The Bewitchments of Love and Hate: The Second Book of the Wraeththu

Book Two, The Bewitchments of Lave and Hate, is narrated by Swift the young harling son of Terzian, and the story takes us through Swift's childhood and into his maturity. Initially I was disappointed that Pellaz was no longer the centre of attention (he in fact does not make an appearance, although he is often referred to), but Swift is such a fascinating character that the disappointment was short lived. As Swift grows we learn more about Wraeththu culture, including Swift's passage into adulthood and his initiation in aruna, the act of intimacy between two hara; and it is clear this is not just a physical coupling, but something which transcends to the spiritual. The characters are fascinating: Terzian the Varr warrior who lives for the battle; Swift's hostling Cobweb, enigmatic and extraordinarily beautiful consort of Terzian but whose love for the latter is not reciprocated; and Cal, irresistible, mysterious and sardonic, who eventually reappears in the story to cause among other things considerable disruption in Swift's family. The Wraeththu story follows on from Book One, where we left the Gelaming under the mighty Thiede's overall direction preparing their advance on the Varrs and Megalithica, to that eventual confrontation between the opposing forces, and the surprising and magical deciding battle in which Swift and aruna both play a vital role. Book Two certainly lives up to the promise of Book One, and while the story itself is very interesting, it is the extraordinary characters who are the real stars. They are handsome even beautiful, complex and powerful with magical capabilities (if they choose to develop them), and open minded about their intimate relationships. While they like to think they approach perfection, they are not without their faults; Cobweb for one can become jealous, and while they are capable of devoted love (despite the fact that exclusive love for another is frowned upon) they generally appear to lack compassion. This lack is especially apparent among the Gelaming leaders, who can be quite malicious in their verbal dealings with one another at times. I really enjoyed this book, possibly even more than Book One, and was absolutely enthralled by the Wraeththu characters. As a story it is quite capable of standing on its own, it contains sufficient explanations that one could enjoy it without reading Book One, (which is probably more than can be said for my review, so my apologies if you have not read Book One and my comments make little sense to you)

Book Two, The Bewitchments of Lave and Hate, is narrated by Swift the young harling son of Terzian, and the story takes us through Swift's childhood and into his maturity. Initially I was disappointed that Pellaz was no longer the centre of attention (he in fact does not make an appearance, although he is often referred to), but Swift is such a fascinating character that the disappointment was short lived. As Swift grows we learn more about Wraeththu culture, including Swift's passage into adulthood and his initiation in aruna, the act of intimacy between two hara; and it is clear this is not just a physical coupling, but something which transcends to the spiritual. The characters are fascinating: Terzian the Varr warrior who lives for the battle; Swift's hostling Cobweb, enigmatic and extraordinarily beautiful consort of Terzian but whose love for the latter is not reciprocated; and Cal, irresistible, mysterious and sardonic, who eventually reappears in the story to cause among other things considerable disruption in Swift's family. Later Swift meets up with Seel, Cal's lover from human times, and while Swift is immediately attracted to Seel, Seel does nothing but avoid him; however others have plans for them. The Wraeththu story follows on from Book One, where we left the Gelaming under the mighty Thiede's overall direction preparing their advance on the Varrs and Megalithica, to that eventual confrontation between the opposing forces, and the surprising and magical deciding battle in which Swift and aruna both play a vital role. Book Two certainly lives up to the promise of Book One, and while the story itself is very interesting, it is the extraordinary characters who are the real stars. They are handsome even beautiful, complex and powerful with magical capabilities (if they choose to develop them), and open minded about their intimate relationships. While they like to think they approach perfection, they are not without their faults; Cobweb for one can become jealous, and while they are capable of devoted love (despite the fact that exclusive love for another is frowned upon) they generally appear to lack compassion. This lack is especially apparent among the Gelaming leaders, who can be quite malicious in their verbal dealings with one another at times. I really enjoyed this book, possibly even more than Book One, and was absolutely enthralled by the Wraeththu characters. As a story it is quite capable of standing on its own, it contains sufficient explanations that one could enjoy it without reading Book One, (which is probably more than can be said for my review, so my apologies if you have not read Book One and my comments make little sense to you)