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The Dark Is Rising

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The Dark Is Rising

By: Susan Cooper
Narrated by: Alex Jennings
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About this listen

 On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift--he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from dominations by the forces of evil, the Dark. At once, he is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day and the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light. And for the twelve days of Christmas, while the Dark is rising, life for Will is fill of wonder, terror, and delight.©1973 Susan Cooper; (P)2000 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group Arthurian Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths Science Fiction & Fantasy Heartfelt

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I'll admit that I'm about 45 years older than the target market for this book, not having discovered it as a child! But, though it had some memorable moments, I found it unsatisfying overall.

Will, the 'seeker', never has to seek for anything - all the things he has to find just land in his lap or are conveniently given to him. He's flung backwards and forwards in time with no real explanation whenever it happens to be convenient. He never has to discover or achieve anything, or learn anything: he mysteriously just 'knows' things, and we're told that he knows them, so the author never has to explain or invent any back-story. Somebody else's comment about it feeling rather 'made up on the fly' definitely struck a chord with me.

Admittedly, some of these issues might not bother you if you were a 12-year-old, and I did enjoy listening enough to go right through to the end, but for me, the main thing I learned from it was just how skilled writers like Tolkien, Lewis, Nesbit and Pullman are in comparison.

It was well-read, however.

A bit disappointing

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Fabulous yarn. Beautifully read. Loved all the folklore references. Truly magical. I wholeheartedly recommend it

Cracking story

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A classic story that I have loved for forty years or so. Was wary to hear it told in case the version stepped too far from how I felt the story flowed. Alex Jennings delivers it perfectly and I would say this is my favourite narration of all time.
The growing menace of the tale, interwoven with pagan traditions and family life, is an extraordinary piece of work. Jennings has the Dark Rider in suitably frightening fashion, Merriman is wisdom and occasional humour but with all the lack of patience of one who has lived for many generations, and Will is entirely believable as he learns who he really is and the importance of his mission in the world. Brilliant!

A truly great tale delivered in perfect fashion

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Truly magical. I remember this series from my childhood. This book is the best of the lot,

Story and narration

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I loved this book as a child and thought I'd give it a listen almost 49 years later just to see if it still held up. I wasn't disappointed. Although the magic in it does - if you think about it - have a 'made up as you go along' feel, with flimsy and vague rules which allow the goodies to conveniently benefit, it is written in a style which gives it heft and conviction.

Wonderful story of magic and darkness at Christmas

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