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.
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"Way good. It was an awesome conclusion to the whole series. So intense, and with every one there from the previous books. It was so good! This was one of those series that I was bummed that it ended only becuase it was so good! I looooved it!"
— Jekka (5 out of 5 stars)
" An amazing series, well-plotted and with great characters. "
— Becca, 2/13/2014" I did not want to finish this one because now the series is over. *sigh* I loved every step along the way, though. :-) "
— Alysha, 2/12/2014" This has some great moments with Jane at the end, but again, too much plot in too few pages. "
— Lia, 2/5/2014" This was a bit slow and a lot confusing. I was a bit disappointed because most of the other books were quite enjoyable. It was a nice ending for the last chapter but I thought the search for the sword was a bit drawn out. It also seemed to jump rather quickly from place to place or from time to time. Still, if you read the other books in the series, you'll at least want to know what happens to everyone in the final book. "
— Becky, 2/4/2014" Loved this series as a kid. Re-read in 2010 and still loved them, although this time I realized how many unanswered philosophical questions these books raise. "
— Seth, 2/1/2014" I like this series quite a bit, but a lot of what was great about the other four books was how well they stood up on their own. This last book tries to pull the overarching plot threads together and doesn't do it in a terribly satisfying manner. "
— Meg, 1/24/2014" A suitably epic ending to one of the greatest high fantasy series for children. This is how it's done. "
— Rebecca, 1/20/2014" (Genre: teen fantasy) The final book in "The Dark is Rising" series, this book isn't as enjoyable as the first four. But if you have enjoyed the others, then this is a must read, just to bring the story to a conclusion. "
— Darla, 1/4/2014" Beautifully written - I finally slowed down on this the last book of the series. Wish I had taken my time with the others - maybe I'll just have to reread them when Sophia is ready to read them. "
— Carrie, 12/30/2013" Not as cohesive as some of the other books--this one had to tie all the loose ends together. Great ending to this series--so fun to revisit some of the books that I loved as a child. "
— Stephanie, 12/24/2013" Not a bad ending to the series, though it felt a little heavy-handed in parts. Also, I wish we'd discovered more about Jane. "
— Zigforas, 11/28/2013" So sad to be done with this series again. I reread it every couple of years. Love all the kids finally being together! Still some things I am confused about, but Love it anyway. "
— Rachel, 8/21/2013" Disappointing. That's all I have to say. Disappointing. One of those end of the series books where half of the characters leave not remembering the adventures of the whole series. It's still a good series. Just not a good ending. "
— cassie, 8/19/2013" Awesome. I really like it when the Drews are in these books. "
— Darcy, 4/12/2013" A bit random, I liked the Grey King the best out of this series. "
— Russ, 1/5/2013" Lots going on here, but in a rather sedate way. A fitting close to the series, overall good stuff. Some things I didn't like about the ending, but they're the same thing that I don't like about the ending to a lot of other stuff... "
— Damon, 11/6/2012" This was okay, but I think I was getting tired of the story line. Since it was the final book of a 5 book series, I wanted to wrap it up, otherwise I think I would not have finished this one. My least favorite of the series. "
— Mandy, 9/27/2012" almost twenty years after starting the series, i finally finished The Dark Is Rising set. "
— Senator, 6/25/2012" Glad to finish the series. Fun to read. "
— Lindsey, 4/29/2012" I loved these books! What was particularly striking to me was the historical/mythological allusion throughout the series. It seemed a reasonable and not overly far-fetched fantasy. "
— Bre, 1/5/2012" In the final book, Will and Bran are united with Jane, Simon and Barney to stop the rise of the Dark. "
— Katie, 12/14/2011" Corben gave this book 4 stars. I gave it 3. Sometimes it seems like the next thing that's going to happen is some crazy random thing the author just made up. Makes for a great adventure that you didn't see coming but sometimes it just doesn't flow. "
— Christy, 9/22/2011" I loved this series. The allusions to Celtic mythology were enjoyable. "
— Elizabeth, 5/23/2011" Another YA fantasy classic I reread on a regular basis. Susan Cooper's books are dark, lyrical, unforgettable. "
— Chris, 4/29/2011" I remember loving this series as a kid — dark, haunting, exciting. "
— Gabriel, 4/23/2011" One of my first favorite fantasy books. "
— Steven, 3/24/2011" These are children's books, but still some of the <strong>best</strong> I have ever read. "
— Michael, 3/20/2011" I like this series, both for mysef and for students. It has the classic dilemma of good vs evil and ties in legends of King Arthur, and the Green Witch in an adventure that catches the reader's attention quickly. "
— Janice, 2/20/2011" A very good series. Loved it. "
— Johanna, 2/9/2011" A must for every fantasy library! "
— Melissa, 1/26/2011" I remember loving these as a child, and found them to be much darker than I had remembered upon reading them as an adult. Epic battle between good and evil. "
— Hilary, 1/26/2011" It draws on the King Arthur/Holy Grail thing. Pretty interesting "
— Qing, 1/14/2011" Just as good as when I first read it. I hope some kids who saw the craptacular movie will check out the books and find out what they missed. "
— Travis, 1/6/2011" An AMAZING series! A must read! "
— Kusanar, 1/4/2011Susan Cooper is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her classic five-book fantasy sequence The Dark Is Rising won the Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor and has sold millions of copies worldwide. She is also the author of Victory, a Booklist Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth book and a Washington Post Top Ten for Children novel; King of Shadows, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor book; The Boggart; Seaward; and many other acclaimed novels for young readers. She lives in Massachusetts.
Alex Jennings is an award-winning narrator and actor of stage and screen. He has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. He is also known for his role as Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, in the Netflix series The Crown, along with his roles in The Queen, Lady in the Van, and The Wings of the Dove. He is a three-time Olivier Award winner and has been nominated for a BAFTA.