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jnuist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
4.25
nnylfgaard's review against another edition
3.0
Ben Kane tells a great story but needs to cool it with the excessive metaphor. Awesome read!
lakesbecky's review against another edition
5.0
Fabulous if gory and sweary - not one to listen to in public without headphones! Great telling of one of Rome's worst defeats
bookfever's review against another edition
5.0
I requested Eagles at War kind of randomly on NetGalley when I saw it and it was a spur in the moment decision when I decided to start reading it soon after I got approved for it. I love history, especially history of this era but I didn't know a single thing about the battle of the Teutoburg Forest. And to be honest I didn't think I would enjoy this book because I didn't think I'd like a book that focuses on the military espects in history. But guess what? I ended up absolutely loving it and it's my favorite book that I have read in 2015 so far.
I was intrigued by all of the characters. From the characters that were created by the author to the ones that had once lived.There was just something about the way Ben Kane wrote these characters that made me want to find out what was going to happen to them. I especially liked reading about Roman centurion Tullus, and chieftain Arminius.
The book switched points of view a bit between a couple of characters but I was always glad the most when it returned to Tullus. He was an incredible character.
There was also a certain suspense to the story, knowing a big battle is imminent because Arminius is planning to betray and ambush the Romans. And naturally, the book was very action-packed, gritty and intense.
The book took me almost a week to finish. Generally I finish books way faster because I usually read shorter ones but it was totally worth it. I was pretty much hooked from the moment I read the prologue up to the ending.
And I also have to say that after finishing the book, I actually found myself wanting to read and learn more about the battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
I dived into this book blindly, not knowing what to expect. What I didn't expect was to be so engrossed with this story, with these characters. You know a book is good when you're actually sad to have finished it because you wanted to read more. That's what Eagles at War by Ben Kane did to me. Highly recommended!
I was intrigued by all of the characters. From the characters that were created by the author to the ones that had once lived.There was just something about the way Ben Kane wrote these characters that made me want to find out what was going to happen to them. I especially liked reading about Roman centurion Tullus, and chieftain Arminius.
The book switched points of view a bit between a couple of characters but I was always glad the most when it returned to Tullus. He was an incredible character.
There was also a certain suspense to the story, knowing a big battle is imminent because Arminius is planning to betray and ambush the Romans. And naturally, the book was very action-packed, gritty and intense.
The book took me almost a week to finish. Generally I finish books way faster because I usually read shorter ones but it was totally worth it. I was pretty much hooked from the moment I read the prologue up to the ending.
And I also have to say that after finishing the book, I actually found myself wanting to read and learn more about the battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
I dived into this book blindly, not knowing what to expect. What I didn't expect was to be so engrossed with this story, with these characters. You know a book is good when you're actually sad to have finished it because you wanted to read more. That's what Eagles at War by Ben Kane did to me. Highly recommended!
mokiethe_dog34's review
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Absolutely brilliant in the last 3rd of the book but the first 2/3 were a bit dull, which is surprising coming from Ben Kane; he’s always been fantastic at keeping you on your toes. But I do think the sheer horror and exhaustion experienced by Roman legionaries during battle was described extremely well in the last 3rd. Kudos to author, he’s very good at writing battle scenes. Not the first time I’ve genuinely felt a bit frightened reading his work, the Battle of Carrhae in his Hannibal series left my heart beating much faster than it should of considering I was sitting down in a nice cosy room in my own house.
The Times were correct, Eagles at War was ‘masterfully done’ and I would absolutely would recommend this book -and all other works by Ben Kane- for its consistent historical accuracy and wonderful writing.
The Times were correct, Eagles at War was ‘masterfully done’ and I would absolutely would recommend this book -and all other works by Ben Kane- for its consistent historical accuracy and wonderful writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Genocide, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Suicide, and War
Minor: Rape, Torture, Sexual assault, and Slavery
lordnikon's review against another edition
5.0
Holy shitsnacks, this was fantastic! Just really amazing stuff. Characters of great depth, even minor ones, and a back end loaded with battles and last stands. Amazing. Mr. Kane, you have a new fan, I'm going to buy the rest of your books now.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
The Roman army was not invincible and the impact on history of the defeat at the battle of the Teutoborg forest in AD9 is huge. In this book Ben Kane writes a fictional account of the events leading up to the battle and of the loss of three legions in the mud of Germany.
The leader of the tribes was a naturalized Roman called Arminius, a member of the Cherusci tribe who had risen high in the ranks of the Roman military, but who betrayed his former colleagues and planned an ambush with devastating precision. Kane’s key figure is that of Tullus, an experienced Roman centurion who leads his men from the front but with humanity as well as. Tullus is a fictional character but many of those he interacts with are known in history.
Kane has very obviously researched this book in great detail. His confident knowledge and use of roman terminology is augmented by a glossary so that narrative is not slowed by endless explanations of vocabulary. His knowledge of the movements of the army and the terrain is clear and his descriptions of the battle are bloody and visceral.
This is top notch historical fiction, melding research, passion and quality storytelling.
The leader of the tribes was a naturalized Roman called Arminius, a member of the Cherusci tribe who had risen high in the ranks of the Roman military, but who betrayed his former colleagues and planned an ambush with devastating precision. Kane’s key figure is that of Tullus, an experienced Roman centurion who leads his men from the front but with humanity as well as. Tullus is a fictional character but many of those he interacts with are known in history.
Kane has very obviously researched this book in great detail. His confident knowledge and use of roman terminology is augmented by a glossary so that narrative is not slowed by endless explanations of vocabulary. His knowledge of the movements of the army and the terrain is clear and his descriptions of the battle are bloody and visceral.
This is top notch historical fiction, melding research, passion and quality storytelling.
maddyb001's review against another edition
2.0
Personally too much violence for me (then again what did I expect given the topic). I do appreciate the novel and important topic.
pip94's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great historical fiction book. The intrigue, the politics and the characters are all written very well. It was engaging and I enjoyed reading a historical fiction book set in this time period, as I have never read anything set in this time before.
rogelio_aurelio's review against another edition
5.0
Increíble libro, Kane logra ponerte en el papel de un soldado romano, percibes el ambiente, los sentimientos y la adrenalina de la batalla.
Utiliza muchos conceptos en latín, lo que le da más veracidad al texto pero te obliga a investigar su significado, por suerte, el libro incluye un glosario.
Lectura muy rica y agradable.
Utiliza muchos conceptos en latín, lo que le da más veracidad al texto pero te obliga a investigar su significado, por suerte, el libro incluye un glosario.
Lectura muy rica y agradable.