On the day of the dead, when the year too dies

[dolorosa_12]

My living room is full of lit candles, I've broken out the sloe gin for the first time this year, and daylight saving time ended last night. I'm not really one for Halloween (although I love seeing photos of friends' small children dressed up in adorable costumes), but I am very much one for marking arbitrary turning points in the year with my own invented rituals.

And so, this year, I decided that I would not limit my annual Susan Cooper reread to The Dark Is Rising at the height of midwinter. Instead, I would add to that by reading all five books in Cooper's sequence at the times during which their action takes place. The books in this series are as grounded in time — the turning points of the seasons — as they are in place, so much so that it would be impossible to switch out one book for another (moving Over Sea, Under Stone to autumn, for example, or Greenwitch to high summer). The stories they tell wouldn't work at any other time of the year.

The Grey King, is, above all things, a ghost story. Folkloric 'Sleepers' wake at the call of a magical harp and ride the land again, driving out evil. Will Stanton, the lonely child hero of the series, chases after the ghosts of old Arthuriana, hovering at the edge of his supernatural awareness. And, at the heart of novel are the unquiet ghosts of the past — family secrets, hidden small-scale conflicts in a Welsh farming community, a lonely boy bewildered by his confusing heritage, and the pain all this causes by being left unacknowledged by all concerned. Everyone in this book is haunted, and its story could not be told at any time other than the days on either side of 31st October. The Dark Is Rising sequence is at its strongest when it weaves the personal and domestic with the supernatural, the human with the cosmic struggle between the dark and light, and it does so with particular poignancy in this book.

The Grey King is, in my opinion, the heaviest of Cooper's works in this series. It's still a children's book, and so good must triumph in the end, but here the triumph feels particularly hard won, like coming up for air for one exhausted last breath before the next onslaught, a temporary respite from the storm. There is hope, yes, but it's the hope that comes from surviving to fight another day, and the weary knowledge that each battle is getting harder, and taking more and more of a toll. It's a beautiful book, but not a restful one — the literary equivalent of the end of daylight saving time, and the knowledge that the dark of night will last a little longer every day for some months now.

I'm so glad I chose to reread this perceptive, melancholy little book today.

Comments

[chestnut_pod]

This was such a delight to read -- The Grey King was my favorite of the series as a child. Bran spoke to me so much, and I think about Bronwen even all these years later.

[dolorosa_12]

Awww, I'm so pleased to hear it! My favourite in the series is Greenwitch, but I can definitely see why The Grey King would resonate with other people. Bran is such a wonderful character!

[rmc28]

I loved these books as a child - I won't manage to reread it today but I have all five books in a collected edition paperback ... somewhere in this house.

My aunt lives within a reasonable drive of Cader Idris, and walking up to the lake is a fairly straightforward hike - there are actual steps on the steep bits, maintained by the National Trust - which I've done at least a few times. I don't think I've ever made it around the top of the mountain (but my spouse has).

[dolorosa_12]

The series was definitely one of my favourites as a child as well, and I still love the books as an adult, although I find that they hit harder and are much more melancholy to read in adulthood.

What a wonderful part of the world your aunt lives in — those must be stunning walks!

[ilyena_sylph]

I love these books so much, especially The Grey King, and you captured so very, very much of 'why' here. Thank you!

[dolorosa_12]

They really are such wonderful books, aren't they? I'm glad you liked my post.

[bruttimabuoni]

This is a lovely post. I think the Grey King is the one I read the least (possible competition from Greenwitch, which I connected with less), but it does linger in the memory.

[dolorosa_12]

Greenwitch is actually my favourite in the series, and the one that resonated with me the most — I tend to find Silver on the Tree the hardest to reread, because even as a child, I hated that ending! But you're right — the books have a kind of haunting quality that lingers in the memory. I'm glad you liked my post.

[rachelmanija]

The Grey King is a beautiful book, but yes, very sad.

[dolorosa_12]

They're all melancholy, but I'd say it's the saddest of the five, definitely.

[scintilla10]

I really loved how you wrote this: There is hope, yes, but it's the hope that comes from surviving to fight another day, and the weary knowledge that each battle is getting harder, and taking more and more of a toll. It's a beautiful book, but not a restful one — the literary equivalent of the end of daylight saving time, and the knowledge that the dark of night will last a little longer every day for some months now.

I also really like your observation about these books being grounded in specific seasons. I immediately recognized this series from the title of your post, and it's been ages since I've read them, but this makes me want to revisit them. <3

[dolorosa_12]

Thank you so much — I'm so glad you liked the post, and that it might inspire a reread!

[oracne]

I love this series so much. I still remember the impact The Grey King and The Dark is Rising had on me, on first read.

[dolorosa_12]

They're such powerful, resonant stories, aren't they? And unlike some children's fiction, they really do still hold up when read in adulthood.

[oracne]

I got to be on a "reread" panel on The Dark is Rising at Readercon one year; the room was PACKED and we had so much fun.

[dolorosa_12]

Oh wow, that sounds amazing!