Product Description

This spellbinding volume brings together the five novels from Susan Cooper’s classic fantasy sequence: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; and Silver on the Tree. Here Barney, Jane and Simon discover an ancient map in Cornwall; the mysterious Merriman reveals his secret purpose; and Will Stanton realizes that he is not just an ordinary boy but has a far greater role in fulfilling his destiny. Creating a magical world where the everyday mingles with the supernatural, The Dark is Rising Sequence weaves a story of secret codes, strange prophecies, the legend of King Arthur and a centuries-old conflict between the power of good and the forces of evil.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7482 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 800 pages

About the Author
Susan Cooper was born in Buckinghamshire, read English at Oxford and began her career as a reporter and feature-writer for the Sunday Times. Her sequence of fantasy novels, THE DARK IS RISING, won her numerous international awards, including the Newbery Medal. She has also written a Broadway play and several film scripts for TV and cinema. Susan Cooper lives in Connecticut, USA.

Customer Reviews

the only children's books better than Harry Potter
I first read these books twenty years ago and try to read them every few years.Each time I re-read them I seem to find something different to enjoy so I am never bored.I can't wait until my two sons are ready to read them.The way that Susan Cooper combines Arthurian legend with the lives of five very different children is amazing.The reader is drawn into this world from the beginning and is taken on a magical journey through each book until the nail biting and, in some ways, tragic ending.Through the past and present, real and fantasy worlds we follow our heroes,sharing their triumphs,fearing the Dark with them and feel a little bit empty when its all over. Absolutely brilliant - if you haven't read it go and buy a copy. For years I wanted to be an Old One!

Still one of the Best
It's great to start to see Susan Cooper around the place again. With all of the Potter hype and the renewed interest in the wonderful Diana Wynne Jones, Susan Cooper deserves some time in the limelight for the outstanding Dark is Rising sequence. She's steeped in anglo-saxon mythology in much the same way as Alan Garner, but has created a much warmer and more accessible world than Garner.

The first book in the sequence was clearly originally written as a stand-alone book, but I would guess it planted seeds of ideas which took a decade to germinate when she picked up the story again. After the long gap, the next four books came quite thick and fast (coinciding with my childhood) and the writing of them is dynamic and exciting. The characters are fantastic, with the Merlin figure Merry being one of the most endearing attempts to create that arch-sorcerer. They are great fun from start to finish and are as intelligent, fresh and fantastic as when I first read them nearly thirty years ago (ouch!).

Classic
Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" sequence has joined the Prydain Chronicles and "The Hobbit" as timeless books that are technically for kids, but not necessarily JUST for kids. With her use of myth and folklore, rich language, and a time-spanning battle between good and evil, Cooper spins up a rare tale in her majestic prose.

"Over Sea Under Stone" features the three Drew children coming to stay with Merriman Lyon. In his attic, they find an ancient treasure map that leads to a hidden grail -- if they can only figure out what the map's writing and symbols mean. But they are not the only ones who are looking for the grail -- three sinister people are in pursuit.

"The Dark is Rising" shifts its focus elsewhere. On his eleventh birthday, young Will Stanton encounters the mysterious Merriman, and is told that he is the last of the immortal "Old Ones" who are fighting the forces of evil (known as the Dark). As the power of the Dark grows, Will must gather the six Signs that can help stop them -- and protect his friends and family from the Dark.

"Greenwitch" brings the four young heroes together. Will and the three Drew kids are brought to Cornwall, where the grail has been stolen. Jane is haunted by nightmares about the Greenwitch, a symbolic weaving of branches and leaves cast into the sea, and a sinister artist captures Barney. But the Greenwitch is not just a tangle of sticks -- it's alive with wild magic that neither Old Ones nor the Dark can control.

"Grey King" is the threat of the Dark. Will is recovering from an illness in Wales, where he meets a "raven boy" (an albino Welsh boy, Bran) and a dog with "eyes that see the wind" -- part of an old legend. Will must lead Bran into a closer connection with the Old Ones. But when an accident befalls the dog, Bran is angry with the Old Ones -- until the truth of his past comes to light.

"Silver on the Tree" brings the series to a climax. Will receives visions of the past, and a message from Merriman that the final battle between the Dark and the Light is about to come. Evil creatures (minks, specifically) are swarming near his house -- and the Old Ones, while almost ready, don't have the power of the Lady. He teams up with the Drews and with Bran to find the Lost Land... and the means of saving the world.

Sure, fantasy incorporating old myth and legend is nothing new. People have been doing it for as long as the genre has existed. But Susan Cooper brings the idea of time-travelling immortals and ancient magic to life in this, with a hefty dose of adventure and tragedy.

Cooper's writing is detailed and atmospheric, although the first book is much more plainly written than the following four. She can switch instantly from lighthearted to mystical and back again, and her writing is heavy with description. Moreover, she takes the folklore and legends of Britain and interweaves them with Arthurian legend, giving the whole Arthurian story a new spin.

While some may not like the portrayal of good and evil as evenly matched, the strength of the Old Ones' determination is extremely invigorating. They're powerful, but still very human. And there are lessons carefully interwoven about good and evil, about loyalty, compassion, redemption, and friendship. These sentiments are never gooey, just powerful.

The characters are overall quite good. Jane, Barney and Simon Drew are a little less endearing because they seem a little dated and similar. Will Stanton, however, has the sparkling quality of a truly classic character, a mixture of a wise ancient being and a preteen boy. Bran, as the heir of Arthur, is a fantastic accompaniment to Will. And Merriman looms over it all as the all-seeing Merriman, alternately forbidding and dignified or kindly and grandfatherly.

With its majestic prose and entrancing, otherworldly characters, the "Dark is Rising Sequence" is a remarkable piece of work, and one that deserves many rereadings. Outstanding.