The Grey King, Newbery Winner 1976

 The Grey King is the fourth book in the series sequence The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. It falls back into the good old-fashioned fantasy story. Unlike The Prydain Chronicles, I believe each book stands on its own slightly better, but in order to be their best should still be read as a series. From the beginning!

Over Sea, Under Stone (1965)

I really liked this one. As I went through the series I kept comparing them to this first book which is so entirely different from the rest of the series that it really isn't a fair comparison. This book has shades of Narnia (which is my jam) - a group of siblings, England, mythology, and a quest. The siblings in question are Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew - they are spending their holidays on the coast of Cornwall in a house rented by their family friend Merriman Lyon (they often refer to him as their Great-Uncle, though the book is adamant that they are unrelated). They find a map that leads them to a mysterious grail, but they have to stay one step ahead of shady characters every step of the way. Although the sequence as a whole is fantasy this one falls more into contemporary literature/ mystery with a few fantasy elements. 

When read on it's own it stands fairly well but you get the feeling that it is part of a larger series. However, I can't confirm if this was always the intention since the next book is a different tone, with different characters (save Merriman), and was published 8 years later!

The Dark Is Rising (Newbery Honor 1973)

Yes, the second book shares its name with the entire series. The book introduces the main hero Will Stanton and cements the overarching themes and plot for the series. It is consistently found on lists of 'Best' Books - be it best books for children, best Newbery books, best books for the classroom, etc... Of course all this means that I thought the book was - okay. I preferred the slightly lighter fare of Over Sea, Under Stone and really missed the Drew siblings. Will doesn't really have anyone to work off a lot of the time and when he does it is almost always adults (in spite of the large number of siblings available).
Will, the seventh son of a seventh son, discovers on his 11th birthday that he is the last of the Old Ones, a group of immortals who are tasked with being guardians of 'the Light'. He begins a quest to gather six signs together and temporarily drive back 'the Dark'. I just don't understand how this book is so popular and loved when virtually every other book in the series is better.

Greenwitch (1974)

This book is the shortest and many don't seem to care for it much. It brings the Drew siblings back (yay!) and has them join Merriman and Will (meh) to try to find the grail (again). Will has been trained enough at this point that he should be able to translate the mysterious markings on the grail and reveal its secrets. Jane is the only child in this volume that doesn't act like a total nincompoop throughout. Anyway she sees the creation of the Greenwitch and her natural instinct towards compassion and empathy is what in fact ends up saving the day.

The Grey King (Newbery Winner 1975)

Finally! This is the book that made Will Stanton interesting enough to carry a book, all it took was him having other people to work off of without being a nincompoop. This book won two awards the Newbery (best contribution to American children's literature) and the Tir na n-Og Award (best children's book with an authentic Welsh background. Yes, dear reader, our fantasy is headed back to Wales! Will is sent to his aunt in Wales to recover after a long illness, he befriends a local boy named Bran and involves him in his newest mission from Merriman. This book really ramps up the Arthurian influence which always makes for good fantasy. I can definitely see why this book (or even the next) would be winning books. I think this book would stand just fine on its own, though you'd feel a touch unfulfilled at the end. This book accomplishes two things: It makes me want to visit Wales and it makes me want to traditional classic Welsh mythology.

Silver on the Tree (1977)

This is the epic crossover event where all of our characters are brought together and so many plots are finally wrapped up. My only wish is that the Drew siblings had more to do in this volume. One of the things I liked most about Greenwitch was that it was just Jane being herself and being kind that saved the day. This shows just how much power ordinary people (even children) hold against the Dark. However, I am totally sold on the conclusion and would hate to spoil certain aspects, but something I really like is the fact that there are actual consequences, there are difficult choices, and there is a train. How many fantasy epics end with a train ride?

Overall I'd recommend this series to fans of Arthurian legends, the British Isles, children's books, or fantasy series. It was not my favorite series but it was serviceable and remains highly popular half a century after its initial publications.