The Grey King (Dark Is Rising Sequence) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

We see Will Stanton, a seemingly normal English boy struck terribly ill, go to Wales to visit his aunt and uncle to recuperate, where he will have the adventure of perhaps a lifetime, sweeping everybody around him, including the reader into it. As we read of his quest to awaken the Sleepers, we learn a little Welsh culture, history, and language. We feel the emotions of the characters involved; experience their sorrow, bewilderment, hatred and joy. We dabble in a little High Magic, and realize the presence of the Dark, and the Light's endless struggle against it.

One of the great things about this book is that you don't have to read the other parts of the series to understand, and become swept up in the magic of it. Even though it's the second to last book, it was the first I read of the series. It speaks for itself.

If you liked C. S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia", you'll probably enjoy these books. It's the same struggle between good and evil told in a new way, and though I think this series is the easier read, it loses nothing off it's competion.

Diolch yn fawr!

Of all of the Dark is Rising books, this one is my favorite. Cooper comes back to all of her favorite concerns from "The Dark is Rising" and takes them to new heights.

First, there is Will, a young boy fighting for the Light--and even his own life--in a battle none of the adults around him sees and fewer understand. Even John Rowland, the ambivelant sheep-herder who befriends him when he realizes that Will's presence is awaking dark forces even Will doesn't fully understand. Their discussions of fate and destiny; choice, sacrifice and necessity; form an intriguing philosophical backdrop to the adventures and add a depth to the series very rarely matched in the other books. Especially since John Rowland himself--the advocate of choice in the face of necessity--ultimately makes one of the greatest sacrifices of any of them. (I won't spoil the surprise in the next book!)

And then there's Bran, drawn inevitably into the conflict by a nature more magnificent and more significant than anybody realizes. Kudos to Cooper for making him the kind of character you like but have to admire on his own terms.

"The Grey King," of all of the series, gives me the best sense of Will in both his roles as an Old One and a mortal boy vulnerable to the Grey King's power.

Enjoy this--and enjoy the rest of the series while you're at it!