Wraeththu Chronicles
The First Trilogy of Wraeththu
Originally published 1986-1989
4th edition 2018
Author’s Note for the 4th edition
The second edition of The Wraeththu Chronicles, published in 2003, was re-edited thoroughly. I also inserted new material, which I felt improved upon the original and gave more substance to the tale. My reasons for this expansion are given in the article ‘New Steps from Saltrock’ at the end of this book.
No major changes have been made to this fourth edition. The only corrections are to typographical and grammatical errors, and minor adjustments to the text to ensure this story is consistent with current Wraeththu terminology and canon, which has developed over the past fifteen years.
The Wraeththu Chronicles
The Enchantments of Flesh & Spirit
‘Wraeththu. I shiver to say the word. Something has happened to them. Where did they come from? How did it happen? Why is it spreading like a plague? I have seen what they do. I have seen their faces. They always take their dead with them, always. There is a secret. Don’t you understand? A secret. Wraeththu are not what they seem. They are more than they seem.’
Pellaz Cevarro has heard tales of the Wraeththu, a feared and ferocious youth cult, shrouded in mystery, that’s taking root in cities wracked by disease, disaster and conflict. Is Wraeththu a symptom of this decline, or something more? It is only when the enigmatic Cal arrives at the secluded Cevarro homestead that Pellaz discovers the unimaginable truth. Lured away by Cal to a different life, Pellaz discovers that Wraeththu are poised to replace humanity upon a ravaged world. Changed in body, mind and soul, Pellaz cannot escape a destiny that was set for him, nor the tragic consequences of his association with the dangerous and beautiful Cal.
Ground-breaking when it first appeared in the late 1980s, the Wraeththu Chronicles trilogy charts the history of a new race of androgynous beings who come to replace humanity on Earth. Daring, erotic and magical, these revised editions include ‘deleted scenes’ missing from the original editions, which the author has expanded and restored.
Cover and illustrations by Ruby
4th edition, Immanion Press, 2018
The Bewitchments of Love & Hate
‘Never speak his name, never!’ Cobweb warned. ‘Never whistle in the dark for it summons evil and he will hear it. In the treetops, the feathered ones will know. Watch them, Swift, watch the birds!’
That night I had a terrible dream. In the dream, the yellow-haired har was standing in a wreath of shadowy flames and his beauty was ugliness. He saw me and snared me in horror. ‘Call me,’ he whispered and held out his hands, which were dripping red and shaking. I tried to turn away, run away, but I could not move. His eyes transfixed me. ‘Call me!’
Swift is a young har, growing up in the town of Galhea, among the Varrs, one of the most feared of Wraeththu tribes. His father is Terzian, the phyle leader, his hostling the mysterious witch-har, Cobweb. Swift is sheltered from the horrors beyond his home, where humans and hara are still in conflict over territory, with the humans rapidly losing the fight. But now, different factions of hara are also engaged in hostilities.
When a face from the past reappears, amid a host of dire omens, Swift has to face the truth about his own kind and make difficult decisions about what’s best for their future. The powerful Gelaming tribe seek to take control of Megalithica, Swift’s home country, because the Varrs are barbaric and cruel and commit atrocities against any who oppose them – or so Swift is told. This does not match the memories he has of his happy childhood. But perhaps the stories are true, and a vile canker eats at the heart of the Varr hierarchy – a canker that must be cut out, whatever the cost.
The Bewitchments of Love and Hate
is second volume in The Wraeththu Chronicles trilogy, expanded and updated, with chapter heading illustrations and cover by Ruby.
4th edition, Immanion Press, 2018
The Fulfilments of Fate & Desire
‘If life is a battle, then my inner scars are medals for valour, for swiftness, for courage, for passion. Evil is the dark-haired sibling of Good; they walk hand in hand—always. And, by the way, whatever it sounds like, that is not an excuse.’
Calanthe, erstwhile companion of Tigron Pellaz, is on the run. He flees from his past and his mistakes, haunted by spectres of the terrible things he has done. Down on his luck, broke and starving, he takes work in a musenda, a brothel in the disreputable town of Fallsend. Here, he meets Panthera, a strange and beautiful har, held in unspeakable slavery, from which Cal vows to liberate him.
Once free of Fallsend, Cal and Panthera undertake a mythic journey through the land of Jaddayoth, from the peaks of Shappa to the underground city of Sahen. Here strange new tribes have formed with intriguing mutations and customs. Only through the experiences he can gain from the tribes of Jaddayoth will Cal become strong and prepared enough to face what lies waiting for him at journey’s end - in the Tigron’s city of Immanion. With ghosts at his heels and phantoms beckoning to him from the future, Cal must confront his past, in order to fulfil his destiny and discover whether he and Pellaz can ever be reunited.
Third in The Wraeththu Chronicles trilogy, The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire
concludes the first saga of the androgynous race that has become the dominant species on earth. For this edition, the author expanded scenes and added extra appendices to give more background information about the world of Wraeththu. With chapter heading illustrations and cover by Ruby.
4th edition, Immanion Press, 2018
