Storm Constantine, WRAETHTHU (Tor/Orb)

Tor Books' Wraeththu is an omnibus trade-paper edition collecting three full-length novels. I originally read each book individually so I've split this review into three parts based on the original novels. The series is full of surprises, and the central character is not who you expect him to be. Each review covers the events in each book fairly heavily, but I've also provided a quick summary for each book that you can jump to if you'd prefer to be completely surprised.

The three novels collected in Wraeththu are, in order:

1. The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit
2. The Bewitchments of Love and Hate, and
3. The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire.

Spoiler warning! When Tor collected the three books into this Wraeththu omnibus, they included the list of characters and (horrors!) the glossary from the last book, Fulfilments, in the back, and the map from Fulfilments in the front. First-time readers beware: the glossary is chock-full of spoilers (it's the same glossary that followed the last book, with all the prior events included), and the map and characters will not be needed until the third book, so skip over 'em. Alas, the appendices, especially the list of Wraeththu castes and levels, ARE useful, so be careful when flipping pages in the back!

For more general info on the Wraeththu, Wendy Darling's Wraeththu Companion resource is invaluable, although now slightly out of date.

Reviews: Enchantments | Bewitchments | Fulfilments |
Series summary and closing thoughts (Contains some spoilers :)) | Account of Storm's first-ever visit to the States

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Some slight spoilers below.  :)
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Series Summary

A reminder: the subject material of these books can cause some consternation for those with provincial outlooks on transgenderal relationships and hermaphrodism -- but it can also forge quite an affinity for these books for those who, through lifestyle or open-mindedness, don't mind a bit of fun with gender and sexual crossovers. Your mileage will vary, but I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did: my car's license plate now reads PELLAZ. (Only because CALANTHE is too long.:))

I also had the pleasure of inviting, then welcoming Storm Constantine and her partner (now husband) Jim Hibbert to America for their first visit ever, in June of 1996, and they were a delightful couple to be with. The following year she returned again as a guest, and she returned again in the Fall of 1998. After paving the way, more of Storm's work was published in the States due in part to her visits here as a Dragon*Con guest. She says I had something to do with that; if so, it's one of the best accomplishments of my life. She deserves it. :)

Books by Storm Constantine:

• The Wraeththu Chronicles, available as Wraeththu, a single omnibus edition in the US from Tor/Orb, or individually from Immanion Press in the UK:
  1. The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit
  2. The Bewitchments of Love and Hate
  3. The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire
• The Wraeththu Histories, published in the US by Tor and in the UK by Immanion Press:
  1. The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure
  2. Shades of Time and Memory
  3. The Ghosts of Time and Memory
• The Artemis Cycle, available in the UK. ("On another world, feminism goes a bit too far"):
  1. The Monstrous Regiment
  2. Aleph
• Other standalone novels, available from UK publishers:
  • Hermetech -- a critically acclaimed SF novel
  • Burying the Shadow -- a great retelling of the vampire myth; includes the Parzupheim, similar to the Grigori
  • Sign for the Sacred -- a look at religion and charismatic leaders
  • Calenture -- lots of weirdness and fun (flying cities!)
  • Thin Air -- contemporary novel with understated, but definite, fantasy elements
  • Silverheart (with Michael Moorcock) -- fantasy novel with a Moorcockesque and Mervyn Peake-ish "feel," quite good
• The Grigori Trilogy (fallen angels amongst us) -- these were available in the UK from Creed and were published in the US by Stephe Pagel's Meisha Merlin Publishing:
  1. Stalking Tender Prey (the Meisha Merlin edition mentions me in the Acknowledgements)
  2. Scenting Hallowed Blood
  3. Stealing Sacred Fire (the Creed edition (UK) mentions me in the acknowledgements)
• Inception limited edition chapbooks:
  • An Elemental Tale (illustrated short-story)
  • Colurastes (illustrated poetry collection)
• Three Heralds of the Storm -- chapbook originally available from Meisha Merlin (dedicated to me :))
• The Chronicles of Magravandias, published in the UK and now, at last, in the US by Tor/Orb:
  1. Sea Dragon Heir
  2. Crown of Silence
  3. Way of Light
• The Oracle Lips -- a collection of short prose from Stark House Press
• The Thorn Boy -- short (and quite erotic) chapbook published in Australia, republished with more stories recently
• Non-fiction:
  • The Inward Revolution -- written with longtime friend Debra Benstead
  • Egyptian Birth-Signs (Egypt-based astrology, odd-sized thick paperback)
  • Grimoire Dehara: Kaimana
• Wraeththu: From Enchantment to Fulfilment -- a "role-playing game" basically in name only, this lists me as a playtester and editor when I was in actuality neither; my edits weren't used and I never playtested it (I doubt anyone has, to this day). It is useful as a sourcebook for the world of Wraeththu but that's about it.
• Other recent publications from Storm go here :)

Cataloguing-in-publication data for the Wraeththu omnibus edition:

%A   Constantine, Storm
%T   WRAETHTHU
%I   Tor/Orb
%C   New York, NY
%D   1993
%G   ISBN 0-312-89000-1
%O   US$17.95 / CA$24.95
%S   Wraeththu

Storm Constantine's official site Reviewer Paul Cashman's Book Queue
Storm's visits to the States, 1996 and 1997
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