Helpful Score: 4
This is the very first fantasy I read--some 25 years ago. As a teenager I thoroughly enjoyed it and it hooked me on fantasy. As an adult, I still pull out my old copy of this book on occasion. It is a classic story of good vs. evil with imagery, history and a british feel. Besides Tolkien's books, The Dark is Rising series is the best there is in fantasy. Check out http://www.thelostland.com/darkbook.htm
Helpful Score: 1
This is the first book in an excellent fantasy series.
Helpful Score: 1
One of my favorite books in 1981.
Joan W. (justreadingabook) reviewed The Dark Is Rising (Dark is Rising, Bk 2) on + 1728 more book reviews
Great book and series. The story is suspenseful and moves along quickly. The characters are well developed and believable. Your kids will like it alot if they liked HP.
Cooper's young adult novels are fun, if a bit dated. A lot of it doesn't feel very exciting because the children involved are always kept extremely safe and rarely in any kind of immediate and really threatening danger - which is markedly different from today's Harry Potter or A Series of Unfortunate Events works. There are still a lot of interesting concepts and the story itself is timeless.
One of the best fantasy books I've ever read. A brilliant start to a powerful sequence of five books. Highly recommended.
Laura P. (sfreadergrl) - , reviewed The Dark Is Rising (Dark is Rising, Bk 2) on + 146 more book reviews
Wonderful YA fantasy. Boy discovers on his 11th birthday he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated throught the ages to keeping the world from domination by the forces of Dark.
Victoria T. (justicepirate) reviewed The Dark Is Rising (Dark is Rising, Bk 2) on + 350 more book reviews
I am done with this series. I did not like the first book that much, but this one was a bit more boring but it was more creative. Will finds out on his 11th birthday that his life is not like any normal child, but has a long drawn history. Merriman from the first book is also in this one. Can wull help save humanity from destruction of The Dark.
boy, in all the books I've read for a while, something amazing happens to the main character when they are 11. Too bad I spent most of my time then memorizing baseball statistics and zip codes.
STARTS OUT A LITTLE SLOW AND LACKS A LITTLE DETAIL TO THE WAY THINGS WORK BUT A REALLY GOOD QUICK READ, ESPECIALLY FOR A YOUNG PERSON.
I thought this was a shameless ripoff of Harry Potter, then I realized it was written 20 years before HP.
Elizabeth K. (ShadowLuna) reviewed The Dark Is Rising (Dark is Rising, Bk 2) on + 8 more book reviews
Not very interesting to me, but might be good juvenile reading
Tantalizing page turner. Great read with suspense, interesting characters and a plot that twists and turns in engaging ways. Highly recommended.
Newbery Honor Book 1974. On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift---that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated throughout the ages to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. He is plunged at once into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light. Thereafter, for the twelve days of Christmas while the Dark is rising, life for Will, although outwardly normal, is strangely wonderful as he is drawn through terror and delight.
With these mysterious words, Will Stanton discovers on his 11th birthday that he is no mere boy. He is the Sign-Seeker, last of the immortal Old Ones, destined to battle the powers of evil that trouble the land. His task is monumental: he must find and guard the six great Signs of the Light, which, when joined, will create a force strong enough to match and perhaps overcome that of the Dark. Embarking on this endeavor is dangerous as well as deeply rewarding; Will must work within a continuum of time and space much broader than he ever imagined.
A quest for six magical Signs.
Worth reading.
Didn't even try to get into it.
On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift - that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated throught the ages to keeping the world from domination byt he forces of evil, the Dark.
(part of a series) On his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, dedicated throughout the ages to keping the world from domination by the Dark. "in the tradition of C.S. Lewis and Tolkein"