The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure: The First Book of the Wraeththu Histories

Wraiths is a fabulous read. It fed my hunger. It provided a clearer picture of the world of Wraeththu. It gave me background on minor characters that appear in "Wraeththu" (the first three books of the series), and filled in details, and textures that makes this world all the richer and more satisfying. This story is set during the original "Wraeththu" trilogy. Wraiths storyline begins part way through the first book, and its storyline ends part way through the third book - more detail I cannot give for "spoiler reasons". Wraiths is told in the third person and follows the lives of characters that are introduced as secondary characters in the initial trilogy, as well as a few new ones. These characters are not the powerful elite destined to rule this new world...these are characters helplessly caught in the wake of the geopolitical events of the times and the whims and actions of the powerful few such as Pell, Thiede, and the enigmatic Cal. The Wraeththu race is no longer riding a cresting wave of a newness and power; they are caught in a raging powerful tempest of political, and social, strife and uncertainty. The protagonists are forced to confront themselves, their spirituality, their world, and the repercussions of their own actions. As Flick tells Ulaume, "There is something terrible in us. We are no better than humanity, just stronger and more dangerous". Once again...A warning!!!! This book is not for everyone. I loved it and I am highly recommending it!!! That being said - I realize that there may be sensitive readers that will have "trouble" with the sexual aspects of this book. Your mind must be open to read and enjoy these books. There is sex. While in my opinion the depictions of sex are by no means graphic, or gratuitous, it is "non-traditional" (i.e. between androgynous hermaphrodites).

I have bought every last wreaththu book in the series but this one has been my fav. My fav chartater in this book is and always well be FLICK!!! I love him I don't know why though. I suppose it's because he's very strong at heart. (He'd have to be to put up with Seel LOL) If these books were ever made into a movie I would pay to go watch it. And then Buy it. No kiddin. I love them I love All of Storms books they are alll a masterpiece. Angel

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.

"Wraiths" is an excellent, and welcome, addition to my favorite story of all time. I have been a huge fan of Storm's since I read the original printing of the Wraeththu trilogy back in '91. While her other books are placed proudly on my bookshelf, none of them will ever match the magic of Wraeththu. I noticed a couple of fans panning the book, and while I can't say they're wrong I can comment on it. For one thing, the magic of Wraeththu is, even more than most literature, a very personal thing. I, for one, was never so taken by the individual charcters, as much as I was by the world of Wraeththu, as a whole. I can see, then, how a switch from the 1st to 3rd person, as well as a change in writing style, might irk some fans, as she leaves behind her baroque, introspective narration, for a sparser and more focussed prose. Still, none of these things bothered me; if anything, I prefered Wraiths to the orginal three books. Part of that is that I usuallly prefer 3rd person storytelling to 1st. The other is that I absolutely loved the protagonists in Wraiths! I never really identified too much with Pellaz, Swift, or Cal (the heros of the trilogy); they were either too good, too bad, or too perfect. Ulaume, Flick, and Lileem, on the other hand, all wormed their way deep into my heart, especially Lileem. They are all outcasts (relatively speaking, that is) yet they manage to rock the world in their own way. The relationships and politics were at least deep as in the original books (I loved reading Flick's confrontation with Seel...and the Kamagrians, the part about some of them excising their Ouana-lims, I almost died laughing!)Of course, this is just my opinion. As I said, I particularly loved Lileem (she's the first of all of Storm's characters that I've really identified with), so perhaps if I hadn't I wouldn't feel quite as strongly about the book. However, I did, and I do, so I guess that's just that. Anyway, thanks Storm. Keep 'em coming. Please.

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 tha