Wraiths of Will and Pleasure (Wraeththu Histories #1)

Title: The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure (The Wraeththu Histories #1)
Author: Storm Constantine
Publisher: Immanion Press, 2012

I am possibly the worst Storm Constantine fan ever, because I have to admit that I’m yet to read all her books (at time of writing).This is mostly due to the fact that it’s only during the past few years (thanks to the advent of digital publishing) that it has become easy to lay hands on her work all the way out here in South Africa. But I admit my consumption of the Wraeththu Mythos books has been gradual; not only do I not want to rush to get to the end, but I also wish to revisit some of the other authors who had such a massive impact on me during my formative years.

Anyhoo, The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure is the first of the second trilogy, and it is exactly as the name suggests – a somewhat historical account of all the events that occurred behind the scenes in the first trilogy. Also, the biggest difference is that Storm abandons her expected first-person account in exchange for a third-person viewpoint that occasionally flirts with third-person omniscient. Under normal circumstances omniscient storytelling annoys the everloving crap out of me, but Storm is happily one of the few authors I’ve encountered who understands how to employ this narrative style well.

If you’re yet to encounter any of Storm’s Wraeththu stories, do yourself a favour and read in chronological order. The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure is jam-packed to the gills with spoilers.

However, if you wondered about certain key secondary characters, like Seel, Ulaume, Flick, and a number of others who make brief but enigmatic appearances in the first trilogy, you’ll have so much backstory that explains just about everything. Granted, the storytelling is condensed, and Storm does engage in a fair amount of narrative summary, and so long as you keep in mind that this book is intended to fill in the gaps behind the scenes that took place around about the time of Pell and Cal’s catastrophic separation, Orien’s fate and Cal’s eventual arrival in Roselane, you’ll be good.

For me, this book is a veritable goldmine, since I write for the expanded Wraeththu Mythos – so these chunks of history are vital knowledge for me, even if this is more a collection of key individual experiences fleshing out what is in actuality an extended travelogue. And, if you wanted to know more about the Kamagrian, you’re in the right place.

But hush now… I’ve said enough already...