Book excerpt: Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost. It's a mystery that's never been solved, until now . . .Marcus has to find out what happened to his father, who led the legion. So he sets out into the unknown, on a quest so dangerous that nobody expects him to return.The Eagle of the Ninth is heralded as one of the most outstanding children's books of the twentieth century and has sold over a million copies worldwide.Rosemary Sutcliff's books about Roman Britain have won much acclaim. The author writes with such passion and with such attention to detail that the Roman age is instantly brought to life and stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned.