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David McK (3816 KP) rated The Eagle of the Ninth in Books
Jan 28, 2019
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).
Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide
Filippo Coarelli, James J. Clauss and Daniel P. Harmon
Book
This superb guide brings the work of Filippo Coarelli, one of the most widely published and...
The Economy of Pompeii
Book
This volume presents fourteen papers by Roman archaeologists and historians discussing approaches to...
A Reading of Lucretius' De Rerum Natura
Book
Lucretius' philosophical epic De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) is a lengthy didactic and...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire in Books
Nov 10, 2020
171 of 200
Audio
How to marry a millionaire Vampire ( love at stake book 1)
By Kerrelyn Sparks
Roman Draganesti is charming, handsome, rich ... he's also a vampire. But this vampire just lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.
Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan, either. After witnessing a gruesome murder, she's next on the mob's hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her ... ?
I wanted to like this more than I did! I like some of the ideas in the book and I suppose that’s what kept me listening! Maybe I should have read the book rather than listen as the narrator was just bloody awful with accents and voices!! A lot of the dialog was a bit corny and my go if I heard the word Gods blood one more time my tablet was going up the wall!! I don’t usually leave reviews under 3 stars but I think if people read the book instead of listen too it they may have a better experience!
Audio
How to marry a millionaire Vampire ( love at stake book 1)
By Kerrelyn Sparks
Roman Draganesti is charming, handsome, rich ... he's also a vampire. But this vampire just lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.
Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan, either. After witnessing a gruesome murder, she's next on the mob's hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her ... ?
I wanted to like this more than I did! I like some of the ideas in the book and I suppose that’s what kept me listening! Maybe I should have read the book rather than listen as the narrator was just bloody awful with accents and voices!! A lot of the dialog was a bit corny and my go if I heard the word Gods blood one more time my tablet was going up the wall!! I don’t usually leave reviews under 3 stars but I think if people read the book instead of listen too it they may have a better experience!
Loz Hughes (80 KP) rated The Eagle (2011) in Movies
Jul 28, 2018
More arty than your typical roman storyline (1 more)
Interesting view of early Britain from the romans perspective
Easy storyline, strong themes of family honour and loyalty.
Thought this would be quite a dull story but turned out to be quite interesting. Its quite a relaxed watch and toes the line between the romans and the early britons perspective of history.
Has strong themes of family honour and loyalty. A decent film but not one I would probably watch again.
Has strong themes of family honour and loyalty. A decent film but not one I would probably watch again.
Reconstructions: Recreating Science and Technology of the Past
Book
Historic reconstructions have become a decisive tool in the history of science and technology over...