2003 and I'm Enchanted Again!
by Maria Leel

Revised 2003 Edition The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit by Storm Constantine Available from Immanion Press or Amazon.co.uk

Hell! Aren't we just some of the luckiest people around? Not only do we have a trilogy of books that we know inside out and love intimately but now we have the first in a series of revised editions. Personally, they are books that I have gone back to time and time again and always found something new in them. At different times in my life different elements of the books have resonated with me according to personal circumstance.

I remember a particularly bad time when a friend suggested I would benefit from learning Reiki healing techniques. I was reading a book on the subject and suddenly sat bolt upright — something had rung a very large bell in my mind. I went to the book shelf to retrieve my copy of Enchantments and lo and behold what was Pell doing to Cobweb in Phesbe? Something that looked remarkably like Reiki healing... Synchronicity and all that.

So, now — we have a new take on the first book of the original trilogy. In this article I am not going to do a chapter-by-chapter comparison. However, on holiday recently I was caught on the beach with one book in one hand and the other in my other hand, comparing a particular scene — thus cementing utterly and irrevocably my reputation as an anally retentive nit-picker! (For a fuller comparison of the original and 2003 revision see Wendy's article in the Winter 2002 edition of Inception.)

I must say I adore the whole appearance of the book. From Ruby's art work on the front cover to her illustrations throughout the book, to Gabby's elegant type face, to the forward by Storm and finally to the "what's coming next" section at the end. This is more than just a book, it's an introduction to a whole new world. I am also deeply inspired by the whole concept of the Immanion Press. Authors doing it for themselves. This appeals to several principles I hold dear. Independence, thinking globally, acting locally, self empowerment and the good old two fingered salute at the establishment. Woohoo! It gives me great hope.

So how do I feel about Enchantments 2003? It's like looking at something you know well through the enlightening lens of 15 years experience and wisdom. It's rather as if Pell has gone back to his original story and said, "Oh, I should have included that — that's important" or "I'll mention this too because it's significant later on." Enchantments 2003 has filled in the blanks and fleshed out the story. Nothing really jarred with me in the revision but I did have a few shocks along the way.

Scenes and developments that stick in my mind include:

• The scenes with Pell and his family before he leaves to join Wraeththu strengthen the bond between them, particularly between Pell and Mima, and prepares the ground for what happens later in Wraiths. Also the horror stories brought by travellers from the north really add a sense of truth to the book as it illustrates how society and the known world are disintegrating and how isolated Pell and his community are.
• The extended scenes in Saltrock with the horror of the harhune. The occult training with Orien and the humour between Cal and Pell... "For God's sake not now!" I think this makes the characters and situations far more real.
• The tension between Cal and Orien hinting at Orien's later murder.
• Cal's display of his political views. His experiences with the Uigenna. His more realistic outlook about what is going on "out there" and his deep reservations about what he sees as a eugenics programme being carried out in Saltrock.
• Pell's request to Flick as he leaves Saltrock which opens a major doorway into Wraiths.
• Pell's conversation with Kate in Ferelithia. This really paves the way for Kamagrian later and was not something that had really been thought about in the original Enchantments.
• In the second part of the book there are more references from Pell about how he feels about Cal's loss. This also resonates with more truth because the major story arc of the whole trilogy is Pell and Cal's love story and how they eventually get back together.
• And finally our fly on the wall view of the ghastly, gut-wrenching scene, and scene it is, between Pell and Rue following Rue's arrival in Immanion with Wolf. Strangely, ghastly though that scene is, I still feel warmer towards Pell at the end of Enchantments 2003 than I did with the original. His actions are believably genuine and his despair is so evident.

About the Author:
Maria Leel lives at Chateau Fengate in England with assorted cats, chickens and husband. She makes a lot of wine, dabbles in complementary therapies and is mum to the infamous Steffi the Goat. She has a degree in Ecology but neither she or anyone else appears to be able to make any use of it, which can make her quite cross. She can be reached at maria@leel2.freeserve.co.uk.