Category 3: A classic of genre fiction
The Dark is Rising
Author: Susan Cooper
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: October 1 1999 (first published 1973)
Page count: 244
Genres: fantasy, young adult, middle grades
Page count: 244
Genres: fantasy, young adult, middle grades
Date read: September 3, 2018
Number of times read: 1
Format: paperbackSource: ...Amazon? I've owned it too long to remember where I actually bought it. I bought a box set of all 5...Nope according to my history this came from a physical bookstore!
Summary
"When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back, three from the circle, three from the track; wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone; five will return, and one go alone.”
With these mysterious words, Will Stanton discovers on his 11th birthday that he is no mere boy. He is the Sign-Seeker, last of the immortal Old Ones, destined to battle the powers of evil that trouble the land. His task is monumental: he must find and guard the six great Signs of the Light, which, when joined, will create a force strong enough to match and perhaps overcome that of the Dark. Embarking on this endeavor is dangerous as well as deeply rewarding; Will must work within a continuum of time and space much broader than he ever imagined. -- via Goodreads
"When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back, three from the circle, three from the track; wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone; five will return, and one go alone.”
With these mysterious words, Will Stanton discovers on his 11th birthday that he is no mere boy. He is the Sign-Seeker, last of the immortal Old Ones, destined to battle the powers of evil that trouble the land. His task is monumental: he must find and guard the six great Signs of the Light, which, when joined, will create a force strong enough to match and perhaps overcome that of the Dark. Embarking on this endeavor is dangerous as well as deeply rewarding; Will must work within a continuum of time and space much broader than he ever imagined. -- via Goodreads
Review
The Dark is Rising sequence is an award-winning classic of children's/middle-grade/YA fantasy. Here are the award credentials of this particular book: Newbery Medal Nominee (1974), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee (1974), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction (1973). I'm honestly surprised that it took until adulthood for me to hear about this book series. I was always into fantasy as a kid and I practically lived at the public library but no one ever suggested it to me. At this point, I can't even remember when I bought the box set, it was probably in 2009 or 2010 when I was in teacher's college. What really matters is that I was well into my adulthood before someone mentioned this series to me, probably on Livejournal or Facebook. I'm 99.9% sure it was my friend Rachel. I kept meaning to get around to it and get around to it but I never actually bothered (this is a trend you will notice with books for this challenge). But I was able to find a way to shoehorn all 5 books from the series into a challenge this year, so YAY! I've read 3/5 so far.
I'd say this entry is arguably better than one in that it has more complex characters and a really interesting narrative. Over sea, under stone, was interesting but under-developed comparatively. The thing that lets this book down is that it's nearly a completely different cast of characters with no real explanation as to why we've completely switched perspectives. It does eventually become clear that Will's journey is very much tied to the adventure of the kids in the first story. The Dark is Rising does a really good job of setting everything up for the events that are to come in the rest of the series. Will is such an interesting character, you really come to love him over the course of the book and become invested in him. I was hopeful for the payoff of him up with meeting the original kids, but that doesn't happen until the third book in the series.
This entry in the series does a really good job of worldbuilding and setting the internal rules about magic up for the reader. A much better job than the first book did. The first book was more of a straight-up adventure, this one really delves into the magic and mythology of the world. It's trope-y but not in a bad way. Will is clearly a chosen one, but he's not infallible and fails nearly as much as he succeeds, but he's a kid and he's still learning so they cut him some slack even for his biggest failures. It's a solid book and definitely held my interest and made me want to continue the series, if only for wanting to see Will and the other kids meet up.
An interesting sequel that really builds on the world introduced in the first book and really sets up the stakes for the rest of the series. Don't let the fact that none of the kids from the first book are in this one keep you from reading it. This series entry really ups the magical and mythological elements.
The Dark is Rising sequence is an award-winning classic of children's/middle-grade/YA fantasy. Here are the award credentials of this particular book: Newbery Medal Nominee (1974), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee (1974), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction (1973). I'm honestly surprised that it took until adulthood for me to hear about this book series. I was always into fantasy as a kid and I practically lived at the public library but no one ever suggested it to me. At this point, I can't even remember when I bought the box set, it was probably in 2009 or 2010 when I was in teacher's college. What really matters is that I was well into my adulthood before someone mentioned this series to me, probably on Livejournal or Facebook. I'm 99.9% sure it was my friend Rachel. I kept meaning to get around to it and get around to it but I never actually bothered (this is a trend you will notice with books for this challenge). But I was able to find a way to shoehorn all 5 books from the series into a challenge this year, so YAY! I've read 3/5 so far.
I'd say this entry is arguably better than one in that it has more complex characters and a really interesting narrative. Over sea, under stone, was interesting but under-developed comparatively. The thing that lets this book down is that it's nearly a completely different cast of characters with no real explanation as to why we've completely switched perspectives. It does eventually become clear that Will's journey is very much tied to the adventure of the kids in the first story. The Dark is Rising does a really good job of setting everything up for the events that are to come in the rest of the series. Will is such an interesting character, you really come to love him over the course of the book and become invested in him. I was hopeful for the payoff of him up with meeting the original kids, but that doesn't happen until the third book in the series.
This entry in the series does a really good job of worldbuilding and setting the internal rules about magic up for the reader. A much better job than the first book did. The first book was more of a straight-up adventure, this one really delves into the magic and mythology of the world. It's trope-y but not in a bad way. Will is clearly a chosen one, but he's not infallible and fails nearly as much as he succeeds, but he's a kid and he's still learning so they cut him some slack even for his biggest failures. It's a solid book and definitely held my interest and made me want to continue the series, if only for wanting to see Will and the other kids meet up.
An interesting sequel that really builds on the world introduced in the first book and really sets up the stakes for the rest of the series. Don't let the fact that none of the kids from the first book are in this one keep you from reading it. This series entry really ups the magical and mythological elements.
Overall Rating
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| 3.5 bolts |
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