The Grey King

Book 4 of The Dark Is Rising Sequence

By: Susan Cooper

Narrated by: Richard Mitchley

Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

There is a Welsh legend about a harp of gold, hidden within a certain hill, that will be found by a boy and a white dog with silver eyes - a dog that can see the wind. Will Stanton knew nothing of this when he traveled to Wales to recover from a severe illness. But when he met Bran, the strange boy who owned a white dog, he began to remember. For Will is the last-born of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to saving the world from the forces of evil, the Dark. And it is Will's task to wake with the golden harp the six who must be roused from their long slumber in the Welsh hills to prepare for the last battle between the Dark and the Light.

Listen to more in the Dark Is Rising Sequence.

©2007 Susan Cooper (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group.

Critic reviews

• Newbery Honor Book

"Susan Cooper is a consummate storyteller, and Richard Mitchley is an extraordinary narrator. His voice resonates with the atmosphere of the British Isles. The power and depth of his voice as the Grey King cause the listener to cower, and his icy tones create chills as the Brenin Llwyd blows by. As Will comes to understand the eerie might of the warestones, Mitchley brings goose bumps to the listener's skin. The interplay of past and present is compelling and believable, given his masterful presentation. This is a fabulous listen!" (AudioFile)

Fantastic

I love the Dark is Rising series and this book in particular. Ive read them all multiple times. I’ve listened to this one, The Dark is Rising, and Greenwich, and the reader of this one, Richard Mitchley, is far and away the best. Really a tremendous performance that enhances the words and story. I hope to encounter him again!!!

This series starts out good but gets weird

What made the experience of listening to The Grey King the most enjoyable?

The discussion of Wales and Mitchley's excellent handling of the language and accent.

What did you like best about this story?

see above

Any additional comments?

At first I was hesitant to try a new narrator, as Alex Jennings handles the others in the series with aplomb, but after hearing Mitchley's Welsh I don't think Jennings could have done it proper justice. Both are good narrators but Mitchley was the best choice for this particular novel. An enjoyable listen, if a weird book.

amazing audiobook performance

This is one of the best of the Dark is Rising series, and the audiobook performance is the best of the series and one of the best readings of any book I've heard, a stunning balance of acting and reading.

The Best of the Best

This is my favorite of the Dark is Rising series. The reader captures the Welsh accent so very well, it's like being in Wales. Brilliant.

The story continues

The story picks up as it goes along--it seemed to start more slowly to me than the others. This one is more intense emotionally, I think, what with the adult relationships figuring in. The narrator took a little while to get into it, but by the end it was a full blown acting production, which was quite enjoyable. His accents are marvelous, but It took me a little bit to warm up to him since I rely liked the narration from the first three. All in all, though, a good story, with an interesting twist on the Arthuruan legend that firs nicely into this world.

One step closer.

This was actually the first book of the sequence that I ever read. At that time I didn't know it was part of a series. This latest adventure begins when Will Stanton, last of the Old Ones, is sent to visit relatives in Whales while he recovers from a bout of Hepatitis. Soon after his arrival he meets Bran, an introverted, pale boy who seems to know something of Will's true nature and his business. It soon becomes apparent that even here the forces of the Dark, and indeed one of their most powerful lords, are at work, with the unwitting but not entirely unwilling aid of a disagreeable farmer with a grudge against Bran's father. Will the two boys be able to accomplish their mission before all is lost?
This is the only book in the series not read by Alex Jennings. Fortunately Richard Mitchley, Jennings' stand-in, has both a good voice for storytelling and a good ear for accents and dialects. This is a fairly short book but I couldn't put it down for long.

Another great one in this series

A little confusing but overall a great story! I'll be listening again in the future...

I’m a sucker for welsh

I just love welsh accents. Also this is the first book in the series I read as a kid.

Great to listen to

It was lovely to hear all those Welsh words I've always wondered what they sounded like. Beautifully read.

Great reading for young and old

Listening to this book in particular has given me an appreciation for the Welch toung. While listening I will pause and try to pronounce a word without much success.