The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit is the first book in Storm Constantine's classic Wraeththu Trilogy, now collected into one volume. It is set not too far into the future, but there is very little reference to current geography, all place names are the Wraeththu names, with newly defined borders and cultures.
The premise is that a new type of human has emerged, they are neither male nor female, and yet both. Male humans are "incepted", a process whereby they are infected with Wraeththu blood and go through a transformation, becoming Wraeththu, called "harr". Wraeththu physiology is almost revealed, but not quite, and we are only left with the knowledge that their genitals are maleable and they can be "female" or "male" during sex, which is known as "aruna".
Their power as a species comes from their magic, most of which is based on a form of aruna known as "grissecon", which enables the Wraeththu to channel their power.
In this first book, we see the story from the point of view of Pellaz, a young boy living on a remote farm. His family has heard stories about the Wraeththu but largely discounts them as exaggerated. When Cal arrives one evening, only Pell knows that he is Wraeththu, and leaves with him to travel to the small Wraeththu settlement of Saltrock. Pell thinks only that Cal is gay, not realising where the true differences lie until his inception.
Saltrock is the creation of Seel, a vibrant Wraeththu who obviously knows more about Cal's mysterious past than Pell has so far managed to uncover.
Cal is disturbed during the inception by the presence of Theide, a powerful Wraeththu who has come to be the one that donates his blood to the ceremony. Mysterious and dangerous, Theide's interest in Pell is a sign of things to come.
They stay together some time in Saltrock, and Pell is educated in magic by Orion, a mystic, but he can only take Pell so far. Cal and Pell leave saltrock and go into the desert, where they stay with a tribe known as the Kakkahaar. They are only there to enable Pell to advance his training in magic, but they soon realise that the Kakkahaar are involved in much darker rituals than they are comfortable with, and leave.
They continue through territory that is largely desolate, with few towns remaining and those that are, have no inhabitants until they stumble on a group of bandits. There is a captive there, called Cobweb, beautiful but badly wounded. Cobweb was once the concubine of Terzian, leader of the military tribe of Varrs, whose territory Cal and Pell are about to enter. They take Cobweb with them to try and ensure safe passage.
When they enter Forever, the house of Terzian in Galhea, they find that the Varrs are living in the style of humanity. Some have learned how to procreate, and Terzian and Cobweb have a harling, Swift. The offspring of Wraeththu apparently grow immensely quickly, and will probably be full grown within 6-10years. The receptive Harrs wear feminine clothing and the rest are aggressively male. It quickly becomes apparent that Terzian wants to sire another child with Cal, who is appalled by the idea, and they leave abruptly.
While they travel, they finally admit that they are in love, which is an emotion frowned upon amongst Wraeththu, who believe it to be corrupting and something to be shed with humanity.
Unfortunately, the world then falls apart. Pell is shot and killed, yet is reborn. Theide has orchestrated it, and while Pell's body is cremated by Cal, his self is reincarnated, and Theide assigns a Wraeththu called Vaysh to protect him.
Pell finds Vaysh fiercely irritating, and while they travel together to Immanion, the great city of the Wraeththu inhabited by the tribe of Gelaming, he tries his best to annoy Vaysh. When they reach a town on the coast known as Ferelithia, Pell deliberately has an affair with a local singer called Caeru. He also meets Kate, a woman he and Cal had met on their journey, and discovers that somehow he has lost at least five years since he was "killed".
Upon reaching Immanion Theide's purpose finally becomes clear, Pellaz will be crowned Tigron, leader of the Gelaming and most of the civilised world. To Pell's disgust, he also learns that Theide intends for him to take a consort, known as a Tigrina, for the purpose of providing heirs and helping with governance. Theide will not be denied, and Pell eventually learns the truth from Vaysh, that Theide is the Aghama, the original Wraeththu that began it all, a mutant that changed the face of the world.
Seel comes for the coronation, and tells Pell that Cal had come back to Saltrock, and had killed Pell's teacher Orion, believing that Orion was involved in the plot to take Pell away. Pell is devastated and believes that it due to their unnatural "love" that this occurred.
The book ends with the announcement that a Ferelithian named Caeru has arrived in the city of Immanion with a harling that was sired by Pellaz, and that Caeru will become the Tigrina.