Storm Constantine made her fame with her Wraeththu trilogy, a trilogy about an androgynous breed of proto-humans that are evolving out of the ruins of a devastated world. It became a cult hit amongst readers in the United States and it seemed that it was all that we would here from her as far as her writing was concerned. Unbeknownst to most Americans, she has achieved great success in her native UK and across Europe. Her other books are now some of the most sought after imports in genre bookstores across America.
Her books have pushed the edge of the literary envelope when it comes to sensuality and magic. It is the nature of magic and sensuality that is at the heart of her work. With such novels as Hermetech and The Monstrous Regiment, her characters awaken hidden sexual power and it is that hidden power that lies at the center of her book. The birth of sexuality, whether hetero or homosexual in nature is the source of great power among her characters. In the case of The Monstrous Regiment, there is a struggle between the magicks of men and women.
In the Wraeththu trilogy her beings are beautiful magical creatures that are the next stage in human evolution. This is her breakthrough work and it withstands the test of time after a dozen years. The sensuality of these creatures who are androgynous practitioners of magic and telepathy are some of the most memorable in the Fantasy and Science Fiction Genre. Rather than go through the stories all over again, I refer you to Paul Cashman's excellent review and synopsis at his Wraeththu Page . It is available in an omnibus edition by Tor at Amazon under Wraeththu.
*Images of the British hardcover editions of the Wraeththu Trilogy
Burying the Shadow, a retelling of the Vampire Myth. In it, she tells of the special relationships between the the race of Artisan Vampires and their thralls. She considers Burying the Shadow a practice and precursor to her most ambitious work to date, the Grigori Trilogy.
In the Grigori Trilogy, she takes on the old legends of the Fallen Angels, who she referes to as the Grigori, the Watchers in the Bible who were cast out of Heaven for loving mortal women. She gets musch of her information from the ideas of authors such as Andre Collins and Zacheria Sitchin. the first book, Stalking Tender Prey, starts with the arrival into a normal town of a tall beautiful stranger named Peveral Othman. He is in fact the fallen angel Shemyaza.He has come to awaken the the woman who brought down his doom, Ishtahar. It is a complicated story, blending Biblical myth and modern sexuality and shamanistic mysticism.
The second book in the trilogy is Scenting Hallowed Blood. The adventures continue and the mysteries of the fallen race are further explored. Along the way, we will see enemies try to destroy Shemyaza and his friends. Danial, Shemyaza's Vizeer is put in grave danger because he sees the future. Ishtahar is not the great love that the fallen Grigori thought he would find. And the mystery of how Shemyaza was xast out and survived is revealed. This is a shorter work than the first book, making it a very fast read. The only problem is that there is a huge gap between publishing of this book and the final book making the wait all that much more painful. some readers might have to go back to the original two books and brush up.
The third book is due out in January 2001 and is entitled Stealing Sacred Fire.
