So I was HORRIBLY disappointed at the changes made in this adaptation. Although it's a little long, it's really good. ", Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction (1973). The description of his village and countryside and how they change as Will himself develops. There’s more adult, complicated stuff as well as simple squabbling among siblings: the whole relationship between Merriman and Hawkin is a difficult one, and foreshadows what John Rowlands says about the Light in a later book. Series is awesome, and should be read by anyone interested in the folklore of the British Isles region. Key elements left out, characterizations gutted, the mythos it was based on trivialized. This second book in the series of five invites readers into an intricate fantasy world. 2.5 stars. That's quite an amazing feat when you consider it centers around a kid with numerous superhuman powers, and surrounds said kid with themes of time travel, villains who can summon swarms of crows and snakes in an instant, and an apocalyptic snow storm that could bring about the end of the world. Fun to revisit and still good, though I wish I wanted to gush over it as much as I used to. Abosulete nightmare dont buy or bother. As a Brit I love the references to British folklore and legend, and as a child it captured my imagination and made me long for a quest of my own. In a way he parallels Judas in Christianity. Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2013. I first read this book probably about twenty years ago and it has stood the test of time. Hey, you three JCs, stop trying to bump up the user score; that's cheating. Slightly ahead of the ideal time to read this book — which would be veeery slowly, a chapter or two at a time, over the Twelve Days of Christmas. Retro Childhood Review: The Dark is Rising Posted on December 21, 2017 by Jen Zink There was an endless variety of faces — gay, sombre, old, young, paper-white, jet-black, and every shade and gradation of pink and brown between — vaguely recognizable, or totally strange… The swirling camera-work is overdone. I like the fact that these books, and many other young adult novels, are unabridged, because in these books every word often tells. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. He is permitted to be a child in the books, and not just a short adult. Dark= well everyone knows what that means. This movie is by all means a piece of crap, the ones who decided to adapt it had no respect for either the author or the source material. The Dark Is Rising, the second novel in the series, was published in 1973.. Not impressed. Hawkin is a casualty of the struggle between good and evil. The second book in the sequence shifts gear to epic and prose to mythic. So please, if you think there isn't anything good playing right now because I also think the same, when this releases, go see it. Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013. In the past he was a big reader of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. Looking at that list is one of those foreheadslap moments where you notice that narrative refrain isn't something that happens only in fiction. The Seeker: The Dark is Rising -- Cherishing -- First of all, lets find out about this film: Its title= Seeker, seeker means by example when a device in a missile that locates a target by sensing some characteristic of the target, as heat emission. As the book opens, Will is excited about his approaching eleventh birthday, but he is also alarmed by strange goings on in the neighborhood -- the birds are acting strangely and none of the family's animals will approach him. Children's or YA: Fantasy book that takes place in Wales. All the families gather at the Manor with “The Lady” and Merriman, whom they think is her butler, to stay warm. Above all it is quintessentially English and far from being dated it is a timeless masterpiece as relevant to children now as 30 years ago. FAQ If you did not read the book, still skip the movie. This page works best with JavaScript. You have managed to destroy anything and everything that made the book wonderful and unique. More Children's Reviews. The imagery is still very beautiful, but I now find the worldbuilding unsatisfying. Wondering if The Dark Is Rising is OK for your kids? Overall very good. I don't blame the actors; I think they did the best they could with what they had. Refresh and try again. The premise of the film is that evil needs five days after Will's 14th birthday to destroy the world. All rights reserved. Will struggles with his new identity, and readers see him mature: "Will was instantly a furious Old One, so furious that he did not pause to think what he should do." I expected "The Dark is Rising" to be much more interesting and captivating than it was, because the author, Susan Cooper. I got this series based on a recommendation of a friend for my 15 year old son. The Dark is Rising Reviews. Such is the powerful effect books have on children, if not adults. The writing itself isn't the problem it's just (and this is my opinion) the story feels awfully flawed. Seeker, dark, rising. A book written for young people but strewn with adjectives and adverbs and multi-clause sentences must be pretty serious stuff. The cover is crazy-thin cardstock, and the pages are quite delicate. Most of the magical action seemed like a swirling cloud of glitter so to speak. Why did they have to destroy something that so many people hold so close to their hearts? While not completely unwatchable and competently made, the film has no sense of wonder. This was a money grabbing, farce of a movie, with terrible plotting, terrible casting and even worse directing. I’m trying to think of how many other books’ sequels are more notable than the books themselves. I'll skip any summary of this book or of the series; dozens of reviewers have done that quite well. I want my money back. Thank you for your support. | Will is Will, not anyone else, and comparing him to anyone else is silly. That wide grey sweep was the lawn, with the straggling trees of the orchard still dark beyond; the white squares were the roofs of the garage, the old barn, the rabbit hutches, the chicken coops. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015. This has nothing to do with the fact that the movie departed from the books; it's a very bad movie, period. There are major annoying and unnecessary plot changes in The Seeker. Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2019. the final book has a large chunk of pages in the wrong order. It should have been so easy! Slightly ahead of the ideal time to read this book — which would be veeery slowly, a chapter or two at a time, over the Twelve Days of Christmas. Classic fantasy is a bit slow, but enthralling. The Dark is Rising was quite disappointing, making it all the more surprising that it won awards and stuff. Such depth, such scope. The Dark Is Rising has 6 reviews and 6 ratings. The casting is poor - Ian McShane is no Merriman. I wasted $7.50, but had to be sure that it was as awful as I feared.