The Grey King (1975)

I was a little bit underwhelmed by the slow pacing in Greenwitch, but Will's "recovery vacation" to Wales certainly picked things up again. We're quickly thrown into classic Welsh mythology as Will explores the mountains and lakes around his relative's farm in an attempt to wake the sleepers and complete the next part of the quest to halt the rise of the Dark. Some of the language and finer points will undoubtedly be lost on readers who aren't very familiar with the more obscure Welsh lore, but we are all more than familiar with the stories of King Arthur so Cooper gives us something familiar to work with at least. Even though we might not know the stories of the Grey King or how his role in these mountainous communities, his role here as foe is intriguing. You would think that as a ruler of the lands his role would be as a protector of the Welsh people, but instead ut seems to be more as a means of control and tyranny (possibly even a mythological reference to the Welsh's control by the English crown, a foreign and mysterious body to the Welsh commoner). By the end of the tale Will and his friend Bran have managed to complete the next phase of the quest, so we're well set up for the conclusion in the next book of the series. ( )

I was delighted when I found this series in Libby and in audio. It has been a pleasure to listen to the accents that fit the setting of the books. This, the fourth book in the sequence, features Will and Bran. The story continues the adventure including local myths and folklore with battles of dark and light. Publication date 1975. ( )

The fourth book of five in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence is definitely my second favorite thus far, after "The Dark is Rising." Cooper has a way of creating mood and atmosphere that no other children's fantasy writer I've come across possesses. Her books may not necessarily be flawless but her execution definitely makes up for it. You completely feel like you've stumbled into the Welsh countryside yourself when you read the book. The landscape, geography and people are all described vividly and deftly.

Bran is the main character introduced in this volume and he makes a nice counterpoint to the character of Will Stanton. They seem the perfect pair for each other and they both seem up to the task of their battle against the Dark. Sadly the character of Merriman is hardly present at all in this tale, but I'm sure he'll make a strong presence in the last entry, "Silver on the Tree." John Rowlands seemed to be a "replacement" for Merriman in this story, since he strongly reminded me of him.

How clever of Susan Cooper to also put a little Welsh language study lesson into the middle of her book! I was sounding out the words myself as I read. I felt like I'd actually learned something.

I also thought it was interesting how Cooper included grey foxes as the "evil creatures" of this book in the series. I never really thought of foxes as threatening since most of the time they seemed to be the ones being chased in hunts and things. They made a good adversary for the dogs in the story.

I especially love how major thematic elements in the series finally seem to be starting to come together in this book. We have all the full Arthurian elements in play, and we have a much better understanding of the relationship between Light and Dark.

My only complaint would be that Cooper doesn't give us a clear understanding about Will's powers. His magic does have limits and rules, but we're never told exactly what they are. The first half of the book also seems to be stronger than the second. In the first half we're introduced to all the new interesting characters, there's the exciting fire scene on the mountain, and the atmospheric scene inside the mountain with the finding of the harp. In the second half the only really memorable chapters are the Warestone scene and the spectacular finale. A minor gripe though when looked at the book as a whole.

I'm looking forward with great anticipation to reading the finale of the series, "Silver on the Tree," which I already have on order in a hardcover edition. I've been buying each installment in hardcover since I know I'll be reading them over and over again as time goes on. What a splendid series! Definitely one of my all-time favorites. ( )

[This is a review I wrote in 2008]

**Another captivating book in The Dark is Rising series - Book 4**

Yet another enchanting story from Susan Cooper in The Dark is Rising Sequence, her Arthurian legend fantasy series. `The Grey King' is book 4, out of a total of 5.

In `The Grey King' young Will Stanton is sent to stay with family on a remote farm in the Welsh hills, to recover from a serious illness. Here he meets and befriends a local boy, Bran, and his dog Cafall. Bran is no ordinary young boy but is albino, and from their first meeting he recognises Will as one of the Old Ones, guardians of the Light against the powers of the Dark. The Dark is rising and Will soon realises that he has been brought to Wales to complete the task of raising the last great defence of the Light, before the great battle of Dark and Light takes place (book 5).

`Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold
Played to wake the Sleepers, oldest of the old...'

In this task Will needs to unravel the words of an old rhyme which contains the clues for his quest, and he also needs the help of his new friend, Bran, who may have more powers than he at first realises... The two boys will need all the help they can get against the dangerous malevolent powers of The Grey King.

Written in a very credible and almost believable way, `The Grey King' was winner of the Newbery Medal in 1975 and is one of my favourites in the series. ( )

If I had read these sequence of books as a child -- and this book in particular -- my heart would've broken completely. Let's go to Wales, friends! ( )