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    The Eagle of the Ninth
    The Eagle of the Ninth
    The Eagle of the Ninth
    Audiobook (abridged)4 hours

    The Eagle of the Ninth

    Written by Rosemary Sutcliff

    Narrated by Charlie Simpson

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Roman Britain: Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young centurion is forced into retirement after a wound in his first major engagement against a rebel British tribe. It allows him the freedom to embark upon a dangerous mission to find out what happened to the Ninth Legion which, years before, disappeared in the savage lands of the Picts. Will he find out what happened to the men, led by his father, who never returned? And will he recover the Eagle, the symbol of Roman dominance and power? This junior classic has never been out of print since it was first published over fifty years ago. It is now presented in a fresh abridgement read in exciting manner by Charlie Simpson.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateMay 1, 2006
    ISBN9789629544317
    The Eagle of the Ninth
    Author

    Rosemary Sutcliff

    Rosemary Sutcliff (1920-1992) wrote dozens of books for young readers, including her award-winning Roman Britain trilogy, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, and The Lantern Bearers, which won the Carnegie Medal. The Eagle of the Ninth is now a major motion picture, The Eagle, directed by Kevin MacDonald and starring Channing Tatum. Born in Surrey, Sutcliff spent her childhood in Malta and on various other naval bases where her father was stationed. At a young age, she contracted Still's Disease, which confined her to a wheelchair for most of her life. Shortly before her death, she was named Commander of the British Empire (CBE) one of Britain's most prestigious honors. She died in West Sussex, England, in 1992.

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    Reviews for The Eagle of the Ninth

    4.5/5

    100 ratings42 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Our family of 5 (aged 43, 42, 13, 11 and 8) really enjoyed this! Accessible for the kids but by no means a children's story. Helped with a long car journey to France.
    • 4/5
      An immensely engaging work of historical fiction, Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth, first published in 1954, sets out to answer two unresolved questions from history: what happened to the lost Ninth Legion, stationed at Eburacum (modern-day York) in the early second century, a legion which disappeared without a trace after it marched north into Caledonia?; and how did a wingless Roman Eagle, the standard of a legion, come to be buried in a field outside of Silchester?The story of Marcus Flavius Aquila - significantly named, as "aquila" means eagle in Latin, and was the word for the eagle standard itself - a young centurion wounded in the course of his first British command, who goes to stay with his Uncle Aquila in Calleva (Silchester), acquires a slave, and then a friend, in the form of the Brigante tribesman and hunter Esca Mac Cunoval, and embarks on a seemingly impossible quest to retrieve the eagle standard of the Hispana - his father's lost legion - this book is immediately involving, and consistently engrossing. The characters truly come alive, fascinatingly complex and completely believable, and the story seems - as much as I am able to judge - historically accurate.I found Sutcliff's narrative as moving as it was entertaining, and appreciated the way in which she depicted the complex issues of identity and loyalty in the multicultural world of the Roman Empire. Etrurians, Egyptians and native Britons all interact in this story, which never vilifies any side, but makes the reader understand each perspective. I was most in sympathy with the Caledonians, of course, but I liked all the characters, and was content with the conclusion. My first work of historical fiction from Rosemary Sutcliff, The Eagle of the Ninth will most assuredly not be my last!
    • 4/5
      A tale of adventure in ancient Britain. A young centurion arrives to take his first post at a small Roman fort in Britain. During an uprising he's badly injured. As he's trying to regain his health he hears rumors of a missing Roman Eagle. His father had led the missing legion whose Eagle it was. He determines to go off above Hadiran's wall and bring back the Eagle and hopefully clear his father's name.A good adventure with very likeable characters. And a wolf! I have no idea why this is tagged so often 'children' or 'young adult'. It is not a coming of age story and all the characters are adults.
    • 5/5
      I first read this novel 40 years ago as a teenager and listening to it was a pleasurable and nostalgic experience.
    • 5/5
      This book is well researched and believable. It has an excellent plot and is tightly and poetically written. I intend to read the rest in the series. If you are interested in or studying Roman history and the occupation of Britain by the Romans, this book is a must. The characters are 3 dimensional and there loyalty, duty and love are the primary moving forces.
    • 4/5
      A coming of age tale in Roman Britain that looks at the concept of honor and responsibility in a more brutal time.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant performance, a tale for ALL ages! I highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      A young centurion ventures among the hostile tribes beyond the Roman Wall to recover the eagle standard of the Ninth, a legion which mysteriously disappeared under his father's command.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      The phrases were a little harder to understand and it was difficult to really get into.
    • 4/5
      Reason read: TIOLI and BACThis 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.
    • 3/5
      Ah - I loved this in ninth grade. Alas, not so much now.
    • 4/5
      For someone intrigued by the murky depths of early British history, this young adult novel certainly satisfied. I halfway wish that I would have read this as a young adult, because now I have already read a number of historical fictions about this region and time period which are much more graphic and harsh. Bernard Cornwall and Marion Zimmer Bradley come to mind. Regardless, The Eagle of the Ninth is intriguing because even though it softens some of the rough edges, death is still a very real feature in this story, as is slavery, colonialism, and cultural interactions. Sutcliff gave me little room to doubt the world she recreated for her story, even if she left out the raping and pillaging. Overall, a very enjoyable book if you don't mind predictable happy endings. I look forward to reading the sequel, "The Silver Branch".
    • 4/5
      Kurzinhalt: Es geht um den jungen römischen Centurion Marcus, der im 2 Jhdt. in der britannischen Kolonie seinen Dienst antritt, und sich nach seiner ersten Niederlage gegen einheimische Aufständische als neues Ziel setzt, den Legionsadler seines mit der Neunten Legion weiter nördlich verschollenen Vater zurückzubringen.Das Buch hat mir gut gefallen. Es war angenehm zu lesen, sehr geradlinig, mit einem anständigen Spannungsbogen. Sowohl die Charaktere als auch die Landschaften waren anschaulich beschrieben. Man merkt, dass sich die Autorin auf die Materie gut vorbereitet hat (nach damaligem Wissensstand), und auch sonst gibt es keinen Dilettantismus (beschriebene Pflanzen und Tiere sowie deren Verhalten - wenn bei sowas geschlampt wird, werde ich immer grantig).Die Geschichte war - dem Zeitgeist geschuldet? - eher pathetisch, es ging um Treue, Ehre, Freundschaft in einer idealisierten Welt, in der sogar die Feinde ehrbar waren.Das ganze war auch relativ vorhersehbar - vor allem, als das erste Mal über die 12-13 jährige entsetzte Zuschauerin der Saturnalienspiele geschrieben wurde, war klar, dass sie und der Protagonist als Paar enden.Richtig witzig fand ich das Augenzwinkern Richtung Jane Austen, als Cottia mit ihrer Tante zur Kur nach Aquae Sulis (Bath!) fahren musste.Für Jugendliche auf jeden Fall geeignet, aber auch für Erwachsene spannend und unterhaltsam.
    • 5/5
      It’s a classic. As with all audio books it comes down to the voice actor and this was a brilliant performance . Added bonus? The evocative musical cues. Caveat? This is a brilliant story for any pre-adolescent boy to become acquainted with. I hope that the responsible adult that points him towards it ( and I have my own 11 year old lad) will discuss the inherent issues and provide context. This is a classic that entertains and deserves to live on.
    • 4/5
      My copy of this book dates back to 1970 - but it was brand new when I was given it, just never read. Only when reading the introduction to M.C.Scott's Eagle of the Twelfth [in which he acknowledges his debt to Sutcliff and her book] did I start to wonder if I still had my copy. After 25 pages I stopped battling with Scott's Eagle and went in search of Sutcliff's - it was shelved next to Noel Streatfeild in the bookshelf devoted to all the favourites of my youth, saved and added to for the delictation of my daughters. They, alas, were not intetrested in my dated tomes but I hope that one day, maybe in 42 years times, they might turn to Crompton and Blyton and Nesbitt just as I turned to Sutcliff, and find delight within the pages. Of course by that time 'pages' will refer to the electronic copy viewed on something like a Kindle, but never mind. Eagle of the Ninth is a grand read: Marcus Flavius Aquila, the hero, is a thoroughly likable fellow, the kind of decent and generous-spirited young man any mother would be proud of. I imagine Enid Blyton's youths grew into men like Marcus - in fact, his name should have been Julius [for Julian of Famous Five fame]. He leaves Rome for Britain where he is injured in battle, and as he recouperates he thinks of the old family farm in Tuscany with longing. He spends every penny, or rather sestertius, on buying/rescuing Esca, a defeated gladiator, and making him his body slave. Esca is from the Tribe of the Painted People, way up North and as a proud warrior of high birth slavery does not sit well on him, Completely cliched I know but Sutcliff can be forgiven the odd cliche. Marcus and Esca go north beyond Hadrian's Wall into the land of mists and wooded crags - inhabited by undefeated and fairly hostile Celtic tribes - in pursuit of the eagle standard of the lost ninth legion, to which Marcus's father when he marched off into the mist twelve years before, vanishing forever. Its a classic adventure story and a wonderful read: there is almost no violence, and bad language and sex do not exist - although there is a smattering of romance as Marcus falls for Cottia, the girl next door, a red-headed vixen from the Iceni tribe. The jejune affair is something of a relief though because Marcus and Esca were so close I was beginning to worry that the house of Flavius was going to end thanks to no further issue.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite books when I was young, about how the son of a member of the Ninth Hispana legion, which vanished in northern Britain, retrieved its lost eagle. I have read more recent research that suggest the legion was just ended by administrative reorganization instead of perishing dramatically as in this book, but it is still a very good story and the first of a series of books set in Roman Britain which to me were Sutcliff's best. originally read this in the Bowling Green , Ohio library and bought this for myself much later because I remembered it fondly.
    • 4/5
      Re-read - just as thrilling as when I was a kid.
    • 3/5
      "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."
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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 returned2) 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 roam 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 heppened 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 wa salso a little surprised at time to see words that are not in comon 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.
    • 3/5
      I own this edition but the last time I read this was back in the 90s IIRC. The trilogy that this is part of is a good read. The Lantern Bearers being my favorite of the three.
    • 4/5
      Very interesting story of Marcus Aquila's quest to find the lost eagle of the Ninth Legion, his father's Roman cohort that simply disappeared. Sutcliff is adept at making history come alive. My kids and I have learned a lot about Roman Britain through this author's books.
    • 5/5
      Teenage fiction does not get a lot better than this. Move over Harry Potter- spmething that you can actually ge your teeth into! I have a weird feeling that for a vast majority of the UK teenage audience this will remain an inacessible book as they will find the language too taxing and remember it came from a time (1954) when people actually did learn about Romans in school and also learned Latin! I loved it because unlike a lot of teenage fiction it did not patronise and it was a real tangible story - you can feel the tension in the chase scenes and it really does bring Roman Britain to life. Well worth a read at any age!
    • 4/5
      This story of adventure in Roman Britian is a fast paced, page turner.
    • 5/5
      This tale is set in 2nd Century Britain. It offers a nice peek into life and customs in ancient Britain. Something well worth checking out if you've got the time. The story centers on Marcus Flavius Aquila, a newly commissioned centurian who comes to Britain to serve with the Second Legion. He has a unique connection to this land--his father served in Britain with the Ninth Legion. But twelve years ago, Dad and the Ninth Legion marched northward past Hadrian's wall into the untamed Valentia province and vanished without a trace. While Marcus isn't in Britain to hunt down the mystery of what happened to his father, he certainly is open to any opportunity that may arise... --J.
    • 5/5
      Rosemary Sutcliff's 1954 classic "The Eagle of the Ninth" is an archetypical tale of human connections, self-discovery, redemption and choice. In tone and emotional scope, one is reminded of John Knowles' "A Separate Peace" or J.D. Salinger's "A Catcher in the Rye". The book will resonate with fans of Roman Empire-era fiction; and those that are familiar with the story from their youths, will reconnect warmly and fondly with Marcus Flavius Aquila and his cadre.The book is written for young adults; however, vocabulary and phrasing nod to the book's British origins in the 50's. It's a quick and fun read, and I found myself pausing at different points, tying together the symbolic links between characters. The book will appeal to a broad audience who'll enjoy Sutcliff's adventure and vividly real experience, while connecting to her characters and their growth as the story progresses.Sutcliff explains in her original introduction that "Eagle" is based on the legendary disappearance of the Roman Ninth Legion after marching to Northern Britain in response to a rising among Caledonian tribes. The Eagle of the Ninth is the traditional legionary standard - a bronze eagle sculpture with bolts of lightning clutched tightly in its claws. Sutcliff combined this tale with modern excavations at Silchester that uncovered a wingless Roman eagle, a cast of which is still on display at the Reading Museum.Marcus Flavius Aquila is the son of the Commander of the First Cohort of the infamous IX Legion Hispania. Marcus is Pilus Prior Centurion of the Fourth Gaulish Auxiliary of the Second Legion, based in southern Britain - leading his six hundred troops to relieve a command in Durinum. Marcus' connection to his father runs deeply and the tenor of our character is set early.Marcus is left wounded and unable to continue with his military career after successfully leading the defense of his fort from a local native uprising. He removes himself to the home of his paternal Uncle in nearby Calleva (home to the modern day Reading Museum of Silchester).Enter Esca - a defeated gladiator that Marcus purchases as his personal slave. Their relationship quickly becomes much more than master and slave, and we find that Esca and Marcus are almost mirror reflections of each other. Esca is from the Brigantes tribe from northern Britain - his father, like Marcus', was a commander, a clan chieftan. In a battle against the Legions, Esca was injured, taken prisoner and enslaved to fight as a gladiator. But Esca describes how, ten years earlier, he watched a Legion marching north that never came marching back - "I had never seen such a sight before. Like a shining serpent of men winding across the hills; a grey serpent hackled with the scarlet cloaks and crests of the officers."This memory of Esca's echoes Marcus' own memories of his father's farewell, watching the Ninth march off, never to return.This symbolic tether that binds the characters is but the first of several similarly themed relationships: Pup, the wolf cub rescued by Esca after a hunting trip results in the death of the mother wolf; Cottia, the parentless pretty young thing living with her Aunt and Uncle next door to Marcus; Guern the Hunter, a former Ninth legionary who went native after fighting under the command of Marcus' father."Eagle" is rife with symbols that seep in and throughout the book like the mists so prevalent in Sutcliff's Caledonia and Valentia. Marcus' name - Aquila - in fact, means eagle in Latin.Roman Britain is the uniquely penetrating texture to a story that could, conceivably, take place in the early American West, Colonial Africa or even Exploration-era Central and South America. Sutcliff is passionate in her exposition of Britain. The reader feels the claustrophobia and breathlessness as she writes of the weighty softness of the mists of the North. It's no wonder that "Eagle of the Ninth" is currently in production for the big screen. It's ready-made for the mood-riddled cut-aways of Marcus and Esca riding through Caledonia, and the mist-lined fort skirmishes as they battle their way home.Hadrian's Wall and the northern Roman forts and signal-towers bring to mind the image of ancient ruins and crumbling stones that are strewn across the modern British landscape. These portals are very alive in Marcus' world, representing the wild, a passage from one world to another, the past and future.In addition to the expansive symbolism and vivid realism, "Eagle of the Ninth" is simply a terrific story. Esca and Marcus' escape with the Eagle moves at a lightning pace, leaving the reader with intense anticipation at each phase of their race south to the safety of the Wall.
    • 3/5
      It’s nice to learn about Roman history and culture. I don’t know that much about it.
    • 5/5
      In AD 117, Rome's Ninth Legion stationed in Britain marched off into the mists beyond Hadrian's Wall and was never heard of again. Centuries later, a battered bronze Eagle, the standard and symbol of its Legion, was found buried in present-day Silchester. To this day historians are divided on the fate of the Ninth, but from these disparate historical threads Rosemary Sutcliff has woven the tale of a thrilling venture into enemy territory to save the honor of a Legion.Young Marcus Flavius Aquila, son of the doomed Ninth's commander, is at loose ends in Roman Britain after a leg wound ruins his chances for a military career. He is recuperating in the house of his uncle Aquila when he hears a rumor of the Ninth's fate among the Painted People. With the help of a gladiator he purchased called Esca (whom he regards as a friend rather than a slave), Marcus sets off in disguise to discover what happened to the Ninth and rescue it from shame. Adding urgency to his quest is the fact that the Eagle in the hands of the Celtic tribes could be a potent weapon against Rome, a rallying point for a religiously motivated uprising.This is one of Sutcliff's most famous novels and it's easy to see why. Her characters are so true to their period, and yet somehow they are also accessible to modern readers. The romance isn't gushy; indeed, Marcus barely thinks of Cottia at all when he is away. Marcus's growing distaste for slavery might seem anachronistic in a Roman soldier, but Sutcliff shows how that transformation — a slow one, to be sure, and in no way the focus of the novel — takes place through the character of Esca. So much meaning is packed into each sentence, with telling descriptions like that of Marcus not being "one of those who must be able to say 'Mine' before they can truly enjoy a thing" (23).Esca is also a brilliantly written character, complex in his divided loyalties and his proud dislike of being a freedman (because of course that meant he had been a slave; his identity would always be tied to that fact). This is why Sutcliff's characters have such resonance; they deal with issues universal in the human experience, like dignity and suffering and disappointment. Marcus is always going to hate his injury and the limp it has given him; Esca is always going to remember his shame as a slave and his defeat in the arena. They must "learn to carry the scars lightly" (272). The profundity of this makes Marcus and Esca read like real people rather than typical adventure-story heroes.I've read this several times and find new things to enjoy each time. This is the first book that features the flawed emerald ring, the family heirloom that finds its way into all of Sutcliff's stories set in ancient Britain. Sutcliff fans will know the one I mean! Her lovely prose elegantly complements the fascinating historical period, and the characters and events are compelling. Overall, this is superb historical fiction from a master storyteller. Highly recommended.