The lantern bearers - Rosemary Sutcliff

The last of the Roman army have set sail and left Britain for ever, abandoning it to civil war and the threat of a Saxon invasion.Aquila deserts his regiment to return to his family, but his home and all that he loves are destroyed. Years of hardship and fighting follow until in the end there is only one thing left in Aquila's life, his thirst for revenge . . . Rosemary Sutcliff's books about Roman Britain have won much acclaim and the first in the sequence, The Eagle of the Ninth, has now sold over a million copies worldwide. The author writes with such passion and with such attention to detail that the Roman age is instantly brought to life and stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned.This new film tie-in edition is being published to coincide with the release of The Eagle, a major film adaptation of the first in The Eagle of the Ninth sequence.

For The Lantern Bearers:'This is historical fiction at its best. Post Roman Britain comes alive in this novel. The characters are all believable and no matter how small a part they play they are complete, as is the plot-no strands are left loose.'
Historical Novels Review

For The Eagle of the Ninth:'Decades later, I can still hear echoes of The Eagle of the Ninth in my head: the chink of mail, the tired beat of the legionaries' feet.'
Independent

What a splendid story it is, compulsive reading!
Junior Bookshelf