Dark Sister is the third book by British fantasy writer Graham Joyce to be published in the United States--and the author travels further into the realm of pure horror than he did in The Tooth Fairy or Requiem. Maggie, an unfulfilled, restless housewife in England, comes to terms with her nascent, otherworldly power amidst a disheveled and antagonistic domestic life. Her archaeologist-husband Alex is subtly dominating, which makes for an unfulfilling marriage. So, Maggie buries herself in the chaos of her small children, until a chance discovery both liberates her and invokes catastrophe.

During a routine cleaning of a chimney fireplace, she discovers an herbalist's journal; soon after, her life unfurls wildly and runs horribly aground. It seems that the owner of the journal was not just an herb woman, but also a witch with real powers. Inspired by this forgotten woman, Maggie begins to dabble in the arts of Wicca. The gifts it brings her are powerful--a sense of freedom, purpose, even clairvoyance. But every gift has its counterbalance, and Maggie's newfound telepathy allows her to see things she might have wanted to remain hidden. Even more ominously, it seems that in unearthing the journal, Maggie has awakened deep tragedies from an abandoned time, and the evil that now stalks her and her family might be insatiable and unstoppable. --Tamara Hladik


From Publishers Weekly
Tooth Fairy was a PW Best Book of 1998. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
When Maggie discovers a witch's diary and herbal compendium hidden in the old fireplace of her house, she becomes the recipient of occult knowledge that leads her to a place of decision and gives her the power to harm or heal the family she loves. The author of The Tooth Fairy tells his eerie tale in language devoid of frills and sensationalism, creating suspense and dread within the normality of everyday life. First published in Britain, this subtly compelling dark fantasy belongs in most libraries. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
The third US publication for British fantasist Joyce. Archeologist Alex Sanders, his redheaded wife Maggie, and their young children Amy and Sam live in a damp, leaky Victorian house. After exposing the original, pristine cast-iron and tile fireplace, they discover a dead blackbird and a handwritten hundred-year-old diary blocking the chimney. The children insist that the bird be buried, then later assert that it came back to life! Maggie, a frustrated housewife who dreams of taking a psychology degree, investigates the diarywhich is actually a book of witchcraft. (Sam declares that he's seen a sinister old woman riding a rat.) As her relationship with husband Alex deteriorates, and her three-year-old Sam's behavior worsens, Maggie visits an herb shop where shopkeeper Ash, alerted by a blackbird, prevents Sam from leaping off a fourth-floor balcony! Maggie, using the diary, develops enhanced perceptions and reads of diarist Bella's mysterious ``dark sister,'' then tells Alex where to dig in his excavations at the local castle. Sure enough, he uncovers a 16th-century set of ceremonial daggers, a woman's skeleton, and evidence of a horrific interment. Ash sends the impatient Maggie to the tight-lipped but clearly knowledgeable Old Liz. During an elaborate diary-inspired ritual, Maggie clairvoyantly witnesses Alex's adultery; that night he beats her up and she leaves. Old Liz learns of Sam's rat-rider and wonders if she can protect him. At the court hearing, Alex resorts to dirty tricks to discredit Maggie, and gets custody of the kids. Against all advice, Maggie decides to regain her children by any means. Taut and realistic, but tending toward ordinary supernatural horror and without the nuances that made The Tooth Fairy (1998) such a delight. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"Grab a chaise and have the iced tea handy. This is perfect summer reading....Joyce is a marvelous talespinner."--Booklist (starred review)

"I won't bother saying Graham Joyce deserves to find a wide audience in America; rather, I think the American audience deserves to discover him."--Jonathan Lethem

"Graham Joyce writes the kind of novels we keep hoping to find, but rarely do."--Jonathan Carroll



Book Description
Alex and Maggie think they live in an ordinary townhouse, until they discover the diary of a previous occupant--a diary containing secret Wiccan herb-lore. Maggie is drawn to investigate the diary and discovers powers hidden within herself. With the help of her friends Ash, an herbalist, and Old Liz, an old woman with a deep knowledge of the ancient ways passed down through the generations, Maggie tries to find her way in a world of power and magic. But Maggie's searching has awakened her Dark Sister, a malevolent force that threatens her hold on her family and her sanity. Maggie, her friends, and her children become swept up in a maelstrom as the Dark Sister seeks revenge for a black moment in history, and seeks, finally, to be reunited with the heart of the Goddess.


From the Publisher
Praise for The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce: "I won't bother saying Graham Joyce deserves to find a wide audience in America; rather, I think the American audience deserves to discover him." --Jonathan Lethem "One of those near-perfect novels that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go until the last sentence." --Charles de Lint "An eerie and quite lovely coming-of-age tale." --The Washington Post "An unlikely sprite assumes a sinister incarnation in this exceptional supernatural novel." --Publishers Weekly "Sharp, freshly imagined, and evocative work, by turns wrenching, funny, and disquieting." --Kirkus Reviews "The Tooth Fairy explores the relationship between a human and a being that may be real or a construct of the subconscious. This is no idealization of childhood; it is a look at the fantasies, the sins, and the rough-and-tumble of growing up." --Booklist "An unforgettable story set in the strange and foreign land that is your own childhood--that place where splendor and horror, memory and fantasy, collide. You'll be turning the pages, and wishing you could go on doing so long after the book has ended. A magnificent achievement." --Karen Joy Fowler

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Alex and Maggie think they live in an ordinary townhouse, until they discover the diary of a previous occupant - a diary containing secret Wiccan herb-lore. Maggie is drawn to investigate the diary and discovers powers hidden within herself.. "With the help of her friends Ash, an herbalist, and Old Liz, an old woman with a deep knowledge of the ancient ways passed down through the generations, Maggie tries to find her way in a world of power and magic. But Maggie's searching has awakened her Dark Sister, a malevolent force that threatens her hold on her family and her sanity.. "Maggie, her friends, and her children become swept up in a maelstrom as the Dark Sister seeks revenge for a black moment in history, and seeks, finally to be reunited with the heart of the Goddess.

FROM THE CRITICS

Edward Bryant - Locus

...[G]arnered the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel back in 1993...[A] successful work of dark fantasy that again reminds that Joyce is a gifted writer who would probably succeed in whatever arena he chose to explore.

Publishers Weekly

FYI: Dark Sister won the British Fantasy Award for best novel in 1993. The Tooth Fairy was a PW Best Book of 1998. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

When Maggie discovers a witch's diary and herbal compendium hidden in the old fireplace of her house, she becomes the recipient of occult knowledge that leads her to a place of decision and gives her the power to harm or heal the family she loves. The author of The Tooth Fairy tells his eerie tale in language devoid of frills and sensationalism, creating suspense and dread within the normality of everyday life. First published in Britain, this subtly compelling dark fantasy belongs in most libraries. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Edward Bryant - Locus

...[G]arnered the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel back in 1993...[A] successful work of dark fantasy that again reminds that Joyce is a gifted writer who would probably succeed in whatever arena he chose to explore.

Kirkus Reviews

The third US publication for British fantasist Joyce. Archeologist Alex Sanders, his redheaded wife Maggie, and their young children Amy and Sam live in a damp, leaky Victorian house. After exposing the original, pristine cast-iron and tile fireplace, they discover a dead blackbird and a handwritten hundred-year-old diary blocking the chimney. The children insist that the bird be buried, then later assert that it came back to life! Maggie, a frustrated housewife who dreams of taking a psychology degree, investigates the diary—which is actually a book of witchcraft. (Sam declares that he's seen a sinister old woman riding a rat.) As her relationship with husband Alex deteriorates, and her three-year-old Sam's behavior worsens, Maggie visits an herb shop where shopkeeper Ash, alerted by a blackbird, prevents Sam from leaping off a fourth-floor balcony! Maggie, using the diary, develops enhanced perceptions and reads of diarist Bella's mysterious "dark sister," then tells Alex where to dig in his excavations at the local castle. Sure enough, he uncovers a 16th-century set of ceremonial daggers, a woman's skeleton, and evidence of a horrific interment. Ash sends the impatient Maggie to the tight-lipped but clearly knowledgeable Old Liz. During an elaborate diary-inspired ritual, Maggie clairvoyantly witnesses Alex's adultery; that night he beats her up and she leaves. Old Liz learns of Sam's rat-rider and wonders if she can protect him. At the court hearing, Alex resorts to dirty tricks to discredit Maggie, and gets custody of the kids. Against all advice, Maggie decides to regain her children by any means. Taut and realistic, but tending toward ordinary supernatural horror andwithout the nuances that made The Tooth Fairy (1998) such a delight.