eldidd's wyrd", or so the omen ran, and it seems that the dark masters know this too and they kidnap him.

Dragonspell
Just when Rhodry was kidnapped, his elder brother and ruler or Aberwyn dies without heirs.  With no one to  take the throne, there will be a war for rulership unless Rhodry can be found.  Jill and Salamanda, his half brother, track him down to Bardek, islands that most people in Deverry never knew existed.  What make s matters worse is the dark masters have wiped Rhodry's memory, making him incredibly hard to find.  He is found however, and slowly recovers to take his rightful position in Aberwyn.  Jill however doesn't want to spend there rest of her life as his mistress, as he can not marry her, so she gives him up and becomes Nevyn's apprentice in the dweomer.

Act 2:The Westlands Cycle

A Time of Exile
In the present, after years of ruler Aberwyn, Rhodry has not aged, which is staring to raise questions about his parentage.  He is actually half elf, and to keep this secret he fakes his own death.  He becomes a silver dagger again, and Jill takes him to the westlands to meet his family there.  Dallandra, an elven dweomer woman, meets the guardians , one powerful one in particular and she must help him and guide him.

In the past Nevyn is working to stop the wars in Deverry, which have raged for many years because there is no king. He finds a young boy, Prince Maryn, who is related to the throne, and decides to train him himself to be king and, with the help of the silver daggers, put him on the throne.

A Time of Omens
In the present day Salamanda has given up his dweomer training for performing as a magician in Bardek.  However once you have opened your mind to the dweomer you simply can't turn away and this may have horrid consequences for him.

In the past, Nevyn is still tutoring Maryn and preparing everything for when he will be able to claim for the throne.  A marriage is arranged with a very intelligent Bellyra who is heir to Cerrmor and will thus give Maryn more claim to the throne than any other candidate. 

A Time of war
Jahdo, from the peaceful settlements of the Rhiddaer, must escort a Gel da Tae bard to Deverry to look for his brother who has run off following the false goddess Alshandra, who is Evanda's ex-wife.  Here he is mixed up in a war, as a women from his own town (Raena) has brought the the horsekin, those who destroyed the elven cities, to take over Deverry.  Dallandra and Jill must stop them and her, with the help of Rhodry.

A Time of Justice
Cengarn is under siege by the horsekin armies.  Rhodry must employ the help of Arzosah the dragon and the dwarves to save the town.. Jill gives her life as she kills Alshandra, and at this site and on seeing Arzosah they flee.  Raena however escapes back to the Rhiddaer and awaits the coming again of her goddess, not believing her dead.

Act 3: The Dragon Mage 

The Red Wyvern
After the war with Alshandra, we follow Raena and her continuing mischief in Niffa's home town (Jahndo's sister), where she kills Niffa's husband to keep him from speaking of Lord Havoc, which he accidentally saw. 

Niffa and Raena's instant dislike for each other is explained as we are taken back to the 840's, where Nevyn is working to put Prince Maryn on the thrown of Deverry to stop the civil wars.  Lillia's (Niffa) mother Meroda (Raena) has been using her gifts for the Dweomer to work against Maryn.  Lilli is able to escape, and goes over to Maryn's army, helping them to stop Merodda.

The Black raven
The 840's story is continued. The ever increasing drama's of Lilli's (and the other characters) lives, escalate as they winter in the Dun after the summer's fighting.
In the 1100's Evander is working to bring Salamanda (Rhodry's brother) home to the Westlands from Bardek, as he has gone bad.   Raena is still causing trouble in Cerr Carwen, Niffa being the only one that knows she played a part in her husbands death. 

The Fire Dragon
Niffa's loves affairs are with both Maryn and Branoic are followed again, as well as Nevya's struggle to destroy the curse that could destroy his long hard struggle to put Maryn on the throne.  As they now hold Dun Deverry, there is only the battle with the last of the Boars men.  Knowing they have no hope, they agree to leave Dun Deverry, and hence Maryn is King.  However before this can happen there are a few More tragedies to come.

In the present Rhodry and Dallandra bring Jahdo home to CerrCarwen, where they find Raena has brought the horeskin.  She again tries to kill Carramaena's baby, but is caught and will be sentenced to exile. Rhodry and Arzorath (the dragon) bring further charges against her.  Raena stabs Rhodry, he kills her in the struggle, but is mortally wounded.  To save Cerr Carwen from Arzosah's rage (as Rhodry was her only friend) he allows Evander to turn him into a dragon.  In doing so Evanda strips himself of all his powere and for the first time allows himself to be reborn.

Evander finally brings Salamanda home, while also uniting the westlands elves with those who ecaped the great buring to a handful of islands.

The Gold Falcon (To come in 2004) 

The Black Stone (To come in 2005)
The fortunes of Haen Marn

Other Works

Palace (with Mark Kreighbaum)
Palace introduces a whole new technologically advanced world.  We follow the life of Vida, who goes from an orphan living in pleasure sect (a place where the poorer citizens are kept) to marring into the most powerful family on the entire planet.  she discovers she is the illegitimate daughter of a once powerful man, whose family was wrongly accused and all put to death.  She must consequently and expose the truth.  While doing this, she must put up with her bastard of a new husband, but falls in love with Ricyn, a most promising map apprentice.  the map is like a really advanced internet, like the matrix but without evil aliens.  There is a sequel to this, but only written by Marl Kreighnaum.

Snare (released in 2003)
Snare is also a completely new world, where three different civilisations struggle to live in harmony.  We follow one group of men, as they venture into enemy territory to bring back an exiled heir, as their current ruler is destroying their kingdom.  However they have an assassin sent after them, a very good assassin, and must reach the heir before he does. A pretty good read.  Kerr is an expert when is comes to creating new worlds, with new and different ways of life.

Polar City Blues

Freezeframes

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