This is a lovely beginning to a wonderful series. I was fortunate enough to have read these several times as a kid and now several times as an adult. They are always pleasing and are among the books I wish I could re-read for the very first time.

This first book in the series is a very British sort of story with a collection of children on holiday in Cornwall who have an adventure that involves finding the Holy Grail. Yes, that Holy Grail. It's wonderfully well written and intricately plotted and the characters are so very real that you can't help but fall in love with them. The Drew children are not your typical icons of perfection that you often find in this type of literature. They are cranky and fight amongst themselves and put things where they shouldn't and make each other laugh and do all the silly things that all children do. Combine that with their rather absent-minded parents, the mysterious and wonderful Great Uncle Merriman (sort of a Great Uncle, but sort of not - they call him Gumerry), and assorted evil doers and you've got a delightful and imminently readable story. ( )

Not as compelling as later books in the series but a great, scary introduction. Sets up teh gud an teh ebil very nicely. A definite contender for my library studies 'good vs evil in children's fiction' bibliography. ( )

Three siblings, Simon, Jane, and Barney, find an old map whilst visiting their Uncle Merry. Though at first there doesn't seem to be anything special about it. However, they soon realize there are many people out there willing to do just about anything to get that map. They have to find out what it means before it falls into the wrong hands...

I really enjoyed this book. It was entertaining and I found the pace just about right. Lots of action with a perfect dispersal of resting points so you can take a break if need be. There was one particular chase scene between Simon and Bill that I just found absolutely breathtaking. For me, that was my favorite part of the entire book. I loved that this wasn't a conventional fantasy (though it did have a bit of a Narnia feel to it, what with the children finding the source of the adventure right within their own home and whatnot). There's no grand adventure, but rather everything just takes place within one town, which I also liked. And they had a dog. I'm very fond of dogs and Rufus was just adorable.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. It felt a bit rushed to me. It also gave the book too much of a prologue feel to it. I know this is just the first book in a series of five, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be a self-contained story, and that's what I thought the entire story was missing: a proper ending. Although from what I've heard, it fits with the next four books so really, it's a small complaint. I'm eager to start in on book #2! ( )

I first read this book many years ago, and the follow up books that make up the "Dark is Rising Sequence". I think these books are perhaps the best series I ever read. Certainly they are the best young adult series. The series is a timeless wonderful masterpiece.

This book is - in my opinion - possibly the weakest of the series. But that is not really a criticism. This book is still wonderful, exciting, fast paced classic treasure hunting adventure. Three children on holiday in Cornwall with their parents and a mysterious uncle discover an ancient treasure map lost in a secret room in the house they are staying in. The very idea is wonderfully captivating. Throw in some Arthurian legend too and it is no wonder that children and adults alike can and do love this book. This is an absolute classic.

Re-reading it, I noticed a few things that irritate me as an adult reader (although I did not care when I was younger). One such thing is the slightly Enid Blyton feel, where the adults can miss the obvious and thus the kids solve all the mysteries. However, some of that is explained in later books - and where it is not explained, it does not really ruin the story.

I highly recommend this book and even more highly recommend the rest of the series. Well written, wonderfully imagined and perfectly set with good characterisations, an engaging plot. I have read all this series several times. Once again, part of the best series I ever read. ( )

I read this for a group read, as it was a great excuse to finally get around to picking it up. It sat on my shelf for years, forlorn and neglected... along with the rest of the books that come afterward. Without giving too much away, I have to say that if this is the weakest book in the series, as others here have suggested, I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of them.

I am intrigued, of course, by the author's writing gap between this book and the next, but I assume it all works together somehow in the end.

On the whole, I thought the book moved slowly at first - we didn't really get into the meat of the story until a little beyond halfway through - but it was still interesting enough to keep me reading. Enough questions are raised that you simply can't stop... mind you, at the end of the book, there are still enough questions left open that you may sigh in frustration, but the good news is that Cooper came back to the series and wrote 4 (5?) more books.

Pick this one up! It's quick, entertaining, and there are even better installments when you've finished this one. ( )

Simon, Barney, and Jane Drew take a vacation to Trewissick, five miles from the sea. There, they meet their mysterious Great-Uncle Merry, who joins them on a quest to find a hidden Grail after they find an ancient map in the attic of the house they are renting. The children are in for more than they bargained for, however. There are other people who want the Grail, and their purposes are no good.

What an adventure!

I was expecting to meet Will in this book, but instead, Merriman Lyon was the character shared between this book and another book in the sequence. Though by now he's a familiar character to me, Meriman's true identity never occurred to me.

This was a great book. I enjoyed it so much that I can’t wait to finish the other books in this series! ( )

The Drew children's holiday in Cornwall is made memorable by their inclusion in their honorary Great Uncle Merry's quest to find one of the great things of power in the fight against the Dark. The eternal conflict between good and evil is linked to the Arthurian legend and Great Uncle Merry is a figure of old and great power. This story and "Greenwitch" are less complex than the others in the sequence

This first book in "The Dark Is Rising" series was mildly interesting—my son assures me they get better. This book was written in 1965. Back then a smart 5th to 7th grader could have read and enjoyed it. Today many students I know of that age might have trouble reading something with so much description and a large vocabulary with references to the Arthurian legends. An older reader would find the story a little childish. This may be why this series, which promises to be very interesting, is not wildly popular. It could make a good series for a Harry Potter fan.

The first story tells of three siblings, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, who spend a vacation in a rather strange house on the Cornish coast. Their Great Uncle Merry, who arranged for this vacation, pops in and out of the area helping and guiding them to find a missing grail. Other, darker forces, are working against them to find the grail first. The story is mildly interesting, but the children often seem to be pretty foolish and somewhat annoying. It is also difficult to believe that the parents could be so oblivious to what is going on—even in England there must be some sort of parental supervision when you are in unfamiliar places.

In spite of these reservations I enjoyed the story enough to want to continue the series. ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/20... ( )

This book references the legend of King Arthur but brings his quest for the Holy Grail to the modern realm, offering a fresh take on fantasy in which ordinary children play the roles most familiarly assigned to heroic knights. The language is not overly flowery, but injects just enough description to evoke the physical atmosphere in a palpable way. While I felt the quest itself progressed a bit quickly in the book, with the characters figuring out their next moves a little too easily, the plot is punctuated throughout with intrigue and conflict so that the story is not too predictable. The book prefaces a series that sees additional characters develop in vastly different times and places, but works well on its own, not taunting the reader with mysteries yet to be resolved. It is perhaps not as evocative a story as its follow-up, but one that I have read several times now and can still enjoy and be surprised by on each re-read. ( )

I picked up this book for two reasons: (1) the book was written by a Newbery Medal winner, and, while I am an adult, my experience is that the Newbery is a pretty reliable barometer; and (2) the blurb on the back says the author is "known for her spellbinding series of books dealing with the ancient magic of England." I'll admit, it was the second reason more so than the first, as I am all for reading about the ancient magic of England.

I was not disappointed. It was a little simplistic, and I think the children's discovery at the end of the book about their uncle was long overdue, but the story was reasonably well told, most of the characters were believable, and the one character whose behavior I had the occasional problem with is the one who you maybe could not expect to behave as most adults would in their dealings with children.

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

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I was happy to find that this series stands up to a reread quite well and I enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did as a kid. I've heard a lot of people say they dislike Over Sea, Under Stone, but it's actually my favorite of the bunch. ( )

Over Sea, Under Stone is the first book in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence, which was so poorly served by the recent awful movie allegedly based upon it. Aimed at the young adult market, the books hold up well even for older readers (although an older reader will likely figure out the mysteries in the books long before their answers are revealed in the text). The book follows the adventures of the Drew children on holiday in Cornwall as they try to figure out the meaning of a treasure map they found in the dusty attic of their vacation home. Through the book, the Drew children are opposed by mysterious enemies, and aided by their Great Uncle Merry.

The plot of the novel reads like a standard young adult mystery – I think it may be no accident that the Drew children share their name with Nancy Drew. However, the writing is good, and the mystery is interesting. There is just enough suggestion of the supernatural to set up the more standard fantasy elements of the later books in the series while still allowing for one to believe that this sort of story could really happen. In that regard, the novel captures one of the very wonderful things about childhood: that feeling that something magical may be hidden just around the corner, and if you just look for it hard enough, you could find it. Great Uncle Merry, through the revelations concerning his involvement in the story, hints at a larger hidden world full of magic and adventure.

The world depicted is somewhat quaint by current standards – sleepy seaside towns in Cornwall during the 1960s were apparently somewhat less than cosmopolitan, but without the homey atmosphere generated by the setting, the novel wouldn't work. The novel captures the magic of being a child, without talking down to the reader, or oversimplifying the story, making it a fine start to a very good series. ( )

I actually reread this only a year ago, and I was planning to move on to the next book in the series, The Dark is Rising, when my library got both books on CD. The temptation was too great and I went back to the beginning again to listen to Over Sea, Under Stone before moving on to the second book.

I admit that I don't think this is the strongest book in the series. It's a good place to start - more of a children's adventure/treasure hunt than the detailed exploration of good vs. evil and deeper powers that the later books become. But it's a great story all the same as Simon, Jane and Barney spend their summer holiday searching for the Holy Grail in Cornwall. It's a well-written, well-told story that stands the test of time nicely. Yes, you can tell it isn't written about modern children, but that just helps set it into its own place in history rather than making it either old-fashioned or unreadable.

By listening to the audiobook (very nicely narrated by Alex Jennings), it took me a lot longer to get through than it would have done if I was reading the book. That made the story a little disjointed for me and I lowered the grade for that, but the story itself remains excellent and I highly recommend both Over Sea, Under Stone (I just love that title) and the entrie Dark is Rising sequence to any reader.

Over Sea, Under Stone
Susan Cooper
The Dark is Rising, Book 1
Audiobook
8/10 ( )

It’s summer, the Drew Family (Simon, Jane and Barney, along with their parents) take a vacation in a small fishing village in Cornwall, renting “The Grey House” (owned by an eccentric and absent sea captain) and meeting up with their Great Uncle Merriman (who is renting The Grey House). On a rainy day the children set out to explore the house (sheer boredom drives them to explore the house as if they were exploring a distant land…an adventure worthy of a rainy afternoon. Since the various chests and cupboards are off limits (if it’s locked, it’s out of bounds), the children find themselves a secret door to the attic and begin searching, hoping to discover treasure within. In a dark and forgotten corner, treasure is just what they find…and once they’ve found that, they are off on a madcap adventure which puts all of them endanger, but which promises a truly amazing prize! What follows is pretty much standard stock for this type of story…parents are called away (in this case meeting up with an old friend), taking off for an unexpected visit, effectively leaving the children sans guardians and free to ramble about in search of adventure. I actually (accidentally) read The Dark is Rising prior to reading this, the first book in The Dark is Rising Sequence, so I was surprised to find this particular volume of the sequence largely bereft of the magic and wonder present in the second volume. To my way of thinking, this is a much simpler, less complex book, more in the vein of Nancy Drew…there is danger aplenty and the children must save themselves and solve the mystery before the “bad guys” do. The only difference is the children have found a map and text accompanying it suggesting it’s of ancient origin and related to King Arthur…so it’s a slightly more mythic quest than the typical Nancy Drew mystery…but it has that same feel, nonetheless.

This book was first published in 1965 and as such it does seem to hearken back to a simpler time and one wonders what sort of story this would be given all the modern technology available to us these days…still, Over Sea, Under Stone has a rather timeless quality to it and still appeals to a children (and adults) 30+ years later! I particularly like that the children are well drawn, independent and not at all interchangeable (as often happens in this type of story). Additionally, I found the villains here (and they are to be found everywhere, even in the most unexpected places) to be quite, well, villainous! They are cold, calculating and bent on getting their hands on the map and the treasure at any cost…they are charming on the surface, but there is clearly something dark and dangerous seething just under that cleverly polished façade! I found Over Sea, Under Stone to be entertaining, interesting, and quite an exciting little adventure, but also felt that it related very little to the second book and I am wondering how it will all tie together (or if it does at all) as the sequence continues. Overall, I give it 4 stars…at this point in my reading, I don’t see how it fist with the continuation of the story but I’m definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out. ( )

I found out about Susan Cooper through my obsession with the Revels, and decided any novel that brings Arthurian legend into contemporary times is worth a read. I would have loved this book as a child, and found it intelligently written with just enough suspense. On the down side the characters are wooden and the good characters are too good and the evil characters are too evil and even the children don’t seem to have any healthy amount of rivalry, and there’s way too much dialogue that explains the plot. A little more uncertainty would help the aura of mystery in the story. I’m proud to say that I figured out that Great Uncle Merry was Merlin in the first chapter. Then again, that may be a sign I’m too old to be reading children’s books. I look forward to reading the rest of the “Dark is Rising” series to see what happens next and to see if Cooper’s writing improves.

Quotes:

“. . . the struggle between good and evil was more bitter and open that it is now. That struggle goes on all around us all the time, like two armies fighting. And sometimes one of them seems to be winning and sometimes the other, but neither has ever triumphed altogether. Nor ever will . . . for there is something of each in every man. ( )

This is the first book in the Dark is Rising series. In this book we are introduced to the Drew children, Simon, Jane and Barney. Their family goes to vacation at a sea side resort and while exploring the old house they are staying in discover a treasure map. Little do they know that the map leads to an ancient treasure that is being looked for by the forces of Evil. Can the Drew children save the day?

This is a neat set of books for young adults/Middle school kids. I read them when I was in Middle school and found them a little spooky, having reread them as an adult I found them an easy read and definitely written for younger readers. Great books to get younger readers interested in reading. ( )

Not as fantastic as Dark Is Rising, it's more like a great prequel. I'd read it after the rest of the books, if I were you.There's zero magic (at least overtly), so it's like the beginning of Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, but with more problem/puzzle-solving. L,W,W+Chasing Vermeer. ( )

Chronologically the first of the series, I think it should be read second after you are introduced to the story in The Dark Is Rising. This doesn't cause a problem as this volume has a slightly different set of characters as its focus. It's the weakest of the five books...merely a very good book. ( )

The full text of my review is on my book blog:
http://jlshall.blogspot.com/2008/04/o...

In Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper's fantasy novel for young readers, the Drew children, along with their father and mother, have come to Cornwall to spend their vacation in the seaside village of Trewissick. They're staying with their Great-Uncle Merry in his mysterious Grey House. Soon after arrival, while the grownups are off tending to their grownup business, the three kids are left to explore their new surroundings. After uncovering a hidden entrance to the attic, they find an old manuscript that looks like a treasure map. And that's when the adventure begins.

This is the first book in Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence of five novels (named for the second novel in the series), and I understand that it's very different from the other four. It actually reads more like a mystery novel than fantasy. For one thing, at first glance anyway, it doesn't have a lot of the trappings of traditional fantasies – no fairies, demons, dragons, magic, witches or wizards – although some of those things are hinted at. And it's set in modern-day England (well, fairly modern), but it has a timeless quality that I found very appealing.

I've been intending to read this book for years, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see why it's been a favorite of kids and adults alike, ever since it appeared 30-odd years ago. The story is exciting, with lots of twists and turns and near-disasters. The characters are well-developed, and the action is mostly plausible, given the fact that we're dealing with a cosmic fight between the forces of light and darkness. ( )

(Alistair) And now, as a palate-cleanser for tired brains during this, our busy period, I read the first book of a YA series that I, for some reason, never actually read when I was one.

Conclusion: I enjoyed it as a short and pleasing adventure yarn, lightly spiced by the collision of the "supernatural" world with the "real" one. I also enjoyed that it expected its readers - of the younger age - to already know enough about certain things that they could make some connections for themselves.

Beyond that, I don't think I want to come to conclusions quite yet. I think it would be fairly weak as a standalone book (while it's good as far as it goes, were it to be a standalone, it would need to go further), but given that it's the start of the whole The Dark Is Rising series, I shall reserve judgment until further in.
( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ce... ) ( )

This first of “The Dark is Rising” series is about three children on holiday in Cornwall. They discover an ancient map that leads them on a treasure hunt for a relic from the age of King Arthur. But they aren’t the only ones searching, and in fact they are caught up in a vast battle between good and evil that spans the ages. I enjoyed Over Sea, Under Stone much more than The Dark is Rising. The characters were more engaging and the plot more straight-forward. ( )