Will Stanton must face a powerful agent of the Dark in this Newbery Medal–winning fourth installment of Susan Cooper’s epic The Dark Is Rising Sequence, now with a brand-new look!
There is a Welsh legend about a harp of gold, hidden away within a certain hill, that will be found by a boy and a white dog with silver eyes—a dog that can see the wind.
Will Stanton knows nothing of this when he comes to Wales to recover from a severe illness. But when he meets the strange boy Bran and his white dog, memory wakes in Will. For Will is the last-born of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to saving the world from the forces of evil, the Dark. It is his task to use the golden harp to wake the six who must be roused from their long slumber in the Welsh hills to prepare for the last battle between the Dark and the Light. But first, with help from Bran, Will must face his most terrifying opponent the Grey King.
Book four, and a major turning point! If you're been reading the books so far, you'll have seen the Dark is rising verse - When the Dark comes rising, six will turn it back, Three from the circle, three from the track. We know the Drew children are the three from the track, and Will and Merry are the Circle; we finally meet the sixth character in this book.
As with the other books, I'd remembered bits of this - some I thought I might have imagined, like the Hooked On Welsh Phonics lesson in the middle of the story; I don't think any other author could make something like that interesting! However I had forgotten a sad bit, and it hit me again very hard as I read, so watch out for that. I'd also mixed up a few things that happen in the fifth book with this one, as Will and Bran have an adventure there as well.
A lot happens in this book to set up the finale, and it's a brilliant read. The boys' adventure is really thrilling and I was eager to know what would happen. Just fantastic.
The Grey King publishes in this version on the 14th of November, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment