Book Review: Over Sea, Under Stone

“Once upon a time... a long time ago... things that happened once perhaps but have been talked about for so long that nobody really knows. And underneath all the bits that people have added the magic swords and lamps they're all about one thing - the good hero fighting the giant or the witch or the wicked uncle. Good against bad. Good against evil.” 

 

A lot of people like Fridays because they mean the end of the week.  I like Fridays because they're my hump-day.  It's the fourth night of my seven nights, so after tonight, we're on the home stretch.  However, I will say that I also just enjoy my job a lot.  So, even though I love seven off more, I don't hate my seven on. Last night was a very slow night at work.  That means that I got to finish a book!




Over Sea, Under Stone is about three children who find a map that has some shocking connections to King Arthur and King Mark.  It is, in fact, a map to the grail!  What follows is their quest for the grail, as well as trying to avoid the evil people.  It's not really clear who they are, or what they want.  But they do know they're evil.

It wasn't until the middle of this book that I put two and two together that Over Sea, Under Stone, the first of The Dark is Rising books, is written by the same author as Victory, which I reviewed back in December.  I had similar feelings.  It wasn't a book (like Twilight or, to a certain extent Divergent), where I thought, "These are awful!  Why do so many people like this?"  But I was thinking, "A lot of people love this series.  I'm not impressed."

The entire book was good enough, but felt like a second-rate version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, complete with kids staying in some old, respected guy's house, and finding a legendary thing.  Behind a wardrobe, no less!  And they were British and discussed handkerchiefs and stuff too.  The characters were real enough, but didn't pop off of the page with any distinguishing characteristics from most any other characters.

I went to the library and got the second one.  I don't know why.  I really think that I'm developing a finish-what-you-start mentality with book series.  But over all, two stars.

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