When light from the lost land shall return,

Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn,
And where the midsummer tree grows tall
By Pendragon’s sword the Dark shall fall.

The longest and the last of Susan Cooper's fantasy sequence is a remarkable work. It is not only the most far-ranging and complex of the series but also brings together many of the principal characters we've met before. Additionally, it introduces a final individual who plays a crucial role in resolving the sequence. Just like Cooper herself, this character is a maker, a wordsmith, and a poet from history.

Moving from Buckinghamshire to Gwynedd, and from the 1970s to historical and legendary times, the tale takes the unsuspecting reader, much like the five youngsters in the novel, on a whirlwind journey of emotions, information, and impressions. It conjures up dreamlike images and primeval, nightmarish fears, while also providing comfort and wonderment.

Above all, the narrative skillfully hides the poetic talent that Cooper brings to her creation. Like a finely crafted artefact, its beauty dazzles, but a closer look reveals its subtle intricacy, balance, and presentation of motifs. Although it may seem ungainly at times, I believe this quality gives it its unique character. After all, life is often ungainly.

The action takes place during high summer and the dog days following midsummer day. We find Will Stanton and a couple of his older brothers relaxing by the northern bank of the Thames. However, the first sign of danger appears with the disturbing presence of what seems to be an escapee from a mink farm. An unwelcome visit from another individual of this introduced species causes further chaos at the Stanton house. This signifies the long-awaited resurgence of the Dark, precisely around one of the so-called quarter days of the year.

When Will later travels to the farm near Aberdyfi where much of the action in The Grey King occurred, he meets not only his albino friend Bran Davies from that novel but also Simon, Jane, and Barnabas Drew from Greenwitch. The quintet will then have their final confrontation with the malevolent Dark. But they are not alone in this endeavor. They receive support from the familiar Merriman Lyon, local shepherd John Rowlands, "the Lady," and the equally mysterious Gwion, although not all at the same time. They will need all the help they can get to solve riddles as they travel back in historical, legendary, and mythical time.

For readers who have an aversion to fantasy, magic can seem illogical. However, Cooper avoids this problem in two ways. First, she borrows extensively from folk belief with its rich lore, legend, and myth. This is evident in Aberdyfi's maritime heritage, Gwynedd's stories of aquatic monsters and sunken lands, Wales's Roman heritage, and the Arthurian mythos. Secondly, Cooper understands that human emotions work in mysterious ways, where wonderful things happen within individual psychologies and social interactions that are not always immediately explainable in logical terms. Silver on the Tree is filled with such magic.

Finally, in addition to this magic and the novel's High Magic, there is also Wild Magic, which Cooper evokes through her sensitive descriptions of landscapes, growing things, and weather. It is particularly strong at the start of Part Four when Jane steps alone onto Aberdyfi beach just before sunrise, before the others join her. One cannot doubt that the author was reliving her own teenage holidays with her family in Aberdyfi through her vivid descriptions.

With the last page of Silver on the Tree, we have reached the end of the pentalogy. Did the Dark succeed or was it defeated? And even if it was defeated, will it rise again? Whatever the outcome, this final installment, like the entire sequence, is a masterful evocation of ancient and modern traditions within the unassuming framework of a children's adventure story. It also has a great deal to say about friendship, loyalty, bravery, and a love of the natural world. I can clearly see why it has such a loyal following among its many readers.

2/3/24 - I have just finished re-reading this wonderful work by listening to the excellent audiobook.

It is truly amazing how much I had forgotten about the beauty of this series. The writing is not only lovely but also extremely lyrical, painting vivid pictures in my mind.

The characters are so compelling that they seem to come alive right before my eyes. Each one has their own unique personality and story, which makes them all the more interesting.

Moreover, this series is packed with truth, exploring themes such as love, loyalty, betrayal, and honor. It makes me think deeply about these concepts and how they apply to my own life.

In conclusion, this is a gorgeous series that is definitely one of my favorite Arthurian imaginings. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good story with beautiful writing and unforgettable characters.

On the day of the dead, when the year too dies,

The youngest must ascend the oldest hills,

Through the door of the birds, where the breeze breaks.

There, fire shall fly from the raven boy,

And the silver eyes that see the wind,

And the Light shall have the harp of gold.

By the pleasant lake, the Sleepers lie,

On Cadfan's Way where the kestrels call;

Though grim shadows fall from the Grey King,

Yet the singing of the golden harp shall guide

To break their sleep and bid them ride.

When light from the lost land shall return,

Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn,

And where the midsummer tree grows tall

By Pendragon's sword, the Dark shall fall.

Y maent yr mynyddoedd yn canu,

ac y mae'r arglwyddes yn dod.

This is the final battle! All the characters are coming together, more or less. Some were hindered in a way that seemed unexpected, considering their supposed intelligence. All the Things of Power are brought to the same place, and the King shall return, or at least his son will take his place. The battle is no more linear than the events and the circles of influence on both the Dark and the Light sides. It's timey-wimey stuff in the old Celtic style!

The culmination also finally reveals the sword Eirias, essentially Excalibur. I loved that it was appropriately shown to be a force for both Light and Dark, depending on who wields it. After all, any weapon is double-edged, and this is especially true when we consider what happened to a great king like Arthur. I also loved the plot point about the Midsummer's Tree and the fact that, to secure victory, all the immortals had to leave Earth, regardless of whether they were "the good guys" or not, since balance is essential.

However, there was one thing I didn't like. The mortals lost all memory of the events. Yes, there were hints that they might get at least part of their memories back through dreams, but who knows if they'll take those seriously? It's a plot point I've always detested. Despite this, the book was action-packed, suspenseful, and full of folklore and mythology. It was as good as the others in the series. Interestingly, it's not my favorite, but it's close. I'm so glad I read this series and understand why so many people love it and keep re-visiting this fantastic world. I'll probably do the same.

As I conclude this series, a plethora of mixed emotions fills me. There were numerous aspects of these books that I relished, yet there were also others that left me disappointed or perplexed.

Regarding this particular book, I found it to be an underwhelming and overly lengthy finale. All too often, the text deteriorated into mere descriptions of things. The entire first part of the book was completely unnecessary. When you can excise a large section of your book without disrupting the plot, you have a significant problem. And I can't even claim that it was nice to see Will's family again because it wasn't. They were never interesting to begin with, and that's in part because Will himself was never truly engaging.

Frankly, this wasn't the most arduous book in the series to endure. "The Dark is Rising" was excruciatingly dull and lifeless. The improvements Susan Cooper made in "Greenwitch" and "The Grey King" carried over here, but she still regressed into some of the poor choices that marred the second book, especially in terms of that sense of "choices don't matter. Things happen because they do." In fact, at one point Gwion actually scolds Bran for attempting to make sense of things. Silly Bran, in this series, stuff just occurs, and the rules don't count.

What was good? The Drews are always great, although they were mostly squandered in this book, especially Simon and Barney. Honestly, the decision to relegate the Drews to the background in favor of Will, who is a far less interesting character, is one of many utterly baffling decisions Susan Cooper made in this series.

I liked Gwion. I also liked John Rowland's story, though the plot twist with Blodwen felt a bit too out of left field.

In all honesty, this book isn't terrible. It's still a much better read than "The Dark is Rising." It's weak and meandering as a finale, but more than anything, it highlights all of the things I already didn't like about this series.

Just consider the structure of this series and how peculiar it is. We have two separate introductory books, the second of which ends up being treated as more crucial by the narrative. It's rather strange how the Arthurian elements are pushed into the background, and when they do surface, it's as if she's... ashamed.

Think about how things just... get forgotten. The signs are clearly a huge deal in "The Dark is Rising" but are then essentially forgotten until this book. Then we have the lack of any mention of the Pendragon until the end of "The Grey King." It's just odd. The whole series feels very poorly planned. I suspect it's because it wasn't planned at all. And, well, sometimes things that aren't planned turn out great... it just didn't happen here.

Instead, we have a series that could have been great. It requires more continuity and through lines. It needs fewer things happening just because they are. It demands a stronger sense of CHOICES MATTERING. It's ironic that John Rowlands gives his big speech about free will when this entire series has been about characters having no free will.

I actually laughed when the giant skeleton horse was literally defeated by petals from a tree. That entire bit was spectacularly bad writing and quite possibly one of the worst prophecies I've ever encountered in a series.

The ending is frustrating. After everything, all the kids except Will lose their memories. It's a final insult. Frankly, I don't think Susan Cooper ever truly justifies the idea that being able to remember the old ones is a bad thing. She just asserts that it is. Which is pretty much all she does. It's lazy and perhaps even cowardly writing. It often feels like she simply couldn't be bothered to figure out how things make sense. We just have to accept it and move on.

Looking over reviews of the previous books, I notice a trend that the people who truly love these books seem to be largely those who read them as kids. I honestly have no idea how I would have felt about these books as a child (or it's possible I read them and forgot... I read a lot of fantasy books, and if they failed to impress, I would have forgotten them). But as an adult, I can comfortably say that stories like this have been done much better elsewhere. And beyond that, they just aren't that great.

"Over Sea, Under Stone," "Greenwitch," and "The Grey King" I did think were rather good. "The Dark is Rising" and "Silver on the Tree," on the other hand, were boring and plodding. I believe the real value of books lies in whether or not you could recommend them to someone and whether I would want to reread them. I'm unsure of the answer to either of those questions.