The Shades of Time and Memory: The Second Book of the Wraeththu Histories

Storm's Wraeththu Histories just keep getting better and better. With each new book of hers that I read, I harbor a fear that something will start to falter, that the magic I love will no longer exist. This is definately not the case with "Shades". As much as I loved "Wraiths", I nearly danced with joy as Pell, Cal, and Rue graced the pages once again. Now that Thiede has been somewhat thrown out of the earthly realm by Cal, the Wraeththu world is a bit off kilter and Aralis' struggle to find a way to stablize it. The characters in "Shades" have grown up, Pell and Rue work to put their unfortunate past behind them, as their son finds his own way to deal with his pain. Cal struggles to deal with his wild nature and in the process, meets an old... friend. This book is quite different from the orginal triology and builds quite a bit on Wraiths as the Wraeththu kind learn some of their true capabilities and their own insignificance at the same time. It is a wild and capitavating ride. One thing I really loved about "Shades" was the inclusion and introduction of some of Pell's human relatives, Terez, Snake, and Moon. They add to the amazing web that is wraeththu. I can't wait to get started on "The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence"!

This has been an exhilarating few days for me as I finish the Wraeththu Histories. Like some of the reviewers I was a trifle dismayed yet hopeful when I learned that Storm wished to write a sequel to Wraeththu. It has been more than 15 years since the conclusion of Wraeththu. Yes I could still recall the last part of Wraeththu being rushed and there could have been much more in the reunion of Calanthe and Pellaz. But how does Storm hope to redeem this small but significant fault in Wraeththu, least of all equal the brilliance of this masterpiece. I do not doubt her story telling skill but there is a haunting originality, a sensuality, an innocence in Wraeththu which is not possible to duplicate or match. My fear grew when I found Book 1 of the Wraeththu Histories a sort of a "fill-in-the-blanks" which does not feature and if so, limited roles of the enchanting and alluring characters in Wraeththu. And it was not written in the first person view which I love so much in Wraeththu. However my fear was unfounded a third through Book 1. Storm has not lost her magic though I still miss Calanthe, Rue, Cobweb and more of Pell of course. Happily these endearing characters reappear in Book 2 which is just brilliant. My favorite characters take center stage again as Storm continue from where she left off in Fulfilments of Fate and Desire (3rd book of Wraeththu). I no longer miss the first person narration. Storm does not need that to inject emotions, intensity and life into her story and characters. Her characters have grown and I like the maturity in Cal, Pell and Cobweb. New characters appear, Moon, Snake, Raven just to name a few, and Storm weave them seamlessly into her magical tapestry of intriguing plots and sub-plots. As I turn to Book 3 (The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence, UK edition), I was again a trifle dismayed with the story shifting to new characters, this time the second generation harlings. I should just have trusted Storm. Book 3 is as enchanting as Book 2. Her protagonists, Pell's sons/high-son, Darq, Loki, Geb, can never equal Cal, Pell and Cobweb,(I have to admit I am bias because nohar else can replace these favorite characters of mine), but they are refreshing and each harling's character is an unique individual. The stories of Pell's sons/high-son, from the day they are "hatched" to the day they confront each other are equally spell binding. Storm's imagination just keep on growing covering untouched realms without ever dragging her feet or confusing her reader. Few can match her world building skills or the deep interplay of emotions among her characters. And I am very please with the way she continues the love/hate emotions development among Cal, Pell,Galdra and Rue in Book 3. No reader can expect more but as a Wraeththu fan, I am thirsty for much more. Just novellas from now on is just not enough! Long live the Wraeththu Mythos!

I remember the day the Wraeththu seduced me like it was yesterday. I was a 19-year-old art student when I walked into a bookstore in a busy mall back in 1985 looking for something interesting to read for my commute home and bought the first volume of the series because I liked the cover (I found it unusual and very well done). I began reading at the train station and did not stop for more than a couple of hours for two days. Long story short: Storm introduced me to her world. I was hooked. Willingly bewitched. What? You thought I was kidding when I say I was seduced? I had to have more, I found the 2nd part of trilogy, and a couple of years later the 3rd. Still, I looked for more (it was like a drug) but nothing was available in the US market. Eventually, life marched on and my brain detoxed and I forgot about "that" one fantastic tale. Then I found this book last week and the fever's back (it's like the Pell & Cal reunion all over again). I won't go into the plot details. I feel that too much has been revealed by other reviews. But I'll say this: You will even find a snippet of humor in this volume AND the ever-standing affirmation, that size does matter. The truth is that no one writes like Storm. The imagery is so utterly alive that it's effortless to imagine the places, characters and (even) emotions she conveys thru her work. I must admit that I was prepared to be sadly disappointed -- after all, everyone "know" that sequels are never as good as the original - but I am glad to be wrong. Although, there is a big different in writing styles from her original work (when contrasted with this one book in particular), it becomes very unimportant past the first few paragraphs and goes unnoticed afterwards. If fact, one could say that this one book is actually a testament to her growth as a weaver of dreams. Long live Wraeththukind!

My faith in the Storm-goddess has been restored! I have to admit I was disappointed with the last "Wraeththu Histories" novel, THE WRAITHS OF WILL AND PLEASURE, which seemed to discard much of what I loved about the original Wraeththu novels. I'm delighted to see that most of what was missing from Wraiths has returned in THE SHADES OF TIME AND MEMORY. Most notably, Cal. After serving as the focal point for the entire original trilogy, Cal was conspicuously absent in Wraiths. Now he's back and in full form! This is the real joy of Shades: it is a chronological sequel to the original Wraeththu trilogy, beginning shortly after Cal's triumphant reunion with Pellaz at the end of Fulfilments. All is not "happily ever after" in Immanion as Cal, Pell, and Caeru struggle to reconcile a relationship damaged by time and jealousy. Worse, Cal's elimination of Thiede has triggered unexpected consequences for the world on many levels. Pell has been left without his mentor and father-figure. The Gelaming have been left without their founder. But worst of all, Thiede's disappearance has weakened the magical barriers of Gebbadon, the hellish alternate realm to which Ponclast and the most bloodthirsty of the old Varrs were banished back in Bewitchments (book 2 of the original trilogy). Ponclast hasn't been idle all this time. He and his Teraghasts, as they now call themselves, have been biding their time, breeding, developing their magical strength, and forging alliances with mysterious entities from beyond the world. And now they're ready to break free... So once again we have an epic tale full of sensuality, relationships in all their pain and beauty, and dark non-traditional magic, this time joined with an exciting danger-filled plot. Shades still suffers from some of the flaws of Wraiths, such as an overabundance of relevant characters who simply get too little development. (For example, one of the key Teraghasts is introduced with the intriguing line, "Diablo was so mean, it wasn't a joke he was named for the old devil." But a few paragraphs later the focus of the narrative shifts elsewhere, and we're never given a close look at Diablo again.) But this is balanced by the fact that we get cameos from original-trilogy characters like Lianvis and Kate/Katarin, and new characters who *are* well-developed, such as Pell's brother Dorado -- now called Snake Jaguar. Because of this I found myself much less irritated by the third-person format this time around. I still miss the first person of the original trilogy, because Storm has always been a consummate master of the form; I hope she returns to it someday. In any case, I was very happy with Shades -- so happy that I went back and re-read Wraiths, and actually enjoyed it better as foreshadowing for Shades. Now that's good. =) And now I can't wait for the next book!

The Tagline for the sixth season of that smart cult TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was "Oh! Grow up!", and for the second volume of the Wraeththu histories, *The Shades of Time and Memory*, the tentative direction of this new series seems to follow those lines. My first reaction to the resumption of the series with *The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure* 15 years after the original ended was mixed. Delight at seeing more of it, slight disappointment that it didn't quite capture the magic of the original *Wraeththu*. The fleshing out of old minor characters, Flick and Ulaume, or Seel (no!) though vibrant and exciting, didn't make me fall in love as madly as the first one -and I'd read the holy trilogy only 2 weeks before. I didn't have years of building up their mythos in my mind. The switch to 3rd person from the brilliant mix of humor and pathos of the trilogy's 1st person didn't move me to tears and laughter, the story, while fascinating on its own terms, didn't have that legendary poignancy. The Original Wraeththu trilogy was breaktaking, heartbreaking, gripping (all sorts of -ing), and your heart threatens to hold onto them, not wanting to let go of their painful beauty. Now that I've read the 2nd in this new series (and re-read *Wraiths* 5 times), I see this from a bit more measured perspective. These are, after all this nitpicking, the most exhilerating fantasy books I've read in years. *The Shades of Time and Memory* picks up right where the final trilogy ended, rather than fill in the lost years between 2 and 3 as *Wraiths of Will and Pleasure* did. What happens after Cal stalks into Immanion, reunites with Pell, and takes his rightful place in Wraeththu? This makes for an unforgetable read; the plot never drops, and almost every chapter leaves you breathless. The mystery and intrigue keeps you on the edge of your seat, until you look up and can't recognize your surroundings because you've been so absorbed. And the pace cannot be perfected upon! You're never overwhelmed by too much, but at the same time you're left dizzy with the excitement and the emotions. The characters are a mix of our well known (and deeply beloved), Cal, Cobweb, Caeru, Swift, and well, Pellaz too, as well as the most amazing transformation of Ponclast. Newer characters tie in with the old, as children (harlings!) have grown up and do their bit to inherit the world: Tyson, Moon, Abrimel, Azriel, Aleeme, and a disturbing Caliban figure, Diablo... Of course, everything must be compared back to the original *Wraeththu* (the holy3), but I feel at this point, that this might be a tad unfair. The originals were about one story above all, a mad, passionate, haunting, painful, gorgeous Love beyond Death and Time etc. Like Buffy season 2, like Romeo and Juliet, it's beautiful, gothic, beautifully extravagant teenage love. (and that's why I love it so dearly) But the new series is about something different. Not less exciting, and with even greater cosmic implications