Storm Constantine

Storyteller for the Millennium
Click on any book for more details
from Amazon.co.uk.
If a book is also available in the US,
a link to Amazon.com is provided too.
"Storm Constantine is a literary fantasist of
outstanding power and originality. Her work is rich, idiosyncratic and
completely engaging. Her themes, constantly explored and re-examined through her
novels, have much in common with Philip K. Dick - the nature of identity, the
nature of reality, the creative power of the human imagination - while her
sensibility reminds me of Angela Carter at her most inventive." - Michael
Moorcock
Three Heralds of the Storm is also
available from

Thin Air
Why dream of escape when you can escape into your dreams…?
Dex
has made it. A wildly innovative rock star with a conscience and a screw-you
persona, his fans adore him for his integrity and his record company loves him
for his phenomenal record sales.. So what makes Dex suddenly disappear…?
"a
haunting tale of excess, media manipulation and the corrupting nature of fame… a
story of escape, innocence rediscovered and the redemptive power of love."
The Magravandian
Chronicles
Sea Dragon Heir
Where
the wild mountains of Caradore, in the nothernmost part of Magravandias, reach
the ocean, there the sea dragons make their mournful lament...
In
the land of Caradore, the ruling family, the Palindrakes, are under siege from
the emperor, who seeks the powers and ancient wisdom which are channelled to the
eldest son of each generation through the sea dragons. Valraven Palindrake, the
young heir, is forced to submit to a rite by the emperor's mages which
surrenders his heritage to the fire god Madragore, and with that, the links
between the Palindrakes and the sea dragons are severed.
Though the
emperor has succeeded in subjugating the family, the women, knowing that one day
the power of the seas dragons will return, initiate the Sisterhood of the
Dragon. This secret female sect will keep alive the memory of the old rites and
ways until the time has come for a new Sea Dragon Heir to reclaim the powers of
his ancestors.
Now, three generations on, the twins Pharinet and
Valraven Palindrake are about to discover their heritage. Pharinet is initiated
into the Sisterhood of the Dragon and learns her brother is the dragon heir -
and the Sisterhood believes now is the time for him to take his rightful place:
as emperor of Magravandias, with all the mystical power of the sea dragons
behind him.
Sea Dragon Heir is the first in a glorious fantasy epic
of mystery and strangeness, power and imagination.

USA Edition available from Amazon.com
The Thorn Boy
Our party entered under the great arch of
the palace and, ahead of us, the sky was dominated by the monstrous temple of
Challis Hespereth, queen of heaven and earth, mother of all the gods. The fane
was constructed as a titanic likeness of its deity. Clouds of vividly-coloured
birds circled the mass of stone, released from on high by rejoicing priests and
priestesses.
We roamed across the lawns, beneath the spreading
branches of the trees. Peacocks drowsed on the grass, their folded tails
trailing on the early dew. Akaten went to one of the trees and leaned back
against it, gazing up through the sighing branches. So far, we had spoken
little. "So, tell me, how did you escape?" I asked him.
This
languidly erotic fantasy is both a tragic love story and a fascinating political
intrigue, set in a sensuous and suprising landscape of the
imagination.
"Storm is more polymorphously perverse than I am, or
maybe just more versatile. Still, I think she keeps a special place in her heart
for those slat-ribbed, kohl-eyed boys...
Storm's love for her characters,
their love and lust for one another, and her celebration of their beauty fairly
drips from her pages." - Introduction, Poppy Z. Brite
The Grigori
Trilogy
At this late stage of the
Twentieth Century, one of our cultural obsessions is the impending Millennium,
which cannot be ignored in the western world if only because the date stares us
in the face daily, whether we are Christian or not. At the same time, the last
few years have seen an upsurge of interest in angels; books and images abound,
many of them saccharine. Interest in the dark angel is also rife; from role
playing games and films to vampire novels, the dark side is arguably more
prevalent than the chubby cherub.
Storm Constantine’s recently completed
trilogy comprising: Stalking Tender Prey
(Signet 1995) Scenting
Hallowed Blood, (Signet 1996)
and Stealing Sacred Fire (Penguin 1997) explores the ancient mythology of the
Nephilim in the light of the approaching Millennium.
|
Artwork by Anne Sudworth |
Briefly: In the earliest days, the
Anannage, known as the Sons of God, used humans as a labour force; humanity was
relatively primitive. The Anannage had superior knowledge and technology, and
their own laws forbade any sharing of knowledge with humans. Led by the rebel
prince, Shemyaza, some of the Anannage rebelled, took human wives and shared
with them secrets of their race. Shemyaza’s human partner was Ishtahar.
Retribution was dire; some were buried alive, Shemyaza’s body was burned and his
soul imprisoned in the constellation of Orion for eternity. The angels fell. In
this century, all that remains of the Anannage are human/ Nephilim hybrids. The
Grigori.
Eternity in the case proves to be measured in millennia. Close
to the year 2000, angels walk the earth again. The idea of the fallen angel is
one of enduring appeal; Milton made Lucifer his most sympathetic character in
Paradise Lost. The Grigori are angels from a different branch of mythology;
nonetheless we recognise them because their characteristics are similar. (It
could be argued that they both spring from the same root.)
The author
puts her finger on the prevailing twentieth century obsession with
psychoanalysis, and the idea of the divided self. The protagonist, Peverel
Othman, is a figure we can understand if not sympathise with; the individual who
lacks self-knowledge in the most profound sense, who is unaware of who he is, or
what he is capable of.
By making this a contemporary series, Constantine
is able to explore the idea of angels on earth in both the present and the past.
The ancient story is told in flashbacks, which inform present-day events; in
this way the reader is able to follow both threads and enjoy the dramatic irony
that the reader often knows more than the characters.
Another cherished
idea of the last several hundred years is explored in the relationships; love
that can transcend death, endure millennia and cross incarnations. Not only
romantic love, but familial love as well. In addition to love from the past,
injustice and pain span the generations to affect the present.
The
Grigori are strange and terrible, dark and beautiful, but they are also a
controlling force in the human world and can be mercilessly destructive. They
have occult powers. Their sexuality is different; they make no distinction
between heterosexual and homosexual relationships. For the humans in the story,
to have sex with a Grigori is to be irrevocably changed; to become a dependant,
unlikely to ever want a sexual relationship with another human again.
The
Grigori are different things to different people; to the fundamentalist
Christians in the story, they are incarnations of devils; to some humans, hope
of longevity and beauty. Possibly even the salvation of the planet itself. In
the Christian tradition, people have always feared the end of the world; we now
have the technology to make it happen, but this makes us no different from a
medieval person being certain that God could destroy everything tomorrow. It
could be argued that this is one of the main stresses of the approaching
Millennium, that associated with Armageddon, it could herald the end of the
world. To the rare optimist, maybe a new beginning.
Constantine weaves
all these late twentieth century concerns into a tapestry of desire, faith and
power. Her darkly erotic prose is captivating; the breadth of her vision
astonishing; from middle eastern despots to Cornish witches, her characters are
as well-rounded as they are different.
Originally published in Vector, The Critical Journal of the BFSA, May/June 1998 © Helen Knibb 1998
|
The Grigori Trilogy: USA Editions from Amazon.com | |
![]() |
![]() |
| Stalking Tender
Prey (The Grigori Trilogy #1) |
Scenting
Hallowed Blood (The Grigori Trilogy #2) |
The Wraeththu
Trilogy
Now available in one
edition
This marks the conclusion of a towering, totally original conception which has been masterfully executed by one of Britain's most talented young writers.
A single edition
of the Wraeththu Trilogy is also available from![]()
| Kiss Booties Night-Night |
| is featured in |
![]() |
| Cybersex |
| An Anthology of Aliens, Neurosex and Cyborgasms |
| Available from Amazon.Com |
Book notes taken with permission.
| back to |