Cooper, Susan: Greenwitch
Greenwitch (1974)
Written by: Susan Cooper
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Pages: 131 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Three (The Dark is Rising)
Why I Read It: Continuing my readings of Susan Coopers The Dark is Rising Sequence, so I moved on to the third book in the publication (and boxed set) order. It's funny: ever since I started reading these, I've gotten various and differing opinions about what I should've read first and why, and it's so baffling to me. Of course, because I'm reading these books as an adult and actively use my resources to find a correct reading order, I suppose it would be baffling to me that anyone would read them out of order. However, if you read the books as a child, getting them out of order makes sense, and sometimes reading order directly affects what ends up being your favorite. Whatever the case, whatever the order, I'm following the publication order, and I'm quite happy with that order so far. ;)
The premise: ganked from BN.com: "AND THOSE WHO ARE CROSSED, OR BARREN, OR WHO WOULD MAKE ANY WISH, MUST TOUCH THE GREENWITCH"
The Dark has stolen an object of great power - a golden grail that holds a vital secret. Will embarks on a new quest to reclaim the grail, and to drive back the Dark once again. But first he will need the help of three former grail seekers: Jane, Simon, and Barney Drew.
Learning to work together, they must take back the grail and retrieve the missing manuscript that unlocks its mystical secret. But the manuscript is located at the bottom of the sea, and their only hope of obtaining both grail and script is entangled in the mysterious ritual of the Greenwitch....
Jane's invitation to witness the making of the Greenwitch begins a series of sinister events in which she and her two brothers help the Old Ones recover the grail stolen by the Dark.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: YAY, and spoilers for the series so far, which includes Over Sea, Under Stone and The Dark is Rising. So if you're not caught up and/or you simply don't want to be spoiled, skip to "My Rating." Everyone else, onward!
There's really not a whole lot to say about this little thing, because it is such a little thing. But I'm loving my reading order, because it takes the characters and stories from the first two books and combines them for this third. I loved watching how the Drew children interacted with Will Stanton, and I loved seeing the puzzle pieces come together to make a bigger picture. I'm really, really hoping that Barney has a special destiny, aside from the whole creepy scrying thing he did in this book.
I also loved seeing Jane get moved to the center of the story. It's nice to see her get her chance in the limelight, and really, her connection to the Greenwitch is what saves the day, and it's quite touching. Also, is it a bad thing that by book's end, I want to ship Jane and Will Stanton? It is? Thought so….
I spent some time in my review of The Dark is Rising discussing the Christian influences I saw in the series thus far. A few of you were quick to point out the pagan influences as well, and once I finished Greenwitch, I understood you completely. The construction of the Greenwitch alone was fascinating and about as non-Christian as you can get, but what I love about what Cooper is doing is that she lets all these influences simmer altogether in one big pot without really casting judgment on which influence is right or wrong. Everything is either about the Light or the Dark, and while that may be too simplistic for some people, when I consider what the Light and the Dark means in light (ha ha) of all these different influences: Christian, Arthurian, Pagan, etc, I'm rather fascinated. I still have no idea where any of this is going, but I'm happy to continue the series.
My Rating: Good Read
I finished this third installment in a day. It's a quick, fast read that bounces between the Drew children (whom we meet in the first book, Over Sea, Under Stone) and Will Stanton (whom we meet in the second book, The Dark is Rising). I'm not too sure how well this particular installment would stand on its own, without having read any of the other books in the series, but what I like about reading it in order is how the first two books influence and inform the story in the third. Any questions I have relate to new things being discovered in the story, not wondering about the story's background, so that's very useful. But beyond that, it's a fun little read, and I like seeing the main characters of the first two books coming together for one (albeit short) adventure, and the folklore of the Greenwitch and what comes out of that is particularly fascinating.
Cover Commentary: It's funny. I really can't find a cover I like for this one. There's the one I'm using in the review, which looks too masculine for my taste and doesn't appeal to me at all; then there's the only that originally appealed to me but I've grown to dislike after reading the book, because in it, the Greenwitch looks like a floating head,. Maybe the body's still under water? Interestingly enough, despite the fact that the art shows more of a person than a construction as described in the book, my favorite cover is the one I read: Sure, it looks like an old woman with green skin, and maybe she's too kindly looking at that, but that image has far more power for me than the other two.
Next up: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente