Sean Bala reviewed Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising Sequence, #1)
Review of 'Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising, #1)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
"The Dark is Rising Sequence" is a landmark series in Young Adult Fantasy. I was assigned the second book in my eight grade English class. I enjoyed it thoroughly and wanted to re-read it. I was surprised at the quality and depth of the writing - and just how much I missed when I read it as a young adult. What makes the series so special to me is the way it draws from the very rich folk traditions of Britain in creative and unexpected ways. It is a series very rooted in a particular place. Rereading the series also made me appreciate the abstract and creative methods that Cooper used to try to illustrate the eternal fight against the Light and the Dark.
"Over Sea, Under Stone" is the first book of series and is a bit different than the other four. That's because the author, a British immigrant β¦
"The Dark is Rising Sequence" is a landmark series in Young Adult Fantasy. I was assigned the second book in my eight grade English class. I enjoyed it thoroughly and wanted to re-read it. I was surprised at the quality and depth of the writing - and just how much I missed when I read it as a young adult. What makes the series so special to me is the way it draws from the very rich folk traditions of Britain in creative and unexpected ways. It is a series very rooted in a particular place. Rereading the series also made me appreciate the abstract and creative methods that Cooper used to try to illustrate the eternal fight against the Light and the Dark.
"Over Sea, Under Stone" is the first book of series and is a bit different than the other four. That's because the author, a British immigrant to the United States, wrote this one before she had conceived the other four. According to the story, she was feeling nostalgic for home and so she attempted to write an adventure story for young adults. It feels a little less weighty and somewhat brighter though it maintains the same qualities that make the other four novels so good: mystery, deep roots in British folk culture, and a great sense of tone. It lacks the magical and mystical undertones that make the next books in the series so memorable.
