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You run out of words for Rosemary Sutcliff after a while.

She is the king's feast of the reading world. Her prose is stunning every single time--and I really wish her books were in every literature program and book list around the world. Not only does she combine moving plots and sympathetic characters, she also has a suburb knack of capturing the smallest details without bogging down in them.

Beric's childhood is a really vivid part. From the time he comes to them as an infant, lashed to his parents in the storm to the time when he is cast out and forces his dog to stay behind. I loved his passion before the fire when the clan men are going to bar him from joining the training with the other boys. Sutcliff starts the story with a gentle, constant rhythm that pulls you in and keeps you turning pages.

Justinius is #charactergoals. He made me cry (reading whilst we were riding in the car) and I love him with all the love. He's manly and gentle and kind and stalwart in the face of duty. For him alone, this book is worth reading, but coupled with all the grandness that is Rosemary Sutcliff, he's the crowning gem in a box of gourmet chocolates.

There was a brief point where I didn't think the emotion was drawn out properly, when Beric had to make a final choice and fight a major battle. I thought the choice was made too quickly, and the battle should have been captured in a shorter span of time, but perhaps that was due to a slightly disjointed reading at the end.

But the end, in all its bittersweet glory, felt just right. If you've read Sutcliff, and like her, you'll definitely want to read Outcast. It's a story of wandering, injustice, and a tenacious hold on life that is not to be missed.