It’s time for a The Dark is Rising sequence readathon again!

If you wish to join, you can do so via this blog.

It’s the perfect time of year to reread the books, especially the second one, with the winter solstice approaching. I always attempt to read them around this time.

That being said, here comes my millionth (approximate) review of Over Sea, Under Stone. I’ve previously noted that it’s essentially an Enid Blyton adventure/mystery story with Arthurian elements. This time, I noticed a bit more. Despite being much lighter in tone than the later books for the most part, there are moments of darkness and fear.

Like the moment on the cliff top with the standing stones, Barney being captured, Barney in the cave, and the last few pages before the epilogue.

Due to the connection to Arthur and the figure of Merriman, the seriousness that we see later in the story is still present. The Dark doesn’t disappear safely like the criminals do at the end of a Famous Five book.

I think this is partly what makes the books endure for me. Beneath the concerns of the children, there’s that darkness and fear.

Another aspect that appeals to me is how all the characters act like real people. Jane, Barney, and Simon get scared, jealous of each other, and puff themselves up to seem important.

The adults are indulgent and complacent. And then there’s the poetry of the quiet moments, like the moon on the water and the quiet dusty attic.

Yeah. Brilliant writing. Not as captivating as the later books, but still very good.

Originally posted here.

Ultimately, this is yet another instance of that familiar thought: "I'm now likely too old and will never be able to experience the nostalgia that others feel while re-reading this."

Nevertheless, Susan Cooper's writing style is truly pleasant, and the story presents an exciting adventure. As a result, I find myself highly interested in reading the next book in the series.

Certainly, it is aimed at a young audience. I can't help but wish that someone had given this book to me when I was a child. I am absolutely certain that I would have adored the adventure it offers. It makes me wonder how different my childhood reading experiences might have been if I had come across this gem earlier.

My kids, who are 7 and 9 years old, had previously spurned bedtime stories. However, they recently decided that they wanted them again.

I unilaterally picked this particular story. So, how does it work as a read-aloud? Well, it works extremely well. Cooper is truly remarkable at describing places and scenes in a simple yet evocative manner. This makes it a pleasure for me, as their dad, to read, and at the same time, it keeps the kids' attention firmly engaged.

The lead characters may seem a bit priggish and stiff by modern standards, but the quest plot functions very effectively. It is constructed in such a way that an attentive child can figure out each step just moments before the Drews do, which brings them great and repeated satisfaction. The tension and the sense of long odds are well-balanced, gripping the kids without scaring them. Moreover, there is none of the heavy-handed world-building that first books in a series usually suffer from. In fact, my audience was amazed to learn that there were four more books in the series when I informed them a few chapters from the end.

Often, when you read your own well-loved favorites to your kids, it can be a disappointing experience for both sides. However, this has been an absolute treat.

How great is Ariel? Well, Ariel is exactly this great:

I had never read this series before, but had always wanted to. And guess what? Ariel straight up mailed it to me! It was like getting a present from Santa, but in June!

Ariel, I have also always dreamed of having a choker made of rubies, emeralds, and sweet sweet diamonds. While I'm patiently waiting for that to come true, I will write a review for this book.

Obviously, there are going to be comparisons to that Narnia series. British siblings are shuttled off to a spooky house with secret passageways behind a wardrobe, an eccentric older relative, and some Christian mythology thrown in for good measure.

But here's the thing. Even better than Narnia, this book reminded me of my very favorite series of children's books by Peggy Parish (and not her Amelia Bedelia stuff - that was just for the money). The better series of books were the ones featuring Liza, Jed, and Bill (the only twins that are not evil). They had the best relatives who were always leaving them mysteries to solve in the form of secret notes, clues, maps, and little carved wooden toys. I believe I read all of them, but reading this new book made me want to read them all over again and hope against hope that there was one I missed so I can go back and have an all new exciting adventure with my favorite detectives!

But of course, I will finish this series too. Thank you, Ariel. I'm off to run to the mailbox now. Jewels!! They must be coming!

Come to my blog!

This book was truly awful.

I believe that perhaps if I had read it as a young child, it might not have bothered me as much. However, reading it as an adult, it was far from a good read.

I picked up this book as part of a recent Magical Space Pussycats read, hoping to enjoy a kids' fiction for once. Unfortunately, this story was marred by prejudices and poor writing, causing me to become increasingly frustrated with each page.

In this tale, we witness three young British middle-class children making fun of the working class, foreigners, gays, and anyone even slightly different, all without realizing it. These three children are not "bad" in themselves; in fact, they are the "heroes" of the book. But the problem lies in the time it was written (the 60s), when many people, clearly including the author, held these prejudices and had no qualms about incorporating them into their works.

The story follows three kids who embark on an adventure to the coast and stay in a very old house owned by their Great Uncle Merry. While there, they discover a map that they believe will lead them to the Holy Grail of King Arthur, so they follow the clues and attempt to uncover its destination.

For me, this was not a good read, and I will definitely not be reading more in the series or by this author. Sadly, there are many other books from the 60s that are far superior in terms of plot, writing, and not being completely phobic of everything. Overall, I give it 1* and would not recommend it.

I vividly remember the first time I read "Over Sea, Under Stone" as a child. It was quite a coincidence that it happened during my intense phase of loving "The Boxcar Children", "Nancy Drew", and "The Hardy Boys". You can easily understand why a story about kids following clues and uncovering long-lost treasure would have such a strong appeal to me at that time.

Well, after rereading it for the third time, and this being the first time as an adult, I can objectively say that it was a rather simple yet decent book. However, I must admit that I have a greater preference for all the subsequent books in the sequence. I also notice that it shows its age more明显 than the others. There are certain specific scenes where the kids say things that reflect the attitudes of that era, and yes, when heard today, it doesn't sound quite as good. Fortunately, the next book in the series, "The Dark Is Rising", is a significant improvement, offering a more engaging and captivating story.

This rereading experience has made me realize how my perspective on books has changed as I've grown older. While "Over Sea, Under Stone" still holds a special place in my heart for the memories it evokes, I can now see its flaws more clearly and appreciate the growth and development of the series as a whole.

Over Sea, Under Stone is the first installment in a modern classic series of children's literature.

It follows a group of siblings who are on holiday in Cornwall and discover a map leading to the Grail of Arthur. They must then face off against villains who are also in pursuit of the Grail.

I suspect that I would have derived greater enjoyment from this book as a child. However, coming to it for the first time as an adult, there were a couple of aspects that I couldn't overlook.

First and foremost, the children in the story were extremely naïve and imprudent. The number of times they engaged in foolish behavior that landed them in trouble was quite astonishing. For instance, they would pull out a secret artifact when they were aware that an enemy was lurking nearby, or they would neglect to bring a flashlight when going to explore a cave.

This ultimately gave the impression that the author was taking a shortcut to create conflict rather than allowing the children to display intelligence and resourcefulness.

The other aspect that bothered me was the portrayal of all the adults in the children's lives. They were either completely oblivious or downright malicious. Supposedly, with the exception of their great uncle, but he deliberately put them in dangerous situations!

He was supposed to be depicted as this fun-loving uncle who let them in on grown-up secrets and assisted them in their quest. However, what I witnessed was a grown man who was willing to let children endanger themselves in order to achieve his own desires.

Now, I understand that the trope of adults not paying attention for various reasons is quite common in children's literature. But something about the way it was executed in this book just didn't sit right with me.

Once again, perhaps part of this reaction is due to the fact that I am a parent myself and not reading this book for the first time as a child. My protective instincts were left horrified by the actions of the uncle.

I decided to give this book a try because it is regarded as something of a classic. However, I have to conclude that it simply wasn't to my taste. Additionally, there are some content warnings for racism and brownface.

I remember many people who, upon completing an English degree, took a break from reading for a while or even stopped reading classics altogether. As for me, I ceased rereading. I think this is the first novel I've reread since then. (It's not that it took much longer than a novella, and I've definitely read John Crowley's 'Great Work of Time' twice in that span, but still.) And why this particular one? Well, it occurred to me last Christmas that I really wanted to read the second, eponymous book of The Dark is Rising, but I couldn't simply start there. So, I thought, why not reread them all in their appropriate seasons? This one at the start of the school summer holidays (though it is specified as August in the text, it turns out, so really I should have waited); then Christmas, Easter, October (yes, I had to look that one up), and midsummer.

Does it hold up, 20 or more years since I last read it? Definitely. It's more like the Famous Five, and less of an outright fantasy, compared to the later books in the series. However, I still hope that even as a kid, I picked up on Great-Uncle Merry's identity before the end, considering the early mention that his surname is Lyon. And while I always pictured him as Pat Troughton in Box of Delights, that's completely wrong - the text actually describes someone much closer to Tom Baker. It's such a shame that when the series was embarrassingly adapted for the screen, it was quite another Doctor who took another part. Then there are our young heroes. Simon is a bit of a jerk, and Jane...I'm sorry, I've tried to find a different way to phrase this, but there is no alternative: she's such a girl, in the sense used by small boys in less enlightened times. Barney, though, is cool. He's the only one who truly understands. And the lovely Cornish fishing village where the Grail is hidden...this is the ultimate summer holiday location. I recall how magical my one Cornish holiday as a kid was, and I think a lot of that is due to the faint echoes of this book. I'm really looking forward to Christmas and the second book, which I remember as the point where things really start to pick up.

Find the treasure, said the note I read on a birthday party. I knew it was only a game, but I reveled in finding the clues.

While the other kids were wondering when it was time to eat fries or what the prize at the end would be, I felt important and adventurous.

Although I have to admit I was a bit disappointed when I found out what the chest at the end of the treasure hunt contained. I don't know what was inside of it anymore, but I do remember the excitement of the journey.

Over Sea, Under Stone continuously reminded me of that experience. It had the excitement of a treasure hunt designed for kid's birthday parties.

While fun and enjoyable, the clues are not hard to crack. Our heroes never have too much trouble with it. And when they think they do, you quickly learn that as a reader you don't have to worry for them too long.

It only takes a couple of pages before luck strikes. It's not clever deductions that help them on this quest. It's more that magical moment when people happen to be at the right place at the right time. Call it coincidence, call it faith or destiny.

The book is even a little cheesy. The evil guys are so obviously the bad guys that they might as well run around with signs around their neck that tell us so.

This first novel in the Darkness is Rising trilogy gives off a warm and nostalgic feeling. Once more I felt like I was that kid going on a treasure hunt, but this time the prize did matter.

What didn't was the villains nor the attempts to make this scary. Sometimes I loved the nostalgic and warm feeling I got during this read, but at other times I wished for something more.

I wanted this book to surprise me after all. To reveal a mystery or show me an unexpected turn of events. I hoped Bill might help the heroes in the end or that Gumerry was actually not an ally of the children at all.

I found myself looking for a darker turn of events, but all I found was the light. Some of my thirst for an actual mystery did get quenched when Gumerry's secret was hinted at. I hope to see more of this in the series.

A treasure hunt is well and all, but what I want to see in the other books is an actual heroic quest. I want Simon, Jane and Barney to turn into the heroes that would be worthy enough to sit at the round table.

I want more elements of why the Arthurian legends is still being passed on from generation to generation to seep into the story. Thankfully Susan Cooper decided this novel couldn't be a standalone after all.

Because this truly does read like a prologue that's leading up to the real thing. The birthday bash is over, it's time for a true adventure.

I still can't quite believe that I missed these books when I was a kid. They are truly so up my alley.

This is the first book in the series, and I didn't know that until I had already read the second one, which is The Dark is Rising. But really, that's okay because this book involves an entirely different set of kids.

One of the things that I like best about these books is that they stand the test of time. They don't feel particularly dated, which is really nice. It's refreshing to read a story that still holds up after all these years.

And I also like all three of the children in this book. They're smart and they think for themselves. They're not just following the crowd or doing what they're told. They have their own ideas and they're not afraid to act on them.

I'm still making my way through the entire series. I'm at the mercy of the library system, waiting for the next book to become available. But I'm enjoying the journey and can't wait to see what happens next.

Great

4 stars

I vividly remember this series being one of the very first books I delved into during my school days, which seems like ages ago. For quite some time now, I've had the urge to reread it, yet I was filled with担忧 that it might not live up to the glorious memory I had of it. However, I needn't have worried in the slightest because this book was every bit as wonderful as I recalled.

At times, it's quite challenging to remember that Simon, Jane, and Barney are just kids. They display remarkable intelligence as they follow the map they discovered. There were only a couple of instances when I thought, "No, don't do that," as they did something rather silly. But then again, there have been times when I've read about adult characters who would have made the exact same choices.

I have an absolute passion for the Arthurian storyline and the entire concept of good versus evil. Therefore, I am extremely eager to continue reading the rest of the series and explore more of its captivating world.

At one point in my life, I had a tradition of reading The Dark is Rising trilogy during Christmas every year. I would align the timeline of The Dark is Rising with the season, as it was the most明显 timed event in the books. I still firmly believe that it's a great series. Cooper demonstrated remarkable creativity by skillfully weaving mythology and history together. Recently, I came across an article titled 'Reading the Signs of the Light' by Michael D.C. Drout, which further emphasized the series' merits. Although the essay mainly focused on the second book and onwards rather than this particular one, it still shed light on the series' overall quality. Cooper also excelled in character development. The children in the story behaved like real children, complete with their mood swings and sibling rivalries. However, the main problem is that I've read these books numerous times. As a result, everything has become overly familiar. Nevertheless, there are certain scenes that still manage to evoke the old feelings of dread and excitement, such as Barney's solo journey into the cave under the rocks and Simon's thrilling chase scene when he escapes with the map. This book is the most juvenile of the series and has aged the least gracefully. It is told from the perspective of the children, lacking a true understanding of the seriousness and significance of the quest.

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.