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Title: Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising Sequence)
ISBN: 141694964X
Author:
Susan Cooper
Publicate Date: 2007-05-08
Publish: 2007-05-08
List Price: $8.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.60
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.98
Amazon Merchant Price: $8.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: A Neat Little Adventure to Start Off A Series
It's summer, the Drew Family (Simon, Jane and Barney, along with their parents) take a vacation in a small fishing village in Cornwall, renting "The Grey House" (owned by an eccentric and absent sea captain) and meeting up with their Great Uncle Merriman (who is renting The Grey House). On a rainy day the children set out to explore the house (sheer boredom drives them to explore the house as if they were exploring a distant land...an adventure worthy of a rainy afternoon. Since the various chests and cupboards are off limits (if it's locked, it's out of bounds), the children find themselves a secret door to the attic and begin searching, hoping to discover treasure within. In a dark and forgotten corner, treasure is just what they find...and once they've found that, they are off on a madcap adventure which puts all of them endanger, but which promises a truly amazing prize! What follows is pretty much standard stock for this type of story...parents are called away (in this case meeting up with an old friend), taking off for an unexpected visit, effectively leaving the children sans guardians and free to ramble about in search of adventure. I actually (accidentally) read The Dark is Rising prior to reading this, the first book in The Dark is Rising Sequence, so I was surprised to find this particular volume of the sequence largely bereft of the magic and wonder present in the second volume. To my way of thinking, this is a much simpler, less complex book, more in the vein of Nancy Drew...there is danger aplenty and the children must save themselves and solve the mystery before the "bad guys" do. The only difference is the children have found a map and text accompanying it suggesting it's of ancient origin and related to King Arthur...so it's a slightly more mythic quest than the typical Nancy Drew mystery...but it has that same feel, nonetheless.
This book was first published in 1965 and as such it does seem to hearken back to a simpler time and one wonders what sort of story this would be given all the modern technology available to us these days...still, Over Sea, Under Stone has a rather timeless quality to it and still appeals to a children (and adults) 30+ years later! I particularly like that the children are well drawn, independent and not at all interchangeable (as often happens in this type of story). Additionally, I found the villains here (and they are to be found everywhere, even in the most unexpected places) to be quite, well, villainous! They are cold, calculating and bent on getting their hands on the map and the treasure at any cost...they are charming on the surface, but there is clearly something dark and dangerous seething just under that cleverly polished fa??ade! I found Over Sea, Under Stone to be entertaining, interesting, and quite an exciting little adventure, but also felt that it related very little to the second book and I am wondering how it will all tie together (or if it does at all) as the sequence continues. Overall, I give it 4 stars...at this point in my reading, I don't see how it fist with the continuation of the story but I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series to find out.
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2: A Great Quest
Over Sea, Under Stone is about three children, The Drews, that embark on a great adventureous quest while vacationing with their parents and their Great Uncle Merry. These children are protrayed as bright, imaginable, and determined. They eventually find a treasure map and starts looking for this great treasure that supposedly will prove King Arthur existed. These children are racing against evil to get this treasure, with some help from their mysterious Great Uncle Merry.
My favorite character in this book is hard to pinpoint because Susan Cooper really did not go into great detail on how the children looked and how they were. But still if I had to choose one favorite it wouldn't be any of the children, anyway. It would be Great Uncle Merry because he was so mysterious and I liked the fact no one messed with him.
If I had to describe the main characters, the Drew children, my guess would be that the oldest boy Simon is brave and protective. He tries to be a little grown up, but you can tell he is still a child. Jane is cautious and fearful, and tends to jump before she thinks. Barney is really smart, a little sponge for all knowledge and attentive. The children were definitely different in personalities and in some of the things they did.
My first introduction to Susan Cooper's writing has been enjoyable. I was impressed with her writing, and I realized within a couple of pages that this book was not written in the present time. There is a difference between modern writers and writers that have written 30 or so years ago. C.S. Lewis proved it to me with the Chronicles of Narnia and now Susan Cooper does with this wonderful book, as well.
Thanks.
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3: Good story, although a slow start
"Over Sea, Under Stone" is the first book in the "The Dark Is Rising" series, and it's a good start. Having said that, I'm enjoying the second book more; it's worth getting through some occasionally dry sections in this book so that you have the background you need to read the rest of the series.
At first, I was a little worried by some similarities to "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" --- a group of siblings leave home and discover something unexpected hidden in the dusty corner of an old house. But as the story goes on, the resemblance is entirely coincidental. What the two books do share, though, are the elements of enduringly good children's fiction: a struggle to accomplish a goal of more than personal importance (not just growing up to like yourself, for example), narrative language that doesn't "write down" to the reader (and doesn't use slang or pop culture, which sounds too much like an adult trying to be trendy and ends up dating a book --- who can read the Hardy Boys now?), and an emphasis on moving the story forward rather than on hitting "teaching points." "The Dark Is Rising" series has a lot of the elements that make the "Narnia" books, the "His Dark Materials" books, and the "Wrinkle in Time" books so good.
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4: Solidly mediocre
I started listening to this story and it sounded so familiar I swore I'd heard the story before - but I hadn't. I think it melds a lot of recent YA together, with a dash of The Davinci Code. This is not exactly a glowing endorsement, but if I am completely honest... it wasn't that bad. It was solidly mediocre.
The main characters were likeable enough, though some of the lesser characters were just confusing. It was hard to really understand them, to get a grasp of their actual character. I think some of this was on purpose, to retain a sense of mystery (this is, after all, the start of a series) but some of it was just baffling. I would have preferred a bit more of a twist at the end of all of that action, and the end felt a bit blah. Still, overall it was easy to listen to, intriguing enough to hold my interest, and I will probably listen to the next book in the series.
If you're a fan of the mysterious treasure map-hunting storyline, don't mind some obscurity and a few clich?? characters, and are looking for a fairly light but action-packed read, this might be for you.
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5: A good adventurous read -sort of Famous Five meets King Arthur!,
Simon, Jane & Barney are off on their summer holidays with their mum & dad, to a holiday house in the village of "Trewissick" on the Cornish Coast, where they will all stay with Great-Uncle-Merry in a rambling old house overlooking the sea. They are all thrilled to be going to Cornwall, but none more so than Barney, the youngest, who loves the stories of Arthurian Legend and dreams of stories of King Arthur and his Knights. He can't wait to see Cornwall, the land of the Pendragon, the centre of Arthurian myth.
On a miserable rainy day at the beginning of their holiday, the children decide to make an adventure of exploring the house where they are staying. Locked cabinets, chests and personal papers are out of bounds but they are free to explore the rest of the house as they like. In real Enid Blyton style they soon discover a secret stairway hidden behind a large heavy wardrobe in the boys' bedroom... and off they go to explore.... An ancient treasure map soon emerges & the children have found an adventure for their holiday... secrets to discover.
But are they out of their depth? They don't seem to be the only people chasing after hidden treasure. Soon, they find an ally in Great-Uncle-Merry & Rufus, the dog... but can they reach the treasure before the sour Mr & Miss Withers, the rude ruddy-faced boy, Billy and the man they think is the vicar?!!
A good, innocent, Famous-Five-style adventure story (first published In 1965), with just a hint of Arthurian legend & magic thrown in. From reading other reviews, it sounds as though the magic & legend are developed in the rest of the series, so here I guess just the foundations are laid. The children are all very cheery, optimistic, happy-go-lucky, although individual characters aren't developed at all in the story. Well-written, with more depth than an Enid Blyton story, lacks pace in a few places but overall recommended.
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