Pagan Book Reviews

The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure: The First Book of the Wraeththu Histories
Storm Constantine
Tor Books, 2004
496 pages

This book continues the story of Wraeththu, Constantine’s first trilogy surrounding magical androynous hermaphrodites in a post-Apocalyptic world. Years after she wrote the first trilogy, she returns to this complex realm to weave more mythos.

There’s a definite difference in quality of writing between this series and the previous. This isn’t bad; it’s not a matter of one being better than the other. However, the feel of her writing has matured, adn doesn’t have quite as many rough edges as the original trilogy does.

As with the first time, though, we’re brought back into a world of well-developed characters and even better stories. There’s more information on the Parazha, a second group of hermaphroditic beings who sprung from women instead of men, and we get to see the development of hara who were relatively minor players in the first trilogy come into their own. Ulaume, who had a rather small, negative part in Wraeththu, ends up becoming quite a different person through the adoption of Lileem, an abandoned harling. Flick leaves Saltrock and is oenof the first hara to work with the Dehara, the gods of Wraeththu, through shamanic experiences in the desert. And there are some very unexpected twists and turns to the tale beyond even these.

I really enjoyed getting back into Storm’s writing, especially as Wraeththu is a favorite of mine. Highly, highly recommended for a good read.

Five pawprints out of five.

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