The Eagle of the Ninth

“The Ninth Legion marched into the mists of northern Britain – and they never came back. Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost it’s a mystery that’s never been solved, until now… Marcus has to find out what happened to his father, who lead the legion. So he sets out into the unknown, on a quest that no one expects him to return.”

This book has a fantastic story of a boy who goes on an adventure to find out about the legend of the eagle standard and his father’s fate. Rosemary Sutcliff wrote a great story but the language is difficult to read and made my personal enjoyment of the book much harder.

However the book was written in the 1950s and is written in the style of a book from the roman times but this is not a book for those who want a fun read. This book makes you think and I enjoyed that part, but it also can make reading a book a task or chore and not a pleasure or hobby. That factor made me find this book hard to read and I would slowly get more and more bored as I read on.

The narrative was, on the other hand, a joy to read, and if this book was rewritten in the style of a book written now (say Harry Potter) it would boost its popularity to younger audiences who are just starting to read on their own or teenagers who just wants something they can just pick up and enjoy without having to put much brain power into it. The characters are described and written you can clearly and easily put yourself in their heads and feel every emotion with them from Esca’s back story and slave life to Marcus’s determination and confidence.

This is not a book for action book lovers but a book for historical book lovers. This book does have battles but they are not described in much detail and are short, but the journey, both physically and emotionally, for the heroic pair is described in lots of detail and are the best part of the book. This book heavily focuses on the historical background of the time period and of Marcus and Esca’s lives as a warrior and a slave.

If you enjoy history and want a book that will challenge, you this is for you. If you want to be put into a character's shoes and feel everything that goes on, this is for you. If you want to sit down for hours really getting into a book, this is also for you. However if you just want a book that will take your mind of something and just want an easy read, try this, because you might enjoy it, and if you have seen the film and thought that was good, you might enjoy this too.

Ben Norbury