[amtap book:isbn=0345295161]<\/p>\n
His\u00adto\u00adry:<\/em> I\u2019ve known about Kather\u00adine Kurtz<\/a> as an author since my col\u00adlege days: not only was I attract\u00aded to her writ\u00ading for her \u201cDeryni\u201d<\/em><\/a> nov\u00adels, but also to her own back\u00adsto\u00adry. Before she turned to pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal writ\u00ading, she was a mem\u00adber of the ear\u00adly Soci\u00adety for Cre\u00adative Anachro\u00adnism, even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly becom\u00ading its first Seneschal (the equiv\u00ada\u00adlent of being the nation\u00adal chair\u00adman of the orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion) as well as being award\u00aded the title of Duchess (mean\u00ading that she had been Queen of the King\u00addom of the West twice.) She also pub\u00adlished a fanzine called \u201cDeryni Archives: The Mag\u00ada\u00adzine\u201d<\/em> which con\u00adtained a wealth of sup\u00adple\u00admen\u00adtary infor\u00adma\u00adtion and sto\u00adries that helped affirm my fas\u00adci\u00adna\u00adtion for the Deryni<\/em>.<\/p>\n Since then, she has devel\u00adoped into a pop\u00adu\u00adlar and pro\u00adlif\u00adic fan\u00adta\u00adsy writer, known pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly for her \u201cDeryni\u201d<\/em> nov\u00adels and her con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adrary fan\u00adta\u00adsy \u201cAdept\u201d series in col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with Deb\u00ado\u00adrah Turn\u00ader Har\u00adris<\/a>. She edit\u00aded a col\u00adlec\u00adtion of Deryni<\/em> sto\u00adries and oth\u00ader short sto\u00adry col\u00adlec\u00adtions, also wrote numer\u00adous short sto\u00adries and stand-alone nov\u00adels, one of which is \u201cLam\u00admas Night\u201d<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Descrip\u00adtion:<\/em> \u201cLam\u00admas Night\u201d<\/em> is a sto\u00adry about the occult bat\u00adtles that went on behind the scenes of the phys\u00adi\u00adcal bat\u00adtles of World War II. It it s sto\u00adry about the Mat\u00adter of Britain and the con\u00adcept of the divine nature of kings. It it a sto\u00adry about rein\u00adcar\u00adna\u00adtion and a friend\u00adship and bond of duty that stretched across the cen\u00adturies. It is a sto\u00adry about the inter\u00adtwined des\u00adtiny of two men and how it and they changed the direc\u00adtion of the war.<\/p>\n It is the sto\u00adry of Colonel Sir John Gra\u00adham, offi\u00adcial\u00adly an offi\u00adcer in a sec\u00adtion of MI.6 of British Intel\u00adli\u00adgence involv\u00ading occult mat\u00adters as relat\u00aded to psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal oper\u00ada\u00adtions (\u201c \u2018psy-ops\u201d); unof\u00adfi\u00adcial\u00adly, he is a mem\u00adber of a coven of the Old Faith who bat\u00adtle the black mag\u00adic of Nazi occultism. It is the sto\u00adry of Prince William, Duke of Clarence, the (fic\u00adtion\u00adal) \u201cfifth-wheel\u201d of the British monar\u00adchy in real\u00adi\u00adty as well as in nature: the fifth son, his roy\u00adal sta\u00adtus now offers him lit\u00adtle to do for the war effort except sup\u00adport the troops and ral\u00adly the cit\u00adi\u00adzens. It is the sto\u00adry of how both men share a pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal rela\u00adtion\u00adship that went beyond that to the per\u00adson\u00adal: now, with the War mak\u00ading their pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal rela\u00adtion\u00adship impos\u00adsi\u00adble, their per\u00adson\u00adal rela\u00adtion\u00adship strength\u00adens in response.<\/p>\n Through\u00adout the War, occultists such as Dion For\u00adtune (who wrote about it after the war) and many oth\u00aders all per\u00adformed rit\u00adu\u00adals to defend the nation and the land. With the Prince\u2019s assis\u00adtance, a num\u00adber of occultists and lead\u00aders of occult orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions are con\u00advinced to coor\u00addi\u00adnate a mass work\u00ading on the upcom\u00ading Lam\u00admas night. On that night, occult groups and indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals across the nation, in their own respec\u00adtive ways, gath\u00ader to per\u00adform their var\u00adi\u00adous rit\u00adu\u00adals accord\u00ading to their cho\u00adsen paths, all with the same intent: place a bar\u00adri\u00ader about the British Isles such that Hitler and his forces can\u00adnot invade. But Sir John and his coven have a more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult role: at the same time, a black mag\u00adic rit\u00adu\u00adal will be per\u00adformed, deep in the heart of Nazi Ger\u00admany. At its cen\u00adter, the man known as the Red Eagle, the mas\u00adter of all black mag\u00adic orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions sup\u00adport\u00ading the Nazi regime. A strike against him, anchored by a dou\u00adble-agent deep with\u00adin the orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion, would be a severe blow to the Nazis, if<\/em> they can pull it off.<\/p>\n Com\u00admen\u00adtary:<\/em>: Trance\u00adwork and hyp\u00adno\u00adsis is a val\u00adued tool here, not only for its mun\u00addane uses but for its occult uses, as well. Sir John uses self-hyp\u00adno\u00adsis to get some much-need\u00aded sleep when his wor\u00adries might oth\u00ader\u00adwise deny him that escape: like\u00adwise, he uses it to help one of his agents sleep though wound\u00aded, albeit in Prince William\u2019s full view. (The ensu\u00ading con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adtion about hyp\u00adno\u00adsis and oth\u00ader \u2018mag\u00adi\u00adcal\u2019 top\u00adics led too close to Sir John\u2019s true activ\u00adi\u00adties for his com\u00adfort, at the same time remind\u00ading him of just how shrewd Prince William was.) How\u00adev\u00ader, such trance\u00adwork is also not with\u00adout its sur\u00adpris\u00ades. At one point, in order that Prince William does not psy\u00adchi\u00adcal\u00adly inter\u00adfere with a mag\u00adick\u00adal work\u00ading, Sir John gives him a sleep\u00ading pill. Though he uses a drug for the process, he also casu\u00adal\u00adly uses the same touch trig\u00adger that mem\u00adbers of the coven have learned for induc\u00adtions. Hav\u00ading seen (as described above) the trig\u00adger in oper\u00ada\u00adtion, Prince William oblig\u00ading\u00adly goes into a deep hyp\u00adnot\u00adic trance. So deep, in fact, as Sir John dis\u00adcov\u00aders, that the lev\u00adel of trust he bestows upon Sir John frankly embar\u00adrass\u00ades his friend.<\/p>\n This nov\u00adel is part\u00adly ded\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded to Mar\u00adgaret Mur\u00adray<\/a> who pub\u00adlished the book \u201cThe Divine King in Britain\u201d<\/em> (1954) and whose ear\u00adli\u00ader writ\u00adings about the sac\u00adri\u00adfi\u00adcial role of pre\u00advi\u00adous indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals in such books as \u201cThe Witch-Cult in West\u00adern Europe\u201d<\/a><\/em> (1921) and \u201cThe God of Witch\u00ades\u201d<\/em> (1933) is a great part of the back\u00adground of this nov\u00adel. It was her con\u00adtention that fig\u00adures like Thomas Beck\u00adet were expi\u00ada\u00adtion\u00adal sac\u00adri\u00adfices in place of the reign\u00ading monarch, some even at the direct com\u00admand of the monarch. Her claims were pop\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adized but any aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic crit\u00adi\u00adcism was large\u00adly ignored.<\/p>\n