Book Review: The Shining Company

Title: The Shining Company

Author: Rosemary Sutcliff

1st published: 1990

My rating: 3/5

"The Shining Company" takes place in the time after King Arthur, and the Romans are gone. It is about a company of soldiers who go to drive the Saxons out of England. It is told from the perspective of a shield bearer.

This book is very much like a lot of Rosemary sutcliff's other books. It is very slow in the beginning and hard to get into, but then got good. I was halfway through the book and I was wondering what the story was really about, or if there was any point to it.

I really enjoyed the time period. I have not read much or learned much about what happened in England after the Roman Empire started to decline and fall. This gave a very good idea of what happened. I am not sure though if King Arthur came after or before the Romans? The book didn't tell me this.

The characters were quiet enjoyable and I liked the perspective. I also enjoyed the little peak it gave into Christianity at that time. The story was good, and though slow it did pick up after a while and was very interesting.

There was one part, I will try not to give anything away, where some one was dying a slow and painful death from a horrible battle would, and he asked some one to kill him so that he would not have to suffer any more. I was very surprised and shocked by this passage, and yet I thing I would have done the same thing. It was something for me to think about.

Over all I like the historical content, the characters were nice but not outstanding. The story is interesting and since it is based on a poem that is probably true I think that makes it all the more interesting.

Blessings

~Elizabeth