A few weeks ago I read Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff in the gorgeous new edition from Slightly Foxed. I had not read these Roman Britain novels as a child as I always preferred her stories set in the Tudor period. Well, I missed out on a treat then, but discovered them later on in life where I think I appreciated them more than I would have done as a teenager. My thoughts on Eagle of the Ninth were posted here.
Since then I have read the next book in the series, The Silver Branch, and found the same enchantment, the same breathless excitement in the fight and/or flight scenes. I do not know how she does it, but I found them totally gripping and filled me with tension until I finished reading. Sue Gainsford recently wrote about the two books on the Slightly Foxed website and this is what she had to say about the final battle:
"Near the end of The Silver Branch (1957) comes a nail-biting, heart-pounding account of the epic battle, nearly a hundred years later, that famously ended in the destruction of Calleva (modern Silchester, where still the evidence of former glories and catastrophes can be glimpsed). As the battering-ram beats down the great gates of the basilica, and the horde of screaming barbarians pour through, with slaughter in their hearts, fire leaps up to the rafters, engulfing those sheltering there in waves of black, acrid smoke. High up in the blazing building the young surgeon Justin Aquila is, like his ancestor Marcus, careless of his own life – ignoring the advancing flames he cradles an elderly, fatally wounded gladiator and comforts him by conjuring up memories of the crowds who cheered his victories long ago, in the arenas of Rome. It is magnificent stuff"
Yes it is magnificent stuff and the power and beauty of Sutcliff's writing is quite breathtaking. There are two other books in this series, The Lantern Bearers and Frontier Wolf. They are due to be published in the autumn of 2020 and I am not sure I can bear to wait that long - but I will. Well, I have to....
What I love about these new editions is that they retain the original illustrations. The Eagle of the Ninth was illustrated by C Walter Hodges who I absolutely love. (I have a copy of the Little White Horse on my shelves, a very old hardback edition with his enchanting drawings and I cherish it) and The Silver Branch by the by the equally wonderful Charles Keeping. I love the way these illuustrations surround the text on certain pages, like a tapestry and so beautifully drawn and imagined.
This is a slightly wonky picture taken from my copy but I just wanted you to see just how these marvellous black and white drawings add to the narrative
Now those lovely peeps at Slightly Foxed have very kindly said they will send a copy of the first two novels in this series to a lucky recipient. They post all over the world so there is no border limit here.
So I will ask those of you who would like the chance to lay your mitts on these WONDERFUL books to leave a comment below and tell me which is your favourite Rosemary Sutcliff novel. Though this will have no bearing on the choosing of the winner (I will draw names out of a hat) I am just interested in hearing about the stories you love by this author.
Today is 2 December and I will leave the draw open until 6 December and I will make the draw then. I want to leave plenty of time to enable the winner to receive the books before Christmas.
And if you do not win, then please consider sending a bijou bank transferette to Slightly Foxed and buy them. You will not regret it.
Good luck xx
