At the great Roman fortress and shipyard of Rutupiae in Britain, the new junior surgeon finds that the red-headed centurion who has just directed him to the bath house is, in fact a distant cousin. The two of them become friends, and after a political mishap, they are both sent to a remote posting on Hadrian's Wall. When the traitor Allectus takes over the rule of Britain, the two join an underground resistance movement and see things through to the bittersweet moment when Rome comes to take back its own.
Justin, the surgeon, is a shy, self-deprecating young man who believes himself a disappointment to his father. Flavius, the centurion, is friendly and confident, but an orphan who was raised by his elderly great aunt. The two make a pleasing
"opposites attract" pair. The well-drawn secondary characters - Evicatos, a hunter who befriends the cousins on the wall; Paulinus, a deceptively mild-mannered member of the resistance; and especially the redoubtable Great-Aunt Honoria - appeal to my love of a team cast, working together.
This book doesn't seem to get as much love as most of the Sutcliff Roman Britain canon. There is not a whole lot of character-building angst, and although my slash goggles are usually keen, I can't find anything but friendship between the cousins. But I love Justin, especially, as a character (I can identify with him), and I'm always happy with a plot involving outnumbered good guys fighting against evil. The details of the British landscape - from the marshes outside of Rutupiae to the farm on the Downs (the same one Marcus, Esca, and Cottia built in Eagle of the Ninth) to the wilds along the wall - are lovely too.
(This is the DW version of my writing account ... I use something else for discussions/modding on the Sutcliff_talk book comm.)
The Silver Branch
At the great Roman fortress and shipyard of Rutupiae in Britain, the new junior surgeon finds that the red-headed centurion who has just directed him to the bath house is, in fact a distant cousin. The two of them become friends, and after a political mishap, they are both sent to a remote posting on Hadrian's Wall. When the traitor Allectus takes over the rule of Britain, the two join an underground resistance movement and see things through to the bittersweet moment when Rome comes to take back its own.
Justin, the surgeon, is a shy, self-deprecating young man who believes himself a disappointment to his father. Flavius, the centurion, is friendly and confident, but an orphan who was raised by his elderly great aunt. The two make a pleasing "opposites attract" pair. The well-drawn secondary characters - Evicatos, a hunter who befriends the cousins on the wall; Paulinus, a deceptively mild-mannered member of the resistance; and especially the redoubtable Great-Aunt Honoria - appeal to my love of a team cast, working together.
This book doesn't seem to get as much love as most of the Sutcliff Roman Britain canon. There is not a whole lot of character-building angst, and although my slash goggles are usually keen, I can't find anything but friendship between the cousins. But I love Justin, especially, as a character (I can identify with him), and I'm always happy with a plot involving outnumbered good guys fighting against evil. The details of the British landscape - from the marshes outside of Rutupiae to the farm on the Downs (the same one Marcus, Esca, and Cottia built in Eagle of the Ninth) to the wilds along the wall - are lovely too.
(This is the DW version of my writing account ... I use something else for discussions/modding on the Sutcliff_talk book comm.)