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Wraeththu starts out as post-apocalyptic 80's punk science fiction and ends up as a weird fantasy RPG where the hero levels up by having sex with the right people.
I regret nothing.
I regret nothing.
This is going to be a very long review/synopsis, and quite frankly, this series is deserving of it.
Right from the start, the premise of the storyline is exceedingly interesting/unique. In a dystopian future, a single perfectly hermaphrodite baby is born to a human woman. This child is shunned as a mutation, and lives a harsh, solitary existence until he discovers, quite by accident it seems, that his "mutation" can be passed on to human males via a transfer of his blood. The human recipient then goes through a painful transformation, which upon completion has made him into a creature exactly like his maker in hermaphroditic biology. Along with hermaphroditism, the mutation also causes an (as yet undetermined) extended lifespan, increased strength, health, and magical abilities. This, in turn, spells the final downfall of mankind. Already under stress from an unnamed cataclysmic event, humans quickly become the minority as the mutation spreads. The new "superior" race become known as Wraeththu.
This base storyline is overlaid by what I can only describe as a somewhat tragic love story, told in 3 parts; each from a different 1st person perspective/narrative.
The Wraeththu eventually spread out over the entire planet, dividing themselves into different clans which develop unique cultures of their own. Some clans are more violent & warlike, embracing the more aggressive male aspect of their biology; their leaders choosing consorts that naturally incline towards their more feminine aspect. Other clans are determined to rise above what they consider to be baser, uncivilized human nature/instincts. They choose to set out on the path of fate as shown to them by the original Wraeththu (whom they have elevated to God-like status), which encourages them to nurture and expand their magical abilities, believing themselves to be the perfect evolution of man, and therefore earth's rightful inheritors. They discourage the "human" concept of love, maintaining that to love someone above any other is to create feelings of possession of them, which in turn encourages jealousy and disharmony. Aruna (sexual intercourse), however, is literally a magical event which can create power to be saved up and used at a later date, and is integral to each Wraeththu's well-being.
(In an aside, some readers may not be comfortable with the sexual content of this series. Although the Wraeththu are hermaphroditic, they are all referred to as he/him, even those that embrace their more female aspect. Therefore, the reader may not be able to help envisioning such scenes as homosexual in nature).
The Wraeththu eventually discover that they are able to procreate amongst themselves, without the need to "incept" human males. Each Wraeththu is capable of either inseminating, or gestating new life as predetermined between aruna partners.
Meanwhile, the original Wraeththu "god" has come up with a plan to unite all of the disjointed Wraeththu clans under one leader in an effort to cleanse the species of violence for good, and become truly worthy of being mankind's superior replacement. He manipulates events without regard for the more-human-than-they-would-like-to-admit emotions of the Wraeththu involved. He ultimately underestimates the strength of what he considers the basest of human emotion....love.
Each character is brought to life in exquisite detail, and I couldn't help but immerse myself in this fantastic dystopian world. I quickly became invested in the fate of each 1st person narrator as they played out (and sometimes struggled against) their assigned roles in the ultimate plan to build a new race/empire.
Right from the start, the premise of the storyline is exceedingly interesting/unique. In a dystopian future, a single perfectly hermaphrodite baby is born to a human woman. This child is shunned as a mutation, and lives a harsh, solitary existence until he discovers, quite by accident it seems, that his "mutation" can be passed on to human males via a transfer of his blood. The human recipient then goes through a painful transformation, which upon completion has made him into a creature exactly like his maker in hermaphroditic biology. Along with hermaphroditism, the mutation also causes an (as yet undetermined) extended lifespan, increased strength, health, and magical abilities. This, in turn, spells the final downfall of mankind. Already under stress from an unnamed cataclysmic event, humans quickly become the minority as the mutation spreads. The new "superior" race become known as Wraeththu.
This base storyline is overlaid by what I can only describe as a somewhat tragic love story, told in 3 parts; each from a different 1st person perspective/narrative.
The Wraeththu eventually spread out over the entire planet, dividing themselves into different clans which develop unique cultures of their own. Some clans are more violent & warlike, embracing the more aggressive male aspect of their biology; their leaders choosing consorts that naturally incline towards their more feminine aspect. Other clans are determined to rise above what they consider to be baser, uncivilized human nature/instincts. They choose to set out on the path of fate as shown to them by the original Wraeththu (whom they have elevated to God-like status), which encourages them to nurture and expand their magical abilities, believing themselves to be the perfect evolution of man, and therefore earth's rightful inheritors. They discourage the "human" concept of love, maintaining that to love someone above any other is to create feelings of possession of them, which in turn encourages jealousy and disharmony. Aruna (sexual intercourse), however, is literally a magical event which can create power to be saved up and used at a later date, and is integral to each Wraeththu's well-being.
(In an aside, some readers may not be comfortable with the sexual content of this series. Although the Wraeththu are hermaphroditic, they are all referred to as he/him, even those that embrace their more female aspect. Therefore, the reader may not be able to help envisioning such scenes as homosexual in nature).
The Wraeththu eventually discover that they are able to procreate amongst themselves, without the need to "incept" human males. Each Wraeththu is capable of either inseminating, or gestating new life as predetermined between aruna partners.
Meanwhile, the original Wraeththu "god" has come up with a plan to unite all of the disjointed Wraeththu clans under one leader in an effort to cleanse the species of violence for good, and become truly worthy of being mankind's superior replacement. He manipulates events without regard for the more-human-than-they-would-like-to-admit emotions of the Wraeththu involved. He ultimately underestimates the strength of what he considers the basest of human emotion....love.
Each character is brought to life in exquisite detail, and I couldn't help but immerse myself in this fantastic dystopian world. I quickly became invested in the fate of each 1st person narrator as they played out (and sometimes struggled against) their assigned roles in the ultimate plan to build a new race/empire.
My second reading of this incredible book was just as much fun as the first time around. Storm Constantine has created an incredible hermaphroditic world from the ashes of humanity and it works fantastically well. I can't praise her enough. Gorgeous.