Around A.D. 600, the Saxons are attacking Britain. The Shining Company tells the story of three hundred Britons, called the Shining Company and hence the title, who take a stand against the Saxon invaders from the vantage point of a boy named Prosper. In a time where the first-born is the only one who gets any real privilege or inheritance, the second-born Prosper wishes to join the king's army and leave to go adventuring. His closest companion is his bondservant Conn, a foreign boy about the same age as himself. When Prosper comes of age, he and Conn leave home to join the king's army, he as a shield-bearer and Conn as a metal smith. For a whole year, they do nothing but train, feast, and overall enjoy themselves. Then they fight in the tragic battle recorded in poem The Gododdin. This historical fiction is filled with stories of ancient Britain, about their ways of life, superstitions, fighting, and feasting.
I have posted two covers for the book. The first cover is the one on the copy I read. I found the other cover when I was searching for an image of the book's cover, and I thought that it was a nice cover. In the story, the white hart has to do with how Prosper got invited to join the king's army.
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