Grendel prowled in, hating all men and all joy and hungry for human life. So swift was his attack that no man heard an outcry; but when the dawn came, thirty of Hothgar's best and noblest thanes were missing.
Only Beowulf, foremost among warriors, has the strength and courage to battle with Grendel the Night-stalker.
In this thrilling re-telling of the Anglo-Saxon legend, Rosemary Sutcliff recounts Beowulf's most terrifying quests: against Grendel the man-wolf, against the hideous sea-hag and, most courageous of all - his fight to the death with the monstrous fire-drake.
A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Rosemary Sutcliff's much-loved tale of honour, comradeship and courage. Somewhere around the year 117AD, a Roman garrison called the Ninth Legion was ordered to put down an uprising among the Caledonian tribes. Four thousand men vanished without trace into the swirling mist of the north of Roman Britain. Many years after their disappearance a young centurion, Marcus Aquila, decides to discover the truth about what happened to the legion and to its First Cohort Commander - his father. This gripping dramatisation tells the story of Marcus' often perilous journey as he searches to solve the mystery, and to bring back the symbol of the lost legion's honour - their standard, the Eagle of the Ninth. Now adapted as a major motion picture - 'The Eagle', starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland - 'The Eagle of the Ninth' is a timeless tale that will thrill all listeners. This recording was previously available on cassette.
When a Roman ship is wrecked on the coast of Britain, Beric, the infant son of a Roman soldier, is the only survivor. Beric grows up with a Briton tribe, but to his foster people he remained an alien, one of the Red Crests. So when bad times come, the tribe holds him responsible and casts him out.
Rejected by the only life he knew, the boy turns to his own people, but Rome too rejects him. Lost, bewildered, a captive in his father's land, he escaped from slavery only to be captured again and condemned to labor on the rowing benches of a galley of the Rhenus Fleet. Will Beric ever find ultimate happiness?
Rosemary Sutcliff provides a fine and exciting story with a background of Roman Britain that rings true from the first page to the last.
"Outcast comes to life under Johanna Ward's smooth reading..."-Reviewer's Bookwatch
In The Eagle of the Ninth, Marcus Flavius Aquila ventured into the wilds of Caledonia to retrieve the lost Eagle of his father's dishonored Ninth Legion. In this new story of Roman Britain, the mutilated standard is found again by Flavius, a descendant of Marcus, and his cousin Justin, a young surgeon in the Roman army. It is found at a time when conflicting loyalties, violence, and intrigue are undermining Roman rule in Britain.
Justin and Flavius are accidentally caught up in this power struggle when they discover a plot to overthrow the Emperor. A series of adventures carries them across England and down again to the South, where they become secret agents of Rome. But when the time comes for open revolt, they are ready with a band of loyalists to carry the Eagle of the Ninth into the thick of battle to win new honor for the Eagle and for Rome.
"Rosemary Sutcliff brings this distant period in world history to life, giving her characters color, texture, and vivid personalities....Johanna Ward gives each character a rich and meaningful individuality so that the listener has no difficulty 'seeing' Justin, Flavius, their friends, and their enemies."-Looking Glass Children's Book Review
When the last of the Roman Auxiliaries leave Britain forever, they abandon the country to internal strife and the menace of invasion by Saxons. These are dark days indeed for Aquila, a young Roman officer who returns to his family villa to find all that he loves destroyed by the invaders. He escapes slavery only to learn that his sister has married a Saxon, and the knowledge fills him with bitterness. It takes many years of hardship and strenuous fighting under the Roman-British leader Ambrosius before Aquila finds a measure of contentment, learned partly from the kind and gentle Brother Ninnias, partly from the loving loyalty of his wife Ness, and partly from an encounter with his sister's son who is fighting with the enemy. This exciting chronicle, full of stirring incident and bitter conflict, brings to vivid life the turbulent period before the Dark Ages.
"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
A white stag and a dagger transform the life of Prosper, a Welsh chieftan's son. With Conn, his bodyservant, he leaves his isolated valley and joins the war band of King Mynyddog the Golden as a shieldbearer. For the Saxons have returned to threaten the northern tribes of Britain, and the Shining Company-a brotherhood of three hundred chosen warriors-must make a desperate attempt to repel invaders.
And with the Company travels the minstrel Aneirin, who will keep their names and their glory alive forever more.
"The story will appeal to readers of historical fiction or fantasy, as the rich language and strong Welsh dialect give the story a mythic air."-AudioFile
Roman Britain: Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young centurion is forced into retirement after a wound in his first major engagement against a rebel British tribe. It allows him the freedom to embark upon a dangerous mission to find out what happened to the Ninth Legion which, years before, disappeared in the savage lands of the Picts. Will he find out what happened to the men, led by his father, who never returned? And will he recover the Eagle, the symbol of Roman dominance and power? This junior classic has never been out of print since it was first published over fifty years ago. It is now presented in a fresh abridgement read in exciting manner by Charlie Simpson.
A rousing tale of swashbuckling adventure, The Shining Company sweeps young adults back to Britain in A.D. 600. When King Mynyddog calls for warriors to battle the Saxons, young Prosper travels to the King's fortress to serve as shieldbearer. Deeply rooted in the true events of the Saxon invasion, this powerful historical novel is a great choice for young adults who enjoy courageous adventure.
