The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

Anybody read this pentalogy? It's mostly targeted to a young adult level... but it's been highly recommended to me since I was eight. I only got through the first book, until last year when I read the whole cycle again. It's really good - some of the Tolkien and Arthurian references are really obvious... and it sticks closer to the theme of a "definite good" and a "definite evil" than almost any other fantasy novel I've read. It adds a great twist to the Arthurian legends, especially those of the Holy Grail and Merlin. Highly recommended. Also, note the use of the number six instead of the archetypal seven... but that's really getting too trivial.

For your reference, the books go in the following order:

1. Over Sea, Under Stone
2. The Dark is Rising
3. Greenwitch
4. The Grey King
5. Silver on the Tree

"When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back
Three from the circle, three from the track
..." (I don't remember the rest)

Okay, I loved these books for the most part, but I detested the ending! I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't read it, but it has always bugged me. You just can't end such a great series like that! But if you make up your own ending, you can pretend it happened differently, so it's okay. :-)

I liked these books, but from the sounds of it, I am going to have to get them from the library as I have forgotten the ending mentioned. Unfortunately I sold my copies of the books several years ago (when I could still venture into the childrens department without comment)

Yeah... I didn't like the ending much either. Personally, I "got through" the first book... I absolutely loved the second and third... but from there it went slowly downhill, resulting in a very anticlimactic ending, as you mentioned.

But besides little peeves here and there, I really liked this series.

This was my first "real" fantasy series, and I still adore the journey Will made.. the imagery, at times, is fantastic... although as has been said, the ending does leave one wanting for more.

I am really going to have to read these again. I wonder if it would be easier to simply find them at a used bookstore rather than get them from the library.

The reason why the second book is my favorite of the pentalogy is definitely because of the imagery, during Will's quest to recover the six signs of the Light.

Yeah, that was neat. I especially enjoyed The Grey King, because of the human struggles. The magic struggles are cool, but I personally get more into books that deal with human relationships. I think that's why it won the Newberry Medal. Greenwitch and the first part of Silver on the Tree, as well as parts of the others, were good for this too.

I think that the first of these books that I read was the Grey King. I've got to read the others.

Yeah, Bran's conflict with his identity in The Grey King is one of the most well-executed cases of searching for one's parents that I've seen in literature.

Whoa I'm having flashbacks to 6th grade. I remember those books. Cool.

I am getting zose bookz soon.
Which one of zose books iz ze one zat haz only 134 pgz or so? Which one iz ze long one (aroung 244 pgz)?

Funny, I loved the ending! Though I still wanted more it was because of how good it was. I thought the endings imagery was incredible. I won't say more though in case any haven't read it.

I meant the VERY end. The climax-ending was okay, but the very end just made me mad.

Niffiwan: I don't remember the lengths exactly, and I'm too lazy to check, but Greenwitch is the shortest of them all. Read them in order, though.

I LOVE THEM ALL!!!! theyre great! what with all the aurthur stuff and everything. once youve read the last few, youll see more in the first. i was going to start a thread about her books before i found this one, so you will just have to excuse me opening up an old thread like this

greenwitch is lovely


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 shall return and one go alone

( i think, that was from memory, i probably got the sign's order mixed up)
i don't think the ending is that dissaponting, at least Will doesn't- oops, no more about this!

The order sounds right (but then it's been about 5 years since I read the books)

I don't remember the lengths exactly, and I'm too lazy to check, but Greenwitch is the shortest of them all. Read them in order, though.

Why wouldn't I?
I'm not one of those people who read the easiest book first, regardless of order... that's just stupid! It ruins the rest of the series.
The reason I asked was because when I saw them first (a photograph showing all 5 covers but not the thicknesses), I looked and it said that the books ranged in length from 131-274 pgs. For some strange reason, I "realised" that Greenwitch looked like the shortest book. I don't know how or why since it didn't show their thicknesses.
And lo and behold, my assumption was right.
I might have ESP or something . No, really.

Anyways...
I have the series now. I read through the first book, thinking all the while that the book didn't deserve such a cheesy cover. I'm currently finishing the second book. The first book did have a few very good moments in it, but it's nothing compared to the second book, as I found out...

I actually didn't care for the first one much at all. The second one, however, I thought was brilliant - certainly my favorite installment of the pentalogy, if not one of my favorite works ever. And when I got to Greenwitch, I found that the first two are tied together rather well to the point where my appreciation of the first one increased.

well... the reason I kind of liked the first book was because I thought that the book would be much worse, judging by the cover. Yes, I know that old saying, but judging a book by its cover has always more-or-less worked for me.
PS I'm finishing Greenwitch now. Wow! That's all I can say... it's very good! I do wish that it were longer, though...