The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

Title: The Dark is Rising Author: Susan Cooper Genre: Fantasy, YA Rating: 7/10 # pages: 173 Date read: February, 2008

"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.

A 2.5 star review.

I'm very obviously the exception that proves the rule. I thought Over Sea, Under Stone was heaps better than The Dark is Rising. Probably mostly because I like the Drew kids better than Will. I never really got to care for him the way I did the others.

A shame, because I really wanted to love this. I'd heard so many good things about it, and I can definitely see its charms... but I never felt them. And when I didn't feel them, I can't love the book. I felt too much like an outsider looking in rather than somebody actually taking part in the action. It constantly kept its distance.

I can see that the Drew kids as well as Will all turn up in the next book, so I'll still give that one a chance to charm me :)