A re-read of book 2 of the series, the eponymous volume which gives the series as a whole its title. In contrast to the first, we are plunged into out and out fantasy from pretty much the start of the book. The setting is a few days before Christmas, and it is nearly Will Stanton's eleventh birthday. Will would like nothing better than a white Christmas, but it is a case of 'be careful, you might get what you wish for' because a whiteout occurs which paralyses most of England, and is actually a weapon in the arsenal of that powerful adversary, the Dark. For Will is the last-born of the Old Ones, and it is his destiny to carry out a quest to find six signs which, when joined, will form a powerful weapon in the defensive war of the Light against the Dark.

Will is also a normal boy, unprepared for the revelation about his true nature, and this duality in his character results in blunders and in his heartbreaking realisation that a wedge has been driven between himself and the members of his large family (he is the youngest of nine children). As well as this psychological thread throughout, we also have the subplot concerning the Walker, a man condemned to carry one of the signs as a punishment for earlier sins - but also the victim of his own fallible human nature. For as Will's mentor, Merriman - an ancient and powerful Old One who appeared in book 1 as the children's honorary great uncle - discovers, human beings cannot be burdened with the full knowledge of the conflict between Light and Dark without 'breaking', as they cannot view it with the detachment required.

One of the strengths of the books is its imagery and its evocation of place and of the weather. The snow and storm are almost a character in their own right. The magic also is well evoked and described, interwoven with elements of British mythology. Some of the minor characters are well realised such as the Walker and one of the local people who turns out to be working for the Dark.

Where the story has weaknesses, they are due to the sometimes passive behaviour of Will. In some cases he discovers the signs, or is given them, very easily. The climax is also a bit anticlimatic in the sense that the Dark is in the end driven back for the time by an ancient power, not directly by the actions of Will and Merriman and the other Old Ones. I still loved the story, but because of this can only give it a 4.5, or in Goodreads terms a 4-star rating. ( )

I read books 1 and 2 from this collection. I really enjoyed the first one, but the second was just OK. The second was written about ten years after the first.

With the second book, The Dark is Rising, I enjoyed the relaxed reading. The setting was mostly modern to begin with but then shifted at times, providing one of its fantasy elements. The author does a great job describing environments and helping you create a picture in your mind. I thought the story itself was light on the scale of interesting. It showed that it is a middle-aged child's book primarily. Granted, the book's entertainment value is competing with my love of the LotR. Another fact about my taste that makes this review quite subjective is I do not like magic and magical rituals or relics most of the time. In contrast to The Dark is Rising, the Lord of the Rings refers to magic in a very subtle way; it really only hints at magic instead of defining or explaining it. I like that.

I might someday read books 3-5, but I am not planning on it. ( )

This series by Susan Cooper was one of my favorite series of all time. I have read and re-read these books more times that I can count. After reading these books as a pre-teen, I sought out every book by Susan Cooper from my local library and read them all. ( )

At this point, I have only re-read the first of the books in this series. As a whole, the book holds up well to reading as an adult, which I was only a little surprised at. I did find a lot of scenes quite confronting, not least because I know that the attitudes to childhood freedom have changed a lot, and the amount of freedom that these children have, roaming around a strange town, would be considered strange and unacceptable to a greater or lesser extent. This was particularly noticeable at points where I was sure that the kids were heading in to danger.

Book 1 does a good job of presenting a good-v-evil story, with slightly over the top villains, lack of communication, and the odd bit of misdirection, as both sides strive to locate a missing artefact. Very much a kids adventure story, with some of the scenes feeling very much like they are added for padding to keep it from getting very dark indeed. ( )

The Dark is Rising; Over Sea, Under Stone; Greenwitch, The Grey King; Silver On the Tree