# The Dark Is Rising series

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-is-rising-series/371078>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 1, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-is-rising-series/371078 "2006-09-01T15:14:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-is-rising-series/371078/21 "2006-09-02T14:54:33Z")

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Yeah, I liked Kid Will better than Wise Will. Though really I’m kind of a fan of Bran, and of course Jane most.

The first book, _Over sea, under stone_, was written as a basic family adventure story years before she came up with the rest of the books. The other four were written much later, and as a group, taking off from the first one. (You’ll notice that the first one doesn’t really have much magic in it at all).

I do read _The dark is rising_ every Christmas! Also, _The children of Green Knowe_.

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**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-is-rising-series/371078/22 "2006-09-03T03:13:32Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> The second one, though, _The Dark is Rising_, I just couldn’t see any appeal at all. Will’s success isn’t earned, it’s just sort of given to him. He never has to really put in any effort at all, which makes it hard to appreciate what he’s going through.

This is the point of the exercise. As much as I adored this series when I was young, it is difficult to avoid Cooper’s rather extreme Calvinism as an adult. Delphica pointed out Cooper’s gift of atmospheric storytelling perfectly, but for me, even this does not quite redeem the intrusiveness of her religious beliefs.

Two years ago I tried to reread The Dark Is Rising when I was in north Wales. Even there I couldn’t hold my nose.

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