Title: Aunt Maria
Author: Diana Wynne Jones (1934 – 2011) — Master of British Fantasy
Genre: Classic High Fantasy / Town-Witch Satire / Dark Whimsical Lore
Edition: True First US Edition, First Printing (1991)
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, New York
CHAPTER 1
"We have had Aunt Maria ever since Dad died. If that sounds as if we have the plague, that is what I mean. You have to call this plague Ma-rye-ah. Aunt Maria insists you say her name like that. Chris says it is more like that card game, where the one who wins the queen of spades loses the game. "Black Maria," it is called. Maybe he is right."
Aunt Maria sweeps readers away to the seemingly quiet coastal resort of Cranbury-on-Sea, introducing young Mig and her brother Chris as they are forced to care for their formidable relative. Far from a gentle, civilized old woman, Aunt Maria rules her domain with a rod of sweetness that is far tougher than iron and deadlier than poison. Within days, the siblings unearth a terrifying secret: Aunt Maria has reduced all the town's men into silent, gray-suited clones, trapped the children in an eerie compliance, and vanished Chris entirely—forcing Mig into a high-stakes, breathless duel of witchcraft and psychological resistance to liberate her family.
Unlike the lighthearted whimsy of Howl's Moving Castle, Aunt Maria showcases Diana Wynne Jones at her most brilliantly dark and satirical. It is an atmospheric psychological fantasy exploring themes of manipulation and power—making it a deeply rewarding acquisition for mature young adults, collectors of dark British speculative fiction, and students of 20th-century fantasy.
Before there was J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter - of whom I am a great fan - there was Diana Wynne Jones (1934 - 2011) and the Chrestomanci Chronicles. By the third chapter of Book 1, you'll wonder if Christopher Chant ever attended Hogwart's, in a different life.
Diana Wynne Jones (1934 – 2011): Born in London, formative childhood years spent navigating the complex disruptions of World War II deeply informed her affinity for characters trying to find logic inside chaotic universes. Jones achieved permanent legendary status across her multi-decade career, capturing the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, the Karl Edward Wagner Award, and a Lifetime Achievement honor from the World Fantasy Convention. Her work spans the Chrestomanci Chronicles, the Dalemark Quartet, the Derkholm series, the Moving Castle series (which birthed Studio Ghibli's masterpiece, Howl's Moving Castle), Wilkins' Tooth, The Ogre Downstairs, Power of Three, Archer's Goon, Fire and Hemlock, Earwig and the Witch, and so many other books and short stories.
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Condition: Very Good/Very Good. Dust jacket: Lightly sunned on the back; small chip to front flap. Gray cloth quarter bound cover: Light sunning to jacket transferred imagery from the jacket onto the front and back cover. Effect is subtle and hard to see in the photos. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.
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