The Shining Company

By: Rosemary Sutcliff

Narrated by: Johanna Ward

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

A white stag and a dagger transform the life of Prosper, a Welsh chieftan's son. With Conn, his bodyservant, he leaves his isolated valley and joins the war band of King Mynyddog the Golden as a shieldbearer. For the Saxons have returned to threaten the northern tribes of Britain, and the Shining Company - a brotherhood of three hundred chosen warriors - must make a desperate attempt to repel invaders.

With the Company travels the minstrel Aneirin, who will keep their names and their glory alive forever more.

©1990 Rosemary Sutcliff (P)2001 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Amazing

It tells the story so well that you might think you were there as it happened. Over all a great book.

Reality of war

War story, full of action told from point of view of a young man, in retrospect. Good historical fiction based on true event. Battles are detailed but not unnecessarily violent, considering this is war. Use discretion with sensitive/younger children. Otherwise great “boy book” about friendship,loyalty and sacrifice.

Excellent adaptation of an Epic

The story of Y Gododdin has always felt mysterious to me. The original poem is mostly an elegy for the warriors who died at Catraeth, and gives very few clues of how the tragedy came about. Sutcliff manages to complete the epic tragedy by allowing you to witness the whole story unfold.

Something else she does very well is making the world feel alive an interconnected. It is easy for authors writing in this time period to be myopic in their depiction of the setting, we’re the villages and kingdoms seem to be suspended out of time and place. Sutcliff weaves how the characters remember the past, both recent and ancient, as well as hinting at what is going on in the world at large in a way that simultaneously grounds the reader in the story’s present and generates a sense of wonder and awe appropriate for the characters.

Excellent story/excellent narration

I am an adult, and I found this to be a very well written and engaging story. I highly recommend it.

Master storyteller

Sutcliff’s writing stands head and shoulders above the “bestsellers” of our times. The book is worth the listen and read, realistically portraying the time, perspective, characters, and atmosphere of the events and time. The Shining Company stands with Black Ships before Troy and The Eagle of the Ninth as Sutcliff’s greatest works; indeed, these three have a place amongst the greatest historical fiction novels of all time.

This Woman Understood

Infantry combat and PTSD. She was a marvelous story-teller, a queen among them. To be honest, I think Tolkien was a hack next to her.

great book

the narrater does an awesome job pronouncing the strange names of people and places which are unfamiliar to us modern listeners. Great book.

WHY

I don't want to say much about this book but all I know is I did not enjoy it.. it is so weird because I listen to the end just to see how it ended and I just don't know.
just listen for yourselves I guess.