The Dark is Rising Children’s Fantasy Book Series by Susan Cooper - Mixed Feelings and Reviews

Since becoming immersed in the wonderful world of Harry Potter I’ve found myself searching for similar books to read. Someone mentioned Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series on a Harry Potter Goodreads thread so I decided to try them. I found that I had mixed feelings about the series and wanted to share them with readers.

Naturally, I began with Book One, Over Sea, Under Stone, which is the tale of Simon, Jane and Barney Drew, three siblings on holiday in historic Cornwall with their parents and mysterious Great Uncle Merry. The children discover an ancient map they eventually come to believe leads to a long lost grail, which is said to be one of the keys to fighting the powers of the Dark. The children embark on a perilous journey to save humanity from evil.

I had so much trouble getting into this book that I stopped after seventy-five or so pages. It was slow moving and uninteresting to the point that I thought I was done completely with the series. When I posted my disappointment with the book on Instagram, I was told by a fellow Bookstagrammer that she too had had trouble with Book One, but she advised that I not give up on the series. She suggested I begin again with Book Two, The Dark is Rising, which she assured me was far better. I did and she was right.

The Dark is Rising (which I couldn’t quite understand why Book Two is the namesake of the entire series…In my mind this would have been better suited for the title of Book One) centers around young Will Stanton, who on his eleventh birthday becomes aware that he is the last of the Old Ones – immortal protectors of Good against Dark. With the help and guidance of the original Old One, Merriman Lyon, Will must collect all six of the Circle of Signs – Wood, Bronze, Iron, Fire, Water and Stone – which must be joined together to help him fight the powers of the Dark.

Book Two was incredibly entertaining and compelling – far better than Book One and I’m happy that I listened to the advice of my fellow book lover. I enjoyed the characters, plot and non-stop action in this one. The relationship between Will and Merriman was wonderful. I was so encouraged to keep reading that I went on to Book Three.

Book Three, Greenwitch, brings the characters from Book One and Book Two together. It’s much shorter than the first two installments and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Book Two. Here’s the thing with these books, and I’ve noticed this popping up in reviews – adults seem to enjoy this series, but children aren’t nearly as impressed. Susan Cooper began writing the series in the 1960s and the dialogue and subject matter is definitely dated. I wondered if this could be part of the reason today’s children are finding the series slow and boring (as indicated by some of the “kid” reviews I’ve read). I can only speculate on this of course. 

Ultimately, I would definitely recommend reading the second book in the series – The Dark is Rising. It's the book that the movie The Seeker was based upon. I feel this particular book is written in a way that it can stand alone and you don’t necessarily have to read any of the others. But, of course, if you do enjoy this one as much as I did then reading the other books in the series is a definite option.

Have you read this series? What did you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!