I don’t know how I hadn’t heard about this series before now. It seems exactly the kind of thing that someone would have recommended to me, or I would have picked up in the library if I had seen it growing up, but I didn’t come across it until browsing my online library in my 40s. Fortunately, that wasn’t too late to enjoy it.
Over Sea, Under Stone is the first book in a series of five called The Dark is Rising Sequence.
Simon, Jane and Barney Drew are siblings vacationing in Cornwall with their parents and Great-Uncle Merriman (Merry for short), in a little fishing community by the sea. The parents are mostly absent from the story, letting the children play on their own in a way that was probably more common for that time, but happens less often now. While exploring, the children find something in the attic that starts them on a treasure hunt.
The children prove to be quite intelligent with figuring out puzzles and riddles. Along the way there are hints that maybe there is something a little magical going on, but we don’t really know where it is going. It reads more as a mystery-adventure book. However, there is a sinister Dark side working against them, which makes their fun discovery turn into an urgent quest, somehow mixed up with Arthurian legend and involving Great-Uncle Merry too, as guide and protector.
Read the rest of my review at Loopy Ker’s Life.
This was my favorite series as a pre-teen though I got The Dark is Rising first as a present when I was 11 and so had to back track and read Over Sea, Under Stone second. This is actually the childhood series I was thinking of re-reading in 2016 so I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the rest of the books.
Second review is now posted. :) I very much enjoyed the series. Hope you enjoy your re-reading.
I’ve finally posted the rest. I enjoyed the whole series.