The Shield Ring

The Dolphin Ring Cycle #8

by Rosemary Sutcliff

High in the mountains of the Lake District is a secret valley where the Vikings have their last stronghold--their Shield Ring. The Normans seek to crush this group of Northmen and to bring all of England under their control. They build a castle in Carlisle and send an army north. Meanwhile, the Northmen lamb and harvest as though life were normal, but Ari Knudson sharpens Wave-flame and the Jarl prepares his War Host. Two youths of the village--Frytha, a Saxon girl who fled to the valley when the Normans burned her home, and Bjorn, the foster-son of the old harper--make ready, too. As the Norman's approach the secret valley, the Northmen recruit able bodies, and Bjorn volunteers to enter the Norman camp as a spy. Frytha knows Bjorn's deepest fear: that if he is captured, he will fall to Norman torture and reveal the location of the Shield Ring.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, Childrens, Classics, Medieval

235 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Rosemary Sutcliff, CBE (1920-1992) was a British novelist, best known as a writer of highly acclaimed historical fiction. Although primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults. She once commented that she wrote "for children of all ages, from nine to ninety."

Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.

Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.

Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...

Reviews

[Kate Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

2018 Read
I can't quite put a finger on what makes this book so timeless for me. Is it the idea of a last stronghold in the hearts of men? A hero who is brave in more ways than the battle kind? A young woman who loves him with the fierce love of deep loyalty? Or the sprinkling throughout of music to express loneliness and stir hearts?

Something. Bjorn and Frytha, Aikin the Beloved and Garm, Gille and Ari Knudson, and the mazelin have shaped me and my ideals and my writing much. I didn't realize how much until this re-read.

There were so many key pieces of the story I had forgotten. A quote here, a line there. Even the onomatopeia-ic beauty of the word "holmganging". This time it was not just an adventure, but I saw more clearly the struggle and the growth of Bjorn. I caught the lines I had missed at Bjornsthwaite and again at the end. I remembered what finally happened with Erland.

I love books that I can read more than once and enjoy just as much. There was a double-edged beauty of looking back on the ten years since I first read it and seeing how the book shaped me while discovering the story all over again.

My older self understood the negatives of the story more clearly as well. The feminism, sadly accurate to their pragmatic and desperate culture. The meshing of the "old gods" and a watered down version of Christianity. The justifiable but sorry idea of revenge.

I have an old copy of this book. The dust jacket is gone, showing the lovely gray-blue cover with three swords and shields. Inside, there is an old library checkout card. A "Michelle B" was the last to check it out in 1975. Such an old story, but a good one.

Original Review
This is one of my all time favorite historical fiction books! It's inspired my writing so much, and I love the adventure and mystery of the story. ;) Bjorn was probably my first fictional crush ever, and I've liked the concept of last strongholds ever since. I can't say enough about how much I have loved this book! My only complaints would be some feminism and Norse mythology/religion. But seriously! Read it. ;)

[Katie Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well. That was Quite Excellent.

I was going to give it four stars for being a really, really solid story--and then the last two chapters made me CRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY (#rude) and in all fairness, I had to bump it up to five. Well played, Ms. Sutcliff . . . well played.

Things I loved:

- Bjorn and Frytha. They were a wonderful pair, a dynamic duo from the very first page to the very last. I loved how they balanced each other; Bjorn with his fiercely private hopes and dreams and fears, and Frytha with her calm stubbornness that takes each challenge as it comes. That's a true partnership, that is. "We have always shared the hunting, you and I." And MY SHIP SAILED AT THE END. *fist-pump*

- Aiken. My precious, precious boy. (Yes, I'm fully aware he's a grown man and a fearsome warrior . . . and your point is? :-P)

- The careful plotting. Sutcliff took tremendous pains to tie everything together by the end; she didn't leave a single loose end. I loved, too, how the story built up gradually over the course of so many years. It felt organic, and natural, to watch Bjorn and Frytha grow from small children to young adults; and to watch the struggle between Northmen and Normans ebb and flow all the while. I'm a big fan of authors who can pull off the whole "epic-years-long-saga" thing; and Sutcliff has definitely shown herself to be one!

- THE DESCRIPTIONS. Good gosh. They were so beautiful. I was afraid they'd be overwhelming and super detail-heavy, but they weren't. They stayed subtle, and delicate, almost, in a way; and it was a true delight to read them. Also, how in the world did Sutcliff manage to strike such a perfect balance between "harsh" and "ethereal," in every single individual picture she painted of the Lake District and its Vikings? How??? I STAND IN AWE, PEOPLE. If you love fine word-smithing, like I do--you definitely need to try this book.

- The themes. [I am very emotional right now so I'm not sure I can 100% do them justice, but I'm going to try.] Love of family . . . and "family," here, meaning not just those you share a blood tie with, but all those to whom you choose to bind yourself, in a pledge of loyalty and shared sacrifice. That's what gives all the Jarl's people strength to hold together, under unbelievable pressure from their would-be Norman conquerors: they are a family; and, to borrow a quote from the greatest Disney movie of all time, family means nobody gets left behind. No matter what. And that's what I love.

(Yes, I just referenced Lilo & Stitch in a book review about bloody Viking battles. Get over it. :-P)

- The ending. Which made me cry, because it was poignant and perfect. *still sniffling over Certain Passages*

Content:
Plenty of blood and gore (it's the Norman Conquest after all). Some torture. No sexual content whatsoever. No language.

Conclusion:
Rosemary Sutcliff is AWESOME.

"That is our Shield Ring, our last stronghold--not the barrier fells and the tottermoss between but something in the hearts of men."

[Mary Herceg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I love this book and this author. I've greatly missed Rosemary Sutcliff in the short while since I've read a book by her, and I'm so glad I re-read this gem.

It's by turns sweet and beautiful and heartbreaking and intense and peaceful and emotional and deep and altogether awesome. I'm ever amazed by the author's masterful skill in writing. Her settings are achingly gorgeous and vivid, as are her complex and compelling characters. The writing has a natural musical rhythm, and the words themselves are crafted and combined exquisitely and beautifully.

I love Frytha, Bjorn, and each of the valiant and faithful band of Viking men and women who fight to the last to defend their people and homeland - and I wish I had a fraction of their courage and determination.

I love the friendships portrayed between the characters, especially Bjorn and Frytha's innocent, deep, loyal, and committed friendship.

I love the countless vivid and human characters portrayed, how they seem to come to life and walk off the page, and how the author makes me care about or hate each one of them.

I love the sections of riveting intensity and suspense that crush my heart and quite literally cause me to grip my book with white knuckles and sit rigidly on the edge of my seat.

I love the example of leadership shown by the Viking chieftains, how their people love them and would follow them into any battle, and how the author makes me feel the same.

I love Bjorn's inner struggle seen through Frytha's eyes - his passage through the valleys of immense fear and loneliness and his journey to find peace, belonging, and a place in his world.

I love the living, majestic, wild beauty of the Lake Land, from the towering fells and shining meres to the sun in the birch leaves and the wind in the heather.

I love the lilting music of the glistening bright harp song and the wild cry of birds overhead.
I love the way Frytha and Bjorn never fail to take on hardship together and continuously defend, comfort, and stand up for each other.

I love the grittily raw and real portrayal of the glory and horrors of war, battle, and blood, as the characters fight to the death to defend their homeland.

I love the quiet peace and thoughtful contemplation of the moments and periods between - and how the danger and suspense pulses beneath those as well.

I love Bjorn and Frytha's heroic courage and determination even when facing colossal fear, danger, harm, and threat of death.

And I love the almost tangible feeling of the true shield ring, the "something in the hearts of men" that drives them to stand and fight to whatever end for family, people, and home.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

*nods slowly*

A'ight, Sutcliff fans. I see you. ;)

{4.5 stars}

[Joy Chalaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with "The Shield Ring", but I enjoyed ever aching moment of it; Sutcliff pulls at your heart-strings, your emotions in the raw beauty and the understated glory of her tale, with all the descriptions and characterization. Having read "The Eagle of the Ninth" "The Silver Branch" and "The Shining Company" and now adding "The Shield Ring" to the lot, I can really say Rosemary Sutcliff has grown to become one of my favourite historical fiction writers ever!

The Shield Ring is a beautiful story. I just finished it this morning and - GAH! It has so much bittersweet beauty and soul. It can be a little slow at intervals sometimes, but it doesn't drag; it is simply filled with heart and warmth and raw ancientness, song and mead, loyalty, battle, bonds and friendship. Bjorn is my favourite character - I held my breath a long time for the climax of his story because I was growing both very fond of Bjorn but also worried for him, but when it came to it, I was all happy and tears for him. There are other wonderful characters - I loved Frythia as well; her faithful friendship to Bjorn was very special. And then their is Akin *sobs* and his foster-father :'(, there is Bjorn's foster-father who is also the harp-singer, Gille the son of the Jarl - Erland. They all caught me up in their lives and stirred me wonderfully.

If you've read any of Sutcliff's books and enjoyed her writing, you'll be sure to enjoy this one as well.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked The Shield Ring rather more than Sword Song, perhaps because it's back in the realms of history I'm not so familiar with. This one deals with the Norse facing off against the Normans -- which I wasn't aware of as an event, much less familiar with. It is funny to read stuff like this and read references to the battle of Clontarf, and suchlike, but it's not like reading something I'm too familiar with.

And strangely, just after I said about not seeing much of the female side of things, in Sword Song, The Shield Ring is at least mostly from the female point of view, with a female protagonist, albeit with parts of it given from the male point of view and from the enemy's point of view, and given that Frytha doesn't stick to the female world -- the two blend a bit more, here, in the desperation of a last stand.

Almost, at the end, I was afraid that the whole line of those carrying the dolphin ring would end with Bjorn. That the world they were fighting for would go up in flames. But the end does have something of hope in it, still.

[Bibliobites Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Sutcliff title I've read this summer, and I really enjoyed both. Excellent, descriptive historical fiction, that really puts the reader there in the action. The characters were a little hard to get to know, but maybe that's because ancient Britons and Vikings and I don't have a whole lot in common. Also neither story (the other was The Shining Company) are for the faint of heart - lots of battle deaths, and in this one a boy is tortured with fire. Still, and overall enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to more Sutcliff in the future. I will also be looking for more of these vintage hard covers with the Hodges' illustrations - I just love them.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was totally obsessed with this book as a kid, and read it as many times as I could find it in the library. As an adult, I still liked it, but found it a lot slighter than I remembered - it probably is one of Sutcliff's lesser works, but lesser Sutcliff is still pretty damn good.

I don't know what this nonsense is with the cover, though. Why does everything have to have the same visual vocabulary as Twilight? Designers, I am disappoint.

[Sam Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loyalty, breathtaking devotion, friendship, and true brotherhood. This book is riveting. A must read, you truly feel the strong fight of men and woman who battle against all odds to protect their own. Special. A rare show of what it means to fight for each other and really be there for one another in abandoned loyalty and love.

[ambyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Published in the same year as Lady In Waiting, this unfortunately shares one of its weaknesses: Sutcliff's determination to write from the female perspective paired with an inability to conceptualize a woman-centric story as interesting in its own right. So: this is Frytha's book, but it's Bjorn who has the character arc, which she supports and observes; I remain bitter at how the various blurbs shrink Frytha's role, but having finished the book, I'm not sure how you could write a Frytha-centric blurb and still make it sound like a compelling story.

There are lovely bits here, don't get me wrong; Sutcliff's nature writing is as always strong, the bits about the Dolphin Ring evoked a surprisingly strong emotional resonance in me, and I do genuinely like Frytha. But I wish it had been a somewhat different book, one whose author had the confidence that stories of the work tending hearth and home were equally compelling as stories of battle. At best it's early Sutcliff that promises at more and greater things to come.

[Nick Swarbrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had forgotten many things about this book - forgotten or ignored, maybe, when I read it when I was 10; when I was read it in the end-of-day story time. Odd figures stand out for me: Storri Sitricson, who perfectly encapsulates what being a missionary Christian priest must have entailed; Haethcyn the Harper and his repertoire and his professional pride. But it is the central story of Frytha and Bjorn that carries the whole book, as the ragtag remnants of the destruction of Saxon and Viking culture stand against the Norman military might. I may need to come back to this in another forum.
This is, for me, Rosemary Sutcliff at her descriptive finest: the landscape is full of little, vivid details - the "dappled and glimmering sky...the ancient strong point, undisturbed unless by the stray ghosts drilling on the lost parade-ground..." "Light...a rolling tawny smear in the murk..." This comes to a magnificent climax in the chapter The Last Battle, the bloody confrontation between the forces of Ranulf le Meschin and the war bands of Jarl Buthar, one of the most expressive battle sequences I think I have ever read: here is landscape writing of a high order, interleaving of different perspectives to give different standpoints and emotions, sonorous text to rival (maybe surpass?) Tolkien, details of battle.
And through it all, the harp, the images of the ravens, a sense of an ending of a way of life, and the promise of a continuation through the dolphin ring that occurs as a witness in a string of Sutcliff's stories.

[Abigail Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Shield Ring," last of the unofficial Dolphin Ring Cycle, is classic Sutcliff from beginning to end. Which is to say, it plays absolute havoc with one's emotions. All the characters spring to life: Frytha and Bjorn, Aikin the Beloved, Gille and the Jarl, even the handful of Normans who feature only briefly (like Roger de Lacy). Every detail of the story is woven into the fabric of the whole through Sutcliff's unique, almost poetic style of repetition. Perhaps the best part, though, was the appearance of the dolphin ring that first comes into play in The Eagle of the Ninth. And this quote:

"That is our Shield Ring, our last stronghold; not the barrier fells and the totter-moss between, but something in the hearts of men."

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosemary Sutcliff aimed her books at young adults (save for "Sword at Sunset"), but I've always found them to be wonderful historical novels. On rereading "The Shield Wall" forty years after a first read, I see it as even better than I remembered. The book is about the northern (largely Norse) resistance to Norman expansion in England, and its tone is both triumphant and elegiac. The Norman's Domesday Book, their relentless cataloging of land values, stops just short of the Cumberland Fells. Drawing on local stories and folk knowledge, Sutcliff explains why the Normans were unable to conquer the north.

[Garth Pettersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious. This YA novel is another example of historical fiction at its best. Highly recommend to anyone who has never read this wonderful, long-departed author.

[Maureen E · Rating 5 out of 5]

by Rosemary Sutcliff

Opening line--"The thing happened with the appalling swiftness of a hawk swooping out of a quiet sky, on a day in late spring, when Frytha was not quite five."

This is a lesser-known Sutcliff, one which is set against the background of England just after the Norman invasion. It's interesting to note that while her books set in earlier periods tend to have protagonists who fight against the Saxons, here it's Northmen (i.e. former Vikings) who fight against the Normans.

The book is set in the Lakeland, which is to say Cumbria. It was fascinating to note how little the place names have changed for the last thousand years. Windingmere is quite recognizably Windermere, Keskadale is Kesdal, and Rydale Rydal.

The story isn't quite as bleakly tragic as some of Sutcliff's (The Mark of The Horse Lord, for instance). I've never felt that any of her books are hopeless, but some of them have left me sobbing at the end. This one finished on a different note. Frytha and Bjorn are great characters, as is Aikin the Beloved.

The story is also loosely linked to The Lantern Bearers and the others in that series. Part of Bjorn's inheritance is a ring: "a massive gold ring of ancient workmanship, much scored and battered, with a bezel of dark green translucent stone, on which was engraved a device of some sort.
'What is this thing like a fish?' Bjorn asked.
'A dolphin.'" p. 84

And if that doesn't sound familiar, you need to read some more Sutcliff. :)

Anyway, I enjoyed this one very much, because of the setting, the characters, Sutcliff's writing (masterful as always), and because of the new insight into a period of history I don't know much about.

Book source: public library
Book information: originally published 1956, reprinted 2007 by Front Street

Originally published here

[Sineala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way better than Sword Song, this is very possibly one of my favorites of the Dolphin Ring series (it is also the last of the Dolphin Ring series) and I wish someone had told me before how awesome it was. Now we are just post-1066, and the invaders in this case are the Normans; our protagonists Frytha and Bjorn (bearer of the Dolphin Ring) grow up in an isolated stronghold and learn to fight against them.

This book has the excellent nature description that some of the earlier books were lacking, compelling characters (seriously, a girl protagonist? with POV? awesome! could we not have had more of those, Sutcliff?), a gripping plot involving such things as Battles and Spying, and many many Beowulf references, both thematically and in the actual text of the book, because Beowulf is awesome.

I do not think anything is going to replace Frontier Wolf as my favorite Sutcliff, but this one is a really surprisingly solid and well-crafted story full of all the things Sutcliff is best at writing, plus a few things I wish she would have written more of. (*cough* Female protagonists. *cough*) Anyway, check this one out! I wish I'd read it earlier!

[Els · Rating 4 out of 5]

A SUTCLIFF CHILDREN'S BOOK with ACTUAL CHILDREN AS PROTAGONISTS? And a PRIMARY NARRATOR who is FEMALE? What is this.

Hahaha still contains torture and heaps of death, so, y'know, don't hand this to your 10-year-old and expect them to be entirely unscathed.

p.s. I knew from page-13-or-wherever-but-very-early that Bjorn and Frytha would end up together, but Sutcliff left the romance entirely out of the plot (APPLAUSE) and it's only implied at the end that someday they'll get married, which is great, because they are literal soulmates. I am not using the term lightly.

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a simply incredible story and work. I have read it at least 4 times over the years and loved every time. A true masterpiece of historical fiction this book deals with the battle waged by descendents of the Vikings, who lived in the mountains just south of the Scottish border, against the Norman conquerors years after the invasion of England. The story is based on the legends and tales of the region which are lent weight by the notable omission of this region from the Domesday book, the detailed reckoning of the lands in Norman control. This tale of fierce warriors, deep, practical love, and courage in the face of the hardest trials is sure to captivate and delight any fan of historical fiction and lover of the old tales of hard won freedom.

[Isis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars, really. But it seemed a bit slow to start, and I would like to have had more Frytha, and - I guess I just am not as interested in the Northmen vs the Normans as I was in the British vs the Romans, or the Romano-British vs the Saxons.

The writing is lovely. But I could have used a better map.

[John Guild · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most underrated novelists. Achingly beautiful elegiac prose.

[Laura Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic, clean, and not-very-violent (really, but for one scene, I would say this book wasn't violent at all) story. I read this book several years ago and loved the adventure; I just read it again and was awed by the prose, the landscape I was sucked into, and the romantic world of the last Vikings. I grew to love every one of them: Bjorn, with his mocking gaze and serious outlook; Frytha and her relatable narration; Gille, growing from a hot-headed boy wanting to be a man into a future king and faithful warrior; Aiken and his steadfastness; I could go on and on.

This was a truly magical realm akin to fantasies. But Sutcliff argues at the start of the book that these people were once real, and that the places can still be visited. This could be seen as boring to those not in the mood for a story of the epic-journey sort, but to someone wanting a restful vacation and a Viking family in Lake land, please pick this up.

Oddly enough there is one character with Christian beliefs that are mentioned a few times. Norse myths are mentioned a few times, as in when thunder rumbles and Aiken remarks, "Thor stands with his people yet" or Jarl Buthar comments on how the gods love a good gambler. There is one character that is assumed to have the "second sight"...her prophecies seem to come true in the end of the book (Bjorn points out to a disconcerted Frytha it's just a sunset, not a prophetic ending). All in all this is a beautiful book (with a terrible cover!) that I highly recommend.

[Charles Sheard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lake District setting is thrilling (making me want to re-read Swallows and Amazons: Swallows and Amazons 1), as is Sutcliff's continued mastery at describing place and its affect on characters. The story, too, is another in this series that is excellent, exciting, and touched with extreme melancholy at the passing of an age. It goes without saying that the tactile and aesthetic beauty of the Slightly Foxed edition increases the pleasure wonderfully.

Which makes it even sadder that this represents the final entry in the Slightly Foxed editions of her series.

[Gino Kutcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew nothing about this book when I started it [my old high school was selling off some of their old books and I bought it based on the title], so I can't really compare it the author's other works or the rest of the series.
I would describe this book as closer to life than most fiction- there are stories within stories and while there is a beginning and an ending, neither the beginning nor the end are The beginning or The end. In some ways it was like a biography, but I cannot articulate why I feel that way. Felt it was worth the read though.

[Hannah Eskra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This got better the more I continued to read. By the end, I was sucked in and was disappointed that it ended at all.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting tale of Viking settlers now mixed with Saxons fighting off the Normans years after Hastings.

[Beth Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite of these, but still well worth rereading.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I last read a Rosemary Sutcliff novel. The saga of Frytha and Bjorn, set in the Cumbrian Lake District during the period of local rivalry between the Viking settlers and the Norman invaders, is probably not one of her best. The protagonists are examples of the act now think about it later action heroes, and their juvenile love affair makes you wonder why on earth Frytha puts up with him for so long, especially when, at the end of the story, all Bjorn has to offer her is a ruined bothie and some sheepless sheep fells overgrown with bracken and scrub. He even takes back his ring with the ancient Roman dolphin stone. That said, it is an excitingly told adventure story; fast moving and with plenty of sword wielding action, harp playing and bardic poetry. Ranulf le Meschin, the rather jittery Earl of Carlisle, is no more successful than the Sheriff of Nottingham, and is not given much of a character other than being a not too inspiring Norman war leader. All the Vikings, on the other hand, from Jarl Buthar downwards are close to being Nordic war gods, though Rosemary Sutcliff does insist on them wearing helmets with bulls horns or metal wings sticking out at the sides. A very atmospheric and well told tale of old time derring-do.

[Miriam Bibby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book by Rosemary Sutcliff that I ever read; and a key event in turning me into a historian and archaeologist! I found it in the Junior Library in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on a Saturday afternoon mmmmfffmmf years ago (not saying how long) and was completely gripped for the rest of the weekend. Thereafter, it was at least one Rosemary Sutcliff week after week for a very long time.

Reviewers on this site have said that it's perhaps not her best (but pretty damn good) and I think that's probably true. I do remember it with particular fondness because it was the first of her books that I read and, for me, it meshed with the reality of the history and archaeology of my home in "The North" that I was coming to know and love. That will always be part of me: Hadrian's Wall, the Vikings, Bamburgh, Durham Cathedral, the priories, abbeys and fortified houses of the Borders, the fells and valleys of Lakeland. Sutcliff represents for me in some ways that "madeleine" moment of Proust! Thinking about her work sets in motion a whole train of thought, imagery, feelings and memories.

The cover image of this edition is awful, though.

[Hazel West · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, and unsurprisingly, a fantastic read by Rosemary Sutcliff! This one for some reason really made me notice the prose in it, as I think the writing was some of her most beautiful. It really captured the time period for this was the time of bards and epics and the mentions of Beowulf and harpers only brought that into more light for me. I particularly loved how she described the harp music in very vivid ways that made me able to hear it in my head. I also loved the characters in this. Bjorn was a wonderful hero and Frytha was an amazing heroine. She was strong and she didn't get annoying as some female protagonists can. But I have never really had a problem with Rosemary Sutcliff's ladies either.

The battle scenes were second only to Homer and those and the torture scene were gritty, yet wonderfully written at the same time. I won't say more for want of spoiling it for anyone who has not yet read it, but I think this is one of my favorite Sutcliff books yet!

Once again, My hat off to Rosemary Sutcliff. A bard out of her time.

[scarlettraces · Rating 5 out of 5]

a favourite from my childhood. in fact i illegally acquired it from family friends (borrowed it and never returned it). i don't still have that copy but this one is the same edition (with the C Walter Hodges illustrations), i think, and also without a dust jacket. Sutcliff's writing is never less than splendid, but i was also struck this time by how simple it is - the vocab is extensive but everything makes sense in context, and it flows like the burn the characters sail birch-bark boats down. i probably also liked it so much because Bjorn is the prototypical protaganist who is different from the rest, who nevertheless earns himself a happy ending, of a sort.

[edit: what is this 'dolphin ring cycle' nonsense? makes it sound like twilight or something.]