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juushikaTitle: Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising Sequence Book 1)
Author: Susan Cooper
Published: New York: Simon Pulse, 2007 (1966)
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 196
Total Page Count: 120,069
Text Number: 349
Read Because: mentioned in Jo Walton's Among Others, borrowed from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
century_eyes who borrowed it from the Multnomah County Library
Review: After finding an ancient manuscript in a rented vacation home, the three Drew children unravel its clues in search of an object that may sway the timeless battle of good against evil. Over Sea, Under Stone is a lackluster beginning to the Dark is Rising sequence, despite its lack of obvious flaws. It has a strong sense of action which provides a constant forward flow through the text, and it hints at a large, important tale—but the story is too local and so lacks consequence. It relies heavily on coincidence, stripping much of its impact; the protagonists are realistically characterized but largely unremarkable while their foes are blindly evil, a combination that renders the conflict flat and petty. Nothing glares, but, while readable, the book immemorable mediocrity. I'll continue with the series because I hear the next installment is where it finds its footing, but I don't recommend this one in its own right.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Susan Cooper
Published: New York: Simon Pulse, 2007 (1966)
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 196
Total Page Count: 120,069
Text Number: 349
Read Because: mentioned in Jo Walton's Among Others, borrowed from
century_eyes who borrowed it from the Multnomah County LibraryReview: After finding an ancient manuscript in a rented vacation home, the three Drew children unravel its clues in search of an object that may sway the timeless battle of good against evil. Over Sea, Under Stone is a lackluster beginning to the Dark is Rising sequence, despite its lack of obvious flaws. It has a strong sense of action which provides a constant forward flow through the text, and it hints at a large, important tale—but the story is too local and so lacks consequence. It relies heavily on coincidence, stripping much of its impact; the protagonists are realistically characterized but largely unremarkable while their foes are blindly evil, a combination that renders the conflict flat and petty. Nothing glares, but, while readable, the book immemorable mediocrity. I'll continue with the series because I hear the next installment is where it finds its footing, but I don't recommend this one in its own right.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
