The Quest for Saint Camber

The Histories of King Kelson, Book 3

By: Katherine Kurtz

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

When young Kelson, King of Gwynedd is reported drowned in a search for the legendary Saint Camber, Nigel was deemed to be king. But his son, Conoll, was too jealous and struck down his own father. Conoll had forgotten Saint Camber....©1987 Katherine Kurtz (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[T]he persecution of the witch-like Deryni race is only gradually relenting as the group's members attain high positions in court and in the rigid, established Church. As part of this rehabilitation, young King Kelson, himself Deryni, hopes to restore the place of the Deryni Saint Camber. Reflecting and commenting on these central themes of ignorance and superstition moving toward knowledge and faith are suspenseful subplots of secret magical tutelage, a king's courtship, ecclesiastical elections, a murder case, etc....Kurtz's version of a triple-decker Victorian novel [is] teeming with distinctive characters, fascinated by theology and genealogy...a rare craftsmanship with narrative exposition that is also dramatic and moving." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great story

I’ve loved this book since high school and the audio book is good, but the voice used for Morgan grated on my nerves because it was too gravelly. A duke would have a more refined voice.

Good story but a little predictable.

What did you love best about The Quest for Saint Camber?

The quest itself.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dugal

What about Nick Sullivan’s performance did you like?

He was able to lend to the story with different voice characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile,even laugh, in many places. It also brought disgust with the description of the more seedier side of humans.

Good completion to the trilogy.

It leaves you wanting to see what happens next with King Kelson and the search for St Camber

music background not in background

Music at beginning, end, and between chapters overpowers the story. If you can hear the story your wasting the audience's time.

Brilliant Political Fantasy

After being knighted, Kelson and several of his retainers decide to quest for relics of St. Camber, in hopes of restoring his cult in Gwynedd. And he seems to finally be ready for a marriage after returning from the quest.

And then, because Kelson was apparently very bad in a previous life (or perhaps he kicked Katherine Kurtz's cat), everything goes to hell. 8-)

As is typical of Kurtz's writing, the character work is exceptional. There are many very memorable characters, and all the focus characters' actions make sense in their situations and for their characters. Even when the result is terrible for everyone. The flaws of the irretrievably flawed characters are believable, the disasters caused by the good characters make sense in context (and are not the result of people talking to one another), and there is a sense of descending doom through much of the book.

The plot is the best sort of political story, with complex motives and significant stakes. And Kurtz does not flinch from the results of the plotting, even when the result is misery for sympathetic characters.

Even when I could see the disaster coming and dreaded continuing, I couldn't put this book down. This is the best Deryni book I've read so far. Highly recommended.