I actually enjoyed the movie. Is this series worth reading?
"If you ever injected truth into politics you'd have no politics." Will Rogers
The book series has a wide range of devouted fans who were introduced to the series at a wide range of ages and over the past decades. Here's the link to the wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Is_Rising
Yes, very much so. Be forewarned though, the movie adaption was nothing like the book. At all. Most consider the book to be the better of the two (by a wide, wide margin).
shareI'm just getting ready to start the first book Over Sea, Under Stone. I'm excited. I read Susan Coooper's The Boggart and really liked it.
Ain't no party like my Nana's tea party!
One of my favorite book series ever. But you have to start with the first one. It sets up the tone for "The Dark is Rising", and the rest of the series.
shareAm I the only one who wants to track down the director of this movie and torture him to death??
shareI nearly walked out of the movie three times while watching it in the theater, and I'd actually gotten in to see it for free.
Had I paid to watch this abomination, I absolutely would have demanded my money back. No matter how small the scale, NO ONE involved in making this movie should be allowed to profit from it in any way.
On a smaller scale, this movie actually ruined Alexander Ludwig in my eyes as a credible actor. No matter how much he may improve in the future, no matter how deep or moving a role he might get, in my mind, he will ALWAYS be "that kid who sucked in that horrific movie".
I volunteer to join you, but on the condition that the script-writer and producers are captured too!
rysmith, no offence, but I read Dark is Rising before Over Sea, Under Stone, and I think it helped me get into the series better. OSUS is more of a mystery and less mystical/magical and might be harder for today's readers to get into without the hook of magic in DiR.
wandering, may he NEVER touch another book I love!
Thanks to all who replied. I am reading "Over Sea, under Stone" now. I look forward to the rest of the series.
"If you ever injected truth into politics you'd have no politics." Will Rogers
"Over Sea, Under Stone" and "The Dark is Rising" are almost separate in some ways - there's very little crossover between the two books, so a reader getting into the series could start with either and not really be missing much. Merry's about the only link, and all reading "The Dark is Rising" really does is reveal to the reader that the mysterious Great Uncle from the first book is more than he seems...
Of course, both absolutely need to be read before moving on to Greenwitch, and The Grey King and Silver on the Tree work best as the last two books in the series, since each builds on things that have gone before.
All that being said, I think I can agree that reading The Dark is Rising first might actually be a better introduction to the series than Over Sea, Under Stone for most modern readers. For one thing, Will is a FAR more likable character in my opinion. The plot of the book is more in keeping with the tone of the rest of the series (High Fantasy), and it might even add an element of deeper suspense to the story of Over Sea, Under Stone (by making the search for the Grail far more significant and important, and the villains far more sinister, once you realize what they REALLY are).
The Dark is Rising was the very first book I bought - cost me 50p or something like that from Puffin paperbacks in the mid 70s (still got the copy somewhere).
Its a great fantasy book which hooked me and has caused me to read thousands and thousands of books over the intervening decades...
Highly recommended and I think the most rounded of the series with a great storyline - less said about the travesty which was the Movie the better.
David W.
I read The Dark is Rising first when I was in about the 5th grade back in the mid-70's. About 12 years ago I bought the entire set, I was in my early 30's. I'm now 43 and proudly say that this is still one of my favorite series ever, and that I re-read them every few years and each time I come back with the same sense of wonder and enjoy them as much as I did the first time. I now will be passing them on to my children, and have bought them in Swedish since I live in Sweden, as well.
shareI became introduced to a whole bunch of classic series all around the same time when I was in the...um...5th grade, I think it was: Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Prydain Series, Wrinkle in Time series, etc. I loved them all, but I can't quite explain why The Dark is Rising resonated so particularly with me. Maybe because it was so evocative in tone and imagery, maybe because its mythic foundation was just so British and ancient and timeless, maybe because the characters were so realistic and flawed and yet so heroic or noble. I can't say for sure, but my paperback set of the series was one of my top treasures, those "what do you grab if there's a fire" treasures. I hope, whatever the debacle involved in the making and release of this dreadful movie, it did afford Susan Cooper the opportunity to learn how deeply loved her series is by so many grateful readers.
shareI found it a bit prose-ish, but yes. It's a good read for winter.
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I can't help being a gorgeous fiend. It's just the card I draw!-Lestat
...Seriously, it is worth reading.
This movie is a pile of crap compared to the book. Even Susan Cooper herself hated the movie, I guess that says something about how retarded the movie crew was.
"Can you still see when your head has been severed from your neck? Let's find out..."
- Drancron