The last great battle between the Light and the Dark engulfs Will; his ageless master, Merriman; the three heroic Drew children; and Bran, the Welsh boy whose destiny is tied to the Light. On a quest through time and space that touches the most ancient myths of the islands of Britain, these six fight fear and death in the darkly brooding mountains of Wales. And in the haunting Lost Land, Will and Bran find dream and nightmare, but achieve the final talisman against the Dark: the crystal sword.

In the dreadful last moment when the Dark comes rising, all the servants of the Light join to combine the powers of the sword and the six ancient Signs. But even with the signs on their side, can the Light prevail?

Much less grounded than the others. Long, and slow, almost none of it takes place in the "real world". ( )

All of the characters from the previous four books in Susan Cooper's marvelous Dark Is Rising Sequence—the three Drew siblings, Will Stanton, Bran Davies, Merriman, John Rowlands, the Black Rider of the Dark—come together in this fifth and final title, as events lead on to the final rising of the Dark, and the Light's great battle to defeat it for all time. Set in the same area of Wales as The Grey King, the book follows the children as they search for a sign from the Lady, before Will and Bran set out on a journey through the Lost Land, in order to seek the fabled crystal sword—the last Thing of Power needed to defeat the Dark. The final section of the book is devoted to a train ride through time to the Midsummer Tree, where the final battle rages...

I adored Susan Cooper's series as a child, reading and rereading it countless times, and while Silver On the Tree has never been my favorite of the five books—an honor belonging to The Dark Is Rising, although Greenwitch and The Grey King are also marvelous—I do think it is very good. I have always enjoyed the various story strands here, from Jane being the conduit for the Lady's message to Will and Bran's trek across the Lost Land, guided by Gwion (AKA Taliesin). I have also greatly appreciated certain specific episodes, from the meeting with Owain Glyndŵr to the heartbreaking revelations about Mrs. Rowlands and her true identity. That being said, I've never felt that the various pieces of story here fit together quite as well as they could, and the final confrontation has always felt a little lacking. All of these feelings and impressions were confirmed on this latest reread. I don't want to overstate the case, of course. This is still a wonderfully engaging work of fantasy fiction for children, full of Susan Cooper's rich blend of folkloric allusions and her powerful evocation of place. Although not my favorite, I do strongly recommend it to all readers who have read the previous installments of the series. ( )

Such a good series. I find myself simultaneously wishing I had read it when I was younger, and glad that I am encountering it as a well-seasoned adult. There are some nuances and lessons here which I think I would have missed when younger. ( )

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