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Over Sea, Under Stone (Puffin Books)
 
 
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Over Sea, Under Stone (Puffin Books) [Illustrated] (Paperback)

by Susan Cooper (Author) "Where is he? ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
RRP: £5.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Puffin; New Ed edition (30 Jun 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140303626
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140303629
  • Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.7 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 94,091 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #9 in  Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators > C > Cooper, Susan
    #48 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > G > Gill, A.A.

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Product Description

Product Description

This is the first of the five books which form Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence. Three children, on holiday in Cornwall, discover an ancient map which leads them into a search for a buried grail.


About the Author

Susan Cooper was born in Buckinghamshire, but now lives in America. Her fantasy sequence, The Dark Is Rising, has won numerous internation awards, including the Newbery Medal, and has been translated into eleven languages.
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A good adventurous read -sort of Famous Five meet King Arthur!, 31 May 2007
By S. Barnes (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Simon, Jane & Barney are off on their summer holidays with their mum & dad, to a holiday house in the village of "Trewissick" on the Cornish Coast, where they will all stay with Great-Uncle-Merry in a rambling old house overlooking the sea. They are all thrilled to be going to Cornwall, but none more so than Barney, the youngest, who loves the stories of Arthurian Legend and dreams of stories of King Arthur and his Knights. He can't wait to see Cornwall, the land of the Pendragon, the centre of Arthurian myth.

On a miserable rainy day at the beginning of their holiday, the children decide to make an adventure of exploring the house where they are staying. Locked cabinets, chests and personal papers are out of bounds but they are free to explore the rest of the house as they like. In real Enid Blyton style they soon discover a secret stairway hidden behind a large heavy wardrobe in the boys' bedroom... and off they go to explore.... An ancient treasure map soon emerges & the children have found an adventure for their holiday... secrets to discover.

But are they out of their depth? They don't seem to be the only people chasing after hidden treasure. Soon, they find an ally in Great-Uncle-Merry & Rufus, the dog... but can they reach the treasure before the sour Mr & Miss Withers, the rude ruddy-faced boy, Billy and the man they think is the vicar?!!

A good, innocent, Famous-Five-style adventure story (first published In 1965), with just a hint of Arthurian legend & magic thrown in. From reading other reviews, it sounds as though the magic & legend are developed in the rest of the series, so here I guess just the foundations are laid. The children are all very cheery, optimistic, happy-go-lucky, although individual characters aren't developed at all in the story. Well-written, with more depth than an Enid Blyton story, lacks pace in a few places but overall recommended.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Traditional but very good, 22 Oct 2003
By 3Lllama "3lllama" (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
I hope I don't upset too many Tolkienistas if I say that this is to the Dark is Rising series what The Hobbit is to The Lord of the Rings. That is, while it does set the scene and introduces some of the characters, it was written much earlier in the writer's career, isn't as polished or inventive and was clearly written for younger children. Written as it was in the early 60s, there's the usual copying of Blytonesque characters and somewhat clunky dialogue from children's series books. But these faults never stopped children from liking the Narnia books and they are much less intrusive here. That said, I'm not sure all that would bother the average eight-year-old because the story moves along at a brisk pace, there's no pompous pseudo-archaic language to get in the way and there are no "boring bits". I think this would be of limited interest if you've already read the other four books but it might be something to get a younger relative interested.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Over sea, 31 Dec 2005
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
"Over Sea Under Stone" is perhaps the weakest of the classic "Dark is Rising" series, though in itself it's quite a good book. In this, Susan Cooper kicks off her epic fantasy sequence with doses of Celtic legend, a good vs. evil battle, and a hunt for a mysterious, magical treasure.

Simon, Jane and Barney Drew have arrived at their great-uncle Merriman's seaside house for a vacation -- and rapidly become quite bored with the seaside village. But when exploring the attic, they unearth a very, very old map that is somehow connected with the legendary King Arthur. As anyone else would do, the kids begin the search to find a golden grail that is somewhere nearby.

But they soon find that they are not the only ones who want the map. A seemingly genial pair of vacationers are being slightly too inquisitive, and someone breaks into Merriman's house in search of the map. And Merriman reveals the origins of the map -- and an ages-old conflict between good and evil that hinges on who finds the grail first.

Taken alone, "Over Sea Under Stone" is a solid, even excellent fantasy story. But it's a little out of sync with the rest of the series. However it sets excellent groundwork, has an intriguing storyline and a good mix of folklore and Arthuriana, and offers us one of the most mysterious and likable "magic mentors," Merriman Lyon. It starts off with every kid's fantasy -- treasure maps and ancient kings -- and rapidly blossoms into something much more.

One of the most noticeable differences between this and Cooper's later books is the writing; the writing in her later books becomes much more verbose and descriptive and magical. Here it's quite stark and plain, without a great deal of detail or mystical mind-blowing. "Over Sea" is mostly very prosaic and very rooted in our world, and many important concepts in the series aren't even touched on.

The Drew kids are the sort of siblings that pop up in old E. Nesbit books -- plucky, chirpy and on vacation. There isn't a lot of difference between their individual personalities, although they are quite likable. Their "uncle" Merriman is pleasant, humorous, but at the same time Cooper implies that still waters run deep. The malevolent Mr. and Miss Withers are initially very jovial and kindly, but you can sense something rotten underneath.

The first of the "Dark is Rising" books is somewhat out of sync with the novels that follow, but taken alone it's still an excellent, well-written fantasy adventure.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Start of the Best Series I Ever Read
I first read this book many years ago, and the follow up books that make up the "Dark is Rising Sequence". I think these books are perhaps the best series I ever read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sir Furboy

5.0 out of 5 stars over sea, under stone
five stars isn't enough.
Updated version on CD needs looking into.
Could not stop listening. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2007 by Nima

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start, for an epic series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's following series. Although it does have a weak start and at times may be a little hard to get in to, it is very much worth reading... Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2007 by Lewis J. King

5.0 out of 5 stars The first/prologue volume to THE DARK IS RISING sequence
"...in the old days when the struggle between good and evil was more bitter and open than it is now. That struggle goes on all round us all the time, like two armies fighting. Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2005 by Michele L. Worley

2.0 out of 5 stars Weak plot and characters
Over Sea, Under Stone is a children's fantasy story involving the battle of good versus evil, and the hunt for the Holy Grail. Read more
Published on 21 Jul 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining prelude
This is a fast-moving and exceptionally well-written adventure story with currents of something darker and stranger flowing beneath. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2002 by Andrew M Daley

5.0 out of 5 stars ARTFUL READING OF AN ARTHURIAN TALE
Few stories are more popular among readers than the age old battle between good and evil, which is exemplified in the legend of King Arthur. Read more
Published on 26 Jul 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, evovative and captivating
I first read this 15 years ago at a friends behest. I have always loved Cornwall, the Arthurian mythos and good fantasy books - this is a wonderful synthesis of all three. Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars an old fashioned book but a good read.
This is a good read, for children from nine or ten upwards. Its beautifully written and exciting, with a good sense of place. Read more
Published on 17 Jul 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Prepare to feel more emotions you never knew you could
The author beautifully captures the essense of cornwall in this fantsy book about magic. This book is the first in the series about how three very ordinary children get caught up... Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2000

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