At work, I always recommend buying and reading The Dark is Rising before Over Sea, Under Stone. The stories are separate until Greenwitch, and Dark is a better fantasy set-up.
I think I read them first when I was ten or eleven. My husband just read them a few months ago, and loved them, but was disappointed with the ending of Silver on the Tree. It’s an enjoyable series for adults.
On rewatching the trailer, I see sort of old-looking building, but still no intimation that Will travels through space as well as time, i.e. to England.
The whole point of him first encountering the Walker and the Rider on Oldway Lane is that it’s been used by the light for centuries! Back through the Dark Ages! And the Rider can’t harm him on it! And Will’s just turned eleven, and isn’t even interested in girls yet!/despairing wail
Merriman should be over six feet tall, and have white hair. And be really craggy. And the only girl that really features in the first book is Mary, Will’s slightly older sister.
I’m sure I sound exactly like all the Tolkien purists when the first movie trailers were released. The difference is that as a minor Tolkien purist, I thought the feel of the movies was right, and the feel of this is all wrong.
Susan Cooper is still writing. I think it’s out of print, but I quite enjoyed her YA novel Seaward, which should be available from abebooks or Amazon.
Charles De Lint is a good writer. I think he’s better-known in Canada. I also recommend The LIttle Country, and Memory and Dream.
I sent a friend who’s a huge Dark fan the link, and he stopped watching in disgust after Will pushed his brother (Max? James? Paul? Couldn’t be Stephen) down the stairs.
Not all. Two of the books take place in Cornwall, and there’s a plot point
nvolving the villagers not talking to Will’s American aunt, because she’s American, when they’re quite friendly with Will and the Drews.
I promise to stop wailing. I just loved the books so much, and it’s like watching my favourite childhood toy be stomped on. /melodrama off.
I might hold off reading the book so I can enjoy the movie better. Because the movie looks pretty cool by itself.
I actually started reading The Dark is Rising but for some reason lost interest in it somewhere in the middle. Can’t remember why. I suppose I’ll give it another try, maybe after I see the movie.