Constantine, Storm 1956-

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Constantine, Storm 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born October 12, 1956, in England; name legally changed to Storm Constantine. Education: Attended Stafford Girls' High School, 1966-71; attended Stafford Art College, 1971-72.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Stafford, England. Agent—Maggie Noach, 21 Redan St., London W14 4QB, England.

CAREER:

Writer. Freelance writer; finance officer in Staffordshire, England, 1990.

WRITINGS:

"WRAETHTHU" TRILOGY I

The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit: The First Book of Wraeththu, Macdonald (London, England), 1987, Tor (New York, NY), 1990.

The Bewitchments of Love and Hate, Futura (London, England), 1988, Tor (New York, NY), 1990.

The Fulfillments of Fate and Desire, Drunken Dragon Press (Birmingham, England), 1989, Tor (New York, NY), 1991.

"WRAETHTHU" TRILOGY II

The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure, Tor (New York, NY), 2003.

The Shades of Time and Memory, Tor (New York, NY), 2004.

The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence, Tor (New York, NY), 2006.

"MAGRAVANDIAN" TRILOGY

Sea Dragon Heir, Tor (New York, NY), 2000.

Crown of Silence, Tor (New York, NY), 2001.

The Way of Light, Tor (New York, NY), 2002.

OTHER NOVELS

The Monstrous Regiment, Futura (London, England), 1989.

Hermetech, Headline (London, England), 1991.

Aleph (sequel to The Monstrous Regiment), Orbit (London, England), 1991.

Burying the Shadow, Headline (London, England) 1992, Meisha Merlin (Atlanta, GA), 2001.

Sign for the Sacred, Headline (London, England) 1993.

Calenture, Headline (London, England) 1994.

Stalking Tender Prey, Creed (London, England), 1995.

Scenting Hallowed Blood, Signet (London, England), 1996.

Stealing Sacred Fire, Meisha Merlin (Atlanta, GA), 2000.

(With Michael Moorcock) Silverheart, Earthlight (London, England), 2000, Pyr (Amherst, NY), 2005.

Stealing Sacred Fire, Meisha Merlin (Atlanta, GA), 2001.

The Hienama: A Story of the Sulh, Immanion Press (England), 2005.

OTHER

Bast and Sekhmet: Eye of Ra, R. Hale (London, England), 1999.

Egyptian Birth Signs: The Secrets of the Ancient Egyptian Horoscope, Thorsons (London, England), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS:

British science-fiction and fantasy writer Storm Constantine began her career with The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit: The First Book of Wraeththu, in 1987, the first book in her series about a post-apocalyptic race of male hermaphrodites. The Wraeththu are also featured her novels The Bewitchments of Love and Hate and The Fulfillments of Fate and Desire; all three have been published in the United States as well as in England. Constantine has penned several other speculative novels published in the United Kingdom, including The Monstrous Regiment, Burying the Shadow, and Calenture. Her most common fictional themes are those of sexuality, power, and spirituality. Though she often uses the device of genetic engineering in her books, many critics have noted that her work has a more New Age, pagan-magic feel than a truly scientific one.

In The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit, readers meet Cal, who, while as a Wraeththu, he is a hermaphrodite, he is also basically male. The Wraeththu maintain their race through adopting adolescent human males and transforming them into hermaphrodites, and Cal brings home the protagonist, Pellaz, for this purpose. Also involved in the story is Thiede, the first Wraeththu, who has achieved a kind of supernatural status among the race. Cal is much more the focus in The Bewitchments of Love and Hate, which deals with his relationships, particularly that with Thiede. According to a Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers contributor, this second novel "is perhaps the best of the three, the prose is tighter." In the final book, The Fulfillments of Fate and Desire, Cal is the narrator, and meets up with Pellaz once more. Roz Kaveney, mentioning the first novel in Books, complained of her frustration that "some serious speculations about gender and violence … keep almost bubbling through," but never quite manage to become clear. W. Keith McCoy in Voice of Youth Advocates judged The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit to be "imaginative" but "ragged."

In The Monstrous Regiment, Constantine explores the idea of feminism gone awry. The planet of Artemis, originally founded by both men and women attempting to escape a repressive patriarchal society, is now ruled by an evil Dominatrix under whom the few men left are slaves. Corinna, who has been raised in the swamps on the civilization's outskirts, takes in a man who is attempting to rebel against the system. She protects and helps him despite the fact that she is being prepared for an important position in the Dominatrix's government. According to Carolyn Cushman, reviewing The Monstrous Regiment in Locus, "Constantine manages to keep the reader's interest with details of life in the swamps, romantic entanglements (and sex), and a few inspired moments of sadistic torture from the Dominatrix." She also praised the book's many "original elements."

Constantine penned a follow up to The Monstrous Regiment, 1991's Aleph. Corinna reappears in this novel, living on Artemis amidst the throes of transformation. New colonists have arrived, and what Cushman described as "a strange force" is discovered in one of the planet's caves. Though Cushman felt this "considerably different sequel" to be flawed, she conceded that the author's "idiosyncratic use of language, … strong characters and unabashed sexuality in various permutations do a great deal to make the novel interesting."

In the same year that Aleph reached readers, Constantine's Hermetech was also published. This story concerns a young girl, Ari Famber, who is on the verge of sexual awakening. Her life is complicated by the fact that her father, a genetic engineer, altered some of her genetic material to facilitate her ability to use sex as magical power. Also prominent in Hermetech is Zambia Crevecoeur, a male prostitute who has had six vaginas surgically implanted in his stomach to enhance his career opportunities. "Constantine is never a simple writer," commented a Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers contributor, "and while much of this novel is about … Ari … preparing to lose her virginity, that gives no hint of the complexities involved." In another Locus article, Cushman called Hermetech "compelling, as effectively weird a journey through an apocalyptic future as I've encountered recently," and concluded it to be "a beautifully strange story that builds to an ecstatic finale."

Constantine's 1992 effort, Burying the Shadow, features vampires who are also fallen angels—eloim—and are worshipped as gods by willing victims. The novel's underlying theme, vampire-angel-artists with fantastic creative powers as welcome parasites, unfolds through the personality of the main character, Gimel. Another important personage in the book is Gimel's homosexual brother Beth (the names are taken from the Hebrew language, and Beth is an acceptably masculine moniker in this context). There are humans as well, including Rayojini, who must aid Gimel and Beth in their efforts to overcome the Fear, which is causing promising young vampires to commit suicide. Cushman, warmly praising the novel—which she compared favorably with the popular vampire fiction of Anne Rice—in Locus, labeled their quest "a fascinating investigation of the eloim psyche and history."

Faren Miller took a turn reviewing Constantine's next novel, Sign for the Sacred, in Locus. Sign for the Sacred is the tale of Resenence Jeopardy, a young man who is chosen as a prophet by supernatural forces, but rebels against the process. Miller compared Jeopardy to religious leader David Koresh of the Branch Davidian religious cult, who died when U.S. government agents accidentally set fire to his followers' compound after a long stand-off, and applauded Sign for the Sacred for examining what he labeled "the most interesting question" of whether the role of prophet can be successfully refused.

Calenture, which saw print in 1994, is a story within a story. Casmeer, the last survivor of a backfired attempt by his people at attaining immortality, writes a novel to help himself deal with his own loneliness. He creates imaginary lands such as Frenepolis, where everyone participates in an ongoing play, but becomes particularly fascinated by two of his characters, Ays and Finnigin. He writes himself into his own story as Varian in order to better interact with them. Finnigin, especially, resents Varian/Casmeer's attempts to control his life, and rebels against them. Though Casmeer is able to regain control, his own self-concept suffers as a result. Miller, in another Locus review, praised Constantine's inventiveness in Calenture. He hailed the author's "humane wit and wonderfully vivid imagination," and went on to explain: "Mere allegories or fevered fancies could not move us as this novel can, for this is fantasy that lives and breathes, wrestles its apparent creator into a new life, and leaves even the reader a little wiser when the last page is turned."

Constantine collaborated with Michael Moorcock to write Silverheart. The novel focuses on Maz Silverskin, a master thief who sets out to unite the industrial city of Karadur and its alternate reality twin-city Shriltasi before both realms collapse. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the authors' "message [is] that humanity had better balance reason with magic." Jackie Cassada, writing in Library Journal, called Silverheart a "tale of intrigue and rebellion."

In 2000, Constantine's fans were given Sea Dragon Heir, the first of the "Magravandian" trilogy. "A tale suffused with magic and madness," described Library Journal contributor Jackie Cassada, Sea Dragon Heir is a "classic adult fantasy" with Constantine's "gothic appeal." According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, Constantine will gain new followers with this story. The reviewer noted: "[Her] new fantasy setting is finely textured, full of fierce and powerful magic, compelling characters and tangled intrigues." The story follows the struggles of the last three of the Palindrake line, water-aligned sea mages taken over five generations earlier by the King of Fire. Everna and her younger siblings, fraternal twins Pharinet and Valaraven, contend with magic, betrayal, and uncertainty as they deal with their past and future. The novel introduces the land of Caradore, which has been conquered by the Magravandian empires after the Sea Dragon, Caradore's source of magical power, has been driven from the world. In the second book of the trilogy, Crown of Silence, the story revolves around a young peasant boy named Shan, who is rescued from the invading Magravand by Taropat, a half-human, half-mage known in his human form as Khaster. Shan undergoes training as Kaster's assistant and together they set out to recover of the Crown of Silence and replace the Magravand King. Erin Donahoe, writing on the Strange Horizons Web site, noted the author's "beautiful writing style."

The Way of Light concludes the "Magravandian" trilogy. When the emperor dies, various factions vie for power and send the empire toward chaos. In the mean time, Valraven, or Lord Palindrake, must decide whether or not he wants to become king and take the challenge to prove that he is worthy. A Publishers Weekly contributor called The Way of Light "full of vivid and complex storytelling," adding that it is "richly imagined." Jackie Cassada, writing in the Library Journal, referred to the novel as "a satisfying wrap-up" and noted that the author's "sensual prose should appeal to fans."

The author returns to her "Wraeththu" novels with The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure, the first book in another "Wraethu" trilogy. In this novel, Constantine reflects on the origins of the Wraeththu and presents a world in which the Wraeththu have punished normal humans for not respecting women, and rule the world with only a few groups of humans remaining on the Earth. In the meantime, another group known as the Parazha are born with more developed female organs than Wraeththu and begin to challenge the Wraeththu's dominion over the world. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that "this tale fits chronologically between the second and third books of the original series." Jackie Cassada, writing in the Library Journal, called it "a richly textured tale of passion and prophecy." In a review in Publishers Weekly Peter Cannon and Jeff Zaleski wrote: "Constantine delivers a complicated and ultimately engaging novel."

In the sequel to The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure titled The Shades of Time and Memory, humans have disappeared leaving the Wraeththu and Parazha to focus on the conflict they have with each other. "Constantine leaves us in a dark place, with her capstone volume next," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Another reviewer, writing in Publishers Weekly, commented: "Told in a lyrical, distant third-person voice, the erotic and sometimes hypnotic histories … unfold in a complex … plot." Most reviewers noted that to fully understand the book it is likely necessary to read earlier works in the series.

The final book in the second "Wraethuthu" trilogy is titled The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence, and features Darquiel and Loki, half-brothers who are intense rivals in both politics and magic as they search for resolutions to the differences among the humans, Wraeththu, and various other nonhuman races. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted the author's "intelligent handling of telepathy, dreams and ghosts."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers, 3rd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1991.

PERIODICALS

Books, September, 1987, Roz Kaveney, review of The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit: The First Book of Wraeththu, pp. 13-14.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2003, review of The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure, p. 649; October 15, 2004, review of The Shades of Time and Memory, p. 989; March 15, 2006, review of The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence, p. 266.

Library Journal, February 15, 2000, Jackie Cassada, review of Sea Dragon Heir, p. 202; January 1, 2002, Jackie Cassada, review of The Way of Light, p. 158; May 15, 2003, Jackie Cassada, review of The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure, p. 131; November 15 2004, Jackie Cassada, review of The Shades of Time and Memory, p. 55; September 15, 2005, Jackie Cassada, review of Silverheart, p. 58.

Locus, March, 1990, Carolyn Cushman, review of The Monstrous Regiment, pp. 19-20; June, 1991, Carolyn Cushman, review of Hermetech, p. 27; July, 1991, Carolyn Cushman, review of Aleph, p. 33; June, 1992, Carolyn Cushman, review of Burying the Shadow, p. 15; June, 1993, Faren Miller, review of Sign for the Sacred, p. 21; August, 1994, Faren Miller, review of Calenture, p. 58.

Publishers Weekly, January 24, 2000, review of Sea Dragon Heir, p. 296; December 10, 2001, review of The Way of Light, p. 56; June 2, 2003, Peter Cannon and Jeff Zaleski, review of The Wraiths of Will and Pleasure, p. 38; October 25, 2004, review of The Shades of Time and Memory, p. 32; July 25, 2005, review of Silverheart, p. 53; April 17, 2006, review of The Ghosts of Blood and Innocence, p. 170.

Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 1990, W. Keith McCoy, review of The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit, p. 226.