Search - The Eagle of the Ninth

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.

My first Rosemary Sutcliff book, but it will not be my last. This tale of Roman Britain and the lost Ninth Legion brings the reader into a fully imagined yet realistic world in which honor and duty are sacrosanct and the meeting of two cultures can be either a time of mutual respect or bloody conflict and distrust. Sutcliff is one darn brilliant writer of characters and settings. I could fully picture the time period, the people and the atmosphere. It rang true, and nothing seemed out of sync or out of period.

Overall, it did surprise me how good this book was. I mean exceptionally good. I don't think I've enjoyed a YA novel more since Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" (there are no similarities between the two books except that both are well written and hard to put down).

Although written primarily for a YA audience back in the mid-1950's, Sutcliff doesn't hesitate to challenge her readers with terms and phrases they might not understand (heck, who am I kidding, it was a challenge for me at times. Very probably young readers of the 50's were more well read and more grounded in history then I was).

This is a story I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to young and old alike. Although boys might find a greater appreciation for the story, I feel it crosses age and gender lines as well.

And imagine my surprise (and delight) to find that the 2011 movie, "The Ninth" is based on this novel! Now I've got to go put this on my Netflix queue to see if the film makers did the book justice. Probably not, but hey! Jamie Bell is in it :)

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is a very well-paced adventure story set in ancient Britain. The language is old and somewhat difficult to follow. I couldn't really skim or I would get lost. I would reccomend it if you like historical fiction.