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The Eagle Has Fallen
One of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the Roman Empire which archaeologists and historians have sought to resolve is the apparent disappearance of the Ninth Legion in Britain.
The loss of an entire Legion numbering upwards of four thousand fighting men, has been spun variously from a catastrophic military defeat to an almost supernatural ‘mass vanishing’.
Naturally this has meant the subject has been ripe for dramatization, as two recent films will testify. 'The Eagle' and 'Centurion' were both written as Roman stories highlighting the Ninth Legion.
However with so much speculation, the topic has often become an excuse to casually reinvent history rather than study the available facts.
This is where the inspiration for this book arose. The Eagle Has Fallen is an unravelling of that mystery and is based upon factual characters and events.
For many years Historians had a wide variety of opinion as to the fate of the Ninth Legion Hispania who were stationed in York, Eboracum. Of the three Legions based in Britain, the Ninth were responsible for keeping the peace amongst the most feared British tribe: the Brigantes.
This book is written as a re collection of the events surrounding what happened in Britain and the rest of the Roman Empire, when Hadrian came to power in 117AD:
The World was not such big a place to Rome. World domination was a possibility.
So why did Hadrian order the construction of the largest boundary in the Roman Empire?
What made the historians of the day comment 'the Britons could not be kept under Roman control'?
What happend to the Ninth Legion in York?
The idea of a permanent boundary between Roman and barbarian was unthinkable, for it would set a limit to Rome's ability to conquer. Rome saw her ability in terms of war and government. Peace was achieved by force. The Roman army operated in groups of Legions under the command of the Emperor and his generals. Their essential task was to seek out the enemy forces and destroy them in battle.
This is the true story of the Ninth Legion and a young Roman officer who served in it. His incredible story against all the odds from enemies outside and within the Roman Army.
The loss of an entire Legion numbering upwards of four thousand fighting men, has been spun variously from a catastrophic military defeat to an almost supernatural ‘mass vanishing’.
Naturally this has meant the subject has been ripe for dramatization, as two recent films will testify. 'The Eagle' and 'Centurion' were both written as Roman stories highlighting the Ninth Legion.
However with so much speculation, the topic has often become an excuse to casually reinvent history rather than study the available facts.
This is where the inspiration for this book arose. The Eagle Has Fallen is an unravelling of that mystery and is based upon factual characters and events.
For many years Historians had a wide variety of opinion as to the fate of the Ninth Legion Hispania who were stationed in York, Eboracum. Of the three Legions based in Britain, the Ninth were responsible for keeping the peace amongst the most feared British tribe: the Brigantes.
This book is written as a re collection of the events surrounding what happened in Britain and the rest of the Roman Empire, when Hadrian came to power in 117AD:
The World was not such big a place to Rome. World domination was a possibility.
So why did Hadrian order the construction of the largest boundary in the Roman Empire?
What made the historians of the day comment 'the Britons could not be kept under Roman control'?
What happend to the Ninth Legion in York?
The idea of a permanent boundary between Roman and barbarian was unthinkable, for it would set a limit to Rome's ability to conquer. Rome saw her ability in terms of war and government. Peace was achieved by force. The Roman army operated in groups of Legions under the command of the Emperor and his generals. Their essential task was to seek out the enemy forces and destroy them in battle.
This is the true story of the Ninth Legion and a young Roman officer who served in it. His incredible story against all the odds from enemies outside and within the Roman Army.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
426 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
8 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 5, 2018
This one really let me down. The author's take on the disappearance of the IX Legion Hispana in Britannia; they are wiped out by Brigantes. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, except Marcus, the hero, and Novantes, the young soldier--survivor of the attack on his watchtower. Was the love story added only at the request of the publisher? The heroine made an unbelievable switch from villainess to heroine in such a short time. And her actions near the end of the story were very hard for me to believe. I consider LEGIONS OF THE MIST, with the same speculation, far superior.
April 20, 2019
Battle, intrigue, and politics
An outstanding novel that tells the story of the ninth legion of Rome and it's battles with the natives of Britannia, Emperor Hadrian's political issues in Rome, and the anger of an oppressed population. The author paints a believable picture of the last days of the ninth, which simply disappeared from history. The true fate of the legion is still not known though the author presents real evidence to support his conclusions.
An outstanding novel that tells the story of the ninth legion of Rome and it's battles with the natives of Britannia, Emperor Hadrian's political issues in Rome, and the anger of an oppressed population. The author paints a believable picture of the last days of the ninth, which simply disappeared from history. The true fate of the legion is still not known though the author presents real evidence to support his conclusions.
September 8, 2019
Another good example of historical Roman fiction
I have been a fan of books about Rome since I was a kid many years ago. I found this book to be a fictional account of an uprising in Britian. The characters were well written and the plot very well written as well.
I have been a fan of books about Rome since I was a kid many years ago. I found this book to be a fictional account of an uprising in Britian. The characters were well written and the plot very well written as well.
October 26, 2020
Good Book...enjoy.
Enjoyable reading. I recommend this book to all. Enjoy the book.
A must read for any Romanphiles and people interested in Britain.
Enjoyable reading. I recommend this book to all. Enjoy the book.
A must read for any Romanphiles and people interested in Britain.
July 21, 2021
An amazing book. It is very well written and extremely interesting and informative. I learnt a lot I didn’t know before reading this book and I would definitely recommend.
February 27, 2015
I really enjoyed this book, which I got after meeting the author dressed as a Roman centurion in the local garden centre. It's a historically-based novel, set during the reign of Emperor Hadrian and examining the question of what happened to the Roman 9th legion by telling the story of a wronged soldier sent off to Britain and put into the middle of an uprising of the local people. We cut back and forward between this soldier, Marcus, the emperor and the prefect of Rome, who has his own eyes on the top seat. Woven in with the plot we pick up quite a bit about how the Roman army works in day-to-day life and how they fight together.
I'm no historian so don't know how much of this account is based on historical data and how much is just from the mind of the author, but I enjoyed reading it and felt I gained a bit of an insight too. It could do with another pass by a proofreader, as there are a few spelling and punctuation problem, characters names sometimes switching their spelling part way through, but that didn't spoil the book at all.
I'm no historian so don't know how much of this account is based on historical data and how much is just from the mind of the author, but I enjoyed reading it and felt I gained a bit of an insight too. It could do with another pass by a proofreader, as there are a few spelling and punctuation problem, characters names sometimes switching their spelling part way through, but that didn't spoil the book at all.
February 10, 2014
After reading the book “The Eagle Has Fallen”, I found that I felt like I drug into the story. I saw everything unfolding right before my eyes. I felt like I was watching history, instead of just reading about it. “The Eagle Has Fallen” has become one of my favorite books on history. I have been a history fan, my entire life, but this book was so vivid and so greatly detailed that I felt like I was right there in the middle of the action.
If you did not know that this book was written by someone from the modern times, you would have swore it was a creation from someone that lived through those times, because the details and information are so rich and vivid that it sounds more like a personal memory than a history based book. This is a top read for anyone that loves learning about history or Romans.
If you did not know that this book was written by someone from the modern times, you would have swore it was a creation from someone that lived through those times, because the details and information are so rich and vivid that it sounds more like a personal memory than a history based book. This is a top read for anyone that loves learning about history or Romans.
August 31, 2013
Quite an interesting view of what might have happened to the 9th Legion.
Movement between Antioch, Rome and Britain works quite well, but couldn't work up much interest in any of the characters.
Sorry not to give it a higher rating as I think there is a lot of potential there
Movement between Antioch, Rome and Britain works quite well, but couldn't work up much interest in any of the characters.
Sorry not to give it a higher rating as I think there is a lot of potential there
February 18, 2021
Throughly enjoyable read
Have just read "The Eagle Has Fallen " for the second time and it remains as enjoyable as the first time I read it. If you are interested in Roman history, especially in Britain you will not be disappointed. Treat yourself, you will not regret it.
Have just read "The Eagle Has Fallen " for the second time and it remains as enjoyable as the first time I read it. If you are interested in Roman history, especially in Britain you will not be disappointed. Treat yourself, you will not regret it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews