On the merits

On the day of the dead, when the year too dies,
Must the youngest open the oldest hills
Through the door of the birds, where the breeze breaks.
There fire shall fly from the raven boy,
And the silver eyes that see the wind,
And the light shall have the harp of gold.

By the pleasant lake the Sleepers lie,
On Cadfan’s Way where the kestrels call;
Though grim from the Grey King shadows fall,
Yet singing the golden harp shall guide
To break their sleep and bid them ride.

When light from the lost land shall return,
Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn,
And where the midsummer tree grows tall
By Pendragon’s sword the Dark shall fall.

I've been known to write at length on my feelings toward certain children's books (that will here go unnamed) in the past. I have also been loathe to rekindle the subject for fear of bringing any of the sentiments accompanying those statements back to life, whether good, bad or indifferent. So, instead of doing so, I would like to broaden the arena a bit, rather than harp on the already tightened scope of what has been beaten to death.

To that end, I present "The Grey King," by Susan Cooper.


This book is part four of her series called "The Dark is Rising."



On the Grey King, R. M. Fisher, a "Top 1000" reviewer on Amazon commented:

"Although it is not my personal favourite, "The Grey King," the fourth book in "the Dark is Rising" sequence is generally considered the best in the series, and is the winner of the Newbery Medal. Following on from the other books, Will Stanton (an Old One of the Light, who protects humanity from the forces of the Dark) travels to Wales, in order to fetch the golden harp, which in turn will wake the mysterious Sleepers, fulfilling the next part of the prophesy chronicling the battle between Light and Dark.

But the circumstances surrounding his visit are grim: after a serious illness he has been sent to relatives in order to convalesce, and soon finds that he cannot remember the vital phrases of the prophesy. Though he can only remember bits and pieces, he is aware that he is meant to seek help from "the raven boy" and "silver eyes that see the wind" - whatever that means. Amongst his cheery relatives things are well, but in the hidden farmlands he soon meets a young albino boy named Bran and his silver-eyed dog Cafall. Bran's mother disappeared when he was just a baby, leaving him in the care of Owen Davis, a devout and religious man who is kind, but strict with the lonely Bran. Though he is obviously unusual, only Will can see that there is something so much more to Bran than meets the eye.

He also meets John Rowlands, an aged and immensely wise farmer who is one of the few human beings who could possibly understand Will's task, and Caradog Pritchard, a hideously bad-tempered man who is out to make things difficult for everyone around him. But beyond all of this is the malevolence of one of the greatest powers of the Dark: the Grey King and his vicious grey foxes who are out to prevent the Light from gaining their advantage with the golden harp.

Merriman Lyon, the linking factor in all five books has only a minor role here, and the Drew children are not present at all - this is solely Will's quest that he must fulfil by himself, with Bran as the last major player in the series to be introduced. By its end we are all set to head into the final book "Silver on the Tree".

It will help if you know basic Arthurian lore (in particular the love-triangle), since Cooper is subtle in her meanings, and never spells it out entirely. Bran's mother's situation will only resonate if you are fully aware of who she is revealed to be and what she once did. And of course, it is necessary to have read the previous books in the series in order to grasp the full meaning of what's going on here.

A criticism levelled toward these books at one stage, were that they were too black-and-white: there was a Light side and a Dark side, the goodies and the baddies and that was all there was to it. But here for the first time, Cooper adds little touches of grey to the matter, or at least makes you look at the opposites in a different way. It is Rowlands that points out that the Light can be just as merciless and unforgiving as the Dark, that "at the centre of the Light is a cold, white flame, just as at the centre of the Dark there is a great black pit." The Light can often be merciless and cruel, manipulating things to reach its own ends - and Rowlands claims he would choose one human life over their cold principles. As well as this there is a sense of powers beyond good and evil, a "High Magic" that governs over both of them and refuses to take sides.

As well as this the book deals with darker and more human issues than previously, such as violence, adultery, piety, betrayal, loss, temper, attempted rape (though portrayed *extremely* carefully), and the capacity for humanity to destroy itself. Cooper's language is beautiful, her research thorough, her themes profound and her meanings deep and thoughtful. There is so much hidden depth (sometimes held within a single sentence that is easy to miss) that it's impossible to list them all, but here's one - Will assumes that it was the Dark's powers that made him so terribly ill. But toward the end he begins to think it may have come from a completely different source... "

This is just one of the many glowing reviews for this Newbery Award winning author's works. Cooper has enjoyed the success of her craft for years now (the saga began in the mid-sixties), seeing the entire Dark is Rising series remain in print and actually continue to sell copies well into 2005. And following the success of other fantasy novels, a major motion picture is even in the works.

As stated above by Fisher, Cooper's works can best be described as fiction for young readers, but to pigeon-hole such books as The Grey King into such a narrow category would undoubtedly do it a huge disservice. This book is representative of Cooper's efforts to grow with the reader. It is here that the reader is exposed to more adult themes and greater complexity than the previous novels in the series (although a good case can be made to refute this proposition, at least with respect to Cooper's literary skill, in the second book of the series). It is in The Grey King that Cooper's narrative devices culminate into a well-seasoned "gumbo" of fiction.

It's been years since I first picked up a copy of the book and read it cover-to-cover, not once, not twice, but three times before hesitantly returning it to the Acadia Parish library. Nonetheless, I find myself drawn once again to its pages and am extremely pleased to find it available in numerous stores and websites. In fact, the entire series can be purchased in one package, not unlike Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

While The Dark is Rising may not be as epic in scope as LOTR, nor as flashy as some novels sporting flame-breathing dragons, nefarious warlocks or pre-pubescent wizards, it does excell in its depth, development and portrayal of characters. It allows younger readers to use their imaginations without bludgeoning them into submission with verbose, unnecessary prose. (The Grey King's brevity but unquestionable success is an attestation to this.) As a series it displays continuity by design and cohesive chronology throughout. Cooper's attention to detail is fantastic. Her research and its application to the themes and plots of the novels is laudable. Upon examination of these novels, one can easily segway into history, mythology and legend that has a much more enriching quality than mere mothergooseries. And overall, The Dark is Rising series can be enjoyed by a larger more mature audience that can appreciate it for Cooper's subtlety and skill in weaving a thought-provoking narrative.

As an aside, if you are interested in seeing what other readers had to say about Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" in relation to a certain other popular children's author's works, visit this site and scroll to the review section for comments.

I usually do not get very enthused about books that become movies. It's always the same every time you talk to someone who read the book then saw the movie - "The book was so much better." And that typically has been my experience as well. Just look at any number of Michael Crichton books that have turned movie (save except Jurassic Park - perhaps). I mean seriously - Sphere with Sam Jackson - who read that book, then saw that movie and didn't go - "What the fuck was that?!" Likewise for Congo and Disclosure.

But I am optimistic about movie possibilities for The Dark is Rising. If the movies, assuming they are made, bring people back to Susan Cooper's work, then mission accomplished. Even if they don't hold a candle to the books (and maybe they shouldn't - so that everyone goes out, reads the books and has the opposite effect), I will be pleased to know that a good author's work has been exposed to a larger audience of young people and hopefully adults as well who otherwise have no knowledge of this great story.

So, if you haven't already, grab a copy of this book (or the whole series if you are so inclined) and settle down for a good read. Let the Hogwash - or whatever - sit on the shelf for a week and take a step back into Arthurian legend and English folklore. Embrace the rising battle between Light and Dark and of course,

Y maent yr mynyddoedd yn canu,
ac y mae’r arglwyddes yn dod.