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: Average for Cooper - Excellent for most authors
Review: What is average for Cooper is better than the best of many (maybe most) of the fantasy or "young adult" authors out there. The main change in this book is the added focus on normal folks, something lacking in the prior two books, which tended to focus on the supernatural. Also, the character of Bran, key in the last 2 books, is introduced. I didn't care much for him as a child reading the series but now seem him as an integral link to myth. Miximg myth, the modern world and her own imagination is what Cooper does best, and this book is a wonderful example of that.
Rating:
Summary: Careful--it will hook you!
Review: When young Will Stanton, the youngest of the Old Ones (quasi-immortals fighting to keep the earth from the domination of the sinister Lords of the Dark) comes down with a severe case of hepatitis, he is sent to visit relatives in Wales to convalesce. But his illness has erased vital knowledge he recently received in the quest for the Greenwitch. Without it the Light doesn't have a chance... But his presence in Wales, he soon finds, is no accident. Alone and helpless, without the Great Signs of Light or the help of other Old Ones, he embarks on a quest to find a golden harp that will summon six sleepers for the final confrontation with the Dark. Yet his growing friendship with a taciturn young Welsh boy, Bran Davies, may be his most significant contribution yet to the great battle that is to come. Of all of the Dark is Rising books, this one is my favorite. Cooper comes back to all of her favorite concerns from "The Dark is Rising" and takes them to new heights. First, there is Will, a young boy fighting for the Light--and even his own life--in a battle none of the adults around him sees and fewer understand. Even John Rowland, the ambivelant sheep-herder who befriends him when he realizes that Will's presence is awaking dark forces even Will doesn't fully understand. Their discussions of fate and destiny; choice, sacrifice and necessity; form an intriguing philosophical backdrop to the adventures and add a depth to the series very rarely matched in the other books. Especially since John Rowland himself--the advocate of choice in the face of necessity--ultimately makes one of the greatest sacrifices of any of them. (I won't spoil the surprise in the next book!) And then there's Bran, drawn inevitably into the conflict by a nature more magnificent and more significant than anybody realizes. Kudos to Cooper for making him the kind of character you like but have to admire on his own terms. "The Grey King," of all of the series, gives me the best sense of Will in both his roles as an Old One and a mortal boy vulnerable to the Grey King's power. Enjoy this--and enjoy the rest of the series while you're at it!
Rating:
Summary: Will's back!!
Review: Will and his friend, Bran seek the golden harp, a thing of power that will aid the light in defence against the dark. But, to get it, they have to give Caradog Prichard the slip, pass the test of the high magic, and awnser three riddles correctly.
Rating:
Summary: The Grey King
Review: Will Stanton discovers he is an immortal servant of the Light, whose quest is to find the golden harp and awaken the Sleepers, while battling against the force of the Dark atempting to control the world. This gorgeous work of children's literature is the fourth in a series of five books and most deserving of its 1976 Newbery Award. In addition to being a fantasy novel of time travel and Arthurian legen, Cooper's work is an exploration of Welsh language, culture and geography, and its myths and folklore. When Bran give Will a rudimentary lesson in Welsh pronunciation, the language is brought alive: "Will groaned, and took a deep breath.' 'And the ch is sorth of breathy, the way the Scots say loch.'" Will's language lesson is resolved with a bite of humor. "You see, yours does sound wetter. Sploshier. I expect all Welsh babies dribble a lot." The novel overflows with poetic descriptions of the rolling Welsh countryside: "...the sweeping slopes of the valley began to rise were golden-brown with bracken, dry as tinder in this strange Indian-summer sun. Hazy on the horizon all around, the mountains lay like sleeping animals, their muted colours changing with every hour of the day from brown to green to purple and softly back again." The invisible force of the Dark appears more sinister and evil, when contrasted with the tranquil pastoral setting of the Welsh countryside. The Christian symbolism imbedded throughout the novel adds wonderful complexity to Cooper's masterful writing. As Will endeavors to outmaneuver the Dark and slowly matures into his identity as the Old One, his character at times is implausible, "but that is the price we have to pay for freedom of men on earth..." Will's words to Bran appear out of character for such a young boy. This is an imaginative read for grades six through eight.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read
Review: Will Stanton, struck down suddenly by a violent attack of hepatitis, is sent to Wales with family to recuperate. Once there, he is startled to find and albino boy and his white dog with the silver eyes. Will realises that this is the last raising of defences that the Light must succeed in to defeat the Dark in the ultimate quest. But, once the harp is taken, the rest of the quest must take place in the valley of the Brenin Llwyd, the home of the Grey King, and he is the most powerful individual member of the Dark . . . This book was very probably the best in the series. A new character, Bran, the albino boy, is introduced, and this is not just a fantasy story but also a heart-rending tale of tragedy. It tells how the Dark can destroy love, and how betrayal can sometimes lead to something good, and ultimately teaches us all how to truly love.
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: A wonderful exploration of magic and humanity
Review: _The Grey King_ is arguably the strongest book in Susan Cooper's _Dark is Rising_ sequence. A winner of the Newbery Medal, it is the story of Will Stanton and his new friend, Bran Davies. Will, a character who appeared in _The Dark is Rising_ and _Greenwitch_, is the youngest of the Old Ones, a group of magical beings fighting to protect the world from the Dark. In this book, he is sent to relatives in Wales to convalesce from typhoid. He learns he is in Wales to win a quest for the Old Ones--and for the first time, he must do it without the direct guidance of his friend and mentor, Merriman. During the course of the book, his new friend Bran becomes deeply involved in Will's quest and both boys learn a lot about themselves. The title character, the Grey King, is a member of the Dark who is bent upon preventing their success. On one level, this book is an all-out fantasy adventure. There is a cryptic poem, magic, good and evil lords, and fascinating uses of classic Arthurian legend. On a deeper level,however, this is a story about coming-of-age and family. Will learns how to be an independent Old One rather than an apprentice. Bran struggles to understand his mysterious past and his place in the world. This book is more than just a thrilling adventure--it is the story of people's choices and what "family" really means. In other word's, _The Grey King_ is deep *and* fun. I highly recommend this book to all readers. It may be a little hard for very young readers--but middle readers and older will enjoy it. I reread this book (and the rest of the series) at least twice a year. It should be read after the three previous books in _The Dark is Rising_ sequence (_Over Sea, Under Stone_; _The Dark is Rising_; _Greenwitch_). Lovers of Arthurian legend will particularly appreciate it.
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