The Eagle of the Ninth

Give it to us unabridged!

My rating is 3 stars because this is an abridged version and so Sutcliff's lyrical style is lost. She isn't one for fluff, unnecessary plot twists, excess conversation or needless explanatory narrative so the only thing to remove to shorten things up are her beautiful descriptions. The story and characters are up to her usual 5 star standards but after listening to unabridged versions of "The Silver Branch," "The Lantern Bearers," "The Shining Company," and "The Outcast," I knew something was wrong with this audio almost immediately. I should have looked closer because I never would have purchased an abridged version on purpose. Her books are not long enough to need to be abridged to make people read them.

18 of 18 people found this review helpful

Give us the Unabridged version, please

The abridged version strips out everything except action, and leaves us wondering about setting and interior dialogue. Come on, anyone who isn't familiar with the late Ms. Sutcliffe's uncluttered yet evocative prose, or who came to this story after seeing the (shudder) movie which was VERY loosely based on this book, would have little encouragement to try her other books. They just are not long enough in the original to justify this bowdlerized version. That said, if you don't have access to the print version, try this one anyway. Or another of her unabridged books to discover what you are missing.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Phenomenal!!!

The characters are not merely words on a page; they are people, with traits and flaws like any other people. The reader is transported back to Roman Britain more surely than in a time machine.
A must read, and a must love.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellent Living Book

A basic understanding of the time period would be helpful to the listener. The first chapter was a bit hard for my 10 year old to grasp. After the 1st chapter the story takes off and never slows down. A great story about Rome's struggle to maintain its sprawling empire and one officer's struggle to find meaning in it all.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This is great

I was walking and listening to this when I got hit by a umbrella I never new where it came from.I was also in a costume because I just finished my part in the lord of the rings. I was playing as one of the ork's at hellms deep. Peter Jackson was the the one who made the lord of the rings great after Tolkien made the books. Vego was always ready to do any thing and he inspired us all. That's right Vego you are the best and to all of you if you are a fan of the lord of the rings call Vego or Ian mic helon ,Peter Jackson, or Orlando Bloom. And good job Peter for living your dream and starting at age 18 ether know it took 4 years . we would take as long as it took to finish it. Thank you fore all the inspiration and time you all sacrificed. From stunt ork

PS remember when I ''fell'' from the later and onto the blue mat and when Vego broke his tooth I felt bad for him.

Lost in adaptation

This Book was Awesome just plain awesome, and as someone who has read both versions. The abridged version IMO is better you get the important details without to much over explanation and the plot moves so much smoother. If you watched and liked the Channing Tatum Jamie Bell movie. DO NOT! I repeat DO NOT read this book. If you read this book that movie will become unbearable and unwatchable something was lost in adaptation. The movie changes almost every aspect of this book. From character relationships and most of the actual plot. I can't go into it without spoiling the book so I'll just say if you're looking for a book that is easy to get into and hard to put down once you've started reading/listening to then this is a good book for you.

Wonderful audiobook for the whole family!

This was a very unique and truly excellent story. Our whole family enjoyed listening to it together! The narrator was fantastic. Highly recommended.

Whew! The Real Thing well read.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I definitely would recommend this book. It has been a favourite with me for some 50 years now. I was very leery of buying an abridged audio version as I have had some very bad experiences but here it was barely noticeable and all of the important bits, and my favourite buts were there.

The story is not only an adventure but a story of personal growth in the face of adversity and an awakening of an awareness and acceptance of others and an acceptance of making choices.

If only the movie had retained the ideas, story and characters of this book rather that just taking inspiration for a different story that resembles it vaguely.

What other book might you compare The Eagle of the Ninth to and why?

Perhaps the Black Arrow and in an odd way Frodo in the Lord of the Rings

Which scene was your favorite?

"There is no way back through the waters of Lethe"

Perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The plot was great the characters were very interesting it was perfect historical fiction.Awesome story.

Abridged

I was sad it was the abridged version but it wasnt bad overall. Give it a try.