The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure

Rating:
Summary: This is a worthy sequel, IMHO
Review: Storm Constantine is not a middle of the road fantasy writer. No dragons or unicorns here, but often violent mutant magick hermaphroditic post-apocalyptic political saga. Kind of Julian May meets Michael Moorcock by way of Frank Herbert; you either love her or hate her. Wraiths of will and pleasure is written 17 years after she completed the initial Wraethu trilogy, and indeed her writing style has changed somewhat. You could probably read it without having read the first trilogy, but I wouldn't recommend it. She doesn't disturb the continuity of the original greatly in her revisit, which is a relief. However, this expansion and retelling of part the wraethu saga is more approachable and less mystical than some of her fiction. For once, Constantine is drawing elements together to make more greater sense, instead of taking a left turn pulling for the cosmic interpretation zone. Don't get me wrong, I like her wild, incredible imagery and heavy pagan/magical overtones, but they are not for everyone. Some of her work, worth reading for sheer experience, is not what I would recommend to others for fun. This one is old home week with gossip, emphasizes plot first. Said plot is familiar in one sense, the aftermath of Calanthe's disastrous return to Saltrock, the [demise], rebirth and coronation of Pellaz har Aralis, but from a different point of view-- Flick, a minor character in the first book. Another expanded character is Ulaume of the Colurastes/Kakkahaar (forgive my spelling), the serpent haired assassin .... A memorable, but essentially throwaway role in the first story, Ulaume is the other real center of this volume. Mima, Pellaz's human sister, is another expansion, as are, of course, Seel Griselming, Opalexian, Tel an Kaa, and Thiede. We get teasing glimpses of other strong characters from earlier-- Swift,Vaysh, Ashmael, Arahal, Cobweb, Leef, Tyson, etc. but there just isn't room to get to them-- I sure hope to see more later. What is different from before are tangential stories that embroider more detail into the bigger picture, and hints at a bigger picture than that, as well as some characters who might be big players in future installments. Terez, for example. Lileem definately. And there's a satisfying love story. Meaty character angst. Better dialogue. Characters with flaws carefully exposed yet that aren't ruined. Less stretching past the point of belief within the story frame, well, mostly. I kind of have a hard time with some of the later plot elements involving translocational cross species har + kamagrian aruna, but hey, I'll go with it. And I just find the kamagrians less involving than the har characters-- I personally don't really care about them that much, but I realize they are essential. It's not a perfect story. But what a yarn! It left me wanting more. And it makes you rake through the earlier stories for little bits to savor again. Which was the point.

Rating:
Summary: Stick with the original trilogy...
Review: The first Wraeththu trilogy is amongst the best books I ever read as a teen. I remember re-reading them when I had a break in my studies at university and finding that although the style of writing left something to be desired, the 'magic' was still there. Sadly, with this first book in the new trilogy, the baroque language is gone, the first-person perspective that really got you inside the character's head (surely this author's past forte) has been replaced with sub-standard third-person narration and there are annoying new-speak words (anyhar, nohar etc.) used without seemingly any care to their placement (in dialog and thought is ok but in descriptive passages they prove really awkward and unnecessary). On the plus side, there are some interesting concepts added to the existing Wraeththu universe (the Kamagrian are no longer an afterthought in a male-dominated world) and certain events from the original trilogy are finally explained (was this deliberate or were these explanations forgotten about in the original trilogy - honestly, I'm no longer sure) but first-time readers should avoid this new trilogy as much will be confusing without reference to the original trilogy and after that... well, I'm hoping the next book brings back the 'magic'.

Rating:
Summary: Stick with the original trilogy...
Review: The number of humans is dropping rapidly but no species has stepped forth to claim planetary superiority. The hermaphrodite Wraeththu are on the verge of being the next master race adding to the reduction of the human populace by "converting" captured males into their species. The Wraeththu celebrate the Festival amidst their tribe, but this year is different as the tribes begin to realize what they can become.

The desert tribe Kakkahaar exiles a member Ulaume. In his solo travel, Ulaume finds an abandoned infant Lileen, whom he takes with him. Soon the Wraeththu follow, as Lileen is a special individual who defies the accepted normal order of the race and its Gods. Ulaume vows to keep the baby safe.

This novel takes place somewhere in the middle of the previous Wraeththu trilogy. As such events and references that previously occurred will prove confusing to newcomers. To obtain a full savoring of this complex tale, read the others first. Different individuals looking back in time tell the tale of THE WRAITHS OF WILL AND PLEASURE. This makes for an interesting complicated perspective that at times seems convoluted yet really works if the reader keeps in mind that an individual brings their interpretation to the mix. Storm Constantine provides a powerful look at several key players from her previous trilogy that her fans will appreciate as the Wraththu universe keenly expands.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: series fans will appreciate keen Wraeththu entry
Review: The number of humans is dropping rapidly but no species has stepped forth to claim planetary superiority. The hermaphrodite Wraeththu are on the verge of being the next master race adding to the reduction of the human populace by "converting" captured males into their species. The Wraeththu celebrate the Festival amidst their tribe, but this year is different as the tribes begin to realize what they can become.

The desert tribe Kakkahaar exiles a member Ulaume. In his solo travel, Ulaume finds an abandoned infant Lileen, whom he takes with him. Soon the Wraeththu follow, as Lileen is a special individual who defies the accepted normal order of the race and its Gods. Ulaume vows to keep the baby safe.

This novel takes place somewhere in the middle of the previous Wraeththu trilogy. As such events and references that previously occurred will prove confusing to newcomers. To obtain a full savoring of this complex tale, read the others first. Different individuals looking back in time tell the tale of THE WRAITHS OF WILL AND PLEASURE. This makes for an interesting complicated perspective that at times seems convoluted yet really works if the reader keeps in mind that an individual brings their interpretation to the mix. Storm Constantine provides a powerful look at several key players from her previous trilogy that her fans will appreciate as the Wraththu universe keenly expands.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A magnificent return
Review: This book adds background and scope to the great Wraeththu Trilogy. Here we see unraveling Wraeththu history, starting from the most fateful day when a mysterious harling was born and Pellaz died only to be resuscitated by Thiede and made Tigron. Here we have a more profound psychological insight of major and minor charachters (the fretful Flick, Seel the righteous, the serpentine Ulaume), a view "behind the scenes" of events in the previous novels and a grand panorama of the Wraeththu world, from the desert tents of the Kakkahaar to the magnificent white towers of Immanion, to the mystical mountain city of Shilalama.Major political and moral issues and private lives intertwine and interact. We get also to know Pellaz's brothers, Terez and Mima, and we are given some stunning revelation.
This is in conclusion a magnificent book, fourth ( but in fact chronologically placed beween the second and the third) in one of the most original fantastic series of all times, as intriguing as Tad Williams' Otherland, whit charachters poignant as Peter F. Hamilton's "Night Dawn Trilogy". Here you'll find the likes of Joshua Calvert and Quinn Dexter, sometimes in the same person!

Rating:
Summary: Return to Wraeththu
Review: This latest addition to the world of the Wraeththu is a giant leap forward in terms of style and complexity. Storm Constantine has returned to this story brilliantly, filling in old plot lines and enhancing many aspects of the original trilogy. She has been so energized by this that re-editing of the original trilogy is underway so as the bring them up to the same standard she has set for herself in this new volume -- the first of a second trilogy telling the stories of these successors to a failed humanity. I heartily recommend it to anyone (or should I say anyhar?) with a sense of wonder about what could be.

Rating:
Summary: Different than "The Original" but just as magical
Review: Unlike some of the others who've posted reviews here so far, I didn't read the original Wraeththu trilogy as a teenager, but rather as an adult. I think this at least in part explains why my reaction to Wraiths of Will and Pleasure is so very different than theirs. While those reviewers (seemingly making their comments from within a rosy cloud of linger adolescent nostalgia) express disappointment and a feeling that the "magic" is gone, I on the other hand feel that Storm Constantine has breathed life into the series and written a novel which although different from the original, is a wonderful complement and furthermore surely the beginning of yet another wonderful trilogy. If Hollywood came out with Labyrinth II and souped it up with overdone special effects, a David Bowie clone, and a director to replace Jim Henson, I'd be outraged, but with Wraiths, I feel we've all been blessed by a writer at the top of her form.

In looking at Wraiths, some have voiced complaints about the narrative and the way it uses the third person rather than the first person of the original trilogy. To me it seems like these readers have completely missed the point! Wraiths is the first volume in a new trilogy that presents the history of the Wraeththu, not the diaries of the Wraeththu elite (i.e. Pell, Swift and Cal). In presenting this history, the book employs the third person to show a more complete picture of the Wraeththu world. Set in a time period which stretches the length of a good deal of the original trilogy, Wraiths offers perspectives on those events covered within the first-person narrative -- perspectives which illuminate the previously "definitive" version. We learn that things are not always what they seem and that one har's perspective on events may be very limited; for example, Swift's view of Seel certainly differs from Seel's view of Swift and Pell knows much more about the Kamagrian than Cal ever imagined! The use of the third person also allows Constantine to create a complex storyline with multiple interweaving threads, bringing in the experiences and perspectives of para and parazha in a way that could hardly be achieved by using nothing but first person!

As for those complaints about Wraiths lacking the "magic" of the original books, I have to say I disagree with that as well. It's true that Wraiths is different than those books, but then again I think that's inevitable as Constantine's evolved as a person and a writer since then. I also think that again, the shift in feeling is quite appropriate given that this new trilogy is a history not the musings of individual hara. As a history, Wraiths sets before us a world without the distortion of all the fuzzy (although very seductive) gauze of the original books. To me, it's as if Enchantments, Bewitchments and Fulfilments are stories told from within a dream, the Wraeththu world PART of it, but in Wraiths we have the actual, solid world that has materialized over the years. For this we have to thank Storm's continuously growing imagination and talents, plus the energies of its many fans as well as practitioners of "dehara" magic. For me, Wraiths IS magical and involving and has lots of energy. It's not like George Lucas and Star Wars -- nothing like it!

Now, to stop simply defending the aspects I've seen criticized, let me go on to the parts of the book I loved. First off, it might not be some people's cup of tea, but I was blown away by the first chapter which features -- not to reveal spoilers -- a death and a birth. Absolutely gripping stuff that is really profound and signals a change from was Wraeththu WAS to what it becomes from that point forward. After that, the interweaving storylines were fascinating and I loved seeing the way the characters came together, interacted and then developed their personalities and relationships over the course of the book. There are some new characters like the child Lileem as well as old characters like Ulaume, Flick and Seel who we see a lot more of, and in each of these characters we see different aspects of the tapestry of Wraeththu. We also get a whole cast of characters in the "dehara," a god/goddess system Flick discovers and which exists as a product of the collective Wraeththu soul -- and can be very powerful, once hara know how to access it. There are lots of fun, juicy scenes in the book, like Flick and Ulaume going to a party at Forever which takes a serious left turn. And Seel's scenes certainly contain some major shocks!

There is more I could say but for now I'd like to say that as part of the Wraeththu fan community (it's gotten quite large online), what I've heard from pretty much everyone is an embrace of this book and lots of grateful, happy cheering. We're not nodding sycophants either (unlike say Anne Rice who think every book of hers is a masterpiece), but people who see pretty clearly and even though we see something different feel it's very, very good. I'm very excited about where this new trilogy is going and am eager to see where this all leads!

Rating:
Summary: Brinlliant book, Brilliant Author
Review: What can I say about Storm Constantine's work that hasn't already been said. She is truly brilliant and a gift to lovers of literature everywhere. I first was introduced to her work 2 years ago. I read the first 3 books of the "Wreaththu" series and I was hooked. The way she tells a story, is unlike any other. The landscapes, the characters, and the emotion that pours from her fingers and into the pages. Reading these stories felt like living them. Then came the 4th book, "The Wraiths of will and pleasure". I was so excited to see that these wonderful characters had more of their story to tell. I couldn't put the book down. Reuniting with these characters was like seeing old friends again. Finding out more truths and realizing the full effect of their life experiences. The friendships, the loss, new life, love, fear, and awakenings. Reading this was like being truly aware. Even though it is a work of fiction, you can't help but imagine, "what if?". I look forward to the next 2 books in the series. Storm has truly been bleseed with such an amazing talent. She inspires me, ignites a flame inside. This is truly an amazing author not to be missed. Read all of her work you can. Let her stories fill you with magic and wonder. Let the words slip into your mind, as they make you think, "I wonder? What if?". Let her make you think such a world is possible. Let these tales incept you.