Reflections on the puddle of life

For every reader there must be certain books which you can pinpoint from your childhood as pivotal books, books that affected and, perhaps, permanently cemented your relationship with reading. For me, The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper is one of those books.

There are five books in the series: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree. I'm sure there'd be some debate over which is the favourite, but for me it will always be The Grey King. It was the first of the series I read, and it is probably the best. But I wasn't intending to write about The Grey King, but rather The Dark is Rising.

Every year I like to read something Christmassy around Christmas time. This year, I was at a bit of a loss as to what to read. I finished reading Empire of the Sun, which is amazing, and wondered what to do next. Then I was reading The Guardian's book site and it so happens that they're running a series of articles about the best Christmas books/stories, and The Dark is Rising was mentioned. It's such a long time since I read it, I thought, 'why not?' And so I did.

Goodness, how could I forget. It is an exceptional book. It is spooky, immediately evocative. Infinitely better than Harry Potter or the Chronicles of Narnia. A perfect Christmas read. I devoured it in three days, and would love to read it again. I may

If you haven't read it, I'll give you a brief overview of the plot. Will is the 7th son of a 7th son and it's the eve of his 11th birthday. Will was born on Midwinter's Day, or the Winter Solstice (21st December) and the story is set from the eve of Will's birthday and runs until Twelfth Night. The night before his birthday, Will feels a little strange. Animals are scared of him, and strange things happen to the TV and radio when he passes. Rooks attack an old tramp on the street.

All Will wishes for is snow, and the snow obliges. He wakes on his birthday to find the world transformed, his family sleeping and unable to be woken. He walks out, and finds himself in an ancient forest. As it happens, Will is one of the Old Ones: a circle of people of the Light stretching through time, protecting the earth from the Dark. And the Dark is Rising.

Will meets others of the Old Ones, an old and very powerful lady and Merriman, who will serve as his protector and guide. He is set a task, as the last of the Old Ones to be born Will is to be the sign seeker and his quest is to discover the six signs of the Light which will give the Old Ones the power to defeat the rising Dark. The signs represent the ages of man: water, fire, wood, stone, bronze and iron and take the form of a quartered circle. The story takes us through Will's quest to locate each of the signs.

And at the backdrop of Will's strange quest is an ordinary family Christmas. Will juggles his new life against his old, trying to separate the menace of one from the ordinary comfort and security of the other.

I won't tell you more than that. If you haven't read it, I hope it's whetted your appetite. The Dark is Rising Sequence draws heavily on British myth and legend, particularly pagan mythology and the myths of King Arthur. Ancient beliefs are interwoven into Will's journey, set against the tension of the rising dark and Will's own coming of age, both in terms of his growth from a boy into a man and his change from a normal human into an Old One. The story shows us how the path of the Light is one which is both good and yet not easy. How sometimes terrible personal sacrifices must be made in the interests of doing what it right, and what is best.

It is an amazingly atmospheric story. Rich in history and legend, it reads like a modern (ish) day myth. Beautifully written and intricately drawn, it is the perfect pre-Christmas read. If you fancy reading something which makes you think of snow as something slightly menacing, this is the book for you!

If you do decide to read it, enjoy.

Have a lovely Yuletide, everyone.
Fifth