"The Eagle of the Ninth" by Rosemary Sutcliff

This month I decided to pick up a couple of books about Roman Britain. The first of these is a modern children's classic by Rosemary Sutcliff called The Eagle of the Ninth.  In it, we follow a young centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila, who soon upon arrival in Britain is forced to leave the service due to an injury received in a skirmish with local tribesmen. Marcus has a much more personal connection to Britain than most. His father was a cohort commander of the Ninth Legion which disappeared without a trace during a march to Caledonia (modern day Scotland). During his stay with his uncle, Marcus hears of a rumor that the Eagle born as the standard of the Ninth Legion has been sighted in one of the druid places of worship. Marcus decides to embark on a mission to recover the Eagle and finally learn what happened to the four and half thousand legionnaires who marched under the Eagle of the Ninth.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It does a great job re-creating the atmosphere of the second century Britain. Where it falls a bit short is in character development. In particular, Marcus' slave-turned-friend Esca lacks complexity. As a rule, I do not like the trope of a native becoming a sidekick to a conqueror. I think Esca's motivation to help Marcus could have been explored a bit more. Nonetheless, this was a very enjoyable read, and I will continue with Sutcliff's other novels in the Dolphin Ring Cycle.