The Dark is Rising

I read this a few months back and have been meaning to post about it for a while now. I like Susan Cooper. Seriously, The Dark Is Rising Sequence is a great introduction to fantasy for young readers. The Dark Is Rising is actually one of only a handful of fantasy novels given a Newbery Honor. That means it has literary value and you don't have to take my word for it.

The story introduces us to Will Stanton, who learns that he is a Guardian of the Light. He must collect the four things of powers in order to fend off the dark. Well, that's pretty much a summary of the entire series. In this book he is only acquiring one of the things of power: The circle of Light. In order to do this he must collect the six signs.

Will is 11 years old, on this major quest discovering things about the world around him, and being chased by The Black Rider. It's certainly enough of an adventure story, but it's deeper than that. We learn more about Merriman, who trains Will in how to be a guardian of the Light. Merriman is not the perfect Uncle we meet in Over Sea, and Under Stone. He is deeper here and it is a startling look into the sacrifices that have to be made in order to keep the world safe from the Dark. We also meet Will's family, since his quest doesn't take him completely away from his family.

Overall, it is a great story that has depth. I had forgotten how much I actually enjoyed reading it, and am now excited to read the next one in the series. As a side note, I have no idea if the movie is any good, although I remember being excited when I watched the trailer. They made a sequel so it couldn't have been too horrible. Well, one can hope anyways. As another side note, I am a little shocked to discover that my spell check has the word "newbie" but not "Newbery". What is this world coming to?