Rest in peace, Storm Constantine

[yuuago]

Came across a notice that Storm Constantine died yesterday.

I haven't given much thought to her writing in years, but even so, hearing this makes me feel very sad.

When I was 16, one of my internet friends sent the first Wraeththu trilogy to me for my birthday. It was a big fat tome with all the books in one volume, and reading it was like being smacked upside the head with everything I'd ever wanted. I was in an ongoing process of figuring myself out at the time (well, weren't we all) and that book unlocked things in me that I hadn't thought possible. It was both distilled id and a galaxy brain moment all wrapped up in one.

Like many isolated kids at the time, my exposure/access to literally anything that played with themes of gender/sexuality was extremely limited. As far as books go, there were two authors that helped me, and Storm Constantine was one. (The other was Mercedes Lackey, with her Last Herald Mage trilogy.)

Looking through Storm Constantine's works, I'm pretty surprised - I had heard that she wrote more books, but I didn't realize there was so much of it. I'm kind of curious, but likely won't end up seeking the other stuff out unless I get a rec for it, because the original trilogy was certainly, uh, of a certain time, and hit me at a specific moment when I needed it, and I don't think that new material would likely go down the right way. (Then again, maybe it would, I don't know.)

I do want to re-read the original trilogy, though, and I guess now I might get to it sooner rather than later. I hardly remember anything about it beyond the basic premise, though I do recall that Cobweb was my favourite character. Wonder how I'll find it now. We'll see.