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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
The first 30 pages of this felt like an echo: Oh, so this is starting with British schoolchildren. Interesting. Oh, and they are in a train station going to the country. This seems vaguely familiar. Ah, and they’re going to a big drafty house where a relative is nicknamed the Professor? REALLY? Oh, so it rains one day, and they have to explore inside the house, and they end up looking behind a wardrobe do they?
I have to admit, I was quite skeptical. Interesting, Cooper. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Lewis may want his introduction back because SERIOUSLY? That colored a lot of my perception of this book, because it just felt so blatant to me. I understand that the rest of the series is quite different, so I am going to keep reading, but the similarities were so glaring, it almost hurt.
As for the rest of the book: It was merely okay. I just wasn’t really interested in it. It felt very paint-by-numbers in a way, but again, I have heard that this is the weakest one in the series, so I am going to give it another shot. I tend to like Arthurian mythology, so I am willing to read another installment. Plus, I am a completionist.
Recommend: No. Not this one at least. Its perfectly adequate, but if you want to read a book with obvious dark/light imagery then just go ahead and read Lewis.
I have to admit, I was quite skeptical. Interesting, Cooper. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Lewis may want his introduction back because SERIOUSLY? That colored a lot of my perception of this book, because it just felt so blatant to me. I understand that the rest of the series is quite different, so I am going to keep reading, but the similarities were so glaring, it almost hurt.
As for the rest of the book: It was merely okay. I just wasn’t really interested in it. It felt very paint-by-numbers in a way, but again, I have heard that this is the weakest one in the series, so I am going to give it another shot. I tend to like Arthurian mythology, so I am willing to read another installment. Plus, I am a completionist.
Recommend: No. Not this one at least. Its perfectly adequate, but if you want to read a book with obvious dark/light imagery then just go ahead and read Lewis.
3.5 I liked it , but it was a distracted listen. I may need to revisit.
Great start to which I'm sure will be a great series.
I'd give it 4.5. The ending really makes the story, can't wait to read bk. 2.
This series was recommended as similar to the Narnia books. But you know what? I love this book and don't care for CS Lewis. The book tells the story of some bored children on holiday who find a secret map. Could it lead to King Arthur's grail?
This book falls on the younger side and it's a quick read. The language is rich but not overly complicated, and I enjoyed the characters (especially Uncle Merry!) If I have one complaint it's that the book telegraphs too quickly which characters are the bad guys - I wasn't a bit surprised when they turned out that way. In general the good/evil divide is a bit too sharp, and motivations for the evildoers is a bit vague (and they are a bit too evil, with no shades.) Of course, this is a young book, so I can forgive this tendency. I hope it gets a bit more fleshed out in the later books.
Highly recommended for fans of children's fantasy. It's a bit slow to start, and the book feels like a prequel, but it's a good start to a series!
This book falls on the younger side and it's a quick read. The language is rich but not overly complicated, and I enjoyed the characters (especially Uncle Merry!) If I have one complaint it's that the book telegraphs too quickly which characters are the bad guys - I wasn't a bit surprised when they turned out that way. In general the good/evil divide is a bit too sharp, and motivations for the evildoers is a bit vague (and they are a bit too evil, with no shades.) Of course, this is a young book, so I can forgive this tendency. I hope it gets a bit more fleshed out in the later books.
Highly recommended for fans of children's fantasy. It's a bit slow to start, and the book feels like a prequel, but it's a good start to a series!
I remember loving this whole series--The Dark is Rising--clearly aimed at young adults but deliciously dark and epic in its Arthurian mythologies. What I had forgotten is how easy it is to gobble them up. Such good summer reading. I can't wait to reread the rest of them.
SERIES REVIEW:
A splendid mix of Welsh myth (including King Arthur) with modern-day magic and a grand, memorable cast of characters. The first book can be a bit slow, but book two picks up and by the end you won't be able to put it down.
Recommended for middle grade and YA readers. Content: violence, family strife, non-Christian view of morality.
Great-Uncle Merry stopped reading; but the children sat as still and speechless as if his voice still rang on. The story seemed to fit so perfectly into the green land rolling below them that it was as if they sat in the middle of the past.
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read October 2016
A splendid mix of Welsh myth (including King Arthur) with modern-day magic and a grand, memorable cast of characters. The first book can be a bit slow, but book two picks up and by the end you won't be able to put it down.
Recommended for middle grade and YA readers. Content: violence, family strife, non-Christian view of morality.
Great-Uncle Merry stopped reading; but the children sat as still and speechless as if his voice still rang on. The story seemed to fit so perfectly into the green land rolling below them that it was as if they sat in the middle of the past.
---
read October 2016
Reading this to see if my kids will like it. So far so good.