A gargoyle guardian and a Knight of Malta unite to seek justice when Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral is vandalized in this delightful modern-day fantasy. The gargoyles of Dublin, Ireland, have a sacred duty to perform. Formerly God’s avenging angels, for centuries they have been entrusted with guarding the churches and cathedrals of the Irish capital while avoiding all contact with human … contact with human beings. But once a month these loyal stone sentries must leave their posts to attend a conclave of their kind, and it is during one such absence that a sacrilege occurs.
The guardian of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the gargoyle Padraig, called “Paddy,” has returned to find violence and vandalism committed at his church and two silver artifacts stolen. Taking to Dublin’s night streets in search of a culprit, Paddy inadvertently reveals himself to an aged chauffeur in an ancient Rolls Royce, thereby dooming Francis Templeton to an impending premature death. But the grim reaper will have to wait, because old man Templeton is a member of the Knights of Malta, a secret order of defenders of the faith dating back to the Crusades, and as such is an ideal partner for the onetime angel in his quest for justice and revenge. Their hunt is about to take some sinister turns, however, leading the gargoyle and the knight to Clontarf Castle, where a major demon, an emissary of Satan, is preparing to make his reentrance into the world.
An acclaimed and much beloved fantasist best known for her popular Adept and Knights Templar series and her chronicles of the magical Deryni, Katherine Kurtz now displays another side of her extraordinary talent and succeeds magnificently. St. Patrick’s Gargoyle is a delightful feast of the imagination, rich in Celtic lore and religious arcana, and brimming with wit and heart, wonder and magic.
more
If gargoyles could talk, what a tale they would tell. Presiding above our heads for hundreds of years, they have seen it all. In this story, the gargoyles can talk, walk and help to solve a crime. Great fun. Easy read. No complex world building, just a fun read for the evening commute.
I love Kurtz’ Deryni books, but I found this weird and not at all what I was expecting.
It was an entertaining light read. Not her best work, but enjoyable none the less.
Very different than expected, turned out to be a great read. A unique point of view from a creative mind.
Sometimes an author just has to have fun! Kurtz certainly does this well in St. Patrick’s Gargoyle. Usually a serious writer of full-length novels with great characters and unfolding plots, Kurtz has packed a lot into this novella. There’s a bit of fondness for classic cars, aging with purpose, and dying with dignity. The book has a spiritual quality that is only slightly related to the religious theme. One can read it with a sense of adventure or a sense of ecuenical reverence. But it should be read!
A truly enjoyable read. You’ll never think of gargoyles the same way.
Katherine Kurtz is an old favorite of mine since reading her Adept series. Although she falls prey to the old school fantasy writer’s habit of trying to mimic Tolkein’s word count, her stories are, nevertheless, well paced. Modern urban fantasy writers could look to this author for an example of how to write a compelling book without neurotic characters worried about how they look and if they are hot enough to attract the /fill in the blank/. I am amazed that no one has followed in Kurtz’ footsteps and made gargoyles a ‘thing’.
I have always enjoyed Katherine Kurtz and this book is no exception. It was a delightful story.
Great ending.
Too much historical jargon and pages of description. I didn’t make it past 30 pages and returned the book.
St. Patrick’s Gargoyle is a fun and original adventure. The protagonists, gargoyle and human, team up to guard their city and save the future.
The book ended far too soon. I would so much like to see further adventures of the gargoyles, they were very interesting!!!
Wonderful Irish tale of history, fantasy, and derring-do.
Very charming book about old age and the prospect of dying.
couldn’t finish it.
I got it as it was described as having humor. I guess there was, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.
I enjoyed the details about Dublin thrown in with the story. All tied together into a good story.
A good read. Positive and up lifting.
Creative blend of themes. Warm.
The authors know Dublin churches like the back of their hand and is knowledgeable about religion. If I ever head back to Dublin again I’ll reread it, because it was full of historical information. I’d take a tour of Dublin with this author any day.
I was expecting something more whimsical.
There were long parts of the book that just dragged, but if you are in the mood for historical and religious information, you’d enjoy it.
The elderly man was very sweet and the ending was very sweet.
Just returned from Ireland, so it was fun to read a story by one of my favorite authors set in locations I could now recognize! The balance of real people/fantasy things is very well handled!