Eagles of Rome trilogy / Ben Kane

Title / Eagles at War, Hunting the Eagles and Eagles in the Storm

Author / Ben Kane

Publication Date / 2015, 2016 and 2017

Genre / Historical fiction

Series or standalone / Trilogy

Overall Rating / ★★★★

 

Goodreads synopsis of book 1: AD 9, Germania: Close to the Rhine, a Roman centurion, Lucius Tullus, prepares to take his soldiers on patrol. On the opposite side of the river, German tribes are resentful of the harsh taxes imposed upon them. Suspicious that there might be unrest, Tullus knows that his men’s survival will be determined not just by their training and discipline, but by his leadership. What neither Tullus nor the Roman Governor Varus realise is that ranged against them is the charismatic chieftain and trusted ally of Rome, Arminius, who has long been plotting to drive the Romans from the tribal lands east of the Rhine. As Varus’ legions prepare to leave their summer encampment, thousands of warriors – directed by Arminius – are massing nearby. Eager to throw off the Roman yoke, the tribesmen prepare a deadly ambush. Only the gods can save the Romans now …

This is a fantastic military historical fantasy trilogy based on real historical events. It is set before and after the Battle of Teutoborg Forest in 9 AD and follows multiple perspectives to give us a wider look into this conflict. Now I do not know a lot about this time in history so I cannot comment on historical accuracy but I will say all three books have a realistic feel to them. I found them to not only be enjoyable reads but also really interesting. Despite not knowing much about this time period, it’s one that I find fascinating so I loved the setting of these books. You can tell that the author did a lot of research to write these books. I think even if you know a lot about this period and know what will happen, you will still enjoy this book because it is so well written. The changes in perspective never disrupted the flow of the story and each chapter was as compelling as the last. I can sometimes find switches in perspective to be a little jarring but that is not the case with these books. The build up of suspense in all three books is so well done. These books are action packed and I loved all the military aspects of the story. The action scenes are one of the strengths of this trilogy. They are so well written and gripping to read. The writing is also fantastic and there are some great description throughout the trilogy. I enjoyed each of these books very much and I thought the ending of the trilogy was great.

The characters are another strength of this trilogy, although some of the minor characters were a little flat. However all of the main characters are well written. They are all flawed and complex with good development through the three books. It was fascinating to me to see the daily lives of these soldiers and I think Kane’s choice in character perspective was very clever, because it means we get a much wider look into the events of the book. I personally found Arminius chapters slightly more compelling then the others but I enjoyed all of them.

I hadn’t read anything by this author when I picked up the first book but I will definitely be checking out his other books. If you enjoy military historical fiction and/or are interested in this time period then I highly recommend checking this trilogy out. Have you read these books? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa