Sharon reviews THE DARK IS RISING by Susan Cooper, Collier Books, 1986, 230 pages.
When the Dark Comes Rising, Six shall turn it back;
Three from the Circle, Three from the Track
Wood, Bronze, Iron; Water, Fire Stone;
Five will return, and One go alone.
It is Will’s birthday. His greatest wish is for snow on his birthday, the day of the Winter Solstice. When he wakes that morning, and looks out the window, he sees glorious snow covering everything in sight – the yard, the barn, the rabbits’ hutch, his father’s van in the driveway and the road. But when he gets outside, the land has changed. There are no cars, no chicken coop, no buildings, nothing from his time. Only great trees covered with snow. As he walks down the path through the trees, Will is careful not to look behind him, for he knows his house is no longer there either.
Will has begun a quest, not of his making but of his own. He is an Old One, who has reached the age to begin learning of their ways. For the Dark is rising and only Will can restore the Light.
This book is part of an award-winning series by Susan Cooper. It contains good and evil, light and dark, ancient past and the present, magic and mystery and adventure.