[In "The Capricorn Bracelet" Rosemary Sutcliff] returns to subject matter she treated 20 years ago in her first big novel, "The Eagle of the Ninth."

"The Capricorn Bracelet" is a collection of short stories spanning the Roman occupation of Britain from the first to the fifth century. The bracelet, awarded for distinguished military service, affirms the tradition of the Roman Legions….

No one writes more convincing battle scenes than Miss Sutcliff. Her landscapes are alive with movement and color. Yet her heroes are curiously stereotyped, unchanged, whether the power they serve is on the rise or falling apart at the seams. They are all brave, decent young men concerned with the esteem of their peers, never entertaining a doubt about their obligations.

"The Capricorn Bracelet" is not Miss Sutcliff at her best. Still it is very good.

Feenie Ziner, "King King Kangalo, Hadrian's Wall and One Cool Buzzard," in...