Cooper, Susan: The Grey King
The Grey King (1975)
Written by: Susan Cooper
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Pages: 165 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Four (The Dark is Rising)
Why I Read It: Continuing my read-through of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series, The Grey King was next in line according to publication dates (as well as chronological order). The guy I borrowed the series from told me that in his opinion, the last two books were the best, and since The Grey King is the penultimate title, I was looking forward to seeing how this book compared to the ones that preceded it!
The premise: ganked from BN.com: "Fire on the Mountain Shall Find the Harp of Gold Played to Wake the Sleepers, Oldest of the Old..."
With the final battle between the Light and the Dark soon approaching, Will sets out on a quest to call for aid. Hidden within the Welsh hills is a magical harp that he must use to wake the Sleepers - six noble riders who have slept for centuries.
But an illness has robbed Will of nearly all his knowledge of the Old Ones, and he is left only with a broken riddle to guide him in his task. As Will travels blindly through the hills, his journey will bring him face-to-face with the most powerful Lord of the Dark - the Grey King. The King holds the harp and Sleepers within his lands, and there has yet to be a force strong enough to tear them from his grasp...
A strange boy and dog remind Will Stanton that he is an immortal, whose quest is to find the golden harp which will rouse others from a long slumber in the Welsh hills so they may prepare for the ultimate battle of Light versus Dark.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Sorta. It's actually a really short review, because I plowed right through this book without taking notes, so if you're paranoid, skip to "My Rating." Otherwise, enjoy!
So of all the books in Cooper's series, The Grey King is the one that won the Newbery Medal, which is pretty cool, because while Greenwitch was a nice transition from the pat stories that started the series, The Grey King really stood on its own. It had a smooth feel to the storytelling and to the fantasy, and I never felt jarred between what was real and what was magical. Everything felt seamless. I liked the tension between the farmers, and how Caradog Prichard was something of a tragic figure: a man who just couldn't resist his own impulses nor hot emotions, who wasn't really an agent of the Dark but who made quite the usable tool to discourage the Light. I found it interesting too how one of the major subplots focused on dogs, and it made me realize that in every book so far, dogs have been prominent. Not to the degree that Cafall played here, of course, but once you look back, you realize that dogs keep popping up in this series. Mind you, I'm not saying anything about that, just making the observation.
Bran was quite the interesting character as well, and the revelation about who he actually is was a lovely surprise, and I enjoyed the confirmation that Merriman was actually Merlin, just like Barney suspected all the way in Over Sea, Under Stone . The book ends rather abruptly, with the main action just barely being resolved, and I was left really curious to see how the final book wraps things up. Now that Merriman's identity has been confirmed, and we know who Bran really is, I'm back in Arthurian mode, which makes me wonder just what, exactly, the last book will bring us.
My Rating: Good Read
I have to say, of the series so far, this was the first book that I could really sit down with and enjoy without regard to the intended audience or the age of the book. It's a smooth story that incorporates all the elements from the previous book, which gives it a lovely depth, but the current story is also quite engaging, especially with the Grey King himself as an enemy. Sometimes, my cynical self intrudes and wonders just how bad the dark is, short of causing rotten weather and going after dogs, so I'm really curious to see what all's at stake in the final book. But I can see why this installment was the one that won the Newbery. Not only does is it an enjoyable story, but the revelations are very satisfying.
Cover Commentary: The cover featured here doesn't do much for me. Again, it's not something that would catch my eye in the store, though I appreciate the harp being on the cover, since it's so important to the story. That said, this modern cover here is quite appealing, and I really like the coloring. Yet even that's inspired by this cover, which is the one on the copy I read. I think of the older covers, this is my favorite so far. It really feels like a fantasy, you know?
Next up: Archon by Sabrina Benulis (and some short stories too!)