Eagles at War
ONLY THE GODS CAN SAVE THE ROMANS NOW
AD 9, Germania. East of the river Rhine, tribes hostile to Rome prepare a deadly ambush.
Their leader is the charismatic chieftain and trusted ally of Rome, Arminius, whose dream is to drive out the brutal invaders of his land.
Pitted against him are veteran centurion Lucius Tullus and the Roman provincial governor, Varus.
Together with three local legions, they leave their summer camp to begin the march back to the Roman forts on the Rhine.
They have no idea that in the forests and bog of the Teutoburg, mud, slaughter and bloody death await …
‘This is historical fiction at its best' Sunday Express
'Held me spellbound to its spectacular bloody end' Manda Scott
'Gripping, brutal, brilliant' Giles Kristian
'The battle of the Teutoburg Forest, or Varian Disaster, took place in Germany, in September of AD 9. Three Roman legions were massacred by native tribes in a supremely well executed ambush. The defeat was one of the greatest ever suffered by Rome, and the body blow it delivered was one of the reasons that the Empire never again made a serious attempt to conquer Germany.
All my books are born from my obsession with Roman history, and this one was no different. Planning and writing a series of novels about the lead-up to this conflict, the battle itself and its aftermath has been thrilling. I have twice visited the area of Germany in which the battle took place, and its many museums. Seeing the equipment, weapons, coins and even the bones of legionaries who’d died in battle didn’t just fuel my imagination – it stirred my soul.
Eagles at War is the first in my 'Eagles' trilogy of novels about the Varian disaster, and although it is a work of fiction, it is peopled by historical characters and is based on real events. I hope, like me, you will want to immerse yourself in this incredible story, to remind yourself why the legend of Rome endures, and to stand with Varus’ legionaries during the rain-soaked, muddy, bloody terror of Arminius’ ambush.'
To find out more about all my books, please go to my website: www.benkane.net.
Ben Kane
April, 2015