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FindingJane
Jun 25, 2016FindingJane rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
In this installment of “The Dark is Rising” series, young Will is given his most formidable test yet. Bereft of the ever-present Merriman Lyon, he’s forced to battle an ancient, formless evil. There are no other Old Ones to help him, which emphasizes the peril he faces. Will becomes less and less like a child or human being with every passing book. An unnatural maturity shines out of his eyes, so much so that other normal people are beginning to pick up on it. A certain coldness is growing in his nature as well, that kind that will sacrifice individuals for the greater good. But it’s his command of magic that truly bothers me. He gained knowledge of it all at once, by merely sitting down and reading a book, and now it seems that he can command it to suit almost any occasion. Time and again, he steps back and uses words in the Old Speech to battle his foes. He’s not entirely invincible; his enemies have powers of their own. But his abilities just leap forth with little or no reason at every occasion. However, he’s not omnipotent. As if to compensate for his awesome gifts, the author hits him with an illness that lays him low, weakens his body and temporarily scatters his memory. He hasn’t entirely convalesced from this sickness and it drags him down at inconvenient moments throughout the book. As such, it seems like a mere contrivance, a neon sign the author has hung over his head that reads “See? He’s only human, after all.” As a human foil, Will is saddled with Bran, an albino incongruously referred to as the “raven boy”, who also has a destiny to fulfill. While he’s initially hard to figure out, you sense that his distance is more mocking and deliberate, a veil to hide loneliness, than signs that he’s otherworldly. His personal drama becomes more compelling than Will’s quest, precisely because it is personal, rather than some high-minded goal. Even as he helps Will, his own desires and painful wants bring the much-needed touch of human warmth the book is lacking elsewhere. “The Grey King” is building up to a powerful climax. But it must struggle to maintain humanity if readers are to remain interested in the outcome.