Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I'm glad I've looked at reviews of the subsequent The Dark is Rising series installments and read that the following books are rather different, because for all the hype I've heard about these, I found this starting book to be completely insipid and boring. The main plot gives no explanations for what and why everything goes on - there's just a mysterious manuscript that these three siblings just happen to find and then happen to decipher just right. It's completely contrived without likeable characters. I might still try the others in the series so I can get the true flavor and understand why Cooper won the Newbery with one of them.
A nice, easy, fun read. It does a nice job laying the ground work for future books in the series.
This is the first book in the BEST SERIES OF BOOKS EVER WRITTEN FOR YOUNG ADULTS! It’s mostly a mystery/thriller, a Good versus Evil thing, Arthurian legend mixed with Cornish folklore, and it’s simply amazing. It was written in the early 70’s, and it still holds up.
Great book. Read it as a child and again a year it so ago. Loved it than and now.
A little old fashioned and rather jolly hockey sticks, but still a fun intelligent children’s adventure story for all that.
Has made me want to reread [b:The Dark Is Rising|210329|The Dark Is Rising|Susan Cooper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349051230s/210329.jpg|1530651] and then continue with the rest of the sequence.
Has made me want to reread [b:The Dark Is Rising|210329|The Dark Is Rising|Susan Cooper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349051230s/210329.jpg|1530651] and then continue with the rest of the sequence.
2.5 stars. I really struggled to get through this book. I would have quit many times, but I’ve heard the rest of the series is really good, so I powered through. Overall, I could just tell this is an older book written for young children. It didn’t hold my attention.
This was a reread for me - I loved all the Dark is Rising books as a child, and I had such a nice time reading this one to my 10yo. She gasped, laughed and cheered in all the right places, and the tension of the story's climax had us both breathless. I also had fun picking up on a few hints about the stories to follow later in the sequence.
Quality Arthurian fantasy for children, which is never patronising and has a real edge of menace to the villains. Definitely recommended.
Quality Arthurian fantasy for children, which is never patronising and has a real edge of menace to the villains. Definitely recommended.
I never read these books as a child, but had heard a lot about them. I want to be able to recommend more books my kids than the ones I read when I was young so I decided to read this, the first in the Dark is Rising sequence.
I would have guzzled this book when I was younger - it's well written and the characters are well drawn (the children are very believable). There's a good dose of suspense and a bit of Arthurian mystery, all stuff I would have adored as a kid (and I'm not averse to it now...)
If I'm being picky, there were certain elements that were a bit unsubtle - e.g. everyone who looked like they might be a bit untrustworthy turned out to be, and a few red herrings would have made for a bit of suspense - but generally a really good story.
I will definitely keep on with the series.
I would have guzzled this book when I was younger - it's well written and the characters are well drawn (the children are very believable). There's a good dose of suspense and a bit of Arthurian mystery, all stuff I would have adored as a kid (and I'm not averse to it now...)
If I'm being picky, there were certain elements that were a bit unsubtle - e.g. everyone who looked like they might be a bit untrustworthy turned out to be, and a few red herrings would have made for a bit of suspense - but generally a really good story.
I will definitely keep on with the series.