New Releases by Rosemary Sutcliff

Tethra is not like the other children in his village. Fourteen years ago, he was left on the banks of a river, swapped by the Hill Folk for a human woman''s child, replacing the seventh son of Conan. Murna chose to raise him as her own, despite the dire warnings of their village leader. Raising a child of the Hill Folk will bring disaster upon the Epidii people. The dark days have arrived, bringing a poor harvest, a winter of plagues, and unsuccessful hunts. The Old One once again rallies the clan to cast Tethra out, this time with support turning against Tethra and Conan. To spare his father, Tethra runs away, and stumbles across some members of the Hill Folk, his own people, who take him in. As Tethra lives among them, however, he must decide if he is truly one of them, as his blood suggests, or if instead his real place is with the Epidii.

In this adventure based on a true story, a Scottish soldier captured in the Napoleonic Wars converts to Islam and joins forces with the Ottoman Empire. 1807, Egypt. It is the height of the Napoleonic Wars. 6,000 British soldiers have invaded Alexandria in a bid to wrest the control of the country from the Ottoman Empire. Among their number is Private Thomas Keith of the 78th Highlanders. After the initial successful occupation of the city, however, the tide of the Alexandria campaign begins to turn against the British. At the Battle of El Hamed, Keith is captured by the Ottoman forces. While a prisoner of war, Keith is introduced to Islam and falls in love with the religion, making the decision to convert to the faith and join the Ottoman army. His conversion and skill with a sword impress the Ottoman general, who sends him to train with the Bedouin cavalry. So begins Keith’s unlikely journey up the ranks of the Ottoman military, which ultimately saw him become Emir of the Holy City of Medina . . . Praise of Blood and Sand: “[A] stirring native. . . . In this veteran British author’s hands, what might have become merely a harsh tale of violence in the deserts of Arabia becomes a memorable, sensitively rendered story.” —Publishers Weekly “An astonishing, exciting story with great imaginative power.” —The Daily Telegraph “The tone is dark and thoughtful, the detail carefully observed, and the flavor unmistakably exotic.” —The Lady

"First published in Great Britain by The Bodley Head 1961"--Copyright page.

Rosemary Sutcliff has transformed Homer''s epic poem The Odyssey into an enthralling traveller''s tale. Paired with stunning illustrations by award-winning illustrator Alan Lee, children will treasure this book for years to come. ''Majestically retold in this challenging and captivating version of Homer''s epic poem'' - booktrustchildrensbooks.org.uk ''Sutcliff''s prose proves that no computer game or television cartoon surpasses Homer for drama and suspense - The Sunday Times

Rosemary Sutcliff''s starkly simple retelling of the uniquely tragic and romantic story of the warrior Tristan and his love for the fair Iseult of Ireland, his uncle''s chosen bride.

Jestyn the Englishman had once been Thormod the Viking''s slave, but after saving Thormod''s life he became his shoulder to shoulder man and sworn brother in the deadly blood feud to avenge Thormod''s murdered father, a feud that would take them all the way to Constantinople.

''We are the scum and the scrapings of the Empire. They tipped out the garbage-bin of the Eagles to make us what we are.'' In disgrace after a mistake that cost the lives of half his men, Alexios arrives in Castellum. It''s his first command, but it isn''t really a promotion. The Frontier Wolves who man this outpost in the far north of Roman Britain are a fierce and savage bunch, a far cry from the regular legions he''d served in before. Alexios will only survive if he learns to understand them and win their respect - and he''s determined to try.

The Abbey of New Minster means safety to Lovel. It is the reign of Henry I in England, and the monks protect Lovel from the people who think that, because of his crooked back and healing skills, he must be a witch. And, he has nowhere else to go. Then he meets Rahere, the King’s Jester, in the abbey – and makes a bargain that will take Lovel to London, to establish a life of his own at the great hospital of St Bartholomew.

Sword Song is the swashbuckling story of Bjarni, a Viking swordsman. Banished from his home, as a boy, for a murder he didn''t intend to commit, Bjarni takes up a new life as a mercenary. He journeys to the islands off the west coast of Scotland and there his life is shaped for years to come. A life that will see him fighting among the clan chiefs in feuds as bitter and bloody as can be imagined.This enthralling novel was the last thing Rosemary Sutcliff wrote and was discovered in a drawer after her death. It is published here in paperback for the first time.

Rosemary''s Sutcliff''s absorbing collection of stories cover the fall of Londinium to the building of Hadrian''s Wall, and the final departure of the Romans from Britain. Set at the time of the Roman occupation of Britain, they follow the fortunes of one family over three hundred years. All soldiers, they are linked by the Capricorn bracelet, first worn by the centurion Lucius for distinguished conduct, then handed down through the generations.

A classic tale of adventure and bravery charting the transformation of Robert of Locksley into Robin Hood, the outlaw of myth and legend. Join Robin and his band of Merry Men as they battle injustice and seek to defeat the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisborne.

From the moment he is born, Lubrin Dhu is different and his unusual talent for drawing places him even further apart. So when his tribe is conquered and Lubrin is appointed its mouthpiece, he is treated with the utmost suspicion. What is the bargain that Lubrin has struck with the enemy lord? And why does he make a horse - a huge horse, high up on the hillside, cut out of the chalk? How can this set his people free?

It is seventeenth-century Scotland, and the Covenanters – those wanting religious freedom from the dictates of English rule – are gathering strength. Hugh Herriott, fresh from a Covenanting background, finds himself working for redcoat Colonel Claverhouse and his Lady Jean: first as the stable-lad and in later years, as galloper to Claverhouse. The tension mounts between the two sides of the divided country. Claverhouse, with Hugh always by his side, leads his troops in bloody battle against the Covenanters, through forest and valley, village and town, victory... and loss.

An exciting historical adventure about a boy who has to fend for himself after his father and brother are killed by Saxon warriors at the great battle of Aquae Sulis. Rosemary Sutcliff in one of the best-loved writers of the twentieth century and this reissue will delight fans old and new.

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.

''I saw riders with black eyesockets in glimmering mail where their faces should have been, grey wolfskins catching a bloom of light from the mist and the moon; a shining company indeed, not quite mortal-seeming.'' Many years after King Arthur defeated the Saxons, the tribes of Britain are again threatened by invaders. Prosper and his loyal bondsman, Conn, answer the call of King Mynydogg to join a highly skilled army - the Shining Company. Led by the gallant Prince Gorthyrn, the company embark on a perilous but glorious campaign. An epic tale of battles and bravery from the acclaimed historical storyteller, Rosemary Sutcliff.

The boy who takes up the spear and shield of Manhood on this day will become the most renowned of all the warriors of Ireland, men will follow at his call to the world''s end, and his enemies will shudder at the thunder of his chariot wheels. So the ancient prophecy went, and as the boy Cuchulain heard it, he went forward to claim the weapons of his manhood. This is the story of how he became the greatest of heroes - the Hound of Ulster.

Rescued as a baby from a shipwrecked Roman galley, Beric is raised in a British tribe but is never fully accepted by them. When disaster and bad times come to the clan, they believe it is down to Beric - that he has brought bad luck and misfortune to them - and they cast him out. Left alone without family or friends, Beric is sold into slavery in Rome and then condemned to a life on the rowing-bench of a Roman galley. With danger and death all around him, Beric must free himself and try and build a new life.

The Ninth Legion marched into the mists of northern Britain-and they were never seen again. Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost. It''s a mystery that''s never been solved, until now . . . So begins the story of The Eagle of the Ninth, set against a backdrop of Roman Britain and featuring a young soldier, Marcus Aquila, who sets off into the unknown north to find out what happened to the lost legion. Following on from this are The Silver Branch in which two young soldiers uncover a plot to overthrow the Emperor, and The Lantern Bearers which is set at a time when the Romans are leaving the shores of Britain and tells of Aquila who, having served in the Roman army, is now returning home to his farm-but when he gets there everything he knows and loves has been destroyed and so he sets out to seek revenge. To have three such exciting stories in one volume is a treat for fans old and new.

Rosemary Sutcliff’s Carnegie Medal-winning Roman Britain Trilogy continues more than a century after the events of The Eagle of the Ninth (The Eagle) in The Silver Branch as two cousins join the Roman side in the fight against a tyrannical British emperor. Violence and unrest are sweeping through Roman Britain. Justin and Flavius find themselves caught up in the middle of it all when they discover a plot to overthrow the Emperor. In fear for their lives, they gather together a tattered band of men and lead them into the thick of battle, to defend the honor of Rome. But will they be in time to save the Emperor...

The Eagle of the Ninth is one of the most celebrated children''s books of the twentieth century and is now the subject of a major film. This new edition, with its movie tie-in cover, is being published to coincide with the film''s release.

One of Rosemary Sutcliff''s acclaimed books set in Roman Britain. The Eagle of the Ninth tells the story of a young Roman officer who sets out to discover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Legion, who marched into the mists of northern Britain and never came back. Rosemary Sutcliff spent most of her life in a wheelchair, suffering from the wasting Still''s disease. She wrote her first book for children, The Queen''s Story, in 1950 and went on to become a highly respected name in the field of children''s literature. She received an OBE in 1975 and died at theage of 72 in 1992.

One of a series of boxed sets, each of which consists of three popular adventure stories for children, and a free poster providing information on all 24 titles in the series. This set contains Redwall, Switchers and The Sword and the Circle.

Imaginative chess fantasy. 8-11 yrs.

The well-known author of historical novels for young people describes her childhood and youth and her struggles with the devastating effects of rheumatoid arthritis.