The Saxon raiding party did a thorough job when they attacked the farm - by morning it was a smoking ruin and Aquila's father lay dead alongside the household servants. Bitter years followed for Aquila as he sought to revenge his father - and to keep alight the latern of Roman civilization.
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“A spellbinding historical adventure... Smoothly written, fast-paced, remarkable in the atmosphere it evokes.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Winner of the Carnegie Medal
An ALA Notable Book
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First Sentence
AQUILA halted on the edge of the hanging woods, looking down. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
AQUILA halted on the edge of the hanging woods, looking down. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Amy
Format:Paperback
I feel strangely unsatisfied with this book. I liked the attention to detail and atmosphere as well as the historical context and references, especially to 'Artos' and his father 'Utha' - very subtly done. There were some moments of incredible bitter-sweetness, such as when Aquila watches the Romans leave without him at Rutupiae Light.The characters were well-drawn, a few lines of description necessary to give a good impression of each. There's nothing to really criticise; it was a very solid piece of work. However, I certainly wouldn't want to re-read it - I wonder why? I think perhaps the main character, Aquila, just didn't click with me. His bleakness and bitterness was understandable but it meant he never really interacted with any other characters as a friend - deliberately done, but it made for quite monotonous reading. We never saw closely into any other characters; there were brief, well-written encounters with people, but nothing very fulfilling. I find that I enjoy a book most if it has good characterisation, and while Aquila was sufficiently bitter for his role, I found him lifeless (perhaps I was meant to? I certainly didn't enjoy reading about him though...) and the other characters not well fleshed-out enough. Years and events flashed by, and before I knew it Aquila was getting old, and I still didn't really know him, or the people around him, even his wife. Events were sketched over and I never felt caught up in the story entirely because of the jumps forward in time. However, there was a lot of beautful imagery in this book, right down to the last sentence; that's what kept me reading.
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Although the third book in the trilogy about the family with the dolphin ring, The Lantern Bearers is maybe for more mature readers.
(Notice I said more mature, NOT older.) One of the things I love most about this book is that, even though it is sad, the sadness is REAL, not Romeo-and-Juliet type, with a tragic ending. The ending is not exactly hopeful about the future of England, but Aquila has finally found inner peace. However, the middle, in which Aquila is a slave of the Jutes (not Saxons, that's just what the British called all the invaders), and when he- oops! Don't want to give away the story!- is very bitter, and that's why it's perhaps for MORE MATURE readers. This book is one of Rosemary Sutcliff's best.
(Notice I said more mature, NOT older.) One of the things I love most about this book is that, even though it is sad, the sadness is REAL, not Romeo-and-Juliet type, with a tragic ending. The ending is not exactly hopeful about the future of England, but Aquila has finally found inner peace. However, the middle, in which Aquila is a slave of the Jutes (not Saxons, that's just what the British called all the invaders), and when he- oops! Don't want to give away the story!- is very bitter, and that's why it's perhaps for MORE MATURE readers. This book is one of Rosemary Sutcliff's best.
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I am an avid adult reader of Arthurian legends. I read this book after hearing it is a prequel to The Sword at Sunset, also by Rosemary Sutcliff, and I loved it. I am captivated by the romance and chivalry of this passionate era in our history - and also by the great battle scenes as described by the better authors of this legend (Bernard Cornwell in particular). This book kept my adult interest and made me more anxious than ever to get to The Sword of Sunset...a continuation of the story line in The Lantern Bearers where a young Artos is introduced to us - and by the end of the book can be recognized as the great King Arthur to come.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for all ages!
If you like sorrow, action, and adventure, you will love the book The Lantern Bearers. It is one of many great historical fiction books by Rosemary Sutcliff. Read more
Published on Feb 23 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for all ages!
If you like sorrow, action, and adventure, you will love the book The Lantern Bearers. It is one of many great historical fiction books by Rosemary Sutcliff. Read more
Published on Feb 23 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for all ages!
If you like sorrow, action, and adventure, you will love the book The Lantern Bearers. It is one of many great historical fiction books by Rosemary Sutcliff. Read more
Published on Feb 23 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keeping the light ...
Set in the brief Romano-Celtic twilight between the end of the Roman Empire and the creation of Anglo-Saxon Britain, this is the story of Aquila, a Roman soldier who chooses to... Read more
Published on Oct 9 2000 by Toby Joyce
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Read!
This is the best of Rosemary Sutcliff! Everybody should read this. It is a captivating tale set in 450 A.D. I first read it when I was 12, and I still enjoy it. Read more
Published on Sep 2 2000 by Julie M.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I have never forgotten this book.
With this book I began my search and exploration of the Roman world. I heartily recommend it for any brave teen wishing to join himself to that faraway world. Read more
Published on July 27 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unmatched storytelling
I cannot hope to match the eloquence of the previous reviews, but I agree with them completely. I first read The Lantern Bearers in my teens; I am now in my thirties and still... Read more
Published on July 14 1999 by Yosemite Sam
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Roman soldier chooses loyalty to Britain over Rome.
Wonderful story of Aquila, a young Roman cavalryman who chooses to remain in Britain after Rome recalls her armies to defend her crumbling frontiers. Read more
Published on May 28 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just magic!
How do I put this? Sublime, perhaps? Romemary Sutcliff wonthe Carnegie Medal for this book in 1959, and it well deserved it. Read more
Published on Dec 5 1996
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