#silver on the tree

[the-dust-jacket]

I do not need all of the pretties, I do not not need ALL of the pretties....

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

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[flickeringflame216]

"And if my men and I shall seem to be kept in these hills forever, that will not be such a bad thing, for it will prove to my people that the lord of the dark was wrong, and that hope does not lie dead in a tomb, but is always alive for the hearts of men." ~Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper

[litandlifequotes]

The future cannot blame the present, just as the present cannot blame the past.

Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper

[semper-legens]

2. Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper

Owned: Yes Page count: 195 My summary: The Dark rises for the last time. The Pendragon must find the sword, with the youngest Old One at his side. And the Drew children each face their own trial. Will the prophecy come true, or will the Dark evermore rule the land? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

And the final Dark Is Rising book! Better late than never. Silver on the Tree is a weird one for me; I don't always rate it as part of the sequence, I think the buildup of the story is far more interesting than the payoff, but there's enough here that's engaging and brings up intriguing questions about the world, and about broader topics like identity and life. The payoff to Bran's story, in particular, is something I love very deeply - the idea of the struggle between destiny and grand heritage and the very normal child who just wants to live his life, as portrayed by a man who just wants that kid to have the best life possible. John Rowlands is a perfect foil both to the Light and the Dark in the climax. The Light and the Dark are arguing over whether Bran should rightly be sent back to the time of his father or allowed to remain in the future, and what that means for his destiny, and John Rowlands is asking what language they spoke in the past, and wondering how Bran could live there if he didn't understand them. It's such a human thing to wonder about, and it's ultimately his perspective that ends up mattering. He puts aside his ill-feeling towards both Light and Dark and chooses what is best for Bran Davis, this kid he's watched grow up. No more, no less. It's a very human ending.

That got more analytical than I was intending. What else about this book? My main criticism of it is that it sort of strays into the Big Concepts and set-pieces and isn't (despite what I just said) as grounded in the human aspect as much as other books. It's also broader in scope and thus a bit more rambling, taking the narrative around Arthurian England and Wales, through a mystical otherland, as well as back to the 1800s. The result, however, is that we don't spend as much time in one location as we do in later books, leading to a slightly more choppy narrative without a strong sense of place. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker or anything, it's just an element I didn't like as much in this one.

That said, it's not as though the mythical elements of this book are bad. One thing I'll always praise Susan Cooper for is her vivid and visual descriptions of locations - Bran and Will's voyage through the Lost Lands is testament enough to that, but I'm particularly fond of the section where they travel down the river and gather branches from the trees. I don't know why, I just love the image. Bran's sword which can't be seen unless he's holding it, too, is neat. And there's so many references to actual mythology of the area, like Taliesin or the Mari Lwyd. I really liked it! It's just not my favourite, sorry.

Next up, a horror monster and the end of the world.

[mercerislandbooks]

Short Take: The Drowned Woods

You could say I have a fascination with Wales. It began when I picked up Sharon Kay Penman’s Welsh Princes Trilogy as a teenager and devoured them. Historical fiction set in 13th century Wales filled with romance, royal machinations and more than one prince called Llewelyn. Totally hooked. Then I finally read Susan Cooper’s outstanding The Dark is Rising series. The last two are set in Wales, complete with a short primer on Welsh pronunciation, and I ate them up. It was in the final book of this series, Silver on the Tree, that I first heard of the Drowned Hundred, a mythical kingdom swallowed by the sea. When I caught sight of The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones, a YA historical fantasy, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a connection. Indeed, it is set in Wales and involves a heist, so I was definitely in.

Merirad (Mer) is just trying to keep her head down and escape the notice of Prince Garanhir, the man who bought her off her family when it was discovered she was a water diviner, a human touched by the fae and able to manipulate water. He raised her to be used as his weapon but when Mer couldn’t live with the damage she’d inflicted any longer, she ran. Trouble comes looking for her in the form of her old mentor, the Prince’s spymaster. Renfrew offers her the opportunity to get free of the Prince forever with one last job. Together Mer and Renfrew assemble a crew, including a young man touched by Death, the heir to the Thieves Guild and a corgi called Trefor who may or may not be a spy of the “other folk”. Their aim? A magical well on a remote island guarded by an otherworldly boar said to protect the Prince’s kingdom by holding back the sea. Plus all the treasures the well contains. Ruin Garanhir and finance their new lives all in one fell swoop.

Of course nothing is straightforward when magic and spies are involved, and the nonstop action kept me riveted. I listened to The Drowned Woods on audio, a bonus because for once I heard all the Welsh names and places as they are supposed to be pronounced instead of making my best attempt based on that long ago lesson Bran gives Will in The Grey King. Lovers of historical fantasy and fans of Six of Crows will find this a good fit. Lloyd-Jones balances tension with humor, because nothing beats a corgi that sneezes when magic is in play. And for those who have series fatigue, this is a stand-alone. Though if you want more of Lloyd-Jones’ historical fantasy Wales, you can also pick up her previous YA, The Bone Houses. A perfect escape for the end of summer!

— Lori

[yusukesmomjeans]

Fuck a hot girl summer, I'm here to have a Bran Davies summer. I'm here to be brooding, unpredictable, queer coded, and come into my destiny. And still hot I expect.

[irregularjohnnywiggins]

There's nothing more disheartening than reading a book published in 1977 and realising that the rant by a racist antagonist could be almost word-for-word copied from a Conservative cabinet meeting today.

[roseunspindle]

When the dark comes rising

Six shall turn it back

Three from the circle

Three from the track

Wood, iron, bronze, fire, water, stone

Five will return and one go alone

Iron for the birthday

Bronze carried long

Wood from the burning

Stone out of Song

Fire from the candlering

Water from the Thaw

Six signs the circle

And the grail gone before

Fire on the mountain,

shall find the harp of gold

Played to wake the sleepers

Oldest of the Old

Power from the grennwitch

Lost beneath the sea

All shall find the light at last

Silver on the tree

[egophiliac]

IT'S BUNNY TIME EVERYBODY

(feat. Dilla)

(bugle accompaniment by Yuu)

[the-dust-jacket]

Happy Anniversary to the The Dark Is Rising Sequence! How do we feel about the new covers?

[kaggsy59]

Quests, battles, reunions and partings... #TDiRS22 #SilverontheTree

Quests, battles, reunions and partings… #TDiRS22 #SilverontheTree

December is perhaps not the ideal month to read “Silver on the Tree”, the final book in Susan Cooper’s “The Dark is Rising” sequence; the second book in the series is rooted in the winter and its weather and festivals, whereas this one is firmly in summer. However, the readalong was structured in a way that we reached the end as the year ends, and I spent a happy weekend being transported by the…

[ikarigai]

The truest sign we have Reddit refugees on this site is the fact tree law is trending.

Get their asses.

EDIT 7/19/23: THE CITY IS INVESTIGATINGGGGG

[semper-legens]

168. Silver On The Tree, by Susan Cooper

Owned: Yes Page count: 195 My summary: The Dark rises for the last time. The Pendragon must find the sword, with the youngest Old One at his side. And the Drew children each face their own trial. Will the prophecy come true, or will the Dark evermore rule the land? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Last book in this series! As always, check the tag for my previous posts. It’s weird, this book very much is not my favourite from this series. I might say it’s my least favourite? Which is odd because there’s nothing necessarily wrong with it, I just don’t like it as much as the others. There are some beautiful moments, like John Rowlands’ judgement of Bran or the flashback sequence that the Drews live through, but I guess because this is fundamentally another fetch quest, I didn’t really vibe with it.

I’m not gonna spend my whole time complaining, because there are some things I love! John Rowlands is an excellent character, and it’s such an interesting move at the last to make the fate of the world hinge on what this regular man thinks should happen with Bran. The Dark want him to go back to the past, where he can’t help the Light, and the Light want him to stay, so he can stop the Dark. John Rowlands is asked to adjudicate, and his first question is what language they spoke back then. Latin. Bran doesn’t speak Latin. Faced with the almighty power of the Light and the Dark, John just wants what’s best for Bran. And how fitting is it that this series ends not with a fight, not with a struggle, not with magic and mayhem, but a normal man, a good man, making a choice. It really ties the themes of the series together and it’s really cool.

But yeah, I think part of the reason I don't vibe with this book is how much the Drews get sidelined. They have their past times adventures where they’re really just onlookers, and Bran and Jane get their own little moments, but largely the focus of most of the plot is on what Will and Bran are doing. And that’s not bad, it’s fun, and their journeys to find the crystal sword are cool and interesting. I just wish the Drews would have been there more. They, plus Merriman, are supposed to be the fabled Six, but really it’s the Will and Bran show feat Merriman and the Drews. Merriman’s exclusion makes sense, he’s way too powerful and gets diverted by the Dark. But the Drews could have balanced Will and Bran a bit more, and I wish there’d been a bit more of them.

Next up, something completely different! A Victorian asylum. My favourite!

[darkfluffydragon]

Woo! Phantasmagoria! Shadow Milk Cookie :D (also known as Phantas when it comes to AUs)

It may be messy, but I've spent too long trying to come up with a design for jester man over here. Let's just embrace the chaos SMC style. This is also the guy who designed Pure Vanilla and Wind Archer's outfits by the way. He does not like his hair.

[rowan--photography]

silver birch in the mist

Decemer 2022