OVER SEA UNDER STONE (Hardcover)

"Over Sea, Under Stone" differs from the other books in the series in that it avoids the overtly supernatural. This is an unusual fantasy novel in which nothing obviously fantastic occurs. The terrors of The Dark and the workings of magic remain subtle hints and hidden undertones beneath the action, as if they are occurring just out of sight of the main characters. This gives the novel a spooky sense of reality, and the reader can easily imagine him or herself in the place of the three children who, during a vacation in Cornwall, slowly discover the battle with The Dark that has existed for centuries. The novels that follow, especially "The Dark is Rising," plunge headlong into the supernatural, but "Over Sea, Under Stone" provides a perfect, gradual introduction.

The story introduces us to the three Drew children, Simon, Barney, and Jane, and their mysteriously knowledgeable Great-Uncle Merry, all who will play major parts in the saga. While the Drew children are on vacation in Cornwall (a land steeped in legends), they discover a map which may lead to the Grail of the King Arthur stories. With Great-Uncle Merry's help they start to unravel the clues on the map. But The Dark will do anything to seize the Grail first, for it contains a power that can defeat them. The story unfolds as a fascinating mystery as the Drew children unravel clue after clue while the danger from mysterious individuals grows greater with each stride they make toward the final goal.

Few young adult fantasies offer such intelligence and subtlety as "Over Sea, Under Stone." Readers of all ages will become entwined in its mysteries and read swiftly to the tense conclusion. After that, they will definitely want to continue to the epic next book in the sequence, "The Dark Is Rising," where the hidden magical forces of this book burst through the surface to start their titanic battle. The story continues in "Greenwitch," "The Grey King," and concludes in "Silver on the Tree."

The kids themselves are particularly engaging. Cooper has a good ear for dialogue, and the kids never sound like an age that they arenï¿t. Too often Iï¿ll read books about eight year-olds that talk, walk, and act like theyï¿re thirty-five. Here, an eight-year-old is eight, and the reader never doubts the authorï¿s tongue. As for the story, who could complain? Susan Cooper knows how to instill fear. Her villains are always most villainous when theyï¿re cool and collected. Her plots are carefully planned and rarely forced. And her writing is melodic. She does suffer from a dire need to often put rhymes and poems in her books that the heroes must solve. But otherwise, one cannot complain. If youï¿ve kids looking for something in a Tolkein vein, this is the book for them.