The Dark Is Rising sequence, a set of five books, which tells the tale of Will, the last and youngest of the Old Ones, a race of humans who are bent on protecting the world from the Dark. With a lot of the King Arthur legend playing a vital role in the plot, and the dark brooding mountains of Wales and the wild seas of south east England as the setting of the stories, the Dark Is Rising sequence is an atmospheric brooding tale, and sometimes scary too (for kids!).

The first book, “Over Sea & Under Stone” introduces Simon, Barney and Jane, three children who help their Uncle Merry (or Merriman Lyon – Merry Lyon – geddit?) find a relic (a grail or chalice), while trying to thwart the Dark at the same time. This is a straightforward adventure story, which any child who delights in Enid Blyton-type adventures, will find a pleasurable read. I know I did all those years ago.

The second book, “The Dark Is Rising” introduces us to Will, the youngest and last of the Old Ones, who has plenty of responsibilities and tasks ahead of him. This is the first book which draws a lot on atmosphere, with darkness, snow and the cold playing vital components of the book’s texture. Midwinter magic also plays a huge role in the plotline. Will falls into his duties wholeheartedly and of course manages to save the day!

The third book, “Greenwitch“, brings Simon, Barney and Jane together with Will and Merriman Lyon. Back in Cornwall, the four children go on a quest to retrieve a missing manuscript (lost in the first book) as well as the grail which was stolen from the museum. This third book combines the adventure of the first book together with the atmosphere of the second. Local folklore plays a role, and there are some downright creepy moments, especially when the Greenwitch possesses the whole village.

It’s such a pity that the movie was just so terrible! Firstly, as Hollywood does, it was set in the USA. Secondly, all the King Arthur bits were thrown out (and how could they explain how King Arthur got to the USA, if they had put it in?). None of the brooding dark atmosphere was included, and instead of using subtle magic, everyone was hurtling things about like a super hero movie. No thank you, Hollywood! Blech!

I am currently the last two books, which from memory, are really special! So far, the Grey King, which also won the Newbury Medal in 1975, has not disappointed!

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The story, as the website states, is about:

Jebel Rum is a thin, scrawny boy. His father is the famed executioner in the city where they live. When Jebel is humiliated in public, he sets off on a quest to gain great strength and invincibility. If successful, he will be able to compete in a gruelling contest to prove himself and replace his father as the wielder of the axe. Failure, on the other hands, means certain death.

To win the favour of a fire god, Jebel must make a human sacrifice. He finds a slave who is willing to pay this grisly price, and the pair set off on a trek through lands deadly and unwelcoming. In the course of their travels they will encounter hatred, bigotry, slavery, death and a whole lot more. It is the nightmarish adventure of a lifetime…

And an adventure it certainly is. It gets more and more gruesome as the chapters advance, especially the Um Biyara, those horrible self-sacrificial zealots.

Shan states that Jordan inspired the fantasy lands featured in the book. Having been to Jordan, I can imagine it so, with many names sounding familiar, and many landscapes described depicting the orange and yellow sandstones of the country. More than anything though, Shan’s “The Thin Executioner” is  social commentary on the death sentence, on bigotry and religious fascism, on xenophobia, hardly the stuff of kids’ books, but good to start them early, I guess.

You can get some juicy extras from Darren Shan’s website here.

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Click here to read my mini review on the fitness blog.

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Read “The Lost Art of World Domination” here, and “Gold, Babies & the Brothers Muldoon” here.

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• FREE eBook – Skulduggery Pleasant: Scepter of the Ancients by Derek Landy (Plus short stories from Macmillian) (randomizeme.wordpress.com)
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For pdf, click here, html click here.

Telling more than that is telling too much, and I’m sure some might be annoyed already with the Meloncholia spoiler (although that is revealed on the back cover so…). There are quite a few new characters introduced, albeit in a minor way, but I can imagine they’ll play a bigger role in stories to come. I can’t say there are any memorable new characters, but I love Scapegrace, especially what happens to him in the end.

Of course, the big revelation (not so big if you’ve been paying attention) and the bigger climax is truly entertaining and far darker than any of the first four books. The back of the book announces a novelette “End of the World” to be published in March 2012 in conjunction with World Book Day, and a full length novel in September 2012. And Derek Landy says on his blog that he envisages the Skulduggery Pleasant adventure to be a nine-book saga, which is good. Because at the rate the books are going, I don’t want them to end!

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• Skulduggery Pleasant – Dark Days (pottedplot.com)
• Mortal Coil totally rocks! (pottedplot.com)
• Re-read: Skulduggery Pleasant 1-3 (pottedplot.com)
• Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landy – review (guardian.co.uk)