Book-It '10! Book #12
The Fifty Books Challenge, year two! This was a library request.
Title: Dark Sister by Graham Joyce
Details: Copyright 1999, Tor Books
Synopsis (By Way of Inside Flap): "Alex and Maggie think they live in an ordinary town-house, 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 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."
Why I Wanted to Read It: Having enjoyed Graham Joyce's The Limits of Enchantment, I was eager to read what some reviews called his "darker" foray in Witchcraft.
How I Liked It: My hackles are always up to see how Witchcraft and Paganism are portrayed and although I had high hopes for Joyce after his last book, the book jacket seemed to suggest some sort of cautionary message within the book about the results of "messing around" with Witchcraft.
Fortunately, the book has a mostly accurate depiction of Paganism (and aspects of the story that could be called sensationalized are clearly still done with respect-- they're more of a "heightened reality" if anything). The only cautionary note about Witchcraft is acting without judgment and respect for Ash, a herbalist and herbs-cum-metaphysical shop-owner who aids Maggie in her quest for knowledge, calls
"[T]he first principles of this business (pg 227 and 228),
the fact that what you send out returns threefold.
It's also refreshing to see that the role of Deity is not forgotten as it so often appears to be in novels dealing with modern Witchcraft (Ash reveals a vast collection of Goddess statues and figurines and there's much discussion about pledging oneself to the Goddess, in particular, Hecate). Elemental associations, altar tools and decorum, the specifics of Goddess history and even of the properties of herbs are all correct.
Better plotted than The Limits of Enchantment (though that was still an enjoyable read), Joyce rarely hits an off-note (although there are some) with the characters or the plot. And as usual his lush descriptions draw the reader in even when the plot sometimes does not.
Notable: Some might take issue with the book jacket's phraseology of Wiccan herb lore and the fact that the diary is discovered to be at least a century old. In fairness, however, Ash describes the term "Wicca" in a fashion that suggests it matches Joyce's description:
"Ash had explained to her the origin of the name [Wicca]. Wikke was the Anglo-Saxon word for craft of the wise: witchcraft. It derived from the word for the willow tree, wikker, still used to describe basket and other woodcraft. The subtlety and pliability of the wicker branch paralleled the mental prowess and agility of the true witch: the ability to manipulate not by strength but by the subtle stroking and weaving of existing force." (pg 135)
So Wicca, not far from the generally accepted meaning of a word to describe the modern day practice of Witchcraft that combines Pagan beliefs with a good dose of ceremonial magic to fill in the blanks, is simply a modern word for Witchcraft (the practice of Pagan magic) in general.
Title: Dark Sister by Graham Joyce
Details: Copyright 1999, Tor Books
Synopsis (By Way of Inside Flap): "Alex and Maggie think they live in an ordinary town-house, 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 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."
Why I Wanted to Read It: Having enjoyed Graham Joyce's The Limits of Enchantment, I was eager to read what some reviews called his "darker" foray in Witchcraft.
How I Liked It: My hackles are always up to see how Witchcraft and Paganism are portrayed and although I had high hopes for Joyce after his last book, the book jacket seemed to suggest some sort of cautionary message within the book about the results of "messing around" with Witchcraft.
Fortunately, the book has a mostly accurate depiction of Paganism (and aspects of the story that could be called sensationalized are clearly still done with respect-- they're more of a "heightened reality" if anything). The only cautionary note about Witchcraft is acting without judgment and respect for Ash, a herbalist and herbs-cum-metaphysical shop-owner who aids Maggie in her quest for knowledge, calls
"[T]he first principles of this business (pg 227 and 228),
the fact that what you send out returns threefold.
It's also refreshing to see that the role of Deity is not forgotten as it so often appears to be in novels dealing with modern Witchcraft (Ash reveals a vast collection of Goddess statues and figurines and there's much discussion about pledging oneself to the Goddess, in particular, Hecate). Elemental associations, altar tools and decorum, the specifics of Goddess history and even of the properties of herbs are all correct.
Better plotted than The Limits of Enchantment (though that was still an enjoyable read), Joyce rarely hits an off-note (although there are some) with the characters or the plot. And as usual his lush descriptions draw the reader in even when the plot sometimes does not.
Notable: Some might take issue with the book jacket's phraseology of Wiccan herb lore and the fact that the diary is discovered to be at least a century old. In fairness, however, Ash describes the term "Wicca" in a fashion that suggests it matches Joyce's description:
"Ash had explained to her the origin of the name [Wicca]. Wikke was the Anglo-Saxon word for craft of the wise: witchcraft. It derived from the word for the willow tree, wikker, still used to describe basket and other woodcraft. The subtlety and pliability of the wicker branch paralleled the mental prowess and agility of the true witch: the ability to manipulate not by strength but by the subtle stroking and weaving of existing force." (pg 135)
So Wicca, not far from the generally accepted meaning of a word to describe the modern day practice of Witchcraft that combines Pagan beliefs with a good dose of ceremonial magic to fill in the blanks, is simply a modern word for Witchcraft (the practice of Pagan magic) in general.