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Rating: 
Summary: "It's a Race Now. A Race Against the Rising..."
Review: "Silver on the Tree" is the fifth and final book in "The Dark is Rising" series, and if you have never picked up the previous installments, then don't start here - you won't have a clue what's going on. If however, you have read "Over Sea, Under Stone," "The Dark is Rising," "Greenwitch" and "The Grey King," then here is the big finale you've been waiting for. Finally, all our main characters are reunited for the first and last time - Merriman Lyon, Will Stanton, Bran Davis, the Drew children, the Rowlands and the rest of the Old Ones who have come together for the final battle against the malevolent powers of the Dark.
They have gathered in Wales, following the last lines of the Light's prophecy; "when the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back", in order to find the last talisman of the Light. Whilst Will (the youngest of the Old Ones: guardians of humanity) and Bran (the son of King Arthur who was transported forward in time by his mother) travel across the Lost Land in search of the crystal sword, Merriman and Simon, Jane and Barney Drew face their own challenges when the powers of the Dark catapult them into different time periods. Soon it is a race to the finish line and the Midsummer Tree, but with a traitor in their midst and the forces of the Dark towering around them, it's hardly going to be easy to finally defeat the Dark.
Cooper again introduces several historical and legendary figures from England's past, including Owain Glyndwr, Herne the Hunter, Gwion/Talisan and of course King Arthur himself, and she invokes the landscapes and countrysides beautifully. By the end of the series, we are met with the inevitable sadness of farewells and life-changing decisions that place "The Dark is Rising" amongst the best of children's fantasy literature - this is not simply a hackneyed battle between opposing forces; it involves real betrayal, real heartbreak and real pain - where the climatic moment is not a sword-fight, but a decision that must be made by a human being that has just lost everything he's loved. Our characters have only half-won the battle: for as she points out in the beginning of the novel when a young Pakistani boy is targeted for bullying, the real enemy lies within humankind.
There are a few things that I'm not quite sure on, but before I start pointing them out I have to say that Susan Cooper is an extremely sensitive and subtle writer - if you don't read carefully you can miss half of what she has to say. As I have only read "Silver on the Tree" twice, (once when I was quite young, and once when I was in a hurry), I'm quite certain that I fall into this category. Her themes are deep, her writing is articulate, and she doesn't make it easy for insensitive readers. If you want to get the most out of these books, then you have to work for it.
In saying that, some things came across as rather puzzling. The sequence and timing of events are rather patchy, and often things happen that don't seem to make much sense (although keep in mind, I may be misinterpreting them - I'm sure Cooper knows more about writing than I do). The book is divided into four parts, and although the first provides a promising beginning, and the last an exciting conclusion, the two middle parts are problematic. The situation with the Drews, in which they are transported back into time seems a little unnecessary - they do not seem to learn or gain anything of value that justifies their presence there. Meanwhile, as Bran and Will traverse the Lost Land, they come up against several obstacles that are disposed of rather easily - such as the terrifying spectre of a moving horse skeleton: the boys are saved when the petals of a may tree falls upon it. Huh?
Furthermore, the powers of the Dark just didn't seem that scary this time around. Previously, they were one of Cooper's strongest inventions, whether they appeared as amiable siblings, sullen, half-crazed painters, sweet-faced farm-girls, haggard tramps, a malevolent mountain-presence or the terrifying visage of a Black-cloaked Rider. But here, rather than appearing as a truly foreboding threat, the bad-guys do little but tail our heroes, mock them, and generally come across as annoying. Cooper drives home the point that the Dark can do the good guys no physical harm so many times that we loose all fear for their safety. I had no doubts that they'd make it through with no causalities - but the emotional scarring that they'd been exposed to is also negated when all but one of the main characters loose the memory of their adventures.
As mentioned, Cooper's work is immensely subtle and there is too much to be discovered for me to give it all away. I'll just reveal just one: read the descriptions of the Old Ones in the ships carefully at the story's end - she does not give names but "a tall burly figure in a smith's apron, a small man in a green coat and an imperious grey-haired lady, leaning on a stick," are all characters that we've seen before. So read carefully and frequently if you want to get the most out of this particular book, as well of the rest of the installments in this award-winning, immensely rewarding series.
Rating: 
Summary: silver on the tree
Review: "silver on the tree was one of the best books in the series with an epic tale of light verse the dark. in the book Will, Bran, and the others of the six have to try to vanquish the dark for the last and only time. first they must get the cristal soward and then beat the dark to the midsumar's tree to vanquish the dark once and for all. but in their path lie many riddles and obsticals. will they make it to the tre and vanquish the dark once and for all... you will have to read it to find out.
Rating:
Summary: Silver on the Tree was really good, but I expected more
Review: Everything in the Dark is Rising Series was really great, eapecially The Dark is Rising. Everything up to The Grey King built up tremendously. When I finally read Silver on the Tree I was somewhat disappointed. I was really happy the the major characters got together, but they weren't together long enough. I expected all five of the kids to do the journey together, and I also thought that the Drews didn't get to participate enough in the story, and Merriman was bearly in it! But I was really disappointed at the ending. I really didn't see the point of what all of them went through if only they were going to forget it in the end! It would have meant MORE to them and the story if they would have been able to remember. But all in all, the book was good. And I thank Susan Cooper for bringing us this excellent series.
Rating:
Summary: Rich ending to a rich series
Review: I could sum it up in one word: WOW. But since one-word reviews are not allowed for an amazon.com review, I'll elaborate. The whole series is the best one I've ever read about that on-going struggle between light and dark, good and evil forces. All of the young main characters from the other books get together in this one, and it is interesting enough to see how all these children, whom you know well, get along together. They each have a different part in the vanquishing of the Dark. In it, Bran also has more to discover about himself and the value of friends, which he gives everthing--everything!--up for. You'd have a hard time to decide who was more important, next to Merriman, of course, in the book, Will or Bran. Until the end, which is so fitting yet sad and tragic, because of the nature of the servants of the Light's existence. This book is true to the world of the other books, with funny times, serious ones, adventure, sacrifice, friendship, and power. This book is more rich in sensory details than the others, and has less sit-around-and-think scenes. The very end is bitter-sweet, you'll have to read it to see what I mean. If you're a careful reader, you'll see things hinted at from the other books happening in this one (for example, I believe it was in Over Sea Under Stone that had Merriman reading from the grail or the parchment something like "when the Light is no more than a dream"--forgive me for not remembering it exactly-- and in the book Merriman gets a faraway look in his eyes and repeats the line, but it is seemingly forgotten after that. But it has real meaning in Silver on the Tree, but I can't explain...you'll have to read it for yourself). Cooper has many crafty foreshadowings like that which are fun to find. The novels, while extremely original, are deeply rooted into the Arthurian legend, sort of a modern-day continuation of it. Like there is a cave in Cornwall like the one in "Over Sea..." that is called Merlin's cave. Little, generally overlooked real-life allusions make it fun and realistic, while the actual plot is deep beyond explaining, so i won't try. Just read them and see!
Rating:
Summary: Rich ending to a rich series
Review: I could sum it up in one word: WOW. But since one-word reviews are not allowed for an amazon.com review, I'll elaborate. The whole series is the best one I've ever read about that on-going struggle between light and dark, good and evil forces. All of the young main characters from the other books get together in this one, and it is interesting enough to see how all these children, whom you know well, get along together. They each have a different part in the vanquishing of the Dark. In it, Bran also has more to discover about himself and the value of friends, which he gives everthing--everything!--up for. You'd have a hard time to decide who was more important, next to Merriman, of course, in the book, Will or Bran. Until the end, which is so fitting yet sad and tragic, because of the nature of the servants of the Light's existence. This book is true to the world of the other books, with funny times, serious ones, adventure, sacrifice, friendship, and power. This book is more rich in sensory details than the others, and has less sit-around-and-think scenes. The very end is bitter-sweet, you'll have to read it to see what I mean. If you're a careful reader, you'll see things hinted at from the other books happening in this one (for example, I believe it was in Over Sea Under Stone that had Merriman reading from the grail or the parchment something like "when the Light is no more than a dream"--forgive me for not remembering it exactly-- and in the book Merriman gets a faraway look in his eyes and repeats the line, but it is seemingly forgotten after that. But it has real meaning in Silver on the Tree, but I can't explain...you'll have to read it for yourself). Cooper has many crafty foreshadowings like that which are fun to find. The novels, while extremely original, are deeply rooted into the Arthurian legend, sort of a modern-day continuation of it. Like there is a cave in Cornwall like the one in "Over Sea..." that is called Merlin's cave. Little, generally overlooked real-life allusions make it fun and realistic, while the actual plot is deep beyond explaining, so i won't try. Just read them and see!
Rating:
Summary: A satisfying ending to a spectacular series
Review: The old one, Will, and his friends are on their final adventure together to save the world from the rising dark. Will start off with his brothers at a picnic and he discovers that the old ones cannot slack off and let the dark take over. Merriman tells Will to pick up the blet of the signs to ward off the dark for the final moment. Meanwhile, Jane, Simon, and Barney are vacationing in Wales near where the mountain of the Grey King was. They meet Will at a cliff and they meet Bran, the mysterious albino boy. Together they solve the last piece to the puzzle of the rhyme, the lost city. They find the lost city and enter it to find the crystal sword, the final weapon of the light. Then it is the race to the midsummer tree. Prophesy has it said that the first one to cut off the silver from the midsummer tree will rule the universe. There are lots of surprises in the book and the plot changes ever so slightly. Everything flows together.
I like the book because of the interesting plot, how each book and each event in each book flows into one another. I also happen to like King Arthur and his Round Table so this makes the book very appealing. I like how Susan Cooper uses real language and real places to explain the story which makes the whole story more believable.
My favorite part was when Will and Bran received the crystal sword from the unhappy king. I've always wondered why did the king decide to torture himself with his own thoughts. The book says the Dark has no power to harm but it can contribute to changing a person. Then can't the king resist the Dark's influence? Why must he suffer because he did something right? Great book overall!
Rating:
Summary: The Dark is Rising Sequence
Review: The world gets saved from the Dark here, but there is a very heavy human cost to the victory. This is not surprising, since this is a series that takes myth and legend very seriously and does not sugar coat the battle between good and evil. One of the things that seems exquisitely sad to me is that the human characters who have been so heroic and important in this series not longer remember the epic battle they have been such a great part in when the story is over. While I understand this in the context of the story, it seems so very sad. I really loved this series of books.
Rating:
Summary: Goes through the motions
Review: This last book in "The Dark is Rising" Sequence goes through the motions of being dark an mysterious, and does so effectively, but the feel is about what you'd expect to get rereading "The Dark is Rising" (book 2 in the sequence). It manages to wrap things up, and could be turned into a movie without some director mutilating the plot to slip in CGI shots. The final battle is pure CGI gold. Overall, I am satisfied, and do not feel cheated in any way by the latter four books of the series (although I hated the first one, and I'm glad I read the second one first, or I would have never continued).
Rating:
Summary: A well-written, bittersweet ending to a great series
Review: _Silver in the Tree_ is the fifth and final book in the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. It tells the story of the final confrontation between the Light and the Dark. Here the threads from previous books come together: Will Stanton, Merriman, the Drew children, Bran Davies, the Rowlands, the Stantons, and more. Cooper also introduces new characters, like Gwion, who leave lasting impressions both on the characters and the readers. In this book, the Light tries to find the last thing of power--a crystal sword--that will help them in the last and greatest rising of the Dark. On a more serious level, this book addresses questions such as: what does it mean to *belong* to a family or a place? What right do people have to make decisions for others? The answers are neither simple nor easy. The disappointment of some of the other reviewer here shows that. (Warning: Some of them give away the ending, so reader beware). Personally I thought the novel's conclusion was fitting--it went well with the message of the other parts of the series. Cooper's prose style meshes well with her story. Fantasy buffs, especially those with an interest in Arthurian legend, will love this series. I recommend this book very highly to middle school readers or advanced late-elementary school readers. But read the series in its proper order! This book gets its much of its poignancy from what comes before it. The order of the series is: _Over Sea, Under Stone_, _The Dark is Rising_, _Greenwitch_, _The Grey King_, and _Silver on the Tree_. The first two books can be read in interchangable order; I might even recommend reading _The Dark is Rising_ before _Over Sea, Under Stone_, but don't read _Greenwitch_ without reading the first two.
Rating:
Summary: A well-written, bittersweet ending to a great series
Review: _Silver in the Tree_ is the fifth and final book in the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. It tells the story of the final confrontation between the Light and the Dark. Here the threads from previous books come together: Will Stanton, Merriman, the Drew children, Bran Davies, the Rowlands, the Stantons, and more. Cooper also introduces new characters, like Gwion, who leave lasting impressions both on the characters and the readers. In this book, the Light tries to find the last thing of power--a crystal sword--that will help them in the last and greatest rising of the Dark. On a more serious level, this book addresses questions such as: what does it mean to *belong* to a family or a place? What right do people have to make decisions for others? The answers are neither simple nor easy. The disappointment of some of the other reviewer here shows that. (Warning: Some of them give away the ending, so reader beware). Personally I thought the novel's conclusion was fitting--it went well with the message of the other parts of the series. Cooper's prose style meshes well with her story. Fantasy buffs, especially those with an interest in Arthurian legend, will love this series. I recommend this book very highly to middle school readers or advanced late-elementary school readers. But read the series in its proper order! This book gets its much of its poignancy from what comes before it. The order of the series is: _Over Sea, Under Stone_, _The Dark is Rising_, _Greenwitch_, _The Grey King_, and _Silver on the Tree_. The first two books can be read in interchangable order; I might even recommend reading _The Dark is Rising_ before _Over Sea, Under Stone_, but don't read _Greenwitch_ without reading the first two.
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