[1] Will Stanton begins to have strange and magical experiences on his 11th birthday, which is at the winter solstice – a few days before Christmas.

To fight back the Dark, the Old Ones need to find and reclaim four magical talismans (called "Things of Power") for the Light.

This book introduces Will Stanton, a protagonist in The Dark Is Rising Sequence, and features elements of British folklore that are especially associated with the Thames Valley, with Herne the Hunter making an appearance.

[2] Based on a 2007 online poll, the U.S. National Education Association named it one of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".

[3] In 2012 it was ranked number 22 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal, a monthly with primarily U.S.