The Dark Is Rising Sequence reading order

A plan for the whole series

5 volumes, 1,152 pages, about 21 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 4 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Greenwitch” (by 50%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.

Stages

2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 5, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 19 h12 daysby November 10, 2026

   • 1. Over Sea, Under Stone1965 · 252 pages · 5 h
   • 2. The Dark Is Rising1973 · 256 pages · 5 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by November 20, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 212 h16 daysby December 5, 2026

   • 3. Greenwitch1974 · 148 pages · 3 h
   • 4. The Grey King1975 · 208 pages · 4 h
   • 5. Silver on the Tree1977 · 288 pages · 5 h
4. The end of the series

   December 5, 2026

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.5) below the ending (8.0). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.

Best volume: Silver on the Tree (8.0, 102 ratings). Weakest: Over Sea, Under Stone (7.5). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 50%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.0) scores close to the series average or above it.