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Summary: A book , to good to put down.
Review: Over Sea Under Stone By Susan Cooper This book is about three kids: Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew. They are on vacation with their parents (Mr. and Mrs. Drew) and their great uncle Merry. They find an ancient map. The trio tries to figure out what it says, but, they don't tell their parents about their discovery. After someone attempts to steal the map, they ask their great uncle Merry for his help. He tells them that, it is a copy of a map that was sent to King Arthur. I can't tell you any more or else I will spoil the book for you. I think that the way Susan Cooper pulls you into the book and you become involved in the action, is neat! My favorite character is Jane, because at first she is so timid but, becomes an active member of the story. At first the book might be boring but, stick with it. I say, GO OUT AND TRY THIS BOOK FOR YOUR SELF! S. GLAZER
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Summary: A must-have for any person, young or old
Review: There are very few books I read when I was younger that I cherished; books that I looked forward to the day when I could pull them down from the shelf and hand them to my child to read. This is one of those books. The characters, settings and storyline completely captivated me as a child, and created images in my mind that have stayed with me to this day. I find myself reading it again every few years, and I haven't grown too old for it yet.
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Summary: An amazing book! Cornwall comes alive in Cooper's retelling!
Review: In this book Susan Cooper explains the story of three children who spend holiday in Cornwall with their Great Uncle find King Arthur's Holy Grail. Cooper makes this battle between Light and Dark for the Holy Grail a memorable story. In her telling it seems to come alive
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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: 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: 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: 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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