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easmith5's review
Marcus begins as a young commander, following in his father footsteps. His plans are to rise as far as possible through the ranks, but those dreams die as soon as the extent of his fist injury is known. He then must go to live with his uncle. However, his father's disappearance, as well as that of the entire ninth legion haunts him. And he can only look to the North for answers. But will he be up to the task of recovering the symbol of the lost legion, their glorious Eagle? This book is decently well written, though probably a little slow at time. Alright, but definitely not my favorite novel.
greenwoodspicers's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dmcke013's review
3.0
So, this is history (and told in the foreword of this novel): Sometime about the year AD 117, the Roman Ninth Legion marched north to deal with an uprising among the Caledonian tribes (in what is now Scotland), and were never heard of again. Also, nearly eighteen hundred years later during excavations at Silchester, a wingless Roman Eagle was dug up, buried under the fields.
But how did it come to be there?
While no-one knows for certain, those 2 facts together form the starting point for this story, which sees the son of the last commander of said Legion traveling North 'beyond the [Hadrians] wall' to search for and return said Eagle after his partial recovery from his laming during an attack on his outpost, and after he hears rumours of an Imperial Eagle in the Celts hands.
He is accompanied on this journey by his freed slave, whom he had previously (before the journey, during his recovery) rescued from the Arena.
While I had previously seen the 2011 film of the same name, I'd actually never read the source material before, so was unable to say how truly it stuck to the same.
Now I have, and I have to say: said movie does stick remarkably close, even if not entirely faithfully. the book, I found, could be a bit slow at times, and also tended to gloss over the less pleasant (shall we say) aspects of Roman society, with the Romans largely portrayed as civilized as compared to the uncouth Barbarians.
But then again, this is -supposedly - a children's book, and also a product of its time (first published, remember, in the 1950s).
But how did it come to be there?
While no-one knows for certain, those 2 facts together form the starting point for this story, which sees the son of the last commander of said Legion traveling North 'beyond the [Hadrians] wall' to search for and return said Eagle after his partial recovery from his laming during an attack on his outpost, and after he hears rumours of an Imperial Eagle in the Celts hands.
He is accompanied on this journey by his freed slave, whom he had previously (before the journey, during his recovery) rescued from the Arena.
While I had previously seen the 2011 film of the same name, I'd actually never read the source material before, so was unable to say how truly it stuck to the same.
Now I have, and I have to say: said movie does stick remarkably close, even if not entirely faithfully. the book, I found, could be a bit slow at times, and also tended to gloss over the less pleasant (shall we say) aspects of Roman society, with the Romans largely portrayed as civilized as compared to the uncouth Barbarians.
But then again, this is -supposedly - a children's book, and also a product of its time (first published, remember, in the 1950s).
sonyerin's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
huismus's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
topdragon's review against another edition
4.0
If you're looking for a good novel to get a young person hooked on historical fiction, look no further. This is the first of an 8-book series, each of which can be read as a stand-alone novel. This first one is about a young Roman legionnaire named Marcus Flavius Aquila who leads a unit to Britain, gets injured to the point where he can no longer participate and thus must find his own way forward...without the Roman army that has been his home for so long. He embarks on a quest to recover the lost eagle standard of the Ninth Roman Legion who, fifteen years before, had marched into northern Britain and disappeared forever. Not coincidentally, that Legion had been commanded by Marcus' own father.
The story is not the typical Roman legion war fighting kind of novel but rather a story about a young man who must find a new place in the world for himself. He must discover who he is outside of the Roman army, where his destiny lies, and how to find his way. It's sort of a coming-of-age novel, even though Marcus is already a grown man, albeit still young for a commander. It's a fully engaging story with nicely rounded characters and a plot that remains interesting throughout. While young readers will likely enjoy it, I believe adults will like it equally. And if so, there are seven more novels that feature Marcus' descendants in Roman Britain and beyond.
The story is not the typical Roman legion war fighting kind of novel but rather a story about a young man who must find a new place in the world for himself. He must discover who he is outside of the Roman army, where his destiny lies, and how to find his way. It's sort of a coming-of-age novel, even though Marcus is already a grown man, albeit still young for a commander. It's a fully engaging story with nicely rounded characters and a plot that remains interesting throughout. While young readers will likely enjoy it, I believe adults will like it equally. And if so, there are seven more novels that feature Marcus' descendants in Roman Britain and beyond.
emohowl's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
alfgaba's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
starwarrior91's review against another edition
4.0
A good old fashioned quest with a fun macguffin and strong writing that really brought Roman Britain to life.