Simon, Jane and Barney Drew, the three siblings who found King Arthur's lost chalice and saved it from the Dark in Over Sea, Under Stone, and Will Stanton, the youngest of the Old Ones whose quest to assemble the six signs of power was told in The Dark Is Rising, come together in this third installment of Susan Cooper's five volume The Dark Is Rising sequence. Once more in the small Cornish fishing village of Trewissick, the Drew siblings adjust to Will's presence, which they find unwelcome, and all four, along with Merriman, search for the chalice found in the first book, which has now been stolen by agents of the Dark. As Simon and Barney contend with a nasty painter who is talented, but clearly of the Dark, Jane witnesses the creation of the Greenwitch—a figure made at night by the women of the village, created by bonfire out of branches, and launched into the sea at dawn by the fisherman of the village. An offering to Tethys, the ruler of the sea, the Greenwitch is a creature of the Wild Magic, and although neither of the Light nor Dark, it has a role to play in their struggle, a role shaped by Jane's compassion, and an unexpected wish...

A slim 147 pages, this middle point in Cooper's series is a brief but powerful turning point in the story, and has always had a special charm for me. The characters from the first two books are brought together, creating some interesting tension, but the real focus here is on the eponymous Greenwitch, and on the forces of the Wild Magic, which are powerful, but which stand outside the struggle between Light and Dark, good and evil. It has always seemed to me that the Wild Magic is meant to represent the power and enchantment of nature—chaotic, sometimes destructive, sometimes nourishing—and that, of all the kinds of magic presented in the series, it is most closely associated with humanity. While Old Ones are presented as predestined champions of the Light, just as the agents of the Dark are predestined partisans for their side, humans can go either way, depending upon their choices. Not possessing magic of their own, they are nevertheless part of nature, and therefore part of the Wild Magic. It is this, I think, that gives Jane the ability to connect with the Greenwitch, and to win from it the needed manuscript, when the far more powerful Old Ones cannot do so. She is able to show compassion, and (most importantly) fellow-feeling—she identifies with the Greenwitch, and wishes it well, rather than demanding something of it—and this works a magic of its own.

Whether this interpretation is the one Cooper intended, I could not say, but it has always made The Greenwitch a most powerful book for me, despite its brevity, and the fact that less seems to happen in it, than in previous installments of the series. Of course, I also love it because it has that strong sense of place to be found in Cooper's other books, and an eldritch sense of enchantment that is very gripping. I recommend it strongly to fantasy fans, although the first two books must be read first, I think, for a proper appreciation of the story. ( )

This third book in the Dark is Rising series is more interesting than the previous, probably because there's much less exposition and the addition of Wild Magic to the plain old Light vs Dark spiced up the storytelling. And the connection between the little girl and the Greenwitch is far more engaging than the main conflict. ( )

Box a

I liked ‘Greenwitch’ but not as much as the first two novels in the series. I was glad to see the three Drew siblings return. Although I like Will, I find the sister and two brothers more endearing and entertaining. They’re vivid and believable characters.

So, like with Book One, the plot revolves around the Holy Grail, which is stolen at the beginning of this story, and a parchment needed to understand the Grail’s secret. The Drews, Will, and Merriman set out to reclaim the Grail and thwart the Dark who try to stop them. ( )

Susan Cooper writes a wonderful story and The Dark is Rising series is among her best work. I find the characters relatable and engaging but she truly shines in her storytelling which draws you into both the current story and all the back story too. ( )