The Dark Is Rising Audiobook By Susan Cooper cover art

The Dark Is Rising

Book 2 of The Dark Is Rising Sequence

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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 domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. At once, he is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid 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 full of wonder, terror, and delight.

This book is a rare act of creative imagination in which the listener will be equally moved by the warm happy village life Will shares with his large family and the nearly overwhelming danger he encounters, often in other centuries and places, while he seeks the Signs and learns their power. Interweaving ancient Celtic and English traditions with the legends of the Buckinghamshire hills and valleys where she grew up, Susan Cooper has written a superlative dramatic fantasy of the eternal conflict between good and evil out of which all myth is made.

Listen to more in the Dark Is Rising Sequence.©1973 Susan Cooper (P)2000 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group
Fantasy Fantasy & Magic Fiction Celebration Winter Christmas
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Critic reviews

"As narrator, Alex Jennings superbly conveys Will's mixed emotions." (AudioFile)
"So perfect is the match between Alex Jennings' voice and this mysterious magical tale that it is difficult to imagine any other voice reading these words." (The Horn Book Magazine)

What listeners say about The Dark Is Rising

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent Audio Version of an Excellent Book

This series has always been one of my favorites and I've read this book innumerable times. I was hesitant about the audio version, because it can change the way you perceive the book. My only complaint would be that the recitation of the poems/chants wasn't, to my opinion, done very well, but that is a minor complaint. I really enjoyed the addition of the correct accent to the way I've always "heard" the story narrated in my mind.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Dark is Rising

Would you listen to The Dark Is Rising again? Why?

Yes, every year.

What other book might you compare The Dark Is Rising to and why?

I think other Young Adult books remind me of the Dark is Rising. On a recent re-listen, II found that I was reminded of Septimus Heap, Harry Potter, Fablehaven.

What does Alex Jennings bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accent!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Ignore the previous attempt

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

hmmm

liked it once I wasn't so confused... the story for me was just a little hard to follow maybe there was something I had missed in the beginning of the book once I got to the last few chapters then things started to make sense. overall it was a good story

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A quest, a young boy and eternal values

Glad to find this book. Surprised that it predates the Harry Potter series. Vividly written…an ancient tale. The reader was perfect!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, excellent performance

Glad this series is available ... love the tale! And Jennings is a wonderful narrator.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great kid's book

This series was my favorite when I was twelve. As an adult listening to it, I am not quite so entranced anymore. I found it slow this time around, but remember how much I loved it when I was little. This book gives a lot of information that is needed to understand the rest of the series, so it is worth downloading. The entire series was wonderful (my favorite was The Grey King), so I started buying it for my little brother. He is thirteen and seems to like it as much as I once did.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A timeless classic

I've loved this book since childhood. It still entertains me as an adult. Hearing it read aloud was a special treat.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Every Christmas

I reread this book. It may have been intended for children but I’m over 50 and the writing is so exquisite it makes me want to cry every time.
This is the first year I’ve listened to the audio version and the performance is excellent as well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my YA favorites

Wonderful book from a fantasy series wrapped in Arthurian legend. Don't even talk to me about the movie adaptation. So much of the identity of the book was lost. This and The Grey King are the best books of the 5 book series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A tour de force

Really quite incredible. This book is head and shoulders above the first book in the series, which was truly an entertaining children's story. This is a dramatic shift in depth and breadth and sophistication, all of which is exquisitely heightened by the virtually perfect narration. This is something of a masterwork and one I'll enjoy listening to again.

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