Editing Silver on the Tree

{{Short description|1977 novel by Susan Cooper}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
| name              = Silver on the Tree
| image = Silver on the Tree.jpg
| author            = [[Susan Cooper]]
| language          = English
| pages             = 368 pp
| isbn              = 0689500882
| publisher         = [[Chatto & Windus]]
| genre             = [[Contemporary fantasy]]
| pub_date          = 1977
| preceded_by       = [[The Grey King]] (1975)
| series            = [[The Dark Is Rising Sequence]]
| media_type        = Print (hardback & paperback)
| country           = United Kingdom
}}

'''''Silver on the Tree''''' is a [[contemporary fantasy]] novel by [[Susan Cooper]], published by [[Chatto & Windus]] in 1977. It is the final entry in the five book [[The Dark Is Rising Sequence|''Dark Is Rising Sequence'']].

== Plot ==
Will Stanton and his mentor Merriman, two of the last Old Ones, gather allies and magical objects to help defeat the rising Dark. They ally with Bran, a Welsh descendant of [[King Arthur]], and the three Drew children, to form the Six who are prophesied to triumph over the powers of the Dark.  Significant mythical elements in the book include the bard [[Taliesin]] (under his alternate name Gwion), King [[Gwyddno Garanhir]] and the [[Cantre'r_Gwaelod|Drowned Hundred]], the Welsh tradition of the [[Mari Llwyd]], Arthur's ship [[Prydwen]], and the [[Ritual of oak and mistletoe]].

== Critical reception ==
The book was compared less favorably to earlier instalments in the series, with particular criticism towards its final battle. However, it still received generally positive reviews. [[Mari Ness]] of [[Tor.com]] praised it for being "beautifully and lyrically written", but was critical of its ending and its use of the [[damsel in distress]] trope. Nevertheless, she called it a "solid ending" for the series.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ness|first=Mari|date=2011-07-14|title=The loss of magic and memory: The Silver on the Tree|url=https://www.tor.com/2011/07/14/the-loss-of-magic-and-memory-the-silver-on-the-tree/|access-date=2022-01-19|website=Tor.com|language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Gale (publisher)|The Children's Literature Review]]'' criticized elements of the book's plot, such as the use of time travel, but praised its setting and descriptive writing.<ref>{{cite journal|date=April 1978|title=For Children from Ten to Fourteen: ''Silver on the Tree''|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420001885&v=2.1&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w|journal=The Junior Bookshelf|volume=42|issue=2|pages=99–100|access-date=2013-08-05}}</ref>

''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' was critical of the book's climax, saying "to the end the discrepancy between her grand scheme and the particulars of the story is unbridged, giving a morally and intellectually hollow ring to the whole."<ref>{{Cite web|title=SILVER ON THE TREE|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews//silver-on-the-tree/|access-date=2022-01-18|website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref> Rebecca Fisher of fantasyliterature.com praised Cooper's subtle writing, but criticized the book's pacing choices and lack of suspense.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Silver on the Tree: The final book of an immensely rewarding series {{!}} Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews|url=http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/silver-on-the-tree/|access-date=2022-01-19|language=en-US}}</ref>

''Silver on the Tree'' received a [[Tir na n-Og Award]] in 1978.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cyn-enillwyr Gwobrau Tir na n-Og|url=http://www.cllc.org.uk/gwasanaethau-services/plant-children/gwobrau-prizes/tir-na-nog/rhestr-list|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310093112/http://www.cllc.org.uk/gwasanaethau-services/plant-children/gwobrau-prizes/tir-na-nog/rhestr-list|archive-date=2012-03-10}}</ref> It was nominated for a [[Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel]] and a [[Ditmar Award]], but did not win.<ref>{{Cite web|title=sfadb : Susan Cooper Awards|url=http://www.sfadb.com/Susan_Cooper|access-date=2022-01-19|website=www.sfadb.com}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Novels by Susan Cooper]]
[[Category:Novels set in Wales]]
[[Category:Welsh fantasy novels]]
[[Category:1977 fantasy novels]]
[[Category:Modern Arthurian fiction]]
[[Category:Low fantasy novels]]