Packed with an abundance of weirdness and wonder, the children find themselves suddenly plunged into the captivating realm of lore and legend.

Once again, the eternal struggle between the Light and the Dark wages on, with no regard for the hearts of humanity that are being trampled underfoot. In this chaos, it is John Rowlands, an ordinary farmhand, who emerges as the ultimate hero. His actions and choices prove that even the most unassuming among us can rise to the occasion and make a difference.

The series concludes with a fabulous and crashing finale that is filled with profound meditations on creativity, free will, and the very nature of humanity. These themes are explored in a way that leaves the reader both satisfied and思考ing about the deeper meanings hidden within the story. It is a conclusion that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.

This book is truly the remarkable conclusion to The Dark is Rising sequence.

It is crafted in such a way that it can even be read independently, yet I would highly recommend delving into the entire five-book series.

There is so much depth and wonder within these pages that it's difficult to put into words.

I don't want to spoil any of the surprises, so I'll refrain from saying more.

All I can say is go, pick up this book, and let yourself be immersed in the captivating world that has been created.

Read, enjoy, and let the magic unfold before your eyes.

You won't be disappointed.

Maybe because the Dark can only reach people at extremes—blinded by their own shining ideas, or locked up in the darkness of their own heads.

Set amidst the beautiful Welsh landscape and intricately weaving in Welsh and Arthurian legends, Silver on the Tree (1977) brings a highly satisfying conclusion to Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising sequence. In this final installment, all the characters converge for that ultimate confrontation with the dark. Its looming and growing presence is often palpable, though not necessarily tangible. In the process, they also come to realize that the external darkness is perhaps only a part of the darkness we need to ‘fight’ within ourselves.

Told in four parts, as the book commences, we find ourselves back at the Stanton farmhouse. Will, who initially seems like an ordinary eleven-year-old, is spending time with his brothers. The older Stephen is home on leave from his ship. However, Will is far from ordinary. He is an ‘Old One’. Even when out fishing with his brothers, he begins to notice strange stirrings across time. He is able to see people at different points in the past fleeing from the dark, which is rapidly catching up with them. In the present too, similar events start to unfold. Vicious minks suddenly appear in their surroundings, and darkness materializes in other forms such as bullying and intolerance.

Things are reaching a critical point. Although many tasks have been accomplished, relics recovered, and significant progress has been made, there are still those final crucial steps that need to be taken before the Dark can be finally defeated. The scene then shifts to Wales and Will’s uncle’s farm, where The Grey King took place. Here, we again encounter Bran, whose identity was revealed in that book, as well as the three Drew children, Jane, Barney, and Simon. While the three now have some understanding of Will and accept him as a friend (Barney and Simon mainly because Jane always knew he was different), they are somewhat skeptical of Bran. As they embark on those final steps of their adventure, the dark is hot on their heels. The Black Rider and White Rider are often visible, and the presence of the dark is felt or seen in various other forms. Meanwhile, our characters move seamlessly between the present and the past, and between reality and legend. These different times and spaces exist side by side, and our characters navigate through them with relative ease. But the dark dogs their every step and even anticipates their actions at times. Amidst this intense struggle, do our young heroes manage to overcome their foes?

While Silver on the Tree is structured as a fantasy–adventure with a central quest and several sub-quests, it is much more than that. It not only weaves in rich myth and legend but also raises profound questions. These questions pertain to the sources and forms of ‘dark’ in our lives, as well as the very nature of reality (‘Real is a hard word… almost as hard as true or now …’). These are issues that are highly relevant in real life, and fantasy serves as a vehicle to explore them.

Once again, I was thoroughly charmed by the elements of myth and legend that Cooper skillfully weaves into the story. Whether it is the Arthurian aspects or the story of the lost islands, or Cantre’r Gwaelod, the sunken kingdom ruled by Gwyddno Garanhir. We accompany Will and Bran on a journey to this latter place in a segment of the story that is much like a fairy tale quest. It is complete with its own riddles, mazes, and magic—a unique magic that is unaffected by the forces of light or dark. This segment was particularly beautiful and had a distinct ‘Arabian Nights’ feel to it. Even within Cooper’s fictional world, it is a curious and enchanting place, free from all external forces except its own. Yet, even in such a seemingly idyllic space, neither dark nor light is entirely powerless. And if we needed any further confirmation of Uncle Merry’s identity, we get that too!

At the level of an adventure story, we are indeed treated to a fitting conclusion. Various quests and sub-quests are attempted and successfully completed. Our characters must rely not only on their magical abilities but also on their inner strengths of character. The final confrontation or task is equally thrilling, delivering moments of high drama and excitement as the scene unfolds. But ultimately, Cooper wants us to look beyond the surface and think more deeply. She makes us realize that the battle between good and evil is a continuous one that manifests in different forms at different times. ‘Evil’ is not just an external force; even when it is, its influence is very much within our control. She also makes us aware of our own responsibilities in the world, urging us not to wait for or expect mythical rescuers or to shift the blame onto others.

Silver on the Tree is a wonderful read that appeals not only to children as an exciting adventure but also, and perhaps even more so, to adult readers. It has many layers and complexities that can be peeled away and explored, making it a truly engaging and thought-provoking book. I would rate it 4.5 stars rounded off.

The final book in the Dark is Rising sequence truly lived up to my expectations in the concluding scene of the story.

Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying it even more than The Grey King, which is a remarkable book and the winner of the prestigious Newbery Award.

Silver on the Tree advanced the plot with a greater sense of purpose and delved into significant themes such as understanding truth, trust and betrayal in relationships, sacrifice, the struggle between right and wrong, and the concept of free will.

The challenges that John Rowlands encounters towards the end evoked a deep sense of empathy within me, and I highly respected his decision.

It was evident that he believed it was far better to endure pain while knowing the truth than to lead a happy life based on a lie.

All of the books in this sequence are outstanding, and Susan Cooper has now firmly established herself on my list of favorite authors.

Her ability to craft a captivating and thought-provoking story is truly remarkable, and I look forward to exploring more of her works in the future.

And now we have to talk about The Thing.

Spoilers abound, for once, because I’ve really just gotta get my teeth straight into this.

Before that, though, let's consider the rest of the book. It’s...honestly, I’m not overly enthusiastic about it. I recall that this was never a book I reread frequently as a child. Well, that's not entirely true – I reread the first third quite often, but I'd stop whenever the magic started to become too intense. There is something truly heart-wrenching about Will and his brother by the river, about Stephen caring enough to ask, and his blunted adult incomprehension of Will’s answers, the profound depth of Will’s loss in that moment.

Contrast that to the back half of the book, which is engaged in a rather high-level discussion of the production of art. And it just...it's not that it isn't a good discussion. Cooper was clearly an outstanding artist herself. I'm just not able to engage on that level after the book begins so powerfully and viscerally.

All right, enough stalling. Let's get to The Thing.

As a child, the end of this book seemed arbitrary and cruel because it directly contradicted my main interest in fantasy. There was nothing unusual about what I was seeking – I wanted to read about kids having access to a world larger than the regimented, difficult, and ordinary one I inhabited. I wanted to read about kids being able to open a door into a realm of power and wonder. And the end of this book forcefully slammed that door in all our faces.

This time, of course, I knew what was coming, and as an adult, I can follow the argument Cooper has been making throughout. Mostly in Greenwitch, much to my adult surprise. And it's...look, it's not like I agree with her. To be blunt, I don't.

But I do understand it now, and I think she's actually in some really challenging territory. Losing the memory of what has happened isn't a means to strip everyone of the power they've accessed; it's the only way to open the door to a new power and responsibility. That's what Merriman says, anyway: “For Drake is no longer in his hammock, children, nor is Arthur somewhere sleeping. And you may not lie idly by expecting the second coming of anyone now because the world is yours, and it is up to you.”

It makes me think of my favorite monument, which is actually a “countermonument.” It's a monument against violence and fascism, a pillar designed, over time, to sink into the ground and disappear. Eventually, the monument space will be empty because, as the monument itself states, “in the end, it is only we ourselves who can rise up against injustice.”

I love it. It's a symbol of how collective recovery is a process. We have to remember, but the intrusion of the memory into the world changes over time – the emotional shadow it casts (literal shadow in this case), its usefulness for the business of living.

Not a perfect analogy for the end of this book by any means, but thinking about the monument helped me to...develop a general respect for the decisions Cooper made. She wrote about the passing of an age, about the ascension of man. No longer caught between the temptations of the dark and the outsider rebuttals of the Light. So yes, casting the Dark out of the world means that the Light, too, must go, and I can see the...esthetic sense in which she concluded as a matter of course that they must forget. No one is coming to save us, as Merriman says, and the kinds of power she was writing about – the alien magic of the Light and the complicated ownership man has over the world – could not...exist in the same space.

It still deeply offends me on a personal level, on behalf of the Drews. They earned those memories with a great deal of courage and striving. Living through it changed them, and to have it all so casually erased is still outrageous to me, a kind of assault. But on the broader thematic level...yeah, all right. I get it. I don't like it. But I get it.

I would happily award 5 stars for the series as a whole. Cooper did an excellent job in juggling all the narratives and tying them together neatly at the very end.

The first half of the book seemed a bit slow until Will and Bran went off on their own. This is where the story started to pick up pace and become more engaging.

What I truly enjoyed was Cooper's gentle revelation of her own ideologies regarding the nature of myth, legend, and landscape. Her ideas about the Wild Magic and the nature of the Light and the Dark are open to deep discussion and analysis, similar to her use of stock legendary characters from the British Isles.

I found myself pondering how crucial the Drew children actually were and what their purpose was in this final story. They seemed to be there and yet, in many ways, not. I wonder if Simon should have been there at all and if the story would have been better without him.

Needless to say, I see numerous parallels with Garner's earlier work and even, to some extent, his later work as well. There is undeniably the presence of Tolkien, with many nods to his creations. The racist incident at the start of the book hints at a change in mankind as the dark rises, leaving much room for debate about what Cooper is telling her readers about the state of the world and the role that Bran and the others have as ambassadors for a new kind of light within the world of men. This is precisely why I have an issue with their ending and, possibly, that of John Rowlands.

Some authors approach magic in a rather mechanistic manner. They might simply have the magic user say a spell and then, presto, something magical occurs. For example, the magic user utters a spell and flames light up. Or says a spell and levitates. Or says a spell and someone dies. It's as easy as that, with perhaps no real explanation for how the magic actually works.

However, there are other authors who can do so much more. They create entire worlds where magic feels like the air that fills the atmosphere. It seeps through the words we read, making us feel as if we are magical ourselves. One such author is Susan Cooper, who is best known for her The Dark Is Rising sequence. And the book we are focusing on here is the last one in the sequence, Silver on the Tree.

Just like in the previous books, especially The Dark Is Rising with its Wild Hunt, magic runs wild in Silver on the Tree. Impossible things happen, and there's no need to ask how or why. We are simply meant to enjoy the ride. A train appears out of nowhere, carrying passengers from different times in history. A lost land is visited before it has even been lost. There's a leap through time and space that makes us wonder if it will disrupt and change the future.

In this story, there is an internal consistency. There is High Magic and Wild Magic, and there are Light and Dark, which are bound by rules. This is the final clash between the two. The Six must endure different ordeals, face nightmares (indeed, the original nightmare), and make difficult decisions.

Just like the Arthurian legends on which the sequence is based, there are hints of Christian influence. At one point, Arthur seemed to me like the Father, Bran like Jesus, and Herne the Hunter like the Holy Ghost. But, like the Arthurian legends, the sequence contains more than just references to Christianity. It's a mix-up bag that also includes so-called paganism and other elements. Merriman's final speech is truly astonishing from this perspective, somehow suggesting that the human race no longer needs supernatural, or Divine, intervention. They don't need to wait for another second coming. The world will still be imperfect because man is imperfect, and bad things will still happen. But in the long run, the worse will never triumph over the better.

The only thing that slightly disappoints me at the end is that... I wish memory could stay. (I hope I haven't spoiled the ending for you by sharing this.) When I closed the book after reading the last page, I sighed. What a magical journey it had been, and how much I had enjoyed it.

I started reading this series almost exactly a year ago.

It was during a beautiful weekend that I spent at Gladstone's Library in North Wales for my birthday.

The atmosphere there was so peaceful and conducive to reading.

Now, a year later, having finished it, it feels like some sort of bittersweet closure.

I'm glad that this reading experience happened and that I could take the lessons from it all.

However, I'm also somewhat sorry to say goodbye to the characters and the story.

But I'm ready to move on now.

The end of this series was a dramatic one, bringing a close to a surreal adventure that ultimately made me cry lots.

In a way, it sort of sums up the last year.

There have been joys and sorrows, just like in this series.

But now, it's time to look forward and embrace new experiences.

I have just completed my first reread of the series since I was much younger. It's truly a remarkable experience. While The Dark is Rising remains firmly as my favorite, I must say that Silver on the Tree is a very close second. In this installment, there is a magnificent explosion of mystery and wonder that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The story beautifully ties up in a few perfect final chapters that are full of intense emotion and palpable tension.

Now, having more knowledge of Welsh mythology, along with the assistance of the internet, has definitely been a great advantage in truly understanding and appreciating this series. Susan Cooper is indeed one of those extraordinary authors whose books have the power to transcend both time and the age of the reader. Her works have a timeless quality that can be enjoyed by readers of all generations.

I am certain that this will not be my last read through of the series. I look forward to many more adventures with Will Stanton and the Old Ones, uncovering the secrets and mysteries that lie within the pages of these captivating books.

You know how in some series, everything builds up to a magnificent finale. All the loose ends are neatly tied up, and even the events that occurred way back in the very first book are brought back to the forefront. The ending leaves you with a sense of bittersweet melancholy because it has been such an amazing experience, and you're truly sad to see it come to an end.

However, this series is far from that.

I barely managed to finish it. In fact, I had to listen to it at double speed just to get through the whole thing.

To be honest, I'm not even sure if I could provide a proper summary of this last book because I don't think I fully grasped its meaning. The beginning seemed completely disconnected from the ending and could have been omitted entirely, except perhaps as a means for Cooper to discuss racism. There was random time travel, random magical lands, a magical boat, and even a magical train! And yet, there was zero explanation as to how any of these elements fit together.

Oh, and let's not forget the random revelation of a secretly bad character. The reader couldn't care less about this character, and there was absolutely no meaningful foreshadowing.

Surprisingly, I am actually grateful to have read all these books for one reason. Beforehand, I was so certain that we would all love them that I had two copies of the entire series on my shelf. Now, I have more shelf space. Good riddance.

The Dark Is Rising is a remarkable quintet series, and the last book in this series brings the captivating tale to a close.

It follows the adventures of Will the sign seeker, along with the Drew children and Bran Pendragon. The story races through various locations, including Buckinghamshire, Wales, and the Chiltern Hills, leading up to the final battle between the Dark and the Light.

This series is filled with unforgettable characters. Although it was initially targeted at young people, its appeal is timeless and ageless. The combination of Arthurian, Old English, and Welsh mythology gives it a truly magical feel.

Every time I read this set and reach the end, I feel a sense of sadness. I can't help but wonder what became of all the characters afterwards. It's one of those series that you simply never want to end.

Undoubtedly, it is one of the best English fantasy sets ever created, leaving a lasting impression on all who have the pleasure of experiencing it.

This final installment of the "The Dark Is Rising" sequence is a suitable conclusion to the series,彰显了作者苏珊·库珀对文字的热爱与驾驭能力。主要为儿童写作的她，拒绝简化词汇或写作风格；孩子们能够应对任何为成年人所写的书籍。阅读此书是一种乐趣，我能想象对于习惯了儿童书籍通常阅读水平的孩子们来说，接触到大师级的成人风格写作会是多么新奇、令人兴奋和有收获。而且不只是孩子们；我喜欢雄辩的写作，尤其喜欢阅读“黑暗正在升起”系列的最后四本书。《树上的银》中的故事引人入胜，曾与托尔金一起学习的库珀，在亚瑟王传奇和伟大奇幻主题方面下了功夫。我不会提供剧透，甚至不会对情节进行评论，我相信很多其他评论家会对此进行总结。然而，我要指出一个缺陷，这也是我没有给它打满分的原因：经过更深入的审视，库珀在她的大多数角色中强调命运而非个人道德行为能力。他们可以选择光明或黑暗，但一旦做出决定，他们随后的选择在很大程度上似乎要么是由预言或传达给他们的指示所决定，要么最终并不真正重要。甚至大多数情况下的力量之物都是无关紧要的道具。正如儿童文学协会季刊上的文章《黑暗正在升起中的物体与角色》所指出的那样，“角色的自我激励行动似乎次于他们预定的命运；他们作为光明棋子的角色对情节更为重要。库珀的善恶之战强调命运——与直觉混合——和仪式，同时淡化了自由意志和人类对抗邪恶力量的行动能力。”（见 https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstre... 。）尽管写作在其他方面非常出色，但这是一个严重的缺陷；我很想指出，如果一个故事不值得讲述，那么就不值得好好讲述。但这个故事仍然扣人心弦，角色也令人产生共鸣，而且库珀的文字技巧达到了最佳状态。我仍然向成年人以及儿童推荐这本书和这个系列，只是有我所陈述的保留意见。