Children - Fiction & Literature

The Lantern Bearers

Name: The Lantern Bearers
Author: Rosemary Sutcliff
ISBN: 9780312644307

by Rosemary Sutcliff

Available on Bookshop Available on Amazon Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Overview

The last of the Roman army have set sail and left Britain forever, abandoning it to civil war and the threat of a Saxon invasion. Aquila, a young Legionnaire, deserted his regiment to stay behind with his family, but his home and all that he loves are destroyed. Years of hardship and fighting follow, and in the end, there is only one thing left in Aquila’s life—his thirst for revenge . . .

The Lantern Bearers is the winner of the 1959 Carnegie Medal in Literature.

Instead of leaving with the last of the Roman legions, Aquila, a young officer, decides that his loyalties lie with Britain, and he eventually joins the forces of the Roman-British leader Ambrosius to fight against the Saxon hordes.

Synopsis

Rosemary Sutcliff's The Lantern Bearers is the winner of the 1959 Carnegie Medal in Literature.

The last of the Roman army have set sail and left Britain forever, abandoning it to civil war and the threat of a Saxon invasion. Aquila, a young Legionnaire, deserted his regiment to stay behind with his family, but his home and all that he loves are destroyed. Years of hardship and fighting follow, and in the end, there is only one thing left in Aquila's life—his thirst for revenge . . .

About the Author, Rosemary Sutcliff

ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF is the author of 50 historical novels for children. The third book in the Roman Britain trilogy, The Lantern Bearers, won the Carnegie Medal in 1959, and Tristan and Iseult was a runner up in 1972. She also won the first Phoenix Award in 1985 for The Mark of the Horse Lord and the most recent in 2010 for The Shining Company. Rosemary Sutcliff received an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for services to Children’s Literature in 1975 and in 1993, the year after her death, was promoted to CBE (Commander of the British Empire).

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Children's Literature - Jean Boreen

This novel is book three of "The Roman Britain Trilogy;" originally published in 1959, this story follows the adventures of Aquila, a young Legionnaire whose loyalty to Rome is tested when his Roman commander announces that all legions left in Britain will leave the island country within three days. Aquila, whose family is descended from the Marcus Aquila of Ninth Legion fame, feels more British than Roman, and he knows that he cannot leave Britain, much less his father and sister, Flavia, on what seems to be the even of the annihilation of all he knows as Saxon raiders are pressing the British shores. Aquila deserts his legion to defend his family; the Saxon raiders kill Aquila's father, and, he thinks, his sister, and leaves Aquila to die. However, a unique tattoo of a dolphin on Aquila's shoulder attracts the attention of one of the Saxons, and he takes Aquila home to his family as a slave. Eventually, Aquila is given the opportunity to return to Britain—still as a slave—and is shocked to learn that Flavia is still alive, but married to a Saxon. Further adventures follow after Flavia helps Aquila escape. But can Aquila ever come to terms with what has happened to him, his family, and his country? This novel is a strong end to the trilogy. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.