Roman centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila has his first command, and, at his request, it’s in Roman Britain. Marcus’s father was part of the lost Ninth Legion, which disappeared after marching north beyond Hadrian’s wall. Not long after Marcus takes command, his men must defend the fort against a British uprising. Marcus’s uncle has retired in Britain, and Marcus goes there to heal from the battle wound that has left him lame for life. Just as Marcus begins to contemplate his future, he gets the opportunity to head into the north country to see if he can find out what happened to the lost legion and recover their eagle.

This story seems like capture the flag on steroids. Finding the missing eagle is only half the battle. If Marcus is successful in locating it, he’ll still need to get it back to the safety of Roman occupied territory. The desperate flight south through Scotland had me thinking of Richard Hannay’s flight across the same landscape almost two millennia later. It’s an exhilarating read! ( )

Reason read: TIOLI and BAC
This is the first book in a series in the Roman Britain Trilogy. It's an adventure story than could be appropriate for youth and adults. A new to me author. A series that I could read more but not sure that I will. ( )

The Eagle of the Ninth is part of the reason I like at least browsing the LT challenges even if I am not willing to commit completely. I don't think Rosemary Sutcliff's tale of Roman Britain would even have crossed my path were it not for the British Author Challenge. And what a tale it was: Marcus Flavius Aquila has taken up soldiering in Britain where his own father disappeared twelve years before as part of the Ninth Legion that marched north to put down rebellion and was never heard from again. Sutcliff is a masterful writer, able to balance setting, character and action in a way that draws you into the time and space of the story. I read this for the BAC challenge and have the other two in the series ready to go. We follow Marcus as he heads into the north region to find the lost Eagle standard of the legion. ( )

good

I picked up the Eagle of the Ninth when I was in Year 12 at High School. Its then cover featured depictions from the film version and I shrugged my shoulders and asked myself, "why not?"

Imagine my surprise when I flipped over the book and read it was first written in 1954. My mind went "vintage" and I assumed it to be 50's trash. Nonetheless, curious circumstances compelled me to read it and I was enthralled from the very first page. An imperfect Roman military officer Marcus Falvius Aquila, his love interest and a freed ex-slave Esca are the protagonists. Aquila and Esca set off on a quest while the former is recovering from an injury (good men of the olden days) to discover what happened to Marcus's father and his beloved Ninth Legion decades prior. They rediscover a history in which the Northern tribes of Britain besieged a demoralized Ninth and compelled it to make a valorous last stand.

Far from being choke full of antique militarism, this book retains quite a distinctive modern flavor and it's narrative is fast paced. An excellent read which I savor to this day. ( )

The eagle of the Ninth tells the story of a young Roman officer who goes on to discover the mysterious disappearance of the ninth legion. This book was very hard to put down as it was such a beautiful written story. This would be a great way to teach students about history. ( )

Rosemary Sutcliff has a way with atmosphere. As you read "Eagle of the Ninth" you begin to feel like you're actually in Roman-occupied Britain. There isn't a complicated plot or vast character development but you can't help but feel yourself immersed in this other, long-past world. The friendship between Marcus and Esca is also very touching. I don't think I've read another YA book that has featured such a deep trust between two male characters before. Overall the book felt very much like a Mary Renault novel for younger readers. I look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy. ( )

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff is so much more than the usual riveting adventure story - though it is most definitely that. It's deep in thought and emotion, vibrantly vivid in character and setting, and rich with living history and with truths about life and people. This story of the journey and quest of two young men holds much meaning for me, even more now than it did when I first read and loved it as a young teenager. I couldn't have known then that my future life experience would be, in some ways, oddly similar to that of the main character. Rather than being an overview of the book itself, my review is a chronicle of my ever deeper connection with this story and its characters.
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I first came across The Eagle of the Ninth by chance the spring I was 15 years old, and once I picked it up, I couldn't stop reading. I fell immediately and irrevocably in love with the book, its characters, its sequels, and the setting of Roman Britain. It was my first experience with the author, and it was one of the most memorable reading experiences I've ever had. I vividly recall sitting on the floor glued to the book, heedless of the homework I was supposed to be doing and only half aware of the fresh breeze blowing through my window. I was drawn in by both the opening battle scenes and the bright, peaceful magic of the friendship scenes in the garden. The characters were more vivid and alive than almost any book I'd read, and I've been endeared to them ever since then. The book was incredibly deep, and it made me think and feel so much even then. I was riveted through the heightened danger of the climax, desperate to find out what happened next. My heart was in my throat, and I genuinely couldn't see how the two main characters would ever survive the showdown - I had to keep reading. Except for one other book, I think it was the most intense novel I'd read at the time. I loved it. I couldn't read the sequel soon enough, and I immediately became a devoted fan of the author and her works.
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I read The Eagle of the Ninth for the second time less than two years after the first. As much as I loved the book the first time, I experienced a far deeper connection with it during my re-read, and I deeply identified with the main character in an unexpected way I couldn't have anticipated or shared in before.

That second read came at age 17, just after the onset of a life-altering chronic illness that shattered my big dreams, destroyed my hopes of the future, and left me fighting my way through each day.

To my surprise, since I hadn't thought of the book in that way before, I found in the pages of The Eagle of the Ninth that the young protagonist, Centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila, shared my experience. Marcus's life-altering illness was a severe career-ending wound sustained in battle, not the type of illness I had, but it was comparable and had a strangely similar effect on him as my condition did for me, despite obvious differences. His glowing hopes and dreams for the future, like mine, were dashed to bits. He was bedridden, and, like me, he spent hours forced to lie in bed watching the block of sunlight drift across the walls and listening to the sounds of household life go on beyond them. I had felt and still felt the inner ache Marcus felt lying in that bed, and I recognized it as I read. I felt it again while reading, both for myself and for Marcus, whose plight I keenly felt and empathized with - not just as a reader but as someone who had been through it too, and at very nearly the same age.

Like me, Marcus spent much of his time lying there cut off from the world, isolated, and alone. Like me, he faced the inner battle that accompanied the long days in bed and long nights of lost sleep. Like me, he was deeply, achingly lonely. Like me, he was deeply afraid - afraid for his health and afraid for his future, though he did a good job of hiding it from others. Like me, he held on to his hopes for the future even though they were impossible . . . until the news and reality hit that those hopes could never be restored . . . and, along with that realization, despair as he let his hopes go. Like me, Marcus felt as if his life was effectively over before it had hardly begun - because how could life keep going after what happened? He had been young and strong and had a full, bright, and meaningful life ahead of him - until he wasn't and didn't. Though he survived, he was left bedridden and crippled, seemingly doomed to live out his days that way.

As I watched Marcus lying there in bed, his story seemed strangely parallel in some ways, though of course not all, to my own life as I lay in bed reading this book, and I'm pretty sure I remember that it made me cry to realize it. I had never before read a book about any character, much less a young hero, who spent more time flat on his back in bed than I did!

In addition - though I can't recall whether I knew or remembered it at the time - the author, Rosemary Sutcliff, was an invalid as well, to a vastly greater extent than either me or Marcus, who were only partial and temporary invalids. Sutcliff battled juvenile rheumatoid arthritis from childhood, spent her formative years bed-bound at home or in the hospital, and was wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life. I can't help but imagine that Marcus's experience was born from her own, and it was written as only someone who has lived it can. Reading that part of Marcus's story was comforting for me as well as sad and painful, and I felt a kinship with Marcus and other young people in the real world who have had that experience, including so many who have had it far, far worse than me. I've read very few novels since then about young people who were ill for long periods, and none prior to it, and I'm grateful that Sutcliff wrote this book for other young individuals like me and herself.

This newfound, meaningful connection gave me an extra fondness for the book and its author and main character. I didn't realize then how meaningful it truly was or realize the rest of the similarities between me and Marcus - but I would later on as my future unfolded.
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I began reading this beloved book again this month, for the first time in a few years, and as I reconnected with the story and its beloved protagonist once again, I recalled again that special parallel between me and Marcus, even more keenly than I periodically had through the years between now and the last time I read it. And as I did so, I was suddenly hit with the realization that the connection, parallels, and similarities between Marcus, me, and our journeys were far greater than I had previously supposed. And it made me cry to contemplate it. Because his story didn't end with him lying in bed wounded. That was only the beginning, even if it seemed to him like the end of his story and the effective end of his life.

Like me, Marcus lay in bed unable to get up and struggled to find the strength to keep fighting and going on. But like me, he did keep fighting and did go on. His dreams and goals seemed impossible and hopeless, but instead of resigning himself never to pursue them, he kept striving toward them. He could never be a soldier again, but he found other, more important dreams to pursue. Even those dreams seemed impossible - and would've been for a less determined man. But though so many people scorned his goal as unattainable and impossible, he pursued it anyway against all odds.

That's what I'm doing. Life does go on even when it seems too difficult. It gets easier. Like Marcus, I'm healing from that illness. But like his, it hasn't gone away, even though it's greatly improved, and sometimes it gets worse again, as his did. However, both of us have gone on anyway and refused to let it stop us. Marcus was left as a lame man, doomed to walk with a limp and feel pain for the rest of his life. But he walked again and lived a meaningful life despite injury and hardship. And he pursued his "impossible" dreams - which remained despite their revision. The young man who at first couldn't walk and could later walk only with difficulty went on his noble and perilous quest anyway, tramping through the wilderness, lame leg and all, in search of the dream he carried from the start.

And I'm doing the same. I'm crippled in a way, but I haven't halted even though going on is still difficult. Like Marcus, I'm healing in spirit and heart as well as in body. Like him, I'm walking ahead on a long, hard road with many obstacles in the way of my journey. But like Marcus, I'm forging ahead toward my revised dreams anyway, against all odds. And like him, I believe I'll reach my goal, even if it still looks impossible - and should still be. Marcus pursued his dream relentlessly, and it paid off as a direct result of that determined pursuit. He refused to settle for a mediocre life. And although it looked different than he expected in the end, his dream was restored when it should have remained dead. He reached his goal against all odds, when he should logically have failed. And as I follow in his footsteps, figurative limp and all, so will I.

Until I read this book again just now, I had forgotten the unexpected words Marcus says to Esca near the end, if I ever noticed them. They didn't mean to me before what they mean now, and they struck me like they hadn't before, piercing straight to my heart. Just after the two characters return from their journey, Marcus has finally found inner freedom from the inner and outer scars of his crippling wound, even though those scars still remain. Esca is still inwardly living in the shadow of past slavery, and Marcus hurts to see it and urges him to let it go. Marcus tells Esca that neither of them can let their scars define them. They can't live their lives under the shadow of the deep wounds of the past. They must forge on as free men, not living as slaves to the hurts they went through. Those words of truth are for me as much as for Marcus and Esca, and they help me and mean the world to me, as I'm sure they have for many others. Hearing that message from a character I look up to - and through Marcus, his author - helps me as I strive to do just that. Like Marcus, I refuse to let those things define me. Like him, I'm pressing on in freedom and overcoming my own obstacles, striving toward my dreams. Right now, I'm at the place Marcus was in at the beginning of the final chapter of The Eagle of the Ninth. I've gone on to finish with difficulty the next goal ahead of me. And now that I have, I'm once again face to face with the unknown future that's been in the background this whole time. I'm still striving toward my lofty goal, and I believe I'll reach it one day, but as of now, it's still impossible. I'm waiting indefinitely for a breakthrough to make those things possible. And I believe that my breakthrough will come just as Marcus's did.

Someday several years from now, when I reach the goals that are so close to my heart, I will re-read The Eagle of the Ninth again, and identify with Marcus yet more, because I'll be in the place he was in at the very end of the book, when all his most precious dreams come to fruition. I know I'll get there just as he did. And as it was for him, it will be a sweet and joyful day.
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The above narrative captures just a small part of why I love The Eagle of the Ninth and what it means to me. It is a phenomenal book in every way, and there are so many reasons why. Here are just a few of many other things I appreciate about this book:

-As with every Sutcliff book, the settings and characters of The Eagle of the Ninth pulse with life and color. Each character is described in just enough detail to bring him or her vividly to life, and each one feels like a real person the reader is acquainted with. The settings are achingly gorgeous - the high, mist-crowned mountain crags, the rushing breeze and golden sunshine on the green of the garden, the shimmering ripples of the highland lochs, the foam-white sprays of blossoms on branches, the deep gold of the lamplight on the walls, and the scarlet and purple sunset shining on the hills. Each place is so immediate and real that I feel as if I can smell, feel, see, and taste each living detail, and the beauty fills my heart to the point of bursting.
-Marcus. He's such a wonderful character, and though I love so many of the others in this book, he's my favorite. Marcus kind, compassionate, caring, sympathetic, and understanding. He is full of character, wisdom, maturity, skill, valiance, and keen instinct, yet he's young and doubts his own abilities – and he's not perfect by any means. He has such strength of character and leadership that his soldiers and his friends would follow him anywhere - and they prove it by doing so. I find it endearing that he becomes stiffly proud and arrogant when he feels vulnerable and uncomfortable - yet is truly humble underneath and in reality. He's a stickler for honor, but he cares far more about the honor of his empire and especially his father than about his own honor. He's not aware of his own humility, and the story is from his perspective, so it's never stated in the narrative; rather, his deep, unassuming humility shows in his words and actions. He is stubborn, determined, and immovable, pursuing his cause and what's right no matter what, refusing to give up no matter the odds. And it pays off when he overcomes the worst odds, going to great lengths for the eagle and refusing to settle for life as an invalid. He is unflinchingly, selflessly, coolly, recklessly, purposefully, and sacrificially brave. Even and especially when he's terrified, he is still strong and courageous, even when it means facing down and enduring death or excruciating pain.
-As for the other characters, I could go on and on about them too, especially Cottia and Esca. But I shall be brief. I love Cottia's queenlike poise and grace and the fierce and fiery spirit that matches her flaming hair and causes Marcus to call her, "You little vixen!" more than once. I love Esca's loyalty to Marcus, his courage that is every bit as great as Marcus's own, his slow, grave smile, his fighting spirit, and the wildness about him that can never be fully tamed. I love Uncle Aquila and the way he cares about and advocates for Marcus and the others while pretending to be grumpy - while all the while his big heart shines through from beneath. I love Cub's refusal to be parted from Marcus, his wild, exuberant joy each time he is reunited with his young master, and the way he comforts and stands by Marcus when he needs it most. And I love how even the minor characters are interesting, complex, and often endearing. I appreciate Centurion Drusillus, Guern the Hunter, and Marcus's father, who are wonderful even though they have less time on the page. Even Marcus's enemies are almost likeable, and even Aunt Valeria is bursting with personality.
-One of my favorite things about this book is the portrayal of friendships. Marcus is lonely, desolate, and friendless for part of the book, but in a sequence of providential events, he gains three close and loyal friends who are each totally devoted to him in their own way. With Esca, Marcus shares a deep and brotherly bond that motivates Esca to let down his guard, care for Marcus, and walk into unimaginable danger and threat of death alongside his friend. Instead of the bondage of a slave following his master, Esca follows Marcus as a devoted friend, even when he's free to do otherwise. As for Cottia, I love her friendship with Marcus as well, more than I can put into words. I love how Marcus understands her, fights for her, laughs with her, and takes care of her - and how Cottia supports him, brightens his dim world, and waits many months for his return, among so much else. Then, there's Cub - as faithful a canine friend as any man could wish for, with devotion and loyalty equal to Esca's. The four of them bring light and laughter to each other's worlds. Marcus reaches out to each of them in turn and earns each of their loyalty. He helps them when they need it most, and in return, they help him when he himself is most in need. What I love most about each friendship is how each of the three chooses Marcus when they could leave and be parted from him – and none of the three can imagine or bear the thought of parting. They each separately choose to follow him, be united with him, and remain devoted to him when they have a choice between that and the alternative, and that's beautiful to me.
-The story has a surprisingly large amount of wit and humor, and it made me laugh out loud often. Marcus's narration is often sarcastic, ironic, or hilariously biting, especially his mental commentary on other people - and he laughs at himself as well. The banter and clever dialogue the characters exchange is humorous and delightful, and even in the midst of danger, the characters exchange light or grim jokes. And the comical portrayal of Marcus's alias, Demetrius of Alexandria, had me laughing throughout one funny scene.
-The themes are beautiful and profound, worked subtly, naturally, and meaningfully throughout with the skilled hand of a true master - as is the case with everything about Sutcliff's works. Among the deep themes are sacrifice, loyalty, leadership, hope, healing; honor and shame; courage and fear; freedom and bondage; and life and death.
-I'm amazed at how Sutcliff portrays each character sympathetically and with complexity – human and not either black or white, as real people are. Even each Marcus's enemies were also friends first. And a few of the good characters aren't totally good. But as each of us must in the real world, the main characters still pursue what they believe is right, and I love that. Sutcliff also truthfully portrays warring cultures as neither good nor evil – even though they may technically be enemies, there are friendships across the barriers of culture. I love that Marcus learns to see other characters as people, not on the basis of nationality or other difference between them – and that he's willing to learn it. Even though his allegiance is to Rome, he grows to understand the British culture – and he eventually transfers his home and allegiance to Roman Britain.
-And of course I could go on and on.
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The Eagle of the Ninth is an amazing book, and it's a lasting favorite of mine for good reason. It will always remain one of the best books I've ever read, and it only grows more wonderful to me as time goes on. It's also stood the test of time through many decades with readers who have gone before me, and I know it will always remain a classic by way of its great quality. You're missing out if you haven't read it, so go read it if you haven't! It's a wonderful read for anyone who loves young adult adventure or historical fiction – and is just as good if you don't. And if you have read it before or are a fan, I hope you'll appreciate it more or be motivated to read it again.

As for me, I look forward to re-reading The Eagle of the Ninth again and again and seeing it even more deeply each time – along with my own life and self as a result. As I've dug deeper into the book this time, I know I've by no means exhausted the truth, heart, and meaning it contains for me personally and in general, and I look forward to discovering yet more when I read it yet again someday. ( )

Well enough for a mid-20th century book for boys and those interested in Roman Britain. A young man's quest north of Hadrian's wall with his slave turned companion. The close relationship between ex-centurion Marcus and the ex-captive/gladiator, slave then freed Esca, is a given with no examination beyond Marcus being an all around good guy, who also happens to enjoy the visits of the 13-15 year old girl Cottia. ( )

Great to read this classic again after many years. The story of Marcus Aquila and his quest to resurrect the lost 9th Legion Hispana is beautifully written, thoughtful and sympathetic, with honest depictions of both Roman and Briton. As a classicist I might quibble with a few minor points of the author's depictions of the legions, but it doesn't in any way distract from what is a great escapist read. The scene where the recovered eagle is laid to rest is beautifully done and brings a tear to the eye. Simply a lovely book, I hope that modern generations can embrace it as much as I did. ( )

Ten years or so ago I was sitting in the waiting area for the Indiana branch of Immigration and Citizenship. The room is always a fertile ground for imagining people's stories and I found my attentions drifting between my book and the cast of characters surrounding me. A man walked in the room, looked puzzled and walked to the reception desk, only a few feet away from my distracted digressions. He introduced himself in our local way and began to tell the story of his son, one Private Jones who was stationed in Baghdad and one who had fallen in love with a local and was soon to be married. Because of the precarious security situation, this was 2004, just before the Civil War, he thought it prudent to have his soon to be daughter--in-law stateside immediately. The receptionist explained that the immigration process would have to begin there. "But, its Iraq," the man stated, loud enough for everyone in the waiting area to hear. The manager was summoned and the same process was explained again. The man thanked them and left. I have often wondered about Private Jones and his family.

Such thoughts lingered as I struggled through The Eagle of the Ninth. I first became aware of the author and work years ago when Will Self stated that he was reading her trilogy to his children. The standard oppositions of slave/master, colonial/native, and hero/coward are all explored -- though through a YA lens, to be honest. The thrust of the plot was reminiscent of Stevenson's ,[b:Kidnapped|325128|Kidnapped (David Balfour, #1)|Robert Louis Stevenson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328869457s/325128.jpg|963266] so much historical fiction is, as we know. It was refreshing that the native Britains are not represented as barbarians and the Romans aren't effete bureaucrats abhoring the locals.

This may have been the best written two star book I've read. My response may be the result of fatigue and nagging sinuses, though I won't challenge that assertion with a further reading of Sutcliff any time soon.
( )

It's really a three point seven five, but who's counting?

The main characters and encountered characters are fun to meet and follow. ( )

Young centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila's father disappeared with the doomed Ninth Legion in northern Britain. When Marcus takes a post in Britain, he hopes to hear or discover something of the lost Ninth, but a wound taken in battle cuts his military career short. After he recovers, he embarks on a dangerous mission to discover what happened to the Ninth, and to retrieve their bronze Eagle, the symbol of Roman power and victory, which may be in the hands of the northern tribes.

This story of high adventure in the long past is one that I probably would have enjoyed as a child, but I never crossed paths with it at the time. The writing is lovely and the pacing is strong. It's a quick read (the audiobook I listened to was under five hours), full of goodness with nothing extraneous. For all that, I'd say I liked it but didn't love it. If historical fiction set in the days of the Roman Empire appeals to you, I'd say give this a try, no matter your age. ( )

Set in Roman Britain this story is of a young Roman officer who sets out to discover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Legion, who marched into the mists of Northern Britain and never returned.

I have owned this since I was a teenager and, judging from the sate of the book, must have read it before. But I have absolutely no recollection of having done so!
This is history as fiction, told based on 2 probably entirely unrelated events. 1) the ninth legion marched north and never returned
2) an eagle in a museum that had lost its wings.
This is a story that uses those two facts as a jumping off point for what amounts to a mixture of adventure story and morality tale.
Marcus is the son of a soldiering family from Italy and now has his first command of a roman legion. He arrives at Exeter all full of hope and ends up breaking a chariot charge and his leg all in one moment. From there he is discharged and has to find something else to do. He acquires a slave, a Briton called Esca, from the circus after not wanting to see him die needlessly.
He then sets off on a quest to find the Eagle that was lost when his father's legion was lost, 20 years ago north of the wall. They set off and come across a centurion who was part of the missing legion and he sets them on the right track for the eagle. They head towards the western isles and find the missing eagle (a bit beaten up) as a god in a druidic cult. They also find out what happened to the legion at the end, as the elderly grandfather of the clan chief was involved in the chase and has Marcus' father's ring on a cord around his neck.
Marcus and Esca rescue the Eagle, but manage to bring a hunt down on themselves. By a bit of subterfuge and daring they manage to return to the wall, but not without retrieving the ring as well as the Eagle.
There's a fair amount of adventurous goings on, some of which relies on a pretty high level of co-incidence and unlikely good luck, but then the best stories often do.
There's also quite a bit about how Esca feels being from a subjugated people and how slavery is wrong. Which is it, but at times it meant that this felt a little bit preachy.
I was also a little surprised at time to see words that are not in common use, or were not explained. Example, at one point Marcus is described as having changed his dress and is wearing the brocos of the british. Now I'm assuming they are a form of trouser, but that was never main clear. I wonder how much assumed knowledge is in here and how much of that would be actually held.
I'm not this book's target audience anymore, so I can't tell how well it works.

Re-read 2023.
My review seems both fair and a bit harsh in places. I enjoyed this re-read. It still feels a little high on the co-incidence chart, but I think I can forgive it that. ( )

Read this for a class on Roman Britain my first year of university. Quite liked it. ( )

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

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 but 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.

Eager to restore his father’s honor and steal the eagle that could be used as a rally symbol against the hated Roman invaders should a revolt ever break anew among the dark barbarians, Marcus and his British freed slave, Ecca, travel north. All through the summer, they crisscross the wild regions beyond the wall that keeps the untamed tribes from the Roman world in search of the eagle.

Rosemary Sutcliff's takes her time in creating her characters and their world. As a result The Eagle of the Ninth is not the fast paced adventure you find in an action movie, but a well crafted and realistic tale that is, at the end, much more satisfying.

In my mind, a masterpiece.


Quotes from The Eagle of the Ninth

He stood for a while in the bothy doorway, ears stretched for any sound to break the silence of the mountains, but heard only the wet whisper of falling water where the swift stream came tumbling into the loch and a long while later, the belling of a stag.

Autumn had come to the mountains almost overnight, he thought. A few days ago, summer had still lingered, though the heather was past its flowering and flaming rowan berries long since gone. But now it was the Fall of the Leaf; one could smell the wind, and the trees of the glen grew bare and the brawling stream run gold with yellow birch branches.
( )

Upping this to five stars. Still not my favorite of her books (nothing will ever top "[b:The Lantern Bearers|149418|The Lantern Bearers (Eagle of the Ninth, #3)|Rosemary Sutcliff|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172202428s/149418.jpg|2471459]") but pretty near to perfect; I just didn't really realize it until this last read-through. ( )

I was about 12 when we did Roman Britain in history, and I didn't pay it much attention (we had a very boring teacher for Ancient Greece and Rome). Afterwards I never gave much thought to that period, apart from when it cropped up in some of the Didius Falco mysteries, so this story set in Roman-occupied Britain, with a likeable Roman protagonist, opened up new avenues. I admire the way Sutcliff took two incidents - a lost legion up in the mists of Scotland, a found eagle in the south of England - and wove them together to make quite a thrilling quest. Very enjoyable and not too sentimental. ( )

Great! ( )

A classic (1950s) historical novel about a young Roman man who, with a slave who becomes his friend, travels beyond Hadrian's Wall into the wilds of Britain, searching for the emblem (and the fate) of his father's lost legion.
The book definitely minimizes/romanticizes the realities of slavery, and it also portrays several misconceptions about ancient Rome that have been clarified by research since the book was written -
However, in reading the book, these things don't really matter, as it's an engaging, entertaining story."

( )

I read this my freshman year of high school, I think. I totally would have kept the standard as a trophy, especially after all that effort. ( )

"Excellent feelings of being on part of a mighty empire but cut off from help. The terror of travelling ever deeper into enemy lands really grips you and you cling to the shelter and few allies found." ( )

I thought I'd read this, but no. I've certainly read a few of Sutcliffe's books, and I know I picked this up often enough in bookshops and libraries to look at and I certainly saw bits of the BBC adaptation, so I was familiar with the basic plot. A young man sets out to recover the Eagle of his father's old legion, which marched north beyond Hadrian's Wall years before and was never seen or heard from again. It's one of the great adventure story plots that taps right in to a young imagination and excites the primal yearning for a meaningful quest, a loyal friend and companion, a mystery whose solution lies in wild misty lands and a family honour to restore. But I never read it!

I think I just didn't get on with the setting, and Sutcliffe's fidelity to the social mores and culture of the Romans and the tribes of Britain confused and alienated me, not being terribly familiar with the period or the setting. I loved her High Deeds Of Finn McCool, though, and her Roman Britain novels always exerted a fascination over me, so I'm delighted to finally read this one, and definitely not disappointed.

So, yes, it is one of the great classic adventures of children's fiction and deserves to be remembered as such. Young Centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila arrives in Britain at the head of a cohort of Gaulish auxiliaries and takes command of the fort of Isca Dumnoniorum. Raw and inexperienced, he has soldiering in his blood, but is haunted by the memory of his father, who vanished along with the rest of the Ninth Legion when they marched north and was never heard from again. Marcus' dreams of a military career are cruelly dashed when he is injured in battle and invalided out of the army. Recovering in his uncle's villa, he impulsively acquires a slave, a defeated gladiator in whom he recognises a kindred spirit. As Marcus heals, the bond between the two men grows until, unexpectedly, an opportunity arises to go and recover the lost eagle of the Ninth Legion and redeem his father's memory.

From the civilised south, where Roman rule is strong and the roads are straight to the wild reaches of the north where the tribes worship gods of their own and follow their own laws, Marcus and Esca's epic journey is vivid, haunting, moving and exciting. It's a boy's tale, with only one semi-major female character, and is full of the lads and their exploits and their friendship and the bond of respect between them that transcends their respective cultures and their master/slave status. That's not to say that it's a book to be read only by boys or, indeed, only by the young. It's a great book and I'm glad I finally got around to it. ( )

This is a well known novel of Roman Britain, with which I have been broadly familiar since seeing a TV adaptation in the 1970s, though I had not read it before. It concerns the efforts of an invalided Roman soldier to find the lost eagle standard of his father's Ninth Legion in the wild lands beyond Hadrian's Wall. It is extremely well written, with very evocative descriptions of the landscape, and engaging and interesting characters. A good read. ( )