Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and thrilling!
Review: When the Drew Children (Simon, Jane, and Barney) go to visit their Great-uncle Merry they're looking foreword to spending time at the beach, fishing, and exploring the house. But when they find a very old and strange manuscript in a hidden room in the attic they are shocked. The manuscript, once translated with the help of their uncle, sets them off on a strange and dangerous mystery. With the enemy at every turn the three children find themselves on a race to find a piece of treasure from King Arthur's time. And if they lose this race they may be in more trouble then they've ever imagined.So begins, Over Sea, Under stone, the first book in Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series which tells about an everlasting battle between the light and the dark. I really enjoyed this book. Reading it was fun and interesting. It reminds me a lot of the Harry Potter Series but even more of Diane Wynne-Jones' Chrestomanci series. I'm defiantly going to continue reading this series. I already own the next book and I'm part way through it. If your a fan of such series as The Chrestomanci Chronicles or Narnia, you'll enjoy this mystery book with just a touch of fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: JRR Tolkein? CS Lewis? I think not.
Review: i originally purchased this book on the strength of reviews (...) i was excited by the idea of something new to read along classic lines like _the chronicles of narnia_, _the fellowship of the ring_, and even jk rowling's harry potter. i turned out to be disappointed. the kids were unrealistic and underdeveloped. the plotline was predictable and cliche. the drew children, on a search for a mystical grail, went about it so stupidly and still had everything fall straight into their hands. one could argue that it's just a children's book. but there are many instances of so-called children's books being wonderful and NOT predictable, underdeveloped, or stupid. just look at CS Lewis, or Roald Dahl, or Madeline L'Engle. they write wonderful books, for children, with morals, and manage to have fascinating storylines and incredible characters. ms. cooper deserves credit for writing a story that definitely has a few dark moments. she's not afraid to be a little scary. but in the end, it's just not enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Just okay.
Review: Not my favorite of the series, but worth reading for the information that impacts future tales. I admit to speed reading this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A Children's Book with great prose and language!!!
Review: Our children enjoyed this book a lot. I have purchased all the others in the Dark is Rising series because I was so pleased with this book. It did take longer to read than your "average" chapter book because of the rich language. (I had to explain things often) The book had just the right amount of imagination, suspense, mystery all built around the neat relationships of the children and their Great Uncle Merry. I would consider this book one worthy of purchasing in hardback and adding to your home library. Enjoy!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I read this book after reading the second volume in this series, The Fark is Rising. It was quite a shock in terms of style! This is a book that deals with serious issues and puts its youthful protagonists in stressful, dangerous situations, but it does read like a children's book. It is firmly grounded in the "real" everyday world, rather than the world of myth that suffuses The Dark is Rising. It is definitely a conscious decision to have this difference in style, and it works well.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous children's fantasy that adults will love!
Review: Just because this book is about three children, don't dismiss it! Simon, Barney, and Jane are compelling characters, and their mysterious Great-Uncle Merry (who isn't exactly their uncle) is a powerful and intriguing character. This book is the first in a series of five, The Dark Is Rising Sequence. All five books draw heavily on the Arthurian legends, giving us a new perspective on the Fisher King--though he himself doesn't get much time in the pages. Great-Uncle Merry is an Old One, a very powerful immortal whose task it is to gather the Great Things of Power for the forces of the Light. The Dark has begun the first stage of a great push for world domination that will continue for the next four books. Over Sea, Under Stone, is the narration of the first battle in the last great struggle between Light and Dark. This first book is about the modern-day search for a grail hidden somewhere near a village in Cornwall. The children are on holiday, but Merry has not brought them here by chance. He knows they have the ability to find the grail while he holds the forces of the Dark at bay. But he hasn't calculated the dangers they will be forced to face...
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I know.
Review: I really like this book! The reason It's not getting 5 stars is that here in Norway the publisher is a fool, and changed the order of the books. 'The Dark is Rising' was published before 'Over Sea, Under Stone'. So I read that one first. And that made this book seem like it was missing something. Even though I know now that this was to be first, the feeling of something missing is there. Besides that the book is exellent in every way.
Rating:
Summary: My review of Over Sea, Under Stone
Review: This is a fairly good book. It's certinaly not my favorite by Susan Cooper, but it is definatly a book I would re-read and recommend to others.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: I am not a fan of Arthurian legend, and this book was a tiny bit juvenile, but I still loved it. With it's unpredictable plot, nonstereotypical characters, and the realistic relationship between the siblings, this book was a welcome breath of spring air that captured me from the beginning. It's my personal favorite of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: You may disagree with me, but I didn't find this book as compelling as other readers have. I had to read half of the book before it began to pique my interest. The other reviewers have given you the storyline, and many have given away the ending, but I refuse to be redundant. Anyway, the characters are underdeveloped, IMO. At times they feel rather two-dimensional. I have not read the other books in this sequence. I hope that the latter books are an improvement. That is not to say that this book is poorly written. Far from it. Cooper's descriptions are very colorful. And you really do grow to hate the Withers'. :) Anyway, this book was good, but not as advertised. Certainly not comparable to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. But it's hard to match that.
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