This is the second book in the series and won the Newberry Award. Most of my strongest memories of the series are buried in this book, in particular an out of time Twelfth Night sequence that represents a Christmas season I've always wished I had.

The Drew children aren't in this book. Instead, we are introduced to Will Stanton, an Old One who has come into his own on his 11th birthday. Will is wonderfully well-written, somehow managing to combine that funny intelligence of all 11 year olds with the wisdom of someone who is ageless. There is snow (lots of snow), a dark rider, a mysterious tramp, and seven signs to be found in a limited amount of time.

I love this book and especially love the beautiful pictures it put into my head. There is a wonderful and very real family here and a diverse and believable community. There is the Light and there is the Dark. There is adventure and choices and merrymaking and sorrow. This is what good books are all about. ( )

On his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discoveres that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark. ( )

This book scared the living daylights out of me. You should know that I first read it in my early twenties. Cooper has a capacity to write apprehension into her scenes better than many fantasy writers. She makes you feel her scenes around you and literally draws you into her characters' fears of the dark. Her writing style is astutely simple and never cliched. Though perhaps the story itself is a bit disappointing, in that events seem to happen to the character without his having to do much or figure out much on his own, it is still a great read and a classic in its own right. ( )

I enjoyed this book. It is action packed, and fun. There's not much in the way of character development, just an exciting adventure.

However, to me, it seems like the book hasn't entirely aged well, particularly the language, as it feels somewhat old-fashioned. I am just not really sure a child reading it today would be as enthralled as I know many adult fans of this book were.

http://archthinking.blogspot.com/2009... ( )

On Will Stanton's eleventh birthday, he receives one hell of a present. While most boys his age are getting toys and the occasional book, Will receives the ancient magic of the Old Ones. Now, he must fight against the Dark, for it is rising and Will is the Light's last hope.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and exciting and the scenes with the Rider were just downright creepy. Cooper also did a fantastic job with the interactions between the siblings. Many of the scenes featuring the Stanton children had me cracking up and laughing out loud.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the lack of character development. On of my favorite parts of fantasy novels is the growth of the main character from a floundering nobody to a fierce warrior and in this book, that was missing. Just by being the seventh son of a seventh son and reading a magic book, he learns and understands all there is to know about his powers. Since the Old Ones work outside of Time, this literally took less than a second to accomplish. There was no struggle or journey of any kind. It just kind of happened.

To be fair, though, I still really liked the book and didn't find it too hard to overlook this flaw, which is a credit to Cooper's skill as a writer. If you're a fan of fantasy, I'd definitely recommend reading this book. ( )

10 year old boy must save the world from emminent doom by the dark. late elementary and early middle school. ( )

This book is one of my perennial favorites. Forget the movie--the book, as usual, is so much better. It is possible to start with either this book or Over Sea, Under Stone. Young Will battles against the forces of evil that sneak in all too close to family and loved ones. The wintery show down is exciting and the entire book kept me on the edge of my seat. ( )

Part of a quintet of fantasy stories about the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil with which Will and his friends find themselves involved. Will finds on his eleventh birthday that he is the last of the Old Ones, and is destined to carry on the battle.

I LOVE this series. I read the first one, Under sea, Over Stone, in a book group and then continued wth the rest of the series later on. They are well written and enchanting. This is my favorite in the series. ( )

This book was kind of choppy to me. It was kind of difficult to understand everything that was going on, and none of the characters were all that interesting to me. I liked the first book better, I think. I bailed on the series after this book. But, I will say that the author has skill and that I read this in bursts here and there instead of continuously. Some people might really like her style. I just didn't. ( )

This book, while well written, simply did not resonate with me all that well. It blends Celtic myth in an epic story of 'good' and 'evil' or rather the Dark and the Light. Like many such books it seems to fully divide the two, completely missing the fact that Light cannot exist without Darkness and that it is from the destructive, chaotic forces that most often the greatest growth and rebirth spring from. For once, I would like to see a fantasy book or series that does justice to the truly complex entwined roles that so-called good and evil play. ( )

The Dark is Rising is the perfect children's book. It is one of those books you want to start reading over again as soon as you put it down. It well deserved to win the Newbery medal. Susan Cooper intertwines just enough hints of real history and myths and legends to invent a whole new mythology in a classic fight of good against evil.

Will Stanton contemplates his 11th birthday, just an ordinary boy in an ordinary family - other than that there are a lot of children in it. But with his birthday comes the knowledge that he is not ordinary at all. In fact he is one of the race of "Old Ones" - not quite human at all. The last of the Old Ones, he has a special task to undertake and standing against him are the forces of the dark who will do anything to frustrate his plans and to destroy him.

This is an excellent book that takes Susan Cooper's earlier "Over Sea and Under Stone" and turns it into part of a fascinating and imaginative series that should be on any good reading list.

The movie, on the other hand, will be a great disappointment to anyone who loves these books. It loses absolutely everything that makes this series a classic. ( )

This 2nd book in the "Dark Is Rising" series, published about 7 years after the first one, is much more interesting and better written than the first. It was a Newbery Honor Book the year it was published. This entry features a new protagonist; the children from the first book do not appear here.

MILD SPOILER WARNING

Will Stanton is celebrating his 11th birthday on Midwinter Day. At this time it is revealed to him that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. He is immediately sent on a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle. Merriman Lyon (aka Great Uncle Merry—and probably Merlin) is revealed as the first of the Old Ones and is there to aid Will as he discovers his destiny. The quest takes place during the twelve days of Christmas and we discover that the Old Ones can move through time at will. ( )

A great premise, but I couldn't get into the book. I don't know whether it was the characters or the plot, but something about the book kept me from enjoying it as I thought I would. ( )

I loved this book. What I didn't realize was that it is really the 2nd in the series. I'm not too concerned because it looks like the first book has completely different characters. I liked how this book read and how easy it was to get into the plot and story. The images were amazing and I can't wait to see how they form it into a movie. A must read. :) ( )

This book is different in substance and style from its predecessor; it is not necessarily better or worse than "Over Sea, Under Stone," but approaches the same over-arching quest from a different starting point, and with a vastly different overall character. There is much more magic in this book and a sense of the weight of the battle between Light and Dark as it has spanned centuries. The focus of the story is Will, who has just discovered something about himself that he never knew, and is learning what to do with that information. This alone creates a great deal of suspense for the reader as they are learning along with Will what his place in the story will be. It was somewhat disappointing to me, though, that in an episode where Will gains knowledge from a magical book, the knowledge is not shared with the reader, and then Will is able to refer back to it later on by referencing how his understanding of what it meant has developed, while the reader is learning the information for the first time--this struck me as a slightly unequitable trick of convenience for the author. However, the story moves at a good pace and by and large keeps you interested; there were a few things that I figured out before they were divulged, but not that many. The story poses the obligatory cryptic questions about the remaining quest that will be continued in later books.

With all of the debate raging in Christian circles about the appropriateness of having children read books with a magical element to them, it is only fair to mention that there is a scene in this book where some characters suggest to a vicar that there is an explanation to the events that unfold above and beyond God. However, what also struck me in reading this book was how many elements Cooper borrowed from Christianity, intentionally or unintentionally, to help tell her story of the Light and the Dark. For example, Will is a figure whom other characters have been expecting to be born for a long time; at one point, a symbolic "human sacrifice" is required to ensure that a certain magical quality will be passed on to others of the Light; and the actions of a character who chose to betray the Light and serve the Dark are explained in a manner that emphasises his free will in choosing the Dark. From my own Christian perspective, in reading this and other books, it seems impossible for authors to conceive of a battle between good and evil, or a mystical explanation of the universe, without borrowing from Christianity, and this is a point worthy of recognition and discussion. I would therefore advise that there is much of symbolic and literary worth in this book to make it appropriate for reading and discussion between parents and children of an adequate age level and spiritual maturity, and that it should not be feared or dismissed simply because of the role of magic within the story. ( )

Just recently this book came across my radar by being recommended by a friend as his favorite yearly christmas read, and then through a lot of discussion groups in several fantasy reading forums. I delve into Young Adult on occasion, especially those old favorites I discovered when I was one.

Now as a jaded adult I notice things differently. How convenient our hero in this case has his problems and solutions laid out for him. He is never more than a few minutes walk from his home as all the puzzles to his quest are found. He easily overcomes each puzzle and should danger abound, adults are on hand to save him from not only himself but the evil that he is constantly told threatens him.

That was the first reason that caused this book to lose me as a potential fan. Next was the presentation. Show, don't tell is a writing mantra, yet with so much exposition everywhere for so long at a time, I felt entirely disconnected. Cooper spent page after page without a break telling me exactly what I had to know. Will, the hero, never had a moment to catch his breath.

By far the engaging part of the book was when he wasn't fumbling around with any of the magic but was happily ensconced with his family, of which there are many, enjoying christmas. The author was then forced to use dialogue and description in equitable portions and the feel for a small town english christmas was captured. Perhaps this book, without any of the fantasy and magic, another issue that I found did not work at all, would have been better if just left as a work of regular fiction, as a simpler boys coming of age story. ( )

Having received this book for my 11th birthday and then stayed up most of the night reading it, I find I am now unable to judge whether it's great because of the writing or because of its importance to my own childhood. In any case, it has moved me more deeply and more often than any other book I've read since, and remains one ofmy most cheished possessions... ( )

http://spwebdesign.livejournal.com/31... ( )

The Dark is Rising is the second book of the Dark is Rising Sequence. The story focuses around Will Stanton, the last of the Old Ones. He is the 7th son of a 7th son, which makes him the Sign-Seeker. Old Ones are people can live forever to fight for the Light versus the Dark, which is seen in the Dark Rider. Will must find 6 signs in order to call the hunt to drive back the Darkness. The story is set in the modern world (modern in 1974) in England. The struggles between the Light and the Dark affect the “real world”, ie. The HUGE snowstorm, the kidnapping of Will’s sister, the flood. The over all theme is the typical Good vs. Evil throw down, Light vs. Dark. The style of the novel fits within the time era that it is set in and when it does draw on other time eras, terms and ideas from them do come in. There are times the story gets confusing. A reader might not understand all that is happening or where. This is a good fantasy book for middle school aged children and the series, even though it is based in the seventies will never get old. ( )

Just as good as when I first read it. I hope some kids who saw the craptacular movie will check out the books and find out what they missed. ( )

The Dark Is Rising is the second book in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence. In this book, the series moves away from the Drew children who had been featured in Over Sea, Under Stone, and introduces Will Stanton, an eleven year old boy just discovering that he has supernatural powers, and a burden to take up an age-old fight on the side of Light against the Dark.

The story is a combination coming-of-age story, as Stanton adjusts to his new status, new powers, and the new threats to his safety (and the safety of those around him), and a quest story, as Stanton is sent to recover pieces of a powerful artifact that the Light needs to combat a new threat from the Dark. The book is loaded with references to English folklore and Arthurian myth, part of the fun of reading the book as an adult is seeing how many of these you can spot.

Even though this is technically a young adult book, it is still quite good. It is written better than many other young adult books, which, I suspect, is why it won the Newbery Award and has endured for more than thirty years and other young adult books published contemporaneously have been cast into the dustbin of obscurity. The book suffers from a problem I have found common in young adult fiction in that the adult characters seem to be stiff and uninteresting, while the younger characters are well developed and shine, but the story still flows well enough that this can be overlooked without too much trouble.

The story of this book is, to a great extent, the central story of the entire series of books, and, like all of the books in The Dark Is Rising series, it is quite good. ( )

I just loved this book. It is saturated with symbolism and there is not a wasted word in it. Every sentence contributes to the story line or to your understanding of it. Awesome read! ( )

On Will Stanton's eleventh birthday, he is awakened to his powers as the last of the Old Ones and the danger that awaits him because of his birth. Will is charged with the task of finding the six signs that will be needed to defeat the Dark and help save the world. ( )