Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Silver on the Tree: The Dark is Rising Sequence #5
    Unavailable
    Silver on the Tree: The Dark is Rising Sequence #5
    Unavailable
    Silver on the Tree: The Dark is Rising Sequence #5
    Audiobook9 hours

    Silver on the Tree: The Dark is Rising Sequence #5

    Written by Susan Cooper

    Narrated by Alex Jennings

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The final volume of Susan Cooper's brilliant and absorbing fantasy sequence known as The Dark Is Rising.

    The Dark is rising in its last and greatest bid to control the world. And Will Stanton--last-born of the immortal Old Ones, dedicated to keeping the world free--must join forces with his ageless master Merriman and Bran, the Welsh boy whose destiny ties him to the Light. Drawn in with them are the three Drew children, who are mortal, but have their own vital part in the story. These six fight fear and death in the darkly brooding Welsh hills, in a quest through time and space that touches the most ancient myths of the British Isles and that brings Susan Cooper's masterful sequence of novels to a satisfying close.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 26, 2002
    ISBN9780807206805
    Unavailable
    Silver on the Tree: The Dark is Rising Sequence #5
    Author

    Susan Cooper

    Susan Cooper is one of our foremost fantasy authors; her classic five-book fantasy sequence The Dark Is Rising has sold millions of copies worldwide. Her books’ accolades include the Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and five shortlists for the Carnegie Medal. She combines fantasy with history in Victory (a Washington Post Top Ten Books for Children pick), King of Shadows, Ghost Hawk, and her magical The Boggart and the Monster, second in a trilogy, which won the Scottish Arts Council’s Children’s Book Award. Susan Cooper lives on a saltmarsh island in Massachusetts, and you can visit her online at TheLostLand.com.

    Related to Silver on the Tree

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Legends, Myths & Fables For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The 10 Best Books Of February 2020

      Feb 12, 2020

      Our picks include a novel about two fathers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; a tale of a rogue naturalist, and a biography of Emily Dickinson.

      2 min read

    • Article

      100 BEST BOOKS of 2021

      Nov 21, 2021

      100 BEST BOOKS of 2021
      15 min read

    • Article

      4 New Children’s Books

      Oct 25, 2020

      These best-selling kids’ authors have some exciting new offerings for their fans – in fact, these sequels are so good, the young at heart may be just as captivated! The Forever Horse by Stacy Gregg (Harper Collins, $24.99) The latest horsey advent

      1 min read

    • Article

      Also On The Bookshelf

      Dec 28, 2021

      The Dublin Railway Murder by Thomas Morris (Harvill Secker, 384 pages, £14.99) In November 1856, George Little, a railway cashier in Dublin, was discovered dead under his desk, his head nearly cleaved from his body, in a blood-spattered room seemingl

      2 min read

    • Article

      Best Children’s And YA Books Of 2022

      Dec 3, 2022

      This has been an outstanding year for children’s literature, with conservationist, comic, reflective and adventurous books all finding enthralled readers. In picture books, Britannica’s Baby Encyclopedia by Sally Symes, illustrated by Hanako Clulow,

      4 min read

    • Article

      Fiction

      Dec 15, 2023

      Fiction
      4 min read

    • Article

      CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS

      Dec 16, 2022

      CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
      2 min read

    • Article

      What To Read This Autumn: 2023’s Biggest New Books

      Aug 26, 2023

      Historical delightsZadie Smith’s The Fraud (Hamish Hamilton) kicks off a strong season for historical fiction. Also in September, AK Blakemore follows her acclaimed The Manningtree Witches with a darkly exuberant novel about one man’s insatiable hung

      10 min read

    • Article

      Time War: Susan’s War

      May 20, 2020

      Time War: Susan’s War
      1 min read

    • Article

      Big Ideas For Small Readers

      Nov 29, 2020

      Big Ideas For Small Readers
      10 min read

    • Article

      EMILY BEARN on Coronation Books for Children

      Apr 5, 2023

      This season, children's fiction hails a new superhero in the form of King Charles III, who stars in a galore of picture books to mark the Coronation. For the youngest readers, The King's Coronation by Marion Billet (Campbell, £6.99) is a skilfully im

      3 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Aug 10, 2023

      Reviews
      5 min read

    • Article

      Sword Catcher

      Oct 4, 2023

      Sword Catcher
      3 min read

    • Article

      Books ...

      Nov 11, 2021

      Two passionate love stories intersect in this novel about people catching the train from Cornwall to Berlin. In 1944, Eliza and Alex promise to meet on the platform at the end of the war. In the present day, Ellie encounters a stranger on board … (Ou

      1 min read

    • Article

      Hilary Mantel: Her 10 Greatest Books

      Sep 23, 2022

      Dame Hilary Mantel, who has died suddenly aged 70, was late to become a household name, but once she did, there was no stopping her. The arrival of the third volume of her Wolf Hall trilogy – after an eight-year wait during which it felt as if the wh

      4 min read

    • Article

      The 10 Best Books Of June Bring Hope And Insight

      Jun 22, 2020

      Humans are fundamentally good, Longfellow deserves a reappraisal, and butterflies are marvels of aerodynamics – these topics make for sparkling June reading.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Best Of British

      Jul 24, 2022

      Best Of British
      2 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Oct 30, 2019

      Book Club
      4 min read

    • Article

      May’s BOOK CLUB

      Apr 7, 2022

      Saint excels with this tale of three women whose fates are intertwined: Agamemnon’s wife Clytemnestra, their daughter Elektra, and Cassandra, princess of Troy. The story opens with Clytemnestra’s sister Helen being taken to Troy. Her husband Menelaus

      2 min read

    • Article

      Books Of The Month

      Apr 1, 2022

      By Tanya Rosie and Chuck Groenink With its lulling, looping rhymes and softly muted palette, this adorable picture-book account of a mother-daughter trip to gather mulberries evokes the sweet immediacy of small childhood rituals.  By John Agard and S

      2 min read

    • Article

      June’s GREAT READS

      May 13, 2020

      June’s GREAT READS
      2 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      May 7, 2020

      by Frances Macken (Oneworld, $29.99) Meet Katie, Maeve and Evelyn, three girls united by their childhood games and their dreams of escaping the tiny Irish town they call home. Frances Macken has creatively navigated the exploration of growing up thro

      1 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      May 19, 2021

      Great Read
      5 min read

    • Article

      Home Entertainment

      Sep 3, 2020

      Scott and his friend Emily meet Rufus, a furry creature who begs them to help restore his fading kingdom. What follows is a crazy adventure where they must face a giant alligator, a ruthles owl, a vicious dinosaur skeleton, and more, to rescue Rufus'

      1 min read

    Reviews for Silver on the Tree

    4/5

    1,022 ratings39 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Silver on the Tree is the fifth and final book in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence. In some ways, the book feels a little anti-climactic, which may have been inevitable following the mostly excellent books that preceded it. Still, the main difficulty with the book is that it tries to do two, possibly incompatible things: it tries to make the Dark a formidable and dangerous foe, and tries to keep the tone of the book firmly aimed at the young adult market. One or the other of these goals needed to give way, and unfortunately, the end result is that the Dark is less ominous and threatening than one would have hoped.The book brings back all of the main characters from the earlier books: Will, Bran, Merriman, the Drew's and others. They prepare for a final show down against the forces of the Dark, seeking once again to decipher ancient prophecies in the form of poems and hunt down required McGuffin artifacts. The whole plot seems to have something of a rehashed feel to it, and the outcome never really seems to be in doubt. The book wraps up all the story lines and packages them neatly with a bow on top, which is probably to be expected of a young adult novel, but after the more mature tone showing through in parts of The Grey King, this book seems like somewhat of a disappointment.The book is still quite good, and is better than most young adult fiction out there (and better than a lot of fantasy fiction written for the adult market), but it just isn't as good as the book that preceded it, which makes reading it something of a disappointment. As with all of Cooper's books, it is better written than most young adult offerings, but it just feels like a series as good as The Dark Is Rising sequence should have had a better final book. I still recommend it, just not as highly as Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark Is Rising, and The Grey King.
    • 4/5
      With the sixth of the group needed finally found, Will Stanton, the Drew children, and others on the quest with them join to roll back the Dark for the final time. Great YA.
    • 4/5
      With the sixth of the group needed finally found, Will Stanton, the Drew children, and others on the quest with them join to roll back the Dark for the final time. Great YA.
    • 3/5
      Harvesting hearts and other organs
    • 4/5
      [Spoilers] In this last book of the Welsh fantasy adventure, the 3 English children are instrumental in working with 'Uncle Merry' and the 2 boys, Will and Bran to achieve the success of the quest. Disappointed by the ending, because the English kids have their memory of the quest taken from them by the "old ones", which did not resonate with me and just felt really arrogant.
    • 4/5
      This is a very well written series in terms of writing, but the plot really lets it down. It's like a game of D+D where you're collecting a load of unrelated artefacts to save the world.Some of the descriptive text is beautiful and she manages a good feel for magic (in the sense of writing about magical places and mythical events), but I do so wish there had been a better, more connected story behind it all.
    • 3/5
      The final book of the Dark is Rising Sequence. Susan Cooper wrote these adventure stories for children in the 60/70s. I was not familiar with her writing so she is a new author for me. A blend of mythology from Wales, Celtic, and Arthurian legend.
    • 4/5
      3-1/2 stars, or somewhere between 3-1/2 and 4. There were places where this dragged a bit. It was perhaps a little longer than it needed to be. That's not an easy thing to decide with any conviction though as the mythical nature of the story and style of the writing begged for some drawn out vague (vague isn't the right word, maybe mystical) descriptions. Overall this series was an easy four stars. The Newbery winner, the fourth book, was definitely the best and the second book, the Newbery honor book, was a close second. And I really do believe that I agreed with those honors rather than being lead by them to fulfill the expectation. :)
    • 1/5
      The book that ruined the series. Since everyone who might have learned something is forced to forget everything they've learned and done, the whole book (and the previous ones) become pointless.
    • 4/5
      All the characters from the previous books come together in this final installment to do battle with the Light against the Dark. This is a really satisfactory ending to the whole saga and various character's flaws and strengths are used excellently. I really appreciated Bran's choice at the end when he's offered to join his father and the other immortal characters. Really great YA series that mixes a lot of British mythology with the contemporary story line.
    • 4/5
      My biggest memory from the first time I read this was of really hating Bran and being angry that Merriman sailed away on Pridwen while Bran got to keep on living. This time, however, I liked Bran much more. The ending of the book is quite sad--I mean, I don't really care about the Drew children, but it's very hard that Bran doesn't even get to remember what's happened, considering what an integral part of it he was. This does not strike me as appropriately respectful (which is not something you often hear me say with regard to children). And poor Will is all alone with his experience...not to mention that the most significant part of his life is over before puberty.

      I was really touched by the relationship between Gwion and Gwyddno. I hope they are having an awesome, happy afterlife with each other beneath the stars, among the apple orchards!
    • 2/5
      Well it all comes full circle here. The last book in the Dark is Rising series is done. Yet, why do I feel so empty? I thought at first perhaps that this was part of the cost of re-reading a book or series again, that you had read the first time when you were much younger. But no, because thinking back now--this must have been what the longing I felt was all about. Things finally draw to a conclusion at the end of this book, and life moves on, but there's still that lingering "But..." that I just want to end all my sentences with. This was supposed to be the last great adventure, and there are parts that I like and love, but there are too many other things in hindsight that weighed down those feelings and just left me feeling... underwhelmed.

      I feel like magic in this series is a heavy burden. It doesn't come easily, and it doesn't even feel natural. It's a strain on everyone that uses it, and whenever it inevitably interferes with the normal world and people's lives, the solution is always wiping their memories. I don't know about you, but when I've fought that hard, struggled for so long, for a cause... I don't want my memories of what I fought for to be lost! And in a way, whenever they did that in previous books to other characters that started getting a hint of what was going on, I balked at it! I cringed and grit my teeth. How do you just do that?! Wipe my mind and pretend like it didn't happen! Like you're all too powerful for me to be of any use if I knew! I get it, the Light in this series is trying to protect humanity. But know what? We can fight for ourselves too! Otherwise you wouldn't have used Barney and Jane and Simon! It all started with them! And then we get everyone else just... treating them like they can't do anything in the long run. Worse, like they don't deserve the respect of remembering.

      ...you just don't do that. Messing with people's heads is one thing, but stealing their memories from them is taking away a part of who they are. Unless they willingly sought it, which I wouldn't praise or be happy about anyway, that's... not something you do.

      But going back to this book in particular, things are as they've been in the last few books. We get the entire battle of Light and Dark fought and ended. And it's an obvious ending. One would think it would be. It's again filled with so much going on that you're basically being dragged along for the ride without even getting a chance to experience what's happening. The empathy whenever it comes to these magical things... just isn't there. Whenever we focus on Will or the Light's dealings, even the Dark's dealings, it's cold. Distant. Unfeeling. You can't find anything to cling to that'll give you any feelings at all. Just like Jane, Barney, and Simon throughout many parts of this book: You're just standing there, quietly, watching all the important people talk and completely ignore you. And that's what a lot of this series is when it's all summarized. That is why it gets Two Stars from me. Is it alright? Yeah. It is. But the only good parts, and I mean, the really, actually enjoyable parts, are with the Drew kids. Will, the Light, the Dark, and what have you... they just... make you feel bland.

      I think if this story was written more from the Drew's adventures, it would have been far more pleasant and fun. But it just comes off as hard to connect to, full of fancy show and flashy stuff, but there's nothing really concrete or logical in the procession of anything. Things just HAPPEN because they DO and they come whenever they want. You're being dragged behind a speeding car, but you have no idea where you're going. They stop to ask your opinion every once in a blue moon, or during a pit stop, but then you're back in the trunk or something, stashed away until you're needed.

      Eh. It's a shame. Because there's a lot of stuff here that is lovely, but it's got no substance. It's just there, and you don't feel anything for it.

      So that's the conclusion for this series. It was fine. It was okay. But I wish you got a chance to actually feel like you experienced something worthwhile. Because you're hoping for it throughout the entire series and then... you just get... nothing really. Everything goes back to how it was before you ever started the series. As far as you're concerned, nothing's changed--because nothing feels like it changed.

      Give these books a shot if you want. But they're not the best. Definitely not as magical as I once thought they were. Funny that, all my memories from when I was a kid were of the parts where the Drew's or Bran was involved. Huh. Guess it goes to show you what really matters~ And in this case, it's worth it only for them, but even then, just barely. Take it out of a library, but don't buy this at first go. It's not really worth your money, I'm sorry to say.
    • 5/5
      My favorite of The Dark is Rising series(I really need to re-read). There's something so magical about this book--it LINGERS with me, in a way that one of the other books in this series do. And yes, part of it is because of the haunting ending, which is definitely one of my favorite endings of all times.

      I haven't read these books since I was at least fourteen--I'm twenty-two now, and I still remember reading the last page so clearly. And THAT, I think, is a mark of good writing, and of being able to create something that stays with the teenagers or the children who read your work even as you become an adult, which Susan Cooper is marvelous at.
    • 5/5
      What can I say, I loved this book too..... :-) Oh, and every few years or so, I take these all out and read them again. Love them.
    • 5/5
      Silver on the Tree combines all the best of the other books of the sequence: the magic, the genuine moments of terror and alarm, the weaving of legends and the everyday, the mysteries that leave you to wonder, the sense of place... And more than any of the others it combines both sadness and joy; in that, it's the most adult of the sequence.I especially enjoy little touches like Bran getting to meet Owain Glyndŵr; one thing I did miss was Barney not having more of a reaction to actually meeting King Arthur who he's idolised since before the first page of the first book. I can't remember having noticed it before, but that jarred me, this time. Also, I remember someone mentioning to me how much it bothered them that this book plays into the betrayal of a woman theme (as does The Dark is Rising, in the form of Maggie Barnes, "a sweet face" to lure people into the Dark). Thinking about it this time, I see their point, even though the White Rider is otherwise ambiguously gendered. It's as if women can somehow hide their allegiance to the Dark behind womanly charms, where the men are immediately picked out (Mr Mitothin doesn't fool Will for a moment; Maggie Barnes, however, has to act wickedly to get him to realise, and "Blodwen Rowlands" fools John entirely until the very end). We do have some great female characters in these books -- the Lady and Jane, mainly, with Will's sisters, mother and aunt and other such minor characters -- but it's a bit nasty that the alluring side of the Dark is pretty unambiguously female.Still, that's not enough to ruin the books, and nor is it suggested as something all women could/would do. It's just something that may bother you, particularly if you forget how old these books are.I think I've ended my reviews of this book with this quotation before, but it's still true. The book ends with a call to arms to all of us, to stop relying on anyone else to change the world and know that we are, alone, responsible for our own choices."For Drake is no longer in his hammock, children, nor is Arthur somewhere sleeping, and you may not lie idly expecting the second coming of anybody now, because the world is yours and it is up to you."
    • 3/5
      It's a pity that this last book is relatively weak. Jane, Simon, Barney and Merriman have come all the way to Wales for climax of the series and, instead of some adventures with them, we get pages and pages and pages of Cooper's imaginative lost land. Yes, it's lovely. Yes, it would be great in the graphic novel. Cooper, who is so good at keeping action happening seems to drop the ball here.
    • 3/5
      The end of the series, but not the pinnacle.
      After re-reading the entire series, I understand why I don't re-read it regularly. It's too uneven, though 2 of the 5 books are brilliant. This volume flounders under the weight of both what comes before in Cooper's world and the canon of Arthurian Legend. At the end I find it well-done but somehow lacking. I don't know that I can be more precise, other than to say read this, and read The Mists of Avalon, and read Le Morte d'Arthur and read White's books, and read Mary Stewart. Read it all.
    • 5/5
      The last of the quintology, and the most eventful, and surprising, with an enemy lurking in the most unexpected character. I liked the way Cooper made me think about the meaning of words, and her interpretation of the nightmare, even if etymologically she is wrong. I slowed down my reading speed towards the end, not wanting it to come, and now it is there, and all is right with the world, I am feeling bereft. But it seems strange to think how much the real world has changed, since this was written, for today's children.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely love this series. I love the world Cooper's created, along with the characters. I love the fuzziness of good versus evil, along with the idea that some things are black and white (aka the light is good and the dark is bad) but not everything is (hence the fuzziness. I love Bran and Will, I love the Drews and I love Merry. I enjoy all the side characters who flit in and out of the books. In this final book, Cooper manages to write her characters as older and more mature (including the Drews). The ending, of course, broke my heart a little and it makes my heart ache to think about Will as the only one who remembers after everyone else has forgotten or is gone. I'm also very glad that I listened to these books, they were just as good as when I read them, but the experience was actually better on audio. I'm not sure if it was the reader(s) or what, but they were a pleasure to listen to.
    • 4/5
      **This review won’t make much sense if you haven’t read the rest of the series**This is the final book in The Dark is Rising series and I’ll admit, it was sad to say goodbye. Everything has been building to the final battle between the dark and the light and this book provided a satisfying conclusion. For me, the action sequences have never been the draw. It’s the relationships that make the series a success and in this book, all the characters are together for the first time. Of course, when everyone is finally together there’s a bit of rivalry, but that would happen with any group. Will has really grown as a character, balancing his life as a young man and as an Old One can’t be easy, but it seems like he has matured. His role in the series is actually pretty tragic. It broke my heart when Will tells his brother who he really is and his brother doesn’t believe him. He then has to make him forget what he said. It seems like the people who fight for what’s right often lead such lonely lives. This book features some wonderful new characters, like Gwion, and some intense scenes, like Will and Bran being chased by the skeletal horse. There’s also a great scene where Will and Merriman travel back in time to when the Romans were in Britain. Also, Jane’s role becomes vital in this book, because she and the Grey Lady are both females, so they have a special connection. One of the aspects I’ve enjoyed the most from this series is the way the “Dark” attacks people. It’s not about violent attacks or brute force; instead they plant seeds of doubt and prey on people’s fears. They manipulate and tempt and those are much more effective ways of getting what you want. It’s much easier to stand strong against a physical attack than it is to resist the idea that you aren’t good enough or that someone has betrayed you. One thing I wished I’d known about the series before I began it is that there is a central cast of characters, but they aren’t in every book. The main characters include Simon, Jane and Barney Drew, Merriman Lyon, Will Stanton, Bran and a few others. The first book features the Drew sibling, we don’t meet Will until the second book and the Drew siblings aren’t even in that one. Bran doesn’t show up until the fourth book, etc. It all comes together in the final book, but I think I would have enjoyed the second book much more if I had stopped waiting for the Drew siblings to appear.All-in-all, I really enjoyed the whole series, especially the references to the Arthur/Merlin legend. I wish I’d read them when I was young, but I’m glad to discover them now. “‘Why should some of the Riders of the Dark be dressed all in white and the rest all in black?’ Will said reflectively, ‘I don’t know. Maybe because the dark can only reach people at extremes, blinded by their own shining ideas or locked up in the darkness of their own heads.’” 
    • 4/5
      Love - or the ability to forge relationships that create loyalty and sacrfice - this is the deciding factor between light and dark. It's not an uncommon theme in fantastical novels. In the end, what saves the light are those bonds forged as people loved. I liked two parts in particular - when John rejects his "wife's" claim of possession declaring that people are free to choose. And again in the end when Merriman tells the children that the earth is left to men, who must choose against their own worst selves in order to keep themselves in the light.
    • 4/5
      The Silver On The Tree is the conclusion of the Dark Is Rising sequence. It wraps up all of the lose ends of the story so eloquently. The Drew children, Will Stanton, and Bran Davies all come together to turn back the rising of the dark. It was a great end to an epic journey, and last few pages are so well written I will definately pick this book up again just to re-read the resolution.
    • 4/5
      When I last read the dark is rising sequence as a child, the silver on the tree was my least favourite of the books. Rereading this now, I think it may actually be my favourite. Many of the scene and settings are incredibly vividly realised, and the tension in the book builds with ever increasing speed and intensity as the story progressed. Wonderful
    • 3/5
      Finally, I finished the Dark is Rising series! I thought the ending was alright, but once again, I’ll admit that Cooper’s non-direct style of writing sometimes bothers me. I like being told what’s going on in clear language, so there were places in this book that just annoyed me…but ultimately, I applaud her consistency throughout the series, and found the ending sad but necessary.It wasn’t my favorite of the series – I think that one goes to The Grey King – but on the whole, I’m glad I took the time to read the books and recommend them to enthusiasts of classic children’s literature or fantasy. Time well spent.
    • 4/5
      Spoilers ahead:I found this be a mostly satisfying conclusion to this series, even if it was a bit sad. The action was exciting the whole tone of the bookw as much darker than previous ones (with possibly the exception of the fourth book - The Grey King). Some parts of the book I found almost theatrical in nature. The scene where Will and Bran are in the maze of mirrors and all the glass shatters musically left me breathless.I do the ending was just a little disappointing, and perhaps this is because I'm not very familiar with Welsh mythology, but I didn't understand how the winner in the battle between the Light and the Dark could be decided by who slices through a bush of mistletoe on one special tree. It seemed a little...anticlimatic.The very end was also just a little bit sad. I mourned for Will because neither Bran nor the Drew children would remember any of their adventures or how much they helped the Light. I think the ending was supposed to be happy, but that's not how I saw it. Still, it was a very good book and I greatly enjoyed the series as a whole. It's a keeper and one that, at some point in the future, I hope to reread.
    • 3/5
      This is the last of the Dark is Rising sequence and, in keeping with my re-read of the Prydain Chronicles, this is probably my least favorite book, again because it is the most epic.In this last tale the Dark and Light are gathering for one last battle and Will Stanton and his Welsh friend, Bran, must gain the crystal sword and join with the Drew siblings to aid Merriman.Everyone is here, but for me the book is marred by the long section all about looking for the crystal sword through the Lost Land. The pace in this large section seemed off and I had trouble caring about what happened. The ending of this novel also feels off, somehow - like Cooper ran out of steam and worked to tie up loose ends all at once. Choices are expediently made or not made at all and Gummery, predictably, goes off to the Summer Country (or the Old One equivalent).Still and all this is a wonderful series for both children and adults (and excellent for reading aloud chapter by chapter)!
    • 5/5
      This is the best book in the Dark is Rising series since the one that bears that name. It is fairly long (compared to Greenwitch and The Grey King) and sometimes seems a little slow-going, but for the most part it kept me in suspense as it improved immensely upon my criticism of the previous books in the series that it seems like things happen too easily for the characters. For much of this story, the children have no idea what they're supposed to be doing next, but are figuring out how the bits and pieces of verses they've picked up throughout all their adventures fit together. All the children from the previous books come together in this one, and it really ties up all the loose ends from the earlier stories. My only regret about the plot is that it is hinted a few times that Jane might be special in some way, but there is never really an indication of what that might mean. The moral theme of free will in relation to fulfilling prophecy again plays a strong role in this book, and while I may not agree with the take on it presented here, it is at least elegantly addressed. This is a fitting conclusion to an enjoyable series, and one that leaves you disappointed to see it all end.
    • 5/5
      Possibly the best series of books I ever read. I have visited every location mentioned in the books! A powerful set of stories when I was younger, I would still enjoy them now. The movie is bound to be a huge let down - but I still can't wait to see it!
    • 4/5
      The last and longest book in the "The Dark Is Rising" series holds the reader’s interest and does not disappoint but it is not as tightly put together as the fourth book—perhaps because there were so many threads that had to be pulled together. All of the characters from the previous books have a part to play – for good or evil—in this final installment. For younger readers there are probably more surprises than for older readers who pick up on “clues” that are dropped, whether intentionally or unintentionally I’m not always sure. All in all it was a series which I enjoyed but will probably not read again.
    • 4/5
      A good ending to a good series.