Dark Is Rising thanks and etc.

[Rosmerta]

Oops, I probably should've mentioned that, based on the 
recommendations from this list, we actually read the second book 
first, so I was talking about "The Dark Is Rising" itself.

Neil wrote: There is more poetry in the writing and the approach to 
adventure is more subtle, perhaps, than JKR's and Amber wrote:I've 
always found TDIR rather...dreamy. The writing as a whole feels more 
abstract and "not here" while JKR's writing is definitely in the here 
and now. 

Agreed, very much, on both those points. I was attracted to the book 
enormously because the magic seemed much more subtle and less flashy-
fun--more like real magic would be if it did exist, enhanced 
intuition and heightened perception, more human in a way. And also, 
particularly at the beginning, the evil seemed more like real evil 
that we really do encounter--darkness that descends and cuts one off 
from the joys of life (also like the Dementor's brand of evil). To me 
this is much scarier than a bad guy with a name and a persona 
attached to him. (I will refrain from adding current-event comments 
at this point).

But I was frustrated about the pacing--in many chapters, Will and 
other main characters are in and out of moral danger several times in 
the space of 2 or 3 pages, which makes for a kind of see-saw-y, ping-
pong type of momentum rather than a slow, dreadful build to some 
ultimate climax. Also, since Will is told at the very beginning that, 
as an Old One, the Dark can't harm him, the stakes seemed to be 
lowered enormously. Even the most civic-minded hero is going to work 
a bit harder when his life is on the line. I wonder why she put that 
proviso in there; for me, it lessened the tension. And finally, I'm 
not one of those readers that likes to dot the i's and cross the t's, 
but I had a very strong feeling by the end that all that time-travel 
didn't add up logically, if you wanted to go back and work it all out.

I know I shouldn't be complaining till I read more of the series, but 
I have been feeling frustrated since, to me, the book started off 
with such enormous promise and then sort of descended into the pretty-
good category....

~Rosmerta