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163 of 165 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A childhood love, a grown-up treasure, March 30, 2000
This review is from: The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Silver on the Tree; The Grey King; Greenwitch; The Dark Is Rising; and Over Sea, Under Stone (Paperback)
This series of books made me want to be a writer when I grew up. I remember distinctly reading these books and realizing the power that authors have to create a world and populate it with living characters. Ms. Cooper has created a universe in which magic lives just under the surface of the "real" world--her theme, that the power of magic is accessible to believers, and that we have a responsibility to fight against evil in both the real and magical realms, continues to resonate with me and many other readers. I highly recommend The Dark is Rising series to children and adults. It's for a slightly older audience than the Harry Potter series, and makes a nice next level for kids who want more. I am thrilled that the series is still available and I am adding it to my collection in the hope of passing it on to the children in my life. That, and I'm going to re-read them myself-- they're just too good to pass up!
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125 of 128 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent fantasy series that is HIGHLY underrated, February 13, 2001
This review is from: The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Silver on the Tree; The Grey King; Greenwitch; The Dark Is Rising; and Over Sea, Under Stone (Paperback)
I first stumbled upon Susan Cooper's THE DARK IS RISING sequence when I was in sixth grade. I was required to read a Newberry Award-winning book and do a report, and the cover of THE GREY KING looked kind of cool, so I gave it a shot. Fifteen years later I still can't believe I haven't heard more about this series. C.S. Lewis set the standard for children's fantasy literature with THE NARNIA CHRONICLES, and Susan Cooper has equaled Lewis' accomplishment in these books. In some ways, the stories are much better because Cooper's target audience is a bit older, wiser, and more mature. Evil characters are not always obvious in Cooper's world, nor are they always super-intelligent. Cooper weaves elements of Arthurian legend and Welsh mythology into modern day England in a way that tends to swallow the reader whole. Even as an adult I find these books rich and enjoyable; it is easy to forget that one is reading 'children's literature'. Fans of THE NARNIA CHRONICLES or HARRY POTTER will find that THE DARK IS RISING is another series readers will enjoy no matter what their age may be. My one caveat would be to parents of young children: there are scenes in these stories that may not be appropriate for children under the age of 10 or so. As always, be aware of what your children are reading. Once your children have reached an appropriate age, however, I would highly recommend THE DARK IS RISING for both you and your children!
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49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magic and fantasy at it's best...., June 6, 2000
This review is from: The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Silver on the Tree; The Grey King; Greenwitch; The Dark Is Rising; and Over Sea, Under Stone (Paperback)
I first read this series when I was in grade school, and fell in love with the magic! I wished that I could have been one of the Old Ones, having incredible powers, immortality, and (because of these qualities) dangerous adventures. Nearly 15 years later, I was searching for a gift for a young relative in the family and found The Dark Is Rising series again. I made the purchase fully intending to give it away. That cousin never got the books. I just had to re-read them. And was enchanted once again! The storyline is great for kids, as one of the main characters, Will Stanton is 11 years old. The magic is fantastic....one of the powers, the ability to make people forget, could definitely be useful. I can think of a couple of instances where I would have loved to use it on my parents! Traveling through time has similar benefits.... But this is not a series just for children. The themes of constant struggle between good and evil, and the means by which evil seeks to attract followers are well developed, with details older readers appreciate. The story about Hawkins is a great example. He is clearly used by both sides, and he makes choices that have hard consequences for himself and others. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse, and his character demonstrates that people are not entirely good (deserving of extraordinary responsibility) or entirely bad (deserving of condemnation). There is an incredible attention to small details. You definitely pick these up with each reading. There is also enough familiar mythology/folk legend in the stories to make them not only believable, but feel like it is happening now. The series is wonderful. If you like imaginative, gripping stories, I highly recommend this series for adults and children!
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