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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780374466169
ISBN number: 0374466165
Label: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: September 01, 1992
Publishing house: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 390209
Studio: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
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Product Description:
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. Prosper, with Conn, his bondservant, leaves his father's lands to join Gorthyn in the rigorous training for battle. With the coming of spring, word reaches the Three Hundred Companions that the Saxon leader has taken yet another kingdom. They set out at once for the Saxon stronghold of Catraeth, where Prosper must face the greatest challenges of his life.
Adventure and heroism against impossible odds create a moving, robust tale set in Britain in the eighth century and based on actual events.
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Rated by buyers 
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It is 600 AD in Britain, the dawn of the Dark Ages, when the Roman presence was but a memory generations back--an almost wistful time preserved in odd names and stone ruins. Saxon invaders from across the ocean have been steadily encroaching on Celtic Lands--spreading their rough culture like a virus from the Southeastern Coast in all directions, ruthlessly destroying what little remained of the native cultures. Alas, there is no Artos, the Bear, with his gallant cavalry to crush them as he did at Badon Hill, so the Sea Wolves arrogantly push the Celtic Belt to its westward extremity.
King Mynydogg the Golden summons 300 of his finest warriors to his palace in Dyn Eiden (Edinburgh) for a year of serious training for the inevitable challenge to the beer-drinking Saxon churls: the ultimate battle to determine the cultural fate of Britain for a thousand years. The defenders depend upon the The Arrowhead formation, which involves one warrior with his two shield bearers. But the local kingdoms are stiff with suspicion, and struggle to join forces against a common invader.
When the book opens we meet Prosper, the young protagonist, a slighted second son. For his 12th birthday he receives from his stern father the gift of his own bondservant, a dark lad stolen by slavers who raid Eiru (Ireland). In the course of the subsequent 5 years the boys forge a close bond, although they both love the same young lady. While Prosper plays at warriorhood, Conn is drawn to the forge, where he hopes to learn a blacksmith's trade and create shining weapons for the freeborn warriors. A chance encounter with a magnificent white hart in a distant forest cements the kinship of the 3 young people.
But the day comes when Prince Gorthyn arrives, inspiring Prosper to promise loyal service to him when he matures.
Eventually Prosper is old enough to be summoned; from then on his life is changed forever. Willing to endure great trials and pain, he anticipates the day of the great battle against the Sea Wolves. If only this special Company of 300 can count on the aid of other distant chieftains, to help drive the invaders back into the sea. What is his fascination with the shimmering Archangel dagger, which is owned or entrusted to a foreign merchant? It shines despite the grey days which sweep across ancient Britannia. Young Prosper comes of age, learning both the value of friendship, trust, warrior fidelity and the glory of belonging to a truly Shining Company. The wise bard, Aneirin, is charged with fashioning a song to preserve the details of the bloody saga for a thousand years. Let no native of the British Isles ever forget!
Rated by buyers 
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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.
Rated by buyers -
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.
Rated by buyers -
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.
Rated by buyers -
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!
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