LibraryThing reader loved The Queen Elizabeth Story | Rosemary Sutcliff Discovery of the Day

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Of Rosemary Sutcliff, Lizzy at LibraryThing writes to me:

When I was 10 my mum bought me The Queen Elizabeth Story. It was the first Rosemary Sutcliff I had read. I was fascinated with the historical detail, especially the clothes. I didn’t know what a ‘kirtle’ was at all. But by far the best part was when the tapestry of “Samarkhand the Golden” came to life. It is one of my favourite passages in literature, along with “Riddles in the Dark” from “The Hobbit”. My daughter is about to turn 10 and so I shall introduce her to Warrior Scarlet, The Eagle of the Ninth et al before long.

El Usurpador del Imperio | Spanish Rosemary Sutcliff

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Wordy Scientist’s Fantasy Job is (the) Eagle of the Ninth | A Life in Books Meme

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Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth is well known to a self-styled  wordy scientist, I learn from my Google alert. She was inspired to play along with a  ‘game’ which is about answering  questions using only the book titles you’ve read this year. Her fantasy job shows her familiarity with Rosemary Sutcliff’s historical novel.

In high school I was: Not Quite a Lady (Loretta Chase)
People might be surprised I’m: Looking for Rachel Wallace (Robert B. Parker)
I will never be: Sleepless (Charlie Huston) **
My fantasy job is: Eagle of the Ninth (Rosemary Sutcliff) **

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Film Centurion not based on The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

Anthony Lawton2 Comments

The film The Eagle, not Centurion, is based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s Roman novel The Eagle of the Ninth. I mention this because it was wrongly claimed in the UK Guardian newspaper when the film first came out earlier this year that the film Centurion was indeed based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s book. I wrote to put them right! And it bears repeating, since Centurion is due out in the States and has just come out now on DVD:Read More »

Rosemary Sutcliff’s Knight’s Fee re-read by Australian fantasy author Garth Nix in 2007! | Sutcliff Discovery of the Day

Anthony Lawton1 Comment
Hardback Cover 1960 of Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novel for children and young adults, Knight's Fee

The things you learn with Google alert, which is sometimes a year or two late …! Rosemary Sutcliff’s  Knight’s Fee was being read in 2007 around this time by author Garth Nix. Described by the promoters, Jarrold department store, as one of the world’s great fantasy writers”, he will in fact be signing copies of  The Violet Keystone in Norwich today!

A full-time writer since 2001, he was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. He has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, and bookseller. His books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen; and the cult favourite YA SF novel Shade’s Children.

And Knight’s Fee? In short, the story is set against the violent and turbulent backdrop of Norman England. A young ill-treated boy who is wagered and won in a game of chess between a lord and a minstrel …