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The Dark Is Rising Sequence
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On the midwinter day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers an astounding gift - that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals who fight to keep the powers of evil, the Dark, from taking over the world.
At once Will is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Light and the Dark. But the Dark has already sent out the Rider - evil cloaked in black, mounted on a midnight stallion - and has far worse in store. Will must find the six great Signs - wood, bronze, iron, water, fire, stone - before the Dark begins its dreadful rise.
Margaret K. McElderry Books
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
2013
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The three Drew children, enlisted by their mysterious great-uncle, arrive in a small coastal town to help recover a priceless golden grail stolen by the forces of evil - the Dark. They are not at first aware of the strange powers of another boy - Will Stanton - brought to help, nor of the sinister significance of the Greenwitch, an image of leaves and branches that for centuries has been cast into the sea for good luck in fishing and harvest.
Their search for the grail sets into motion a series of disturbing, sometimes dangerous events that, at their climax, bring forth a gift that will keep the Dark from rising - for a time at least.
"Susan Cooper is one of the few contemporary writers who has the vivid imagination, the narrative powers, and the moral vision that permit her to create the kind of sweeping conflict between good and evil that lies at the heart of all great fantasy. Tolkien had it. So did C. S. Lewis. And Cooper writes in the same tradition." - Psychology Today
Aladdin Paperbacks
Simon & Schuster New York
2000
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There is a Welsh legend about a harp of gold, hidden within a certain hill, that will be found by a boy followed by a white dog with silver eyes - a dog that can see the wind. Will Stanton knew nothing of this when he came to Wales to recover from a severe illness. But when he meets Bran, a strange boy with a white dog, memory awakes in him. For Will is the last-born of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to saving the world from the forces of evil, the Dark. And it is Will's task to wake - with the golden harp - 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.
"Susan Cooper is one of the few contemporary writers who has the vivid imagination, the narrative powers, and the moral vision that permit her to create the kind of sweeping conflict between good and evil that lies at the heart of all great fantasy. Tolkien had it. So did C. S. Lewis. And Cooper writes in the same tradition." - Psychology Today
Aladdin Paperbacks
Simon & Schuster New York
2007
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White lightning suddenly flashed far closer than before. The moment was coming: the first bud on the spray of mistletoe flowers had broken into bloom. And with it, the Dark came rising.
The six servants of the Light - the Drew children, Will, Bran and the mysterious Merriman - have reached their last, desperate fight against the forces of the Dark.
They face one final, daunting task: to find the crystal sword. Their search will lead them from their own world to the Lost Land between sea and shore - and each will stare death in the face before the battle's final moments.
The fifth and final spellbinding book in the classic The Dark is Rising sequence.
"I wish I had written these!" Diana Wynne Jones
Red Fox
an imprint of Random House Children's Books
2010
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It is Midwinter's Eve, the night before Will's eleventh birthday. But there is an atmosphere of fear in the familiar countryside around him. Will is about to make a shocking discovery - that he is the last person to be born with the power of the Old Ones, and as a guardian of the Light he must begin a dangerous journey to vanquish the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark.
This is probably one of the greatest fantasy sequences ever written. Darkly magical and intense Cooper weaves her storytelling wonder over fully realised characters and worlds, drawing in the reader and leading them on a journey that will leave them clambering for the rest of the series.
When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;
Three from the circle, three from the track;
Wood, bronze, iron, water, fire stone;
Five will return and one go alone.
On holiday in Cornwall, Simon, Jane and Barney Drew discover an ancient map in the attic of the Grey House, where they are staying with their mysterious Great-Uncle Merry. They know immediately that it is special.
But it is much more than just a map. It is the start of a quest to find a grail, a source of great power that could contain - or resurrect - the powerful, age-old forces of evil in the world. And the Drews are not the only ones searching for it.
The first thrilling book in the classic The Dark is Rising Sequence.
Red Fox
An imprint of Random House Children's Publishers UK
2010