The Grey King

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)

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.

2 people found this helpful

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.

2 people found this helpful

Great to listen to

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

2 people found this helpful

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.

2 people found this helpful

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.

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.

Wonderful!

A truly talented narrator - thank you for bringing this story into such vivid life for my boys. Our school runs will never be the same!

One of the better in the series

The last of 'the old ones' must find a mystical harp in the welsh country side and defeat the dark side which is corrupting men.
Despite being centered around my least favourite protagonist I didn't mind this story. Simple, short and if you have a loved pet you might find some emotions. Quite a few coincidences and stuff we take for granted without explanation, like the boy's illness at the start.
If your interested in Welsh history and culture there a lot of it here. I'm not so I can't say if it was accurate.
Like the others in the series keep in mind it's for kids.

I lost interest somewhere in Book 2 or 3

This series started out strong, but failed to keep my attention after a while. The author writes really well, but the plot just became too convoluted, the symbolism too complicated to follow.

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Wonderful🌸

Susan Copper is such a wonderful writer. Her stories weave ancient and modern, the known and unknown in a deeply spiritual reality within the pages. The reader was excellent, blending the English and Welsh and keeping the flow of the narrative.

1 person found this helpful

Beautifully read great story

Where does The Grey King rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I thought it was very well read and also thought the narrator must be Welsh. The previous narrator of the series Alex Jennings is good but Richard Mitchley'svoice was superb for this tale set in Wales. very evocative.

What other book might you compare The Grey King to, and why?

It is part of a series by Susan Cooper. I read one "the dark is rising" and wanted to read the whole series

Have you listened to any of Richard Mitchley’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No but I will now be looking for his other books I think the narration can make a book and will often choose audio books based on the narrator. Mind you Richard Mitchley reads Allan Carr's how to stop smoking so I might draw the line at listening to that purely for his dulcet tones. (I am not a smoker. 😀)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No I preferred a bit at a time I found it quite exciting.

Any additional comments?

Would recommend the series and the narrator.

1 person found this helpful

Wales. Its people and its Legends

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

I got this book because I am learning Welsh (for fun). I have been travelling to South Wales from England each week to work for about a year now and want to immerse myself more into the way of the Welsh people.

What did you like best about this story?

This story is my idea of Wales and the Welsh people as it excellently weaves the everyday life of those farming the hills and mountains with the stories and Legends brought about by this mystical countryside.

What does Richard Mitchley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I didn't hear a narrator only lots of Welsh people so I guess he did a good job.
I thoroughly enjoyed his pronunciation of Welsh and equally the voices of the many people in Wales who speak English with an accent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I also enjoy hill walking alone. One day out of the fog or cloud that often cover the hills, shall I meet, Bran, Caradog Prichard, the Milgwn, or Brenin Llwyd himself !

1 person found this helpful

Magical

Part of my favourite set of stories, rich with British myths and legends woven into a wonderful children’s story

Fabulous book and fabulous reader

I have now reached my half-century... (well ok, I'm a few years past that now!)
I absolutely loved the Dark is Rising Series by Susan Cooper in my younger days, and have re-read it many times as an adult.
This audio version read by Richard Mitchley just couldn't be better.
Richard becomes each character as he reads their parts in this wonderful tale and he creates such an atmosphere that it felt like I was in the story too, watching the tale unfold and the evil of the dark grow. I have never enjoyed an audiobook so much.
As you can tell, I love Susan Cooper's books but I could listen to Richard Mitchley reading anything! I hope to find another book with his voice.

hope you like Welsh

narration lovely but narrative left much to be desired. plodding and obviously derivative of Welsh legend in a way that previous books in the series were not