The Grey King (The Dark Is Rising Sequence) [UNABRIDGED]

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books in one of the best children's series
Review: The Newbery people obviously thought so, anyway. Really though, to limit a series like this to the realm of children's literature is a disservice to adults. While The Dark is Rising series is a necessity for any imaginative 11-year old, it is also absorbing for any reader willing to examine issues more crucial than the usual boy-meets-girl, whodunnit, or political "thriller" of standard adult fare.

A new character, Bran, is introduced here. He is a sensitively drawn Welsh boy, an albino, laboring under the burden of his strange looks, as well as mysteries surrounding his birth and eventual destiny. He and Will form a friendship and partnership that echoes a much earlier one between Merriman and Bran's father -- the echoes of legend here are shaped in some incredibly subtle writing, yet should be obvious to anyone who knows the least bit of British mythology (the Matter of Britain). It is clear though, as in the earlier books, that the author herself has much more than a cursory knowledge of that myth cycle and of local folklore.

Rating:
Summary: It was a wonderful book.
Review: I thought that it was very finely written. Beautiful word choice, intelligent, and entertaining. I haven't read a book that good in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: A boring book
Review: I read this book and found it to be extremely boring. It was a little complicated and sometimes it just did not make any sense. I enjoy fantasy, and this book wasn't REALLY like a fantasy book. There wasn't enough action and too much talking about something that really did not matter.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book In The Series
Review: This was the best book in the series. I loved this series and this book was wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: A really great book!
Review: Yep...you got it...Susan Cooper, like with all her books has put great care into this one. It's about a boy called Will (A great 'Old One') who goes on another quest to get one of the things of 'great power' to protect the Old Ones, people and 'things' from the dark. This Adventure like all the others is a great book for girls and boys. Adults or young adults will also love it too!

Rating:
Summary: Going Inside The Book
Review: Although it is not my personal favourite, "The Grey King," the fourth book in "the Dark is Rising" sequence is generally considered the best in the series, and is the winner of the Newbery Medal. Following on from the other books, Will Stanton (an Old One of the Light, who protects humanity from the forces of the Dark) travels to Wales, in order to fetch the golden harp, which in turn will wake the mysterious Sleepers, fulfilling the next part of the prophesy chronicling the battle between Light and Dark.

But the circumstances surrounding his visit are grim: after a serious illness he has been sent to relatives in order to convalesce, and soon finds that he cannot remember the vital phrases of the prophesy. Though he can only remember bits and pieces, he is aware that he is meant to seek help from "the raven boy" and "silver eyes that see the wind" - whatever that means. Amongst his cheery relatives things are well, but in the hidden farmlands he soon meets a young albino boy named Bran and his silver-eyed dog Cafall. Bran's mother disappeared when he was just a baby, leaving him in the care of Owen Davis, a devout and religious man who is kind, but strict with the lonely Bran. Though he is obviously unusual, only Will can see that there is something so much more to Bran than meets the eye.

He also meets John Rowlands, an aged and immensely wise farmer who is one of the few human beings who could possibly understand Will's task, and Caradog Pritchard, a hideously bad-tempered man who is out to make things difficult for everyone around him. But beyond all of this is the malevolence of one of the greatest powers of the Dark: the Grey King and his vicious grey foxes who are out to prevent the Light from gaining their advantage with the golden harp.

Merriman Lyon, the linking factor in all five books has only a minor role here, and the Drew children are not present at all - this is solely Will's quest that he must fulfil by himself, with Bran as the last major player in the series to be introduced. By its end we are all set to head into the final book "Silver on the Tree".

It will help if you know basic Arthurian lore (in particular the love-triangle), since Cooper is subtle in her meanings, and never spells it out entirely. Bran's mother's situation will only resonant if you are fully aware of who she is revealed to be and what she once did. And of course, it is necessary to have read the previous books in the series in order to grasp the full meaning of what's going on here.

A criticism levelled toward these books at one stage, were that they were too black-and-white: there was a Light side and a Dark side, the goodies and the baddies and that was all there was to it. But here for the first time, Cooper adds little touches of grey to the matter, or at least makes you look at the opposites in a different way. It is Rowlands that points out that the Light can be just as merciless and unforgiving as the Dark, that "at the centre of the Light is a cold, white flame, just as at the centre of the Dark there is a great black pit." The Light can often be merciless and cruel, manipulating things to reach its own ends - and Rowlands claims he would choose one human life over their cold principles. As well as this there is a sense of powers beyond good and evil, a "High Magic" that governs over both of them and refuses to take sides.

As well as this the book deals with darker and more human issues than previously, such as violence, adultery, piety, betrayal, loss, temper, attempted rape (though portrayed *extremely* carefully), and the capacity for humanity to destroy itself. Cooper's language is beautiful, her research thorough, her themes profound and her meanings deep and thoughtful. There is so much hidden depth (sometimes held within a single sentence that is easy to miss) that it's impossible to list them all, but here's one - Will assumes that it was the Dark's powers that made him so terribly ill. But toward the end he begins to think it may have come from a completely different source...

Do yourself a favour and read these books!


Rating:
Summary: The Grey End
Review: This forth installment in "The Dark is Rising Series" seems to combine elements from the previous four. The "Hardy Boys" feel of the first book unfortunately returns, and while not full blown is enough to pull the book down somewhat.

On the up side though some of the mystique of the second book that emulates "Dark Shadows" is there, standing side by side with the third books more complex immagery. So in the end were this book made into a movie, while it would have been doable in the 60s, lacking anything that would have looked too cheasy, it would also be possible to be done in the 20th century without adding in two hours of mindless action that didn't occurr in the book, just to make the f/x guys happy (do the cave, the Grey King, and a time travel scene for Gwene and Bran, then send them on to the next movie with a smile and a months paycheck for two weeks).

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: It is a great book it has very good adventure and emotional roller coaster and a good conflict I loved it and i think it's good for all 6-7th graders (yes i did perposely write no puctuaction)