One 'd*mn' and, once, the use of the adjective 'b***dy.' One man also exclaims 'Iesu Crist' (Jesus Christ), and another calls Bran a b*****d. Later, Caradog Prichard attempted to force himself on Bran's mother. Will is told the story of how Bran's mother stayed in a hut with a man for three days, and even though nothing happened, the man continues to feel guilty about it. The Grey King threatens to destroy Will (for a time, as no Old One can be annihilated forever). Several sheep are killed by grey foxes throughout the story, and two sheepdogs are blamed and one shot by Caradog. Owen Davies, Bran's adoptive father, gets into a fight with Caradog Prichard after the latter attempts to rape Bran's mother. The Grey King uses a warestone to control creatures and objects around it the golden harp is of a magical quality, able to wake the sleepers. Will and the Grey King both use spells of sundry natures, but Will most often uses spells of concealment and protection while the Grey King's are usually for destruction. One character is ridiculed, covertly, for the time he spends at church. The actual entities of the Light and the Dark become clearer in this book, though they are most clearly defined in the next one, 'Silver on the Tree.' They are recognize to be the powers that control the universe, and that they are the only powers which do so.

The things he does, however, are not condoned. The man Caradog Prichard, nearing insanity and obsessed with killing Bran's white dog, Cafall, is once described as 'innocent' simply because he is not actually one of the Dark, though his actions clearly indicate that he is not at all innocent. Knowing that no one would believe him were he to tell the truth about his mission, Will lies a fair amount to his uncle and aunt about what is going on. Those feelings are, he says, good for men, but not the Old Ones. Will's reply is that the Light is there only to turn back the Dark, and that such emotions as pity cannot be allowed to sway the Light from its purpose. The question of the morality of the Light is raised when a man remarks that, at its heart, the power of the Light is very cold, often using men to their hurt for the greater good of mankind. Will must find the harp of gold, challenge the Grey King of the mountain, and wake the six Sleepers in preparation for the greatest rise of the Dark. But when he meets the strange boy Bran, with his white hair and golden eyes, the memories return. All his memories have been swept from his mind: the memories that would help him to find the second Thing of Power. A skillfully written young adults novel, but with a mix of good morals and doubtful ones.Īfter a long, dangerous illness, Will Stanton, last of the Old Ones, is sent to Wales to recuperate.

The Grey King by Susan Cooper