With this book, the trilogy ended fantastically. You can clearly see the research the author has undertaken to create an authentic feel to these books. The characters are well written, the plot is compelling and the writing is easy to get into. If you are interested in this time period and/or love historical fiction then you should definitely check this trilogy out. This was a great book.

The year is AD 15, and Senior Centurion Lucius Cominius Tullus is in the wilderlands of Germany, where he and his men are fighting ragtag but wily German tribes. Six years ago Arminius, one of the wiliest of the Germans, defeated the Romans, including Tullus, and stole the eagle of the Eighteenth Legion, Tullus's own legion before the massacre. Tullus is determined to reclaim his lost eagle and avenge his legion's disgrace.

Although this is the third book in the series, and refers to things that happened in the previous two books, which I have not read, I was able to follow along with little difficulty. Readers would probably be best served by reading all three books in order, but you can certainly jump in here at the end and still understand what's going on, especially if you know a tiny amount (all I can claim) about Roman history.

The events and a number of the characters of "Eagles in the Storm" are based on historical events and people, and the book is, as far as an armchair historian such as myself can tell, exhaustively researched. In fact, Kane has a lengthy afterword describing his research and the allusions to ancient and modern events in the book, something sure to delight the kind of nerds--I mean history buffs--who tend to read this kind of fiction. Indeed, for me the highlight of the book were the details about day-to-day life of the Roman soldiers, and Kane's ability to put you directly into the action, whether that be petty practical jokes, or major battles.

And indeed, there is no shortage of battles in this book. I, personally, have a limited tolerance for fight scenes, but if this is the kind of thing that you're into, then "Eagles in the Storm" has multiple battles between the Romans and the German tribes, described in such vivid detail from both sides' perspectives that you can practically smell the sweat and hear the cries. For all its grounding in lovingly researched detail, this is at heart a rip-snorting tale of war and adventure that could be set in any time period, but happens to be about ancient Rome. The prose style, like the characters, is simple and straightforward, and despite the liberal sprinkling of Latin, the book reads like a contemporary adventure novel. "Eagles in the Storm" is not exactly high-brow, so if that's what you're looking for, you'd best turn away, but it is high-quality historical adventure fiction that will draw you in and keep you reading.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Six years after the disastrous expedition that led to the Roman defeat in the Teutoberg forest and two eagles are still missing. Despite recovery of one eagle the year before Centurion Tullus still grieves that the eagle of the Eighteenth legion has not been found. After his defeat Arminius is trying to rally the German chieftains in an attempt to drive the occupying Romans away but his alliance is fragile. Both sides know that the forthcoming battle will be decisive.

Having read both of the previous novels in this trilogy I knew what to expect, a superior 'sword and sandals' epic, well-researched and written with verve - this book does not disappoint. Kane manages to bring a real sense of time and place to his tales, Tullus is an engaging character and the day-to-day life of a Roman soldier is portrayed with conviction. Although less is known about the life of the German tribes, again this is imagined well. I particularly like the sense of humour that ripples through the Roman ranks, it fits in well. The battle scenes are depicted in visceral detail but the book is not a series of set pieces, unlike many in the genre, there is a real narrative here as well.

Eagles in the Storm by Ben Kane

It’s been six years since Rome suffered its most infamous defeat in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in AD 9. Three legions were destroyed and their eagles stolen by German tribes united under the leadership of Arminius, a man who once served Rome. The loss of the eagles and the betrayal by Arminius continue to grieve Rome, so much so that the few survivors of the defeat are no longer allowed within the walls of Rome. Senior Centurion Lucius Cominius Tullus didn’t just survive the battle, he saved more Roman lives than anyone else, and now he is doing what he can to atone for the shame he continues to bear. Tullus has re-entered the forest, he has taken the fight back to the tribes, he helped to restore one of the lost eagles. But it wasn’t his. Although Tullus is now an important member of the Fifth legion, promoted higher and higher, and worships its eagle, it’s the eagle of the Eighteenth that Tullus is determined to kneel before once again.

Eagles in the Storm completes Ben Kane’s magnificent trilogy on the the Battle of Teutoburg Forest and its bloody aftermath. You are well advised to begin this story at its beginning – this review assumes you have done so – with the superb Eagles at War. I’ve been fascinated by this battle for longer than I can remember and Eagles at War is now, for me, the definitive fictional account of this devastating and truly terrifying ambush and battle. In Hunting the Eagles, the second novel, the aftermath of the battle is explored, including its contribution to mutiny within Rome’s northern legions and their subsequent attempts to win back the eagles, led by the general Germanicus, nephew to the emperor Tiberius, and his centurion, Tullus. As Eagles in the Storm begins, Tullus once more prepares to take on Arminius.

Eagles in the Storm is divided between Tullus, the small band of legionaries who have followed Tullus since the beginning, and the other side – Arminius and his efforts to bring together once again tribes that appear to hate him almost as much as they hate the Romans. The fight is more personal than ever for Arminius now. Everyone has lost loved ones in Rome’s avenging raids and Arminius is no different.

Ben Kane, as always, has an extraordinary talent of making us feel that we are there with these soldiers, not only in the heat of the battle but also on the march, in camp, and off duty. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of a legionary camp. After three novels, we know these men well, especially legionary Piso and his fellow tentmen, who always seem to find some way to entertain themselves (i.e., get into trouble) during the monotony of life on the march. But there is a serious side to these soldiers as well, particularly in their devotion to their new eagle and their desire to set eyes again on their old. The meaning and significance of the eagle plays a crucial role in this final novel.

Tullus is a fantastic character. He is revered across the legion for his bravery. Even Germanicus listens to him and in this novel Germanicus has yet more reason to be grateful to him. Tullus is intimidating but he loves his men. They know it and they love him back. It’s not sentimentalised. It’s just the way it is. There is a real contrast between Tullus and Arminius. Arminius isn’t presented as a villain. He was fighting for a cause he believed in, for the freedom of his people against an invading oppressor. But Arminius has to look over his shoulder constantly – Tullus doesn’t.

The battle sequences are so thrilling and they set the pace for the novel, although I enjoyed the other sections of Eagles in the Storm every bit as much. This is brilliant storytelling from an author who is steeped in the history of the Romans, and he fills it with all the details, military and otherwise, you need to make it feel real.

Ben Kane is an author whose books will always go to the top of my reading mountain, without fail. This has been a wonderful trilogy – one of the very best that I’ve read. Although I’m sorry it’s finished I can’t be sorry about the way in which it’s been finished – it concludes perfectly. And I know that I’ll be hanging on to every word as we embark on Ben Kane’s next project, whatever that might be.

Other reviews
Eagles at War
Hunting the Eagles

Spartacus
Spartacus: Rebellion

Hannibal: Enemy of Rome
Hannibal: Fields of Blood
Hannibal: Clouds of War

A Day of Fire: A novel of Pompeii (with others)

This is only the third book about the Roman Empire that I've read, and bizarrely, one of the other one's (read in the last two weeks) begins where Ben Kane has clearly started his trilogy that ends with Eagles in the Storm. That's a long way of saying that even though I've not read the two other books in this series, I have some idea of the storyline that Ben Kane has been writing about, and while it's probably not necessary, as there are more than enough illusions to the previous 2 books in this one, it meant that I was very comfortable and could enjoy this book without worrying that I was missing out on back story.

The story is mainly told from three different viewpoints - Tullus, a Roman Army Veteran, Armenius, the enemy of the Romans and Piso, one of Tullus' soldiers.

Tullus is an honourable soldier, bedevilled by the events that happened in AD9 when his men, under the command of Varus, were annihilated by the traitor Aremenius, the Eagle of his Legion stolen, leaving him carrying the burden of revenge ever since.

Aremenius, the chieftain who masterminded the events of AD9, has been striving to keep the disparate tribes of his homeland united against the Romans ever since, and the previous year (AD15) saw him suffer a setback that he wishes to overcome with a new campaign against the Romans. This is pretty hard to organise, as the chieftains he needs to convince are not easily swayed, because they seem to spend much of their time a little bit too drunk!.

Piso, one of Tullus' soldiers, provides the view point of a 'normal' soldier in the Roman army.

While I can't attest to the historical accuracy, because I've never studied this time period, I found this to be a very enjoyable story, if a little too obsessed with the need for the men to 'pee and poo' (I'm using polite words here) while on the march, or while fighting. This is essentially a book about men but then, it's a story of soldiers and I assume that the Roman's perhaps didn't invite women into the ranks.

The pacing of the book is good, there is a slight wrinkle near the end, but in the end everything ends as it needs to, and as it should. So yes, it's a little bit predictable, but hey ho, it's still a fun read and I've already downloaded the two 'shorts' that Ben Kane has written to accompany the trilogy.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this final book in Ben Kane’s Eagles trilogy, which completes a story that I’ve followed avidly in Eagles at War and Hunting the Eagles. The series follows the military and psychological aftermath of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when three Roman legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus were wiped out by a German tribal army under the aegis of the chieftain Arminius, a former Roman ally. In the first book we watched the tragedy unfold; in the second, set some years later, we saw the young general Germanicus stiffening the Romans’ resolve as Arminius tried to knit the tribes together into a viable force. Now, in 15-16 AD, the moment has come for battle to be joined again, and this time there can be only one victor.

Although we spend time on both sides of the fence, I’m happy to say that much of the book unfolds in the Roman army camp. This means that we get to see a great deal of the faux-curmudgeonly Tullus and his companions – I hesitate to use the word friends, as I’m sure he would disapprove. Here are familiar characters from the earlier books: the no-nonsense optio Fenestela; the stout-hearted legionary Piso (who stubbornly maintained the form of Titus Pullo in my mind); and, of course, the pompous idiot Tubero, who had just enough appearances to keep my loathing for him at a healthy level. In this exclusively male world, Kane does a wonderful job of evoking the many colours of male friendship: earthy, swaggering, touchy and touching by turn, yet always utterly convincing. But the highlight of this novel, for me, was the main battle scene, a sweeping epic vision of the clash on the plain of Idistaviso at the Angrivarian wall. I've never been the kind of girl who likes reading battles for battles' sakes, but this section was tremendously powerful. It carried us through the whole experience with the troops - and the wonderful thing is that Kane's characters remain deeply human throughout. There were moments in this scene where the writing was so vivid that I didn't even have to close my eyes to see it raging before me, and several times I felt the hairs rise up on my arms. Kane knows what it's like to wear Roman armour and it shows in his evocative, unsentimental descriptions.

Vivid and engaging, these books offer consistency of characterisation and an appeal far beyond that of other 'sword and shield' novels I've read, whether that's Bernard Cornwell's Uhtred series or Christian Cameron's Long War sequence. I strongly recommend them, even to those who normally shy away from such things, for they are not only well written but also immensely historically accurate. The author's note is admirably thorough, not to mention good-humoured. It covers not only archaeological and historical evidence for the story, but also the in-jokes and allusions peppered through the text. I shall have to read it again, because I completely missed the two Gladiator references...

The full review will be published on Saturday 4 March at the following link:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/03/04/eagles-in-the-storm-ben-kane