The Shining Company

by Rosemary Sutcliff and Sutcliff

Book Overview

Life is secure and peaceful for young Prosper, second son of Gerontius, until the day Prince Gorthyn arrives with his hunting party. Prosper's unusual daring in the hunt catches the prince's attention, and he promises to make Prosper his shield-bearer when he comes of age. Two years later, three hundred princes are summoned to the king's fortress at Dyn Eidin, where they will prepare to fight the Saxon forces which are gaining strength in the east...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374466165
• ISBN13: 9780374466169
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Book Report

The Shining Company is for people who like a little bit of guts, blood, and brains here and there.The Shining Company has some Lord of the Rings things; there is a object that the main character is attached to, and there is war. But it's a true event. This book is about the Anglo Saxsons going to war. It's also about how the main character copes with war and travels to war. I loved this book because I love Lord of the Rings and gore.

History at it's finest

This book has told me that history can be fun. and i think Rosemary Sutcliff has a art for history, and i think everyone should read it.

I just picked it up today but am still reading

Good books need lots of great reviews to persuade converts. =) I picked this up as Celtic/medieval literature for a college class and wondered whether this "juvenile" book would contain enough depth, but found myself immediately intrigued. Sutcliff's writing is consistently true to the era she portrays, and is often poetic, as well. The characters are refreshingly real; I care more about their development as individuals than how the battles will turn out. So far, I'm totally happy to rate this book 5 stars. I can't wait to finish it!

The Shining Company

As I was reading The Shining Company I was thinking this is the best adventure book I ever read. I also couldn't keep my eyes off it and a number of times my teacher kept telling me to put the book down and pay attention. At first I didn't want to read it but I did and it got better and better until I couldn't stop reading it. It's also the first Rosemary Sutcliff I've ever read and I will probably read more.

Great tale from a respected Historical fiction author

This is the first book by Rosemary Sutcliff I have read, but I assure you, it will not be the last. I was captivated by this book from the begining. It is rather long, (or at least, seems long, though it's really only about 250 pages) and every night while I was reading it, I hated having to put it down and go to bed, wondering what was going to happen to Prosper next. I loved the way Mrs. Sutcliff built the book around the story of the Gododdin. The main plot is an excellent story in the first place, and this book did a worthy job of making it into a story with real people who we can relate to. The characters are also excellent. There are quite a few of them, but they each have unique, individual personalities, and are quite alive. The main character, Prosper, is an interesting narrator, even though at first there doesn't seem to be much to make him stand out among all other warriors and shieldbearers. All in all, this is a very good book, I would especially reccommend it if you have interest in British history, battles and armies, or just good stories.