The Eagle of the Ninth

I can’t remember when I first read this wonderful historical adventure set in Roman Britain, but it must have been six or seven years after it was published in 1954; I would have been 10 or 11. You all know the thrill you get when you find a book you love, and I remember experiencing that thrill with this book all those years ago. It was the first of a series of seven books and I devoured them all. Would it still stand up now?

Eagle is the story of a young Roman officer, Marcus Flavius Aquila, wounded in battle and discharged by the army. Many years earlier, his father, the commander of the Ninth Legion, disappeared with his men on an expedition into Northern Britain, beyond Hadrian’s Wall. Marcus is determined to find out what happened to his father, the legion and the Eagle, the standard that led them into battle. Disguised as a healer, he ventures north with Esca, a freed former enslaved person posing as his assistant.

It’s an epic journey and they are confronted with many challenges. And yes, the writing is still as fresh as I remembered it, and I was sucked back into this world, relishing the adventures and travails that challenged Marcus and Esca on their quest. Give it to a young person in your life, or, perhaps, read it yourself. For ages 10+.