The Grey King

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: "The Dark Is Rising" is a hard book to top, but Susan Cooper nearly matches it in "Grey King." A stunning, atmospheric Welsh fantasy tinged with Arthurian legend, it also introduces one of the most important and unusual characters in the classic series.

In the aftermath of a nasty case of hepatitis, Will Stanton has temporarily forgotten his mission from the Light: to recover a golden harp, with the help of the "raven boy" and "silver eyes that see the wind." When his family sends him to Wales to recover from the illness, he regains his memory when he meets an albino boy his own age named Bran -- which means "raven." Bran's mother "Gwenny" vanished many years before, and his stepfather has devoted himself to religion and penitance. Bran's only friend is the silver-eyed dog Cafall.

Will acquaints his new friend with more information about the battle with the Dark, while Bran acquaints him with information about Wales that can help Will find the golden harp, and wake the Sleepers under the hill. But the malevolent Grey King is spying on them with magical warestones and trying to wrest the harp from Will. To stop the Grey King, Will must learn the secret of Bran's past and evade the dangerous farmer Caradog Pritchard...

Atmosphere is thick and enticing in "Grey King" -- Cooper has clearly come a long way from the fluffier "Over Sea Under Stone." This book, unlike "Greenwitch," does not handle the Drew family, or even much about Merriman: it's all about Bran and Will, who are given equal parts of the plotline. Though there are many other characters, these two are the core of the story.

Here the Arthurian theme, which has been present in a smaller way throughout the series, becomes more pronounced and integral. Cooper continues interweaving mythic elements into it, such as the Sleepers, Cafall the dog, and the Brenin Llwyd. Fans of mythology and other mythic-themed stories such as the Prydain Chronicles will have a heyday.

Will is very much like he is in "Greenwitch" -- sometimes he's an ordinary preteen boy who starts yelling "Achtung!" at the top of his lungs, and sometimes he is the wise and ancient Old One, with knowledge he learned from the book of Gramarye. Bran is an instantly sympathetic character, a very ordinary boy with an extraordinay past; he, like Will in the second book, gradually grows into a unique and more powerful person. Caradog Pritchard will inspire disgust from his first appearance onward, while the tragic Owen Davies will gain the sympathy of the readers despite his insulated life.

Perhaps the worst thing about reading "Grey King" is the knowledge that there is only one more book in this series. But if that book is half as good as "Grey King," then it will be quite a ride before the end.

Rating:
Summary: The Grey King
Review: "There is a Welsh legend about a harp of gold hidden within a certain hill that can be opened by the youngest and seen with silver eyed." This was a puzzle that Will Stanton, the last of the "old ones" had to solve and help Bran Evans learn the secret of his birth. Will, Bran, and his silver eyed dog Cafall need to face many dangers and even death to fight the forces of evil, the Dark. When Bran finds the harp of gold then the six sleepers will be awakened to prepare for the last battle between the Dark and the Light.

This book captured my interest and attention especially when Will, Bran, and Cafall reach the inner chamber of the secret cave and meet the Dark (in person), Merriman and a mystery person. Both Bran and Will accurately answer the 3 questions and open the chest that harbors the golden harp. During the conversation that follows, it is known that the mystery person is none other than the famous King Arthur - Bran's father. With this knowledge, Bran has to face the death of Cafall by the hands of a neighboring farmer who had embraced the forces of the dark and form a lasting bond with his "father" Owen Davies, who had befriended and helped his mother, Guinevere.

The battle between the Light and the Dark is a fight that goes on even to this day, but I've never read a series of books that enthralls and entertain a reader like these books written by Susan Cooper. When you know that this eternal fight has King Arthur and Merlin on the "good" side, it makes the book even better. However, as I'm an impatient reader, this book can get a tad boring with endless descriptions and a lesson as to the correct pronunciation of the Welsh words, which did not help me in the least bit, as I am even more confused.

Rating:
Summary: "He's a Lonely Boy, and Had a Strange Life..."
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 most amazing book!
Review: By far the best book in the series, The Grey King has it all, humor, trajedy, love, hope, adventure, and of course MAGIC!!!!! It was a fantastic book, but what I liked best was how it really took you into the places so that you cry with Bran at the loss of his dog, or are white with terror of Caradog Prichard. It was the perfect painting of a great fantasy! Susan Cooper has an uncanny talent for making simple print into whole worlds of wizardry. You must read it!!

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I first read this book two years ago. I have been hooked on the series ever since. I think The Grey King deals with human emotions more than any other book in the series. Susan Cooper uses this to draw us into the book, so much so that we cry with Bran when Cafall dies, and feel the bittersweet triumph as the Sleepers ride and Caradog Prichard goes mad. The story is full of Celtic and Arthurian legend, two of my favourite topics. This book won the Newbery Medal and I'm not surprised. I will not spoil it for those who have not read the book, but I can say that it was wonderful. Simply wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: This book was a little confusing but a great one.
Review: I like this book because there is a lot of action,mystery,fantasy,suspense,and most of all great description.The Grey King is about a legend in North Wales about a harp of gold,hidden within a certain hill that will probably be found by a boy named Will,and a white dog with gold eyes a dog that can see the wind named Cafall.Will also meets a boy named Bran,now Bran,Will,and Cafall are now on a quest to ceaze all bad.I think The Grey King definitely deserves 5 stars.So that is why I like The Grey King.

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)

Rating:
Summary: The Grey End
Review: The Grey King, by Susan Cooper is a book about adventure. This book revolves around a boy named Will Stanton. The boy is the age of twelve and is sent to Whales to be nursed back to health by his relatives. During this time, he goes on quests or adventures to awaken the ancient sleepers. The ancient sleepers are the last hope for good to prevail against evil. This evil is controlled by The Grey King who tries to stop Will from completing his quests.
In the story I can relate most to BRan becasue he is the mysterious boy who is different from all the other people. I used to be like this when I was going through middle school. I was the kid who was just a little more differnt than your average kid. Bran displays this perfectly with his pale skin and mysterious appearances.
Overall, this book was a good book. My least favorite part was the end, maybe becasue I thought the end was a little too rushed. There seemed to be a lot of information being crammed into a few pages which made it hard to understand. This gave it an unpleasant end.
This book would be good for readers who like adventure or mystical stories. To me, it seems like a twsit between The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and The High King by Alexander Lloyd. If you like either of those books I strongly advise you to check out The Grey King by Susan Cooper.

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: 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.