The Dark Is Rising (The Dark Is Rising Sequence) [UNABRIDGED]

"So perfect is the match between Alex Jennings' voice and this mysterious magical tale--that it is difficult to imagine any other voice reading these words." -The Horn Book Magazine From the Inside Flap minutes6 cassettesPerformed by Alex JenningsOn the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift-- that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. At once, he is plunged into a quest for the six magical Signs that will one day aid the Old Ones in the final battle between the Dark and the Light. And for the twelve days of Christmas, while the Dark is rising, life for Will is full of wonder, terror, and delight. "So perfect is the match between Alex Jennings' voice and this mysterious magical tale--that it is difficult to imagine any other voice reading these words." -The Horn Book Magazine Susan Cooper is best known for her acclaimed sequence of fantasy novels known as The Dark is Rising. Born in Buckinghamshire, England, Susan Cooper moved to the United States in 1963 and now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From AudioFile Will Stanton is a normal boy in a normal, loving family. But on Mid-Winter's Eve, the night before his eleventh birthday, Will senses that things are changing--animals are afraid of him, he sees things that no one else does, and he feels terrified but doesn't know why. On his birthday, Will wakes up and finds himself in a world totally different, yet the same. And he discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to fighting the forces of evil, the Dark. As narrator, Alex Jennings superbly conveys Will's mixed emotions--his fear, joy, confusion, anxiety, and growing acceptance of his two separate, yet occasionally concentric, lives, as well as his understanding of his role and the choices he must make in this battle between the Dark and the Light. Jennings fully voices the main characters; supporting characters are less individualized. Jennings creates vivid pictures of the many landscapes Will travels through, and builds the tension and enormity of this eternal fight up to the climax of this Newbery Honor Book. W.L.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine Read more