I approached the latest installment in Storm Constantine's ever-evolving Wraeththu
trilogy with a curious intermingling of anticipation and dread. Anticipation....
well, of course! The prior book, Wraiths, had been excellent, and there
was no reason to think that this latest book would be anything less... except
for that feeling of dread. From hints online and the book's dire back-cover blurb,
there were obvious signs that some of my favorite characters — especially
Pellaz, who I adopted years ago as a personal icon — could be in for a rough
ride. She wouldn't, umm, kill "me" off, would she?
For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I ain't gonna tell ya. :)
But, I will say that this is among the very best books that Storm has
ever written. I'd hesitate to put it above, say, Bewitchments, because
that's like heresy in my literary world, but it slips in right behind it. This
is indeed a terrific continuation of the series.
Anyway, back to the dire warnings and that rough ride... For the first time
in years (both real-time and in the Wraeththuverse), the Wraeththu — and
the Kamagrian — are faced with a truly implacable foe and a believable,
deadly threat. Storm introduces and develops new characters, but finds a place
for almost everyone we've come to know and love from the preceding books —
no mean feat. This book also weighs in at an impressive length; there's a lot
to enjoy here, and there were several times when I finished a chapter and said,
slowly and disbelievingly, "Wow!"
Storm adds a lot of great insight into the world of the Wraeththu and their
origins, and she expands greatly on the true nature of the sedim, the
not-quite-of-this-Earth "horses" that the Gelaming use. It becomes
clear that forces far greater than our Wraeththu friends — greater even
than the mighty Thiede — are battling for dominion over the skies of Earth...
and that there's a lot more to the Cevarro family than meets the eye!
I have a few caveats, of course. There are some puzzling usage errors; the
word "discrete" is used consistently, for example, in place of "discreet."
There are a few spots where short words are missing. No biggie, just a few things
that I noticed within the text. A glossary or a map at the end, instead of the
two serialized stories — both good — might have been more helpful.
These are minor quibbles, though, and the font size is normal and clearly readable,
a nice change from the original trilogy reissues.
For those long-time fans who have hesitated to buy this new book, if you can
afford to pick it up, get it as soon as possible! If you are new to the Wraeththu,
however, I'd recommend reading the prior four books first, as Storm doesn't
delve too much into background in this one.
In summary, this book portrays a defining moment in the history and evolution
of the Wraeththu... and a definitive new plateau in Storm's ever-growing list
of excellent works. It honestly couldn't get much better than this.
