In fact, as written in the intro to the edition of the book I have, the entire series was inspired by the author and her husband cross-country skiing in the winter in Massachusetts. The winter setting of the first book is quite evocative as a reader, you can practically feel the cold. By the end of the novel, Will will have summoned Herne the Hunter to his assistance. Imagery is often taken from British folklore the blacksmith John Smith has a middle name Wayland, which is a reference to Wayland the Smith, a character from German heroic legend. Many of the familiar faces in the community have some connection to the Old Ones and their mission, and a fun part of the story is that everyone seems to know more about what’s going on than Will himself.
Will turns eleven years old completely unaware of his powers, but the knowledge nevertheless lies within him, and he often finds the answers to questions coming unbidden from his mouth. The book is a fascinating story of supernatural adventure, with a rather unique tone and feeling to it (though people who have read the more recent adventures of a certain boy wizard may get a sense of deja vu). His mission will take him not only through his community but to other places and other times, and he must beware the machinations of The Dark, who not only seek control of the Signs of wood, bronze, iron, water, fire, and stone, but of Will himself. Will is given an important mission: collect six magical Signs that can be used in the final battle between Light and Dark. Will soon learns that he is the last and youngest of a group of immortal beings known as the Old Ones, who possess immense supernatural powers and are tasked with keeping The Dark, the powers of evil, from overtaking the world. The Rider tries to cajole Will into accepting a ride on his horse, but when that fails he tries to grab him, and it is only the quick reflexes of Smith that saves him from abduction. While visiting the blacksmith, appropriately named John Smith, he encounters a sinister Rider, getting new shoes for his horse, which is colored black as night. That night, Will gets a taste of that badness, as he is overwhelmed by an inexplicable terror. And this night will be bad, and tomorrow will be beyond imagining.” Dawson, the cattleman, Dawson cryptically replies, “The Walker is abroad. When he later describes this encounter to Mr. While out doing farm chores with his brother James, Will spots a strange tramp lurking just out of sight in the trees. Almost immediately on this snowy winter day, odd things begin to happen in his rural community, some simply strange, others sinister. On his eleventh birthday, the midwinter day, Will Stanton feels that something has changed. This was the young adult fantasy series to read of my generation everyone I knew in grade school got around to reading it at some point! But would it hold up for an adult reader?
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