From BBC Radio 4:

This night is going to be dreadful, and tomorrow will be beyond what one can imagine. It's Midwinter's Eve, the day before Will's eleventh birthday. However, there is an air of fear in the familiar countryside surrounding him. This will be a birthday like no other. Will discovers that he has the power of the Old Ones, and he must embark on a quest to defeat the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark.

This is an adaptation of the second book in the series collectively titled "The Dark is Rising" dramatized by David Calcutt.

Will is played by James Walmsley, and Merriman is played by Ronald Pickup. The cast also includes Struan Rodger, Geoffrey Banks, Carolyn Backhouse, Leo Conville, Hilary Attenborough, Susannah Tresilian, Richard Derrington, Susan Jeffrey, Mary Wimbush, Kathryn Hunt, Gerry Hinks, and Tina Gray. The music is by Martin Allcock, and it is directed by Nigel Bryant.

1 - The Waking: Will Stanton wishes for snow on his birthday, but he has not anticipated the frightening adventures that will accompany it.

2 - The Learning: This is no ordinary Christmas for Will.

3 - The Betrayal: The Dark seals off the village with ice and driving snow.

4 - The Hunting: The Lords of the Dark close in for the kill, and only one power can now match theirs.

https://archive.org/details/TheDarkIs...

“Six Signs the circle, and the grail gone before.” This mysterious line sets the tone for the captivating story in The Dark is Rising.

From the winter solstice to Twelfth Night, the twelve days of Christmas are filled with a sense of foreboding as the Dark threatens the Light. The author, Susan Cooper, sets this deeply personal tale in the southeast corner of Buckinghamshire, where she grew up. Our protagonist, Will Stanton, a seventh son and the youngest of nine siblings, is about to celebrate his eleventh birthday on midwinter day. Unbeknownst to him, he is an Old One with a crucial role to play in the battle against the Dark. He will have both helpers and a dreaded assailant, and a betrayal that could put many lives at risk.

Alongside this archetypal conflict, the author描绘s the English countryside she knew so well from childhood. The landscape is as integral to the plot as the people. Will discovers he is a Sign-seeker, destined to acquire six items associated with different elements. These apotropaic objects will help him withstand the power of the Dark. Cooper imagines an ancient symbol for the Signs, a four-spoked wheel or wheeled cross that figures in antiquity. Will Stanton may seem more distant than the Drew siblings in Over Sea, Under Stone, but as he grows into his role as an Old One, his humanity still shines through.

The more one immerses oneself in Cooper's fantasy world, the more one appreciates the nuances in her writing. She draws on diverse multicultural influences and describes nature, family relationships, and the pacing of the story with great skill. Good writers like Cooper can make us suspend disbelief and accept the authenticity of their fiction, as is evident in her Buckinghamshire setting and perhaps in the character of Will's sister Mary.

This book presents perhaps one of my most favored perspectives on England, both the country and its people.

"He saw one race after another come attacking his island country, bringing each time the malevolence of the Dark with them, wave after wave of ships rushing inexorably at the shores. Each wave of men in turn grew peaceful as it grew to know and love the land, so that the Light flourished again."

However, I believe this view doesn't entirely hold up. There's the matter of colonialism, which can be argued as wave after wave of the Dark emerging from our island. Moreover, the relationship between the English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish has never been entirely harmonious, with colonialism still playing a role. Additionally, there are groups like the BNP and the EDL. But realizing that this is Britain's identity - our genetic makeup, language, and history - is something many people overlook. We can't simply say "get out, foreigners" as most of us have ancestors from elsewhere in our family tree.

I have loved The Dark is Rising for a long time. Doubtless, there isn't much that's new or critical I can say about it as a whole. But each time, these small fragments of the narrative capture my attention and make me think about them in a new way. This was one such instance; there are other snippets too, like Will's sudden comprehension of the difference between a child's fear and an adult's fear.

The Dark is Rising, I think, is one of those books with multiple layers, and this complexity increases with each installment. There's a straightforward layer of plot, and then there's a wealth of other material about understanding emotions and fears, and if you look closely, some moral ambiguity. We're seeing this world through Will's eyes. He's one of the Old Ones, but also a young boy. In his horror at what Merriman has done to Hawkin, you can observe a nuanced treatment of the actions of the Light. And then Merriman reveals his human side as well. Perhaps to some extent, I'm too willing to give these books some leeway, too eager to bring my own needs to the table and view the book in those terms. But I believe that such elements are indeed present - especially as they become more prominent in the character of John Rowlands in The Grey King and Silver on the Tree.

I remember vividly as a child being completely and utterly swept away by this remarkable book. It was like a magical portal that transported me to a different world.

As an adult, looking back on it, I still find it to be an incredibly powerfully atmospheric book. The sense of the looming dark is ever present, adding an element of mystery and foreboding.

Revisiting it has been a fun experience, and it still holds up well. However, I do wish that I could gush over it with the same enthusiasm as I used to when I was younger.

In 2022, I decided to re-read it, and to my delight, I loved it even more this time around. Some of the issues that I had noticed before were perhaps a bit more glaring. For example, the world seems to act in strange ways, and Will is constantly being swept along from one odd thing to the next, without really having much control over anything.

But despite these flaws, the writing is truly lovely. It has a certain charm and elegance that draws you in and makes you want to keep reading. And this time, I felt the magic of the story way more strongly. It was almost enough to sweep me away once again, just like it did when I was a child.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure story with a touch of magic and mystery.

This is the second installment in the Dark Is Rising series. In contrast to Over Sea, Under Stone, this particular book delves much deeper into the supernatural and magical realm.

In fact, the transition from the first book to the second feels almost like a leap into an entirely different series, save for the continuity of themes and a few characters. Just like its predecessor, this book is exceptionally well-written and passes the audiobook test with flying colors. In my experience, audiobooks have a tendency to expose sloppy writing, but this one, narrated brilliantly by Alex Jennings, did not disappoint.

The story itself is a fascinating blend of British legend, mythology, and magic set in a 20th-century world. Many of the images and scenes were vivid and easy to envision, evoking a sense of both foreboding and wonder within me. It truly is an immersive and captivating world.

However, the plot is the book's Achilles' heel. As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly lackluster. It's not that nothing interesting occurs; rather, the main character, Will, around whom the epic battle between light and dark is unfolding, seems to be a passive participant. At every turn, things simply happen to him. He is dubbed the "Seeker," yet for the most part, he is merely led to places by others and handed the very things he is supposed to be seeking. The closest he comes to actively hunting something down is when he fortuitously stumbles upon it. There is little sense of urgency or the need to solve a problem or escape a perilous situation. This stands in sharp contrast to the thrilling first book, where the main characters were forced to figure everything out against the clock.

Furthermore, while there appear to be numerous rules governing the magic and the characters in the story, these rules are only doled out to the reader as events transpire. As a result, at any given moment, the reader has no clue what resources the characters have at their disposal or what they lack. Can they extricate themselves from a difficult situation? What actions would they need to take? Are they truly in danger or not? Will supposedly possesses all manner of powers, but he seldom seems able to utilize them, and we know precious little about what these powers can accomplish. By the end of the book, I found myself simply assuming that there would be some sort of unexpected solution to each problem, likely coming from someone other than Will, and I lost interest.

I recall The Grey King (book 4) being an engaging story when I was a child. Perhaps the series improves as it progresses? I might give the next book a chance just to see if there is any sign of improvement. A combination of the styles of books 1 and 2 could potentially yield a more satisfying read.

*3.5 stars

A reread from childhood/teenhood.

I had the pleasure of revisiting this book during Christmas, and it was truly a remarkable experience. It was almost to the exact day, which added an extra layer of coolness. The book is filled with nostalgic wintry Christmas scenes that immediately transported me back to my younger days.

However, as I delved deeper into the story, I began to have some mixed feelings. Initially, it started with all the soft magic feels that I got from Lord of the Rings. I usually prefer harder magic systems, but LoTR was an exception. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, I found the magic in this book to be too soft for my liking. There was an overreliance on 'fate' and a lot of what Will experiences and is driven by is based on gut feeling.

Nobody in the story tells Will anything properly, and he conveniently gets all the knowledge he needs from the reading of one book, yet still seems to know very little. The actual motivations of the Dark, what they actually want and why, remain unexplained.


I remember preferring book 1, Over Sea, Under Stone, as a child, and for similar reasons. It felt more grounded and less reliant on these elements that I found somewhat infuriating in this book. I can't recall how much of the rest of the series I actually read, but I will be continuing with interest. I'm hoping that getting the whole story will help put this entry in perspective and perhaps change my opinion.

A young English lad discovers a remarkable truth on his 11th birthday - he is a high-born wizard. Accompanied by his elder mentor, they engage in a race against the clock. Their mission is to safeguard an ancient and extremely powerful artifact from a menacing, indeterminate evil that is on the rise.

No, this isn't about that other well-known but rather dull kid wizard. Truly, as I've stated before, this is far, far superior.

Will Stanton, an ordinary child from Buckinghamshire, realizes he is one of the Old Ones. His task is to locate six elemental Signs to prevent the Dark from emerging.

There is an abundance to cherish in this story. From Cooper's profound affection for the lore of her Thames valley childhood to the quiet yet disturbing magic at play. Surprisingly, much of it involves time travel and the manipulation of others' lives, making the good guys almost as enigmatic as the bad guys. Just who are the bad guys? It's difficult to determine, and this is one of the strengths of the entire series. The bad guys could be the local antiquities enthusiast known to Will's father, the promiscuous farm girl down the lane, debilitating blizzards, or tornadoes of ancient magic.

The Wild Hunt also makes an appearance, ensuring that all your pre-Christian religious aspects are covered. I cannot recommend these highly enough!

In 2023, I initially believed that the BBC podcast would be more than sufficient. It boasted wonderfully creepy music that sent shivers down my spine, along with excellent voice actors and a narrator who brought the story to life. The killer ending was the cherry on top. However, after a few days of relying solely on the podcast, I found myself feeling unsatisfied.

So, I decided to go back to the book. In the book, Will experiences a rollercoaster of emotions as he is alternately aggravated and uplifted by his family, just like any eleven-year-old would. The softly falling snow, which initially seems peaceful, suddenly becomes heart-stoppingly terrifying. The author's gorgeous prose creates enduring imagination, painting vivid pictures in my mind.

In 2022, I was also listening to the BBC podcast, and I have to say it was most excellently creepy. It had a way of captivating me and keeping me on the edge of my seat. But now, having revisited the book, I realize that there is something special about the written word that the podcast just can't fully capture.

Not for me.

My interest in this particular thing was extremely low. It failed to capture my attention or engage me in any meaningful way.

The overall enjoyment level that I derived from it was also very minimal. I found myself constantly bored and uninterested.

It seemed as if it was just not something that suited my tastes or preferences.

Perhaps it was the content, the presentation, or something else entirely.

But whatever the reason, it simply did not resonate with me.

I could not find any redeeming qualities or aspects that would make me want to continue with it or give it a second chance.

It was a complete turn-off for me, and I would not recommend it to others.

A really wonderful read.

This statement holds true for many literary works that have the power to captivate our minds and transport us to different worlds.

When we encounter a truly great book, it has the ability to engage our emotions, stimulate our imagination, and expand our knowledge.

It can make us laugh, cry, think deeply, and even change our perspectives.

A wonderful read can be a thrilling adventure, a heartwarming romance, a thought-provoking mystery, or a profound exploration of the human condition.

It is a source of entertainment, inspiration, and enlightenment.

Whether we are curled up on the couch, sitting in a quiet corner of a library, or traveling on a long journey, a great book can be our constant companion.

It enriches our lives and leaves a lasting impression on our souls.

So, the next time you pick up a book, open its pages with anticipation, and let yourself be carried away by the magic of a really wonderful read.

Here is the rewritten and expanded article:

This product has received a rating of 3.5 stars.

Customers have had mixed opinions about it. Some have praised its functionality and ease of use. They find that it meets their needs and provides good value for money. However, others have pointed out a few drawbacks.

For example, there have been some reports of durability issues. Some users have also mentioned that the design could be improved to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Despite these criticisms, the overall rating of 3.5 stars indicates that the product has its strengths and is still a viable option for many.

If you are considering purchasing this product, it may be worth reading more reviews to get a better understanding of its pros and cons.

3.5 stars

I've never felt such a strong sense of disappointment towards a book that I had so eagerly anticipated.

This second installment of the Dark is Rising sequence simply failed to capture my interest. I had thought that the first book, Over Sea, Under Stone, was quite decent. It had an interesting concept and a passable plot.

However, this second book was filled with the most ordinary characters, a plot that remained undeveloped, and there was essentially no growth or development for the protagonist, Will.

My main gripe with this book is that Cooper took a great idea, namely the Arthurian myth, and was unable to transform it into something truly meaningful. All the reader is left with is an endless cosmic battle between Light and Dark that has been raging for millennia, with no real hope of resolution.

Sure, Light may gain the upper hand at times, but Dark can never be truly vanquished. In my opinion, this makes the use of Arthurian lore completely superfluous. If the battle between Light and Dark is eternal, then what was the significance of Arthur or Merlin?

Cooper's fictional universe lacks depth and credibility. As a result, the ending fails to possess what Tolkien described as the 'eucatastrophe'.

To be fair, I am still in the midst of my G.R.R. Martin A Song of Ice & Fire obsession, and I'm not a twelve-year-old. If either of those factors were different, perhaps I would have had a more favorable opinion of this book.

It will be quite some time before I decide to pick up the third installment. I'm hoping against hope that Susan Cooper can redeem herself and create something truly worthwhile in Book 3.