Rating: 
Summary: Great To The Very Last Page
Review: Susan Cooper has captured the reader's attention in Greenwitch. This mythological book contains great metaphors and symbolism. It keeps you at the edge of your seat to the very last page. I recommend this book to anyone who loves old English tales, and a good old fight between Light and Dark.
Rating:
Summary: Great To The Very Last Page
Review: Susan Cooper has captured the reader's attention in Greenwitch. This mythological book contains great metaphors and symbolism. It keeps you at the edge of your seat to the very last page. I recommend this book to anyone who loves old English tales, and a good old fight between Light and Dark.
Rating: 
Summary: Enchanted
Review: The middle book of the "Dark is Rising" sequence suffers a little from the middle-book syndrome, and a few items in it feel slightly strained. However, these are quickly swamped under by an unusual, well-written story and great character growth. When a golden chalice (first found by the Drews in "Under Sea Over Stone") is stolen from its museum, the mysterious Old One Merriman enlists their help and the help of the youngest Old One, Will Stanton. At first, the kids don't really get along; things seem fairly uneventful, except for Jane participating in an ancient ritual in which the women of the village get together and weave a vaguely humanoid figure, the Greenwitch. The Greenwitch is then thrown into the sea, after people touch it and make a wish. Jane, followed by strange impressions of the Greenwitch, makes a very unusual wish indeed. But then her brothers and Will bump into someone else -- a strange painter who steals a picture of Barney's, and then lures the Drew boys into his home. He's a member of the Dark, and he forces Barney to scry out a message about the Grail for him. Then a strange, wild chaos strikes the town, with a ghost ship and the angry Greenwitch herself... While this book is not the best of the series (the second takes that honor), it nevertheless is an excellent piece of work, as fantasy and as a study of the characters. The first chapter was a little weak; it felt too much like a part of "Over Sea Under Stone." However, this ceases as soon as Will comes on to the scene. The book then takes on a tone that seems, somehow, to balance out between "Dark is Rising" and "Over Sea Under Stone." The Drews are better fleshed out and individualized in this book. Jane proves that Cooper is one of the few fantasy writers who can create genuinely strong female characters; this is, in a sense, her book. Barney's abilities aside from his siblings are explored, giving them all a sense of being separate people. Will is clearly more comfortable with his role as an Old One, as he is more knowledgeable and smoother at handling situations with the Dark. At the same time, he's also able to shift into being a preteen boy, tapping Morse code to the Drew kids through the wall. (I think that I would have a crush on Will if he weren't about nine years too young) The writing in this book is versatile, becoming dreamy, stark, magical, frightening, or ordinary as the scene requires. The underwater scene with Tethys was one of the best written fantasy scenes I've ever read, while we are also given a horrific nightmare (Jane's) and the chilling pirate ship attacking a modern-day town when reality goes out of whack. Though the Greenwitch ceremony is women-only, Cooper doesn't bash the reader with any ideas; the Greenwitch herself is intriguingly written, childlike and possessive and kind of needy. This is a nice part of an amazing series, and definitely worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Harry Potter fans
Review: The second of the Dark is Rising sequence draws the reader in once again with the plight of the Old Ones being threatened by the Dark. The Dark Side has stolen the grail, an important artifact needed to preserve the world. In this book, we meet Jane, Barney and their brother. These three are relatives of the leader of the Old Ones, even though they are unaware of their uncle's powers. Each one of them have their own special powers of survival, love and loyalty which turn out to be stronger than any power the Dark Side uses against their quest to retrieve the grail. Very comparable to Harry Potter's situation, there are those with powers and without, but in the end what conquers all is love, friendship, loyalty and the will to survive.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, bridges the worlds of the two earlier books
Review: This book brings the Drew children and Will Stanton together, in an at first uneasy coalition, and serves as a bridge between the two earlier books. The everyday world is here, as in the first book, but the world of myth is very close to the surface. I was fascinated by the myth of the Greenwitch. Susan Cooper has a truly unique take on Arthurian legend here. It is worth reading what ever age you are!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, bridges the worlds of the two earlier books
Review: This book brings the Drew children and Will Stanton together, in an at first uneasy coalition, and serves as a bridge between the two earlier books. The everyday world is here, as in the first book, but the world of myth is very close to the surface. I was fascinated by the myth of the Greenwitch. Susan Cooper has a truly unique take on Arthurian legend here. It is worth reading what ever age you are!
Rating:
Summary: ExCeLlEnT bOoK
Review: This book in my opinion is probably the best in the whole DarkIs Rising sequence. The plot has a lot of power and the writing isclear and descriptive, yet not overload (like some parts of The Dark Is Rising book). I loved the bringing together of the Drews and Will, and also loved the characters of Captain Toms and Merriman. Written in much the same style as Over Sea, Under Stone, Greenwitch is an excellent book in an oustanding series. P.S. If you like the Dark Is Rising sequence, read His Dark Materials triology!
Rating:
Summary: ExCeLlEnT bOoK
Review: This book in my opinion is probably the best in the whole DarkIs Rising sequence. The plot has a lot of power and the writing isclear and descriptive, yet not overload (like some parts of The Dark Is Rising book). I loved the bringing together of the Drews and Will, and also loved the characters of Captain Toms and Merriman. Written in much the same style as Over Sea, Under Stone, Greenwitch is an excellent book in an oustanding series. P.S. If you like the Dark Is Rising sequence, read His Dark Materials triology!
Rating:
Summary: The weakest link in the series
Review: This book serves as the weak link in the Dark is Rising series but is helpful for bringing Will together with the kids from "Over Sea, Under Stone." Short and unimpressive but a must-read as part of the larger series, one of the best works of fantasy this century.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but a bit too short
Review: This book, while not living up to the standard of "The Dark is Rising", is far better than "Over Sea, Under Stone". It eliminates the "Hardy Boys" feel of the first book, and maintains some of the mystery of the second book. It also throws in a more in-your-face kind of supernatural force than the "Dark Shadows" feel of the second book. If a movie had to be made about one of these books, of the three I've read so far it would need to be this one. Primarily because the Greenwitch, and Will and Merri's journey into the sea would provide a director with enough CGI images to keep him happy.
| 
