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  • The Dark Is Rising

  • Book 2 of The Dark Is Rising Sequence
  • Written by: Susan Cooper
  • Narrated by: Alex Jennings
  • Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (22 ratings)

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The Dark Is Rising

Written by: Susan Cooper
Narrated by: Alex Jennings
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©1973 Susan Cooper (P)2000 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

What the critics say

"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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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A childhood favorite revisited

I always worry when I hear a story I know so well. But in this case, the narrator was great, and brought the story to life.

It's a coming of age story from a time when 12 years old was not as young as it seems now. With magic and mystery and world legends, it's beautiful, even for adults.

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  • E
  • 2019-09-25

Love the story, enjoyed the narration

Rediscovering this classic story (and series), I still love it. Excellent narration that I thought suited the story, characters, location and tone very well. I'm pleased that I decided to revisit this book!

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