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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 try to re-read The Dark Is Rising every December for it's wonderful atmosphere and reminder of how important the midwinter festival was before we all forgot the real reason we mark the solstice and the turning of the year. This year I decided to opt for the audible version and enjoyed it with a backdrop of below freezing temperatures and heavy snow in many parts of the UK (not my part of the UK, sadly). It should be remembered that this is a children's book but it has gathered an almost cult following amongst adults who read it for the interweaving of pagan folk tales, Arthurian legend, magic and current day action and adventure.

It was written, along with the 5 other titles in the series, in the 70s and there is plenty of this decade's gender and class stereotyping - mum and the girls are in the kitchen peeling sprouts the boys are out and about collecting hay and feeding animals, There is an almost feudal deference to the lady of the manor, Miss Greythorne, who is apparently rich enough to run a butler. The performance underlines the class differences in the way that will be familiar to listeners of the Archers - the lower classes are portrayed with thick Mummerset accents while the middle and upper class characters are given typical RP voices even though they have (presumably) lived all their lives within 5 miles of each other.

All that being said, it's still a totally immersive read that leaves you feeling the chill of the extreme cold brought about by the forces of the Dark attacking 11-year old Will Stanton who, despite his youth, is coming into his power as the last of the Old Ones who have for centuries protected the world against the Dark. The growing feeling of foreboding is all the more intense as it's set against the chatter and warmth of the Stanton household where Christmas rattles along as usual, oblivious to the cosmic forces that are amassing outside.

There have been several mass readings of the book, usually around midwinter as the action takes place across the 12 days of Christmas, and a radio adaptation by Robert MacFarlane and theatre company Complicite has just started on the BBC's World Service (as at 20/12/22). There was a risible film version made in 2007 which deserves never to be mentioned again.

If you're looking for something to curl up with over the festive season and you want to lose yourself in a world of magic, snow, ice and nostalgia - this could well be the one for you.

Magical listening for midwinter

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