Eagle of the Ninth

A wonderful book which I first read many, many years ago. Sutcliff wrote many historical fiction books, but her most famous are the so-called Eagle of the Ninth chronicles, of which this is the first. The tale of a former Centurion's quest to recover the lost Eagle of his father's Legion, which was destroyed by the tribes beyond Hadrian's Wall, this is a marvellous adventure tale, superbly written. Sutcliff's books are well researched and I'd recommend this to anyone.

Great book for those with an interest in the Roman Empire, particularly Roman Britain. Very interesting to read a children's book with an adult protagonist!

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Even rereading it I was just as engaged and excited. I am obsessed with Roman history and bromance. This book has both. This book is the best of both. The brotherly dynamic between Marcus and Esca is one of my favorite things in any book I've ever read. The Roman history is spot on without being bleak, which is hard to find in this genre. Rosemary Sutcliff is the queen of historic fiction.
And if you love this book you should immediately read the Silver Branch, it dovetails nicely with this book and makes many references back to it.