In the second century AD, when the Ninth Roman Legion marched into the mists of northern Britain, not one man came back. Four thousand men disappeared, and the Eagle, the symbol of the Legion's honour, was lost. Years later there is a story that the Eagle has been seen again. So Marcus Aquila, whose father disappeared with the Ninth, travels north, to find the Eagle and bring it back, and to learn how his father died. But the tribes of the north are wild and dangerous, and they hate the Romans ...
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In Rosemary Sutcliff's books the history of Britain comes alive through sensuous descriptions of luscious forests and ragged mountains, and characters so deeply imagined that linger in your mind after the book has ended, like childhood friends untouched by time and the drudgery of life.
Her books are not popcorn historical fiction novels with anachronistic characters dressed in the costumes of the time yet keeping the ideas and sensibilities of their XX/XXI century authors. The people Rosemary Sutcliff's creates are imbued with the beliefs of their own time. And so it is that Marcus, the young centurion protagonist of The Eagle of the Ninth, pay tribute to Luth, the sun god, while the pagan tribes of Northern Britain worship gods that take animal shape in the night of the horn moon and believe the golden eagle the Roman legions carry in their standard is the Roman god.
At the beginning of The Eagle of the Ninth, Marcus, following in the steps of his father (supposed dead when his legion disappeared ten years past in northern Britain) has given his oath to Mithras and taken command of his first cohort in the southern part of the island.
Marcus dreams of a legion of his own and of an early retirement to a farm in the Etruscan hills that once belonged to his family. But fate has it that, in his first battle, he's seriously injured and forced to leave the army.
During his long and painful recovery, Marcus hears rumors that the Roman eagle from his father lost legion is being worshipped by one of the pagan tribes up in the north.... Read more ›
Her books are not popcorn historical fiction novels with anachronistic characters dressed in the costumes of the time yet keeping the ideas and sensibilities of their XX/XXI century authors. The people Rosemary Sutcliff's creates are imbued with the beliefs of their own time. And so it is that Marcus, the young centurion protagonist of The Eagle of the Ninth, pay tribute to Luth, the sun god, while the pagan tribes of Northern Britain worship gods that take animal shape in the night of the horn moon and believe the golden eagle the Roman legions carry in their standard is the Roman god.
At the beginning of The Eagle of the Ninth, Marcus, following in the steps of his father (supposed dead when his legion disappeared ten years past in northern Britain) has given his oath to Mithras and taken command of his first cohort in the southern part of the island.
Marcus dreams of a legion of his own and of an early retirement to a farm in the Etruscan hills that once belonged to his family. But fate has it that, in his first battle, he's seriously injured and forced to leave the army.
During his long and painful recovery, Marcus hears rumors that the Roman eagle from his father lost legion is being worshipped by one of the pagan tribes up in the north.... Read more ›
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wanted the original edition by Rosemary Sutcliff, but this edition is actually a substantially abridged (73 pages of text, plus glossary and activities) "text adaptation" by John Escott. Very disappointing. For anyone else interested in the actual novel, be careful what edition you buy and avoid the Bookworks Library edition. Unless I am missing something, there is no way to tell from the product description page that this edition is very different than the original.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having seen two movies about this Eagle, I thought I would read the book. It is a VERY short book which I read in less than an hour. I was expecting a much longer book. It's a good story - more suitable for young children than adults.
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