Over Sea, Under Stone (Thorndike Large Print Juvenile Series)

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Summary: Over Sea Under Stone Kid Review!
Review: "Over Sea Under Stone" is perhaps the weakest of the classic "Dark is Rising" series, though in itself it's quite a good book. In this, Susan Cooper kicks off her epic fantasy sequence with doses of Celtic legend, a good vs. evil battle, and a hunt for a mysterious, magical treasure.

Simon, Jane and Barney Drew have arrived at their great-uncle Merriman's seaside house for a vacation -- and rapidly become quite bored with the seaside village. But when exploring the attic, they unearth a very, very old map that is somehow connected with the legendary King Arthur. As anyone else would do, the kids begin the search to find a golden grail that is somewhere nearby.

But they soon find that they are not the only ones who want the map. A seemingly genial pair of vacationers are being slightly too inquisitive, and someone breaks into Merriman's house in search of the map. And Merriman reveals the origins of the map -- and an ages-old conflict between good and evil that hinges on who finds the grail first.

Taken alone, "Over Sea Under Stone" is a solid, even excellent fantasy story. But it's a little out of sync with the rest of the series. However it sets excellent groundwork, has an intriguing storyline and a good mix of folklore and Arthuriana, and offers us one of the most mysterious and likable "magic mentors," Merriman Lyon. It starts off with every kid's fantasy -- treasure maps and ancient kings -- and rapidly blossoms into something much more.

One of the most noticeable differences between this and Cooper's later books is the writing; the writing in her later books becomes much more verbose and descriptive and magical. Here it's quite stark and plain, without a great deal of detail or mystical mind-blowing. "Over Sea" is mostly very prosaic and very rooted in our world, and many important concepts in the series aren't even touched on.

The Drew kids are the sort of siblings that pop up in old E. Nesbit books -- plucky, chirpy and on vacation. There isn't a lot of difference between their individual personalities, although they are quite likable. Their "uncle" Merriman is pleasant, humorous, but at the same time Cooper implies that still waters run deep. The malevolent Mr. and Miss Withers are initially very jovial and kindly, but you can sense something rotten underneath.

The first of the "Dark is Rising" books is somewhat out of sync with the novels that follow, but taken alone it's still an excellent, well-written fantasy adventure.

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Summary: Left me spellbound as a child...
Review: As a child in the 70's I read the whole of the Dark is Rising series of books by Susan Cooper. Each one left me spellbound and triggered my imagination to run wild with mystical Gaelic imagery. My particular favorite was the Dark is Rising. Fond memories, thank you Susan.

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Summary: ARTFUL READING OF AN ARTHURIAN TALE
Review: Few stories are more popular among readers than the age old battle between good and evil, which is exemplified in the legend of King Arthur. Susan Cooper gives that scenario an imaginative twist with "Over Sea, Under Stone." It's a narrative sure to pique the imaginations of young ones, especially as read by popular British actor Alex Jennings.

When, during a vacation in today's Cornwall, the Drew children discover an old manuscript in the attic of their rented house, they suddenly find themselves involved in an exciting and dangerous quest. Their very lives are jeopardized as they search for the grail, the one antidote to the power of evil called the Dark. Their Great Uncle Merry is on their side, but much of what he knows he isn't telling.

Ms. Cooper's prose is both concise and thrilling; Mr. Jennings's reading is superb.

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Summary: Horrible...
Review: I've currently read the first three books in this series. I love the other two, they read like "Dark Shadows", with a lovely mysterious feel to them. But this book seems more like "Hardy Boys", with only one instance of any real use of supernatural abilities.

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Summary: Great... as always...
Review: Over Sea, Under Stone begins the story well - the story of the battle of the Dark and the Light. You are introduced calmly to three central characters - the impatient, stubborn, loveable Barney, Jane, his ever-anxious elder sister and his ambitious brother Simon. Next comes Merriman, their Great-Uncle, the eccentric old man who often disappears for a week or so, or even a year, and then pops back up on their doorstep. Immediately you love the people in this book, although their characters are not yet fully developed e.g. Jane's, which develops majorly in Greenwitch.

They are hunting for a treasure, shown on an old Latin map up in the loft of their holiday house. Gummery, or so they call him, reveals that they are hunting for the Grail of Arthurian legend. They do so willingly, fighting against the relentless attacks of the Dark and the sinister Mr. Hastings.

This book was originally written for a contest, following the guidelines of an adventure story, which explains its difference from the other books. However, it is one great book. The Drews will charm you, and so will Merriman. Barney finds out his secret identity at the end of the book.

Read this book! It's full of ideas and expands on those ideas. The childrens' adventures will thrill and frighten you, and who could fail to shudder deliciously at the mention of Mr. Hastings?

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Summary: Superb Suspense
Review: Simon, Jane, and Bradley Drew, like many of us, have a weird uncle. Great Uncle Merry is a reclusive sort, full of mystery and living in a seaside house which is itself full of mystery. When the children discover a map hidden in the house, very strange things start happening. Just who is Great Uncle Merry? The other people in the neighborhood ??? can they really be trusted? And why does everyone want to possess this map?

Cooper published this book in 1965. She waited until 1973 to write the sequels, writing four over the next five years. I imagine the first one was the most difficult to write, since it contains so much and is the foundation for the other four books. Cooper does a masterful job of creating believable characters that we care about, then placing them in suspenseful, dangerous situations. This is a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys suspense stories. Once you finish the book (which you will quickly), you???ll want to jump right into the next book in the series, ???The Dark is Rising.??? Highly recommended.

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Summary: The subtle, mysterious beginning of a great series.
Review: The first book in the "Dark Is Rising" series and, in many ways, the most readable. In this story, three siblings struggle to follow a series of clues leading them to the Holy Grail. Aided by their mysterious guardian, Merriman, the kids solve riddles and try to escape the clutches of the Dark. This is undoubtedly the most engaging book in the "Dark Is Rising" series, though the later books are certain more sophisticated. Oddly bereft of magic, it taps into a lot of plot elements that kids love. Mystery and escape. A summer free of parents and school. And a treasure to be found, thanks to a map in a dusty old house. Heck, it even has an abandoned attic full of junk. What�s not to like?

The kids themselves are particularly engaging. Cooper has a good ear for dialogue, and the kids never sound like an age that they aren�t. Too often I�ll read books about eight year-olds that talk, walk, and act like they�re thirty-five. Here, an eight-year-old is eight, and the reader never doubts the author�s tongue. As for the story, who could complain? Susan Cooper knows how to instill fear. Her villains are always most villainous when they�re cool and collected. Her plots are carefully planned and rarely forced. And her writing is melodic. She does suffer from a dire need to often put rhymes and poems in her books that the heroes must solve. But otherwise, one cannot complain. If you�ve kids looking for something in a Tolkein vein, this is the book for them.

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Summary: The subtle, mysterious beginning of a great series.
Review: This book starts the classic five-volume fantasy series "The Dark Is Rising Sequence." Although listed as books for teenagers, adult fantasy fans will also find much to love in these novels. Author Susan Cooper writes with intelligence and respect for her readers, and fills all the books with fascinating layers of history, folklore, and mysticism. This first book establishes the conflict that will continue through the remaining books in the series: a group of modern-day English children find themselves embroiled in the hidden battle between the forces of good and a mysterious force known as The Dark, a battle that has its roots in the shadowy legends of King Arthur.

"Over Sea, Under Stone" differs from the other books in the series in that it avoids the overtly supernatural. This is an unusual fantasy novel in which nothing obviously fantastic occurs. The terrors of The Dark and the workings of magic remain subtle hints and hidden undertones beneath the action, as if they are occurring just out of sight of the main characters. This gives the novel a spooky sense of reality, and the reader can easily imagine him or herself in the place of the three children who, during a vacation in Cornwall, slowly discover the battle with The Dark that has existed for centuries. The novels that follow, especially "The Dark is Rising," plunge headlong into the supernatural, but "Over Sea, Under Stone" provides a perfect, gradual introduction.

The story introduces us to the three Drew children, Simon, Barney, and Jane, and their mysteriously knowledgeable Great-Uncle Merry, all who will play major parts in the saga. While the Drew children are on vacation in Cornwall (a land steeped in legends), they discover a map which may lead to the Grail of the King Arthur stories. With Great-Uncle Merry's help they start to unravel the clues on the map. But The Dark will do anything to seize the Grail first, for it contains a power that can defeat them. The story unfolds as a fascinating mystery as the Drew children unravel clue after clue while the danger from mysterious individuals grows greater with each stride they make toward the final goal.

Few young adult fantasies offer such intelligence and subtlety as "Over Sea, Under Stone." Readers of all ages will become entwined in its mysteries and read swiftly to the tense conclusion. After that, they will definitely want to continue to the epic next book in the sequence, "The Dark Is Rising," where the hidden magical forces of this book burst through the surface to start their titanic battle. The story continues in "Greenwitch," "The Grey King," and concludes in "Silver on the Tree."