About this title: Continuing the story begun in OVER SEA, UNDER STONE, THE DARK IS RISING is the second book in Susan Cooper's popular fantasy quintet. Here readers meet Will Stanton, the seventh son of a seventh son, who, on his 11th birthday, discovers that he is an Old One, a group of immortals charged with saving the world from the evil forces known as the Dark. Under the guidance of Merriman Lyon, Will prepares for his part in the battle by searching for, and bringing together, the Six Signs of the Light--magical elements needed by the Old Ones to defeat the Dark. A classic story of the battle between ...
read more
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Aladdin Paperbacks
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, New York
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780689710872ISBN:0689710879
Description: slight shelf wear, pages yellowing due to age, very clean & tight reading copy. Mass Market (Rack) PB, glued binding, 244 pp. Book 2 Dark is Rising Sequence read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780689710872ISBN:0689710879
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 232 p. Dark Is Rising Sequence (Paperback). Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781416949657ISBN:1416949658
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 244 p. Dark Is Rising Sequence (Simon Pulse). Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 232 p. Dark is Rising Sequence (Paperback). Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 1989
ISBN-13:9780590433198ISBN:0590433199
Description: Good. Spine is smooth. Covers show some wear at the edges and corners. Good reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Simon Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780689710872ISBN:0689710879
Description: Very Good. Describes a book that doesn't look quite brand new. May show some small signs of wear or minor spine creasing. Our ultimate goal is to provide you with a satisfying customer experience. read more
Description: Good. 0395618800 Book free of markings. Cover shows moderate wear, light creases. Interior & spine evidence typical use; overall, a very serviceable copy. Your book will be carefully protected for transit in sturdy, weather-resistant packaging. We are prompt, efficient, communicative. read more
"I found this book curiously difficult to get into but extremely rewarding once hooked.
Superficially, it follows the standard kid-lit fantasy formula: a sympathetic young person, ignorant of magic, discovers that he has a Very Important Part to play in the age-long struggle between good and evil. Epic adventure follows.
Putting aside her use of English Mythology -- which I'm in no way qualified to comment on -- there were two things that distinguished this book from the standard fare. First, Cooper uses remarkably little exposition: things _happen_ in this book while they are still mysterious and unexplained. That takes a certain confidence and skill. As an adult, I found this disconcerting at first, but effective later on as things began to fall into place.
Second, the Cooper avoided the one consistent pratfall that affected all of J. K. Rowling's novels: however much Will's life may have been enhanced by his discovery of who he is, it in no way diminished his love for, or connection, to the regular world. For all the humor the Dursleys provided in the Harry Potter series, Rowling created a slightly unhealthy implication that the fantastic world of Hogwarts is superior to anything on this world. Will Stanton never turns his back on this world and is never tempted to.
Very much looking forward to the rest of the series."
"I read this because it was on Newsweeks "What to read now. And Why" list. It was a list of 50 books and I had read only 1! (Shocking I know!) Actually alot of them I really don't want to read no matter what they said about it. This one sounded intriguing though--even though it was a young adult book. It is a Newberry Award winner and deservedly so. It was #36 on the list and here is what Newsweek said "Forget Harry Potter. In the tradition of Tolkein, this series of novels about five British children and one mysterious adult battling evil shows how powerful a child's fantasy story can be." It is the 2nd book in the series which worried me reading it 1st, but that wasn't a problem. You didn't need to read #1 to enjoy this book. A very quick read (it is a young adult book after all), but a page turner. If you like fantasy, good vs. evil, then you'll like this book. It was also a great little slice of British life. This book was written in the early 70s but is not dated. I plan to read #1 and then the rest of the series as well, I enjoyed it that much!"
"I think Cooper must have been half asleep and/or on vicodin when she wrote this book. It seems like the main character, Will, is disoriented and doesn't really know what's going on for half the story. Consequently, I didn't know what was going on half of the time. There's these mysterious signs that Will has to collect and in the mean time he's constantly drifting around in time and keeps meeting the same people over and over again at different points in their lives. Somehow everyone knows that he's the last of the Old Ones and that he has to collect the signs. Who is this kid, and why is he an Old One? The world may never know (unless the answer is in one of the other books).
In spite of the confusion, I really liked this book. The Dark is Rising reads like a dream. I guess that's why Cooper calls the series a Sequence and not a series. Her writing is style is absolutely poetic. I hope to read the rest of the series at some point."
"Forget the movie, which was total garbage, and buy this book for any child, especially young boys, who love adventure, and magic, and mystery.
This is, hands down, one of my favorite series from childhood. Cooper has the very very rare knack of writing for young people without either writing down to them or treating them like adults who have been shrunk in the wash.
Based in roughly modern day England, this book is wholesome and good without being saccharine, and is a "coming of age story" in the best vein of that particular field of writing. I can, without reservation, recommend this book to any parent for any child over he age of 5 or 6, provided you realize the book is based on the legends of King Arthur, Celtic and English myth, and the associated trapping so magic and adventure that accompany them.
Bottom Line: This is a good book, and if your kids aren't yet too jaded by the flash and dazzle of modern life, run immediately to the store and buy this book. You can email me your thanks later.
PS: I think I got started on this series by my Aunt Pat, so thanks to her."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
