Three Weeks for Dreamwidth - Love for The Dark is Rising

[shanaqui]

Kicking things off with my mini-essay about my favourite overlooked fandom, as per this post. You don't have to do it the same way as me, but if you're stuck for what to do, take this as an example!

My personal love affair with The Dark is Rising sequence, by Susan Cooper, started when I heard the radio adaptation. It's certainly an adaptation: characters and plots missed out and truncated, details changed to suit the format. But the voices of the characters in my head are still the ones given to them in this adaptation, for the most part. Especially Merriman. If anyone wants to listen to it, send me a PM and I shall arrange it if possible.

I didn't read the books until I was sixteen or so. Oh, I think I came across them, maybe even read one of the five, but I didn't sit down and read them in order until then. Over Sea, Under Stone was okay: an Arthurian Enid Blyton story, almost. The real love affair started with Will Stanton's story, The Dark is Rising. I was fascinated by the myth and magic and history that Cooper wove together. I was fascinated by Will himself, both an ancient creature and a young boy, all at once. I loved his quest, and I loved his family. I loved the feeling I got, even at sixteen, that I should probably crawl into the safety of my bed.

Greenwitch draws together characters from both of the preceding books, and here again was realism -- antagonism between the young characters, jealous belligerence -- and magic, all at once, and here was Will, on another quest.

The Grey King is probably my favourite, though. The Arthurian elements of the series kick up another notch, and Will finds himself manoeuvred into Wales. The morality isn't black and white: the most truly good character is not one of the Light, the supposed good, but a human being. The Light is revealed as cold and cruel, in a way, despite the way it does everything for the best. And my favourite character joins the series, Bran Davies, with his pride and arrogance and pain and -- I admit this is a big attraction to him for me -- his Welshness. There's a level of this story which the child reader will not necessarily understand or relate to, of pain and difficulty, in the figure of Bran's father, Owen Davies.

Silver on the Tree brings everything together -- all the characters, all the magic, all the little hints from the other books. Each of the characters has a part to play in the fight, even the human ones. And again, there's very adult pain and betrayal. One of my favourite quotes comes from this final book:

"For Drake is no longer in his hammock, children, nor is Arthur somewhere sleeping, and you may not lie idly expecting the second coming of anybody now, because the world is yours and it is up to you."

The fandom is small to non-existent. There's fic, but not a steady supply of new stuff. I write fairly actively for it, but for so many people, it's a series they read as children, with young characters, that they wouldn't think of making their actual fandom. But there's so much here to play with, so many lovely character dynamics -- some which are more explored than others in canon, and others which could be explored further. There are so many amazing characters, even the minor ones -- Stephen Stanton! John Rowlands! -- that deserve attention. There's so many heartbreaking angles to what might happen to Will after the events of the final book. There's so much growing up the characters still have to do.

(Personally, I'm probably an oddball. The main pairing I've seen in fic is Will/Bran, which I do adore, but I also like Bran/Barney and Simon/Will and Will/Jane and Bran/Jane and...)

A fic rec, to coax people in: The Ascent, by Annakovsky. Gen, plotty, a bit of a fix-it to a part of the end that people often don't like.

You can find my more detailed reviews of each book here: Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, Silver on the Tree.

Comments

[tig_b]

I didn't find these until I was in my late twenties, but I loved them and re-read the series every few years.

[shanaqui]

I reread this every two years or more. Comfort reading. ♥

[miss_haitch]

Oh, I adore The Dark is Rising sequence! I had a similar experience of enjoying Over Sea, Under Stone a fair amount, but then getting completely hooked with The Dark is Rising. I found much of the series, especially The Grey King and Silver on the Tree highly complex and chilling. I have to go and reread them now!

[shanaqui]

*grin* My work here is... well, not done, but validated? *laughs*

[miss_haitch]

Also, I just read the fic you linked to, and it made me very happy. I always found the end of the series not unsatisfying, exactly, but upsetting, and the story was nice and soothing! *g*

[shanaqui]

Yes, indeed!

[ex_pendency799]

I love these books. They're one of my constant re-reads, the story gets richer each time I pick them up again. Thanks for posting the fanfic rec, too.

[shanaqui]

Yeeees. And you're welcome!

(via 3w4dw)

[zero_pixel_count]

Ooh. Thank you for this post, which will sound odd coming from someone who has never read the books...

...But twenty-something years ago, my best friend was reading them, and babbling all about it, and I always meant to but never got around to it. And since I'm trying to set aside money to buy books, your post has reminded me to put them on the list.

Re: (via 3w4dw)

[shanaqui]

Haha, yay!

[watersword]

The Dark is Rising and The Grey King are two of my favorite books ever. If I ever have kids...well, they're not reading them until AFTER their eleventh birthday, but they are damn well reading them.

[shanaqui]

Hahaha, my girlfriend and I are both fans, so if we do have kids, yeah, same.

[birgitriddle]

I know I read them when I was a kid because I got them before I was 11 (you probably know why I know that XD), but one of my fondest memories of reading the books was when I was first reading The Grey King (I actually once owned two copies of the book as I got just it by itself through a free book thing and then later got all the books as a set, but I gave my second copy to someone later on) and I was outside at a state park and I remember reading the book and standing near the stream that ran through the park and feeling the cool breeze while under a lot of trees. It's just always been one of those memories that don't go away.

And yeah, I will uh, write fic for it someday. I'll probably claim it in this community, as I've said before.

[shanaqui]

Hee. I approve of this greatly.

[epporsimuove]

I loved these book when I was younger. Even now, when I only remember the broad outline of the stories, I still hand them off to every teenager I know. Your post might force me to go back and re-read them.

[shanaqui]

*evil laugh*

[goodbyebird]

This is a series I have very vivid memories of from childhood, as I'd be sitting in the library reading this series(though The Dark is Rising is the one I remember best). I really should look these up again. Thanks for reminding me!

[shanaqui]

You're welcome!

[seventhe]

Every time you mention this series I want to go dig it out of my room and reread <3

[shanaqui]

Ehehehe. *grin*

[scintilla10]

Oh I love the Dark is Rising! Yay! This is making me want to go reread them -- darn you and your cunning plan!

[shanaqui]

*grins*

I've actually made myself want to reread them, even though I last read them only six months ago...

[livrelibre]

I love these books! I just posted about Will/Bran for a favorite rare pairs meme but I enjoy any fic for the series.

[shanaqui]

Me too, obviously! I looove Will/Bran, but rejoice in any fics for these books 'cause there's so little.

[psyche29]

I wish I had found this community/post sooner. I discovered these books about three years ago, and have already reread them countless times. I've looked for boards or groups about them, but there is simply nothing out there.

I didn't know people wrote fic for the sequence, but will check out the rec you provided.

And that is one of my very favorite quotes, too. ♥

[shanaqui]

When I tried to make one, a while ago, there wasn't enough interest to keep it alive. Sigh. I keep finding people who like the books and read the fanfic, but don't write for the fandom at all. Siiigh. Still, I've had fun writing for it (and I've reread it many times too).

[psyche29]

I think that it probably never occured to me to write fic for it, though I do remember thinking I'd love to see more in the way of Bran and Jane, or Will and Jane, or,or,or.

I may play with this a while, see what I come up with. I'll let you know. ;)