A Special Shout-Out to ‘The Dark Is Rising’ Book Series

-

A few days before Christmas, I impulsively asked fellow urban fantasy fans on Facebook whether they had read The Dark Is Rising books.

The Dark Is Rising is an award-winning children’s fantasy series written by British author Susan Cooper that was first published between 1965 to 1977.

I was taken aback by the enthusiastic response to my post. It turns out that there are many, many fans of the series out there. Some fans re-read the series every year. There is even a Facebook group that hosts an annual worldwide readathon of the books starting around the end of November.

In addition, I found out that there is a 2007 film adaptation of the series—The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising. However, I was informed by quite a few fans that the movie can’t hold a candle to the books.

So what are the books about? I won’t give anything away except to say a group of kids get caught up in the fight between the forces of Light and Dark. The series incorporates Authurian legends and Celtic and English mythology and folklore.

There are five books altogether:

  • Over Sea, Under Stone
  • The Dark Is Rising
  • Greenwitch
  • The Grey King
  • Silver on the Tree

I highly recommend the books if you haven’t read them.

I discovered the series when young, and it had a major impact on me, along with the Narnia series and books by Diana Wynne Jones. The series sparked, or perhaps reinforced, my love of fantasy and myth and legend.

The second book, The Dark Is Rising, is my favorite. It features Will Stanton, the seventh son of a seventh son, who comes into his own on his 11th birthday. The book starts on the eve of the winter solstice, right before a bad snowstorm.

I still have the original copies of the books that I read in my youth. They are well-thumbed and well-traveled. They came with me when I left my parents’ home and moved to my own place. I brought them with me when I left Singapore for the United States.

They’ll always have a place on my bookshelf. They are not just beloved books. They are a part of my childhood.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spend a Haunting Halloween With These Ghost Movies

-
Image
As many of you know, Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (it’s Gaelic and pronounced SAH-win). The Celts believed that between October 31 and November 1, the boundaries between the physical and spiritual worlds were weak and could be breached. That meant that the dead, fairy folk and even monsters could cross into the human world at this time. The Celts left offerings for the Sidhs, or fairies, outside their villages and in fields. They also dressed up as animals and monsters to fool the fairies into not kidnapping them. For this Halloween, I thought it might be fun to breach the walls between the world of the living and the world of the dead. How about watching a few movies about ghosts while waiting for the trick-or-treaters to arrive? If you’re interested, I have a few recommendations for you. My list is in no particular order. Some of these are older movies and/or classics. They are among my favorite horror movies, and they all br
Read more

The 'Geomancer's Apprentice' Series: Dragon Lines and Ley Lines

-
Image
The phrase “dragon lines” appears often in T he Geomancer’s Apprentice series . So what are they? You may know them as ley lines. Ley lines are pathways of supernatural or spiritual energy that connect primitive sacred sites. Almost every ancient culture has its version of such routes. They are known as “fairy paths” in Irish folklore. The aborigines of Australia call them “dreaming tracks” or “songlines.” The people of ancient Peru referred to them as “spirit lines.” Such pathways have been recognized in China for thousands of years. Dragon lines are roadways of qi , or vital energy, that cut across the world. The lines correspond to the concept in Chinese medicine of the human body’s meridians—energy passageways associated with the various organs. According to the ancient Chinese, dragon lines originate from certain geographical locations, typically a low hill set in a valley. The energies are the most potent and active at these “dragon hearts.” The best and most auspicious sit
Read more

'Jiangshi': the Hopping Vampire in Chinese Folklore

-
Image
My latest book  The Corpse Ritual features a vampire-like Chinese folklore monster that some of you may recognize. It’s a “jiangshi,” which means “stiff corpse” in Mandarin. Those of you who’ve watched the Mr. Vampire Hong Kong comedy movies from the 1980s will be familiar with this creature. It’s basically a reanimated corpse. Its appearance depends on how long it’s been dead. It hops because its limbs are stiff from rigor mortis.  In Chinese popular culture, the jiangshi usually is shown wearing clothes from the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911). Although it’s called a “vampire” in the movies, there are major differences between a jiangshi and a vampire.  A jiangshi— doesn’t drink blood. It sucks a person’s life essence, or qi. isn’t good-looking or suave. behaves more like a zombie. doesn’t turn into a bat. doesn’t command other creatures of the night. doesn’t sparkle in daylight and won’t ever get the girl (or guy). The hopping corpse folklore supposedly dates back to olden t
Read more