The Sub: A Study in Witchcraft

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The Sub focuses on Diana Turney, a substitute teacher left to care for her niece after her sister is imprisoned for the attempted murder of her philandering husband. Haunted by her father's ghost and disturbing repressed memories, Diana discovers she has the power to turn people into their animal totems and proceeds to transform locals into an array of creatures from spiders to pigs. Diana, her cruelty growing in proportion to her power, dismisses a warning from her father that she is destined to kill everyone she loves and continues on a spree of violence and mayhem.

Reviews

"A light souffl of black comedy, kept tantalizingly aloft by Disch's deadpan wit." --Publishers Weekly
"The Sub is a peculiar pastiche of supernatural thriller, fairy tale, and rural realism." --New York Times Book Review
"Disch's mordant look at love, domesticity, and rural Minnesota can be as funny as anything dished up by Garrison Keillor or the Coen brothers." --Star Tribune

Author Bio

Thomas M. Disch (1940-2008) was a best-selling and prolific American science fiction writer and poet. He won several awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book in 1999.
Elizabeth Hand is the author of several books, most recently the novel Generation Loss.