Eagle in the Snow

[jonwr]

I was wondering if anyone has read this book?
If so ,how would you rate it?
Is it worth a read on a snowy week end?
Jon Ractliffe.

[Graham Sumner]

Hello Jon

There are in my opinion two problems with this book. The first I can not divulge as it will spoil it for you. The second is that although it is set in the late empire the author is not really describing the late Roman army. In other words it is how Hollywood would portray late Roman soldiers and officials.

Apart from that it is a fantastic story, probably many peoples favourite book about the Romans and by all means read it by a warm fire as the snow storm rages outside.

Graham.

[jonwr]

Graham
Thanks for the review. I picked it up in a book grab bag but was uncertain as to its readability.
Got caught on a couple of titles before. You know, keep reading its got to get better. But No!
LFC ! Hmmmmmmm! 8)

[Robert Vermaat]

The problem with the book is that it was written a long time ago, before much research on the Late Roman army became available.

I was disappointed. Sometimes it rerads more like a novel about the First World War in winter than anything comparable to Late Roman tactics..

It's gripping, anyway, a good read if you can get it cheap.

[Medusa Gladiatrix]

I read the book some time ago and I liked the story a lot. Unfortunately I cannot judge how accurate it is concerning the historical facts because I'm no expert on the Late Roman period.

[Polybios]

I think it is definitely worth a read. Some 'roman army' fiction can be quite clichéd. Eagle in the snow though 'feels' authentic. The book is well written and the atmosphere quite taking. It sets the stage for the twilight of the Roman Empire as the pressure from the East gets heavier and heavier. A Roman army stands poised for the onslaught along the Rhine frontier, dreading the coming winter and the freezing of the ice.

It is also a time of shifting ideals from within - the ancient pagan beliefs versus the new Christian religion. The book sets out the feeling that the Empire has lost its roots and is almost resigned to the major changes to come.

The book combines all these themes well, with some great battle scenes, to make for a rounded experience. Enjoy the read and give us your own personal feedback!

[Virilis]

I think it is definitely worth a read. Some 'roman army' fiction can be quite clichéd. Eagle in the snow though 'feels' authentic. The book is well written and the atmosphere quite taking. It sets the stage for the twilight of the Roman Empire as the pressure from the East gets heavier and heavier. A Roman army stands poised for the onslaught along the Rhine frontier, dreading the coming winter and the freezing of the ice.

I definitely share this opinion! I have tried to read for example Simon Scarrows books but didn`t get past twenty pages, it feels like it has been written for kids. Eagle in the Snow has a very strong feeling of inevitable fall to come and there are no romances, just some longing for past things. I like the dark and sad athmosphere of this book, recommended!

[jonwr]

With 10" of snow being dumped on us last week end was a good time to read this book.
I was pleasantly surprised as most "historical" fiction leaves me somewhat unfulfilled. Kind of like eating biscuits with no cheese.
You could almost feel the cold and the tinge of fear in the soldiers as they stood in the snow watching the river freeze.
The last part was perhaps not as intense as say Cornwall's battle narratives.
But the smell of burning wagons ,palisades and the yells and screams of men fighting hand to hand protecting a crumbling frontier were always in the back of my mind.
Robert made a good point. It was very much like some of the first hand stories I have read about winter in the trenches on the Somme and the Ypres salient.
On the whole I am glad I got the chance to read this book and it will find a place on one of my bookshelves to be read again.
Jon Ractliffe.

[Robert Vermaat]

I think it is definitely worth a read. Some 'roman army' fiction can be quite clichéd. Eagle in the snow though 'feels' authentic. The book is well written and the atmosphere quite taking. It sets the stage for the twilight of the Roman Empire as the pressure from the East gets heavier and heavier. A Roman army stands poised for the onslaught along the Rhine frontier, dreading the coming winter and the freezing of the ice.

Well, yes, that's what I meant by the anachronistic 'WW1 scenario'. No Late Roman army would even have contemplated such a strategy. If the enemy could not be persuaded to either disperse or enter the Empire with a treaty, they would be attacked by the field army when vulnerable. Usually this meant they could plunder at will in the first stage of their attack, but it also meant that they could be starved into submission later, which often happened during the 4th and 5th centuries.
Not here. The frontier is held at all cost, and the defenders move back while fighting for every inch, until they are overwhelmed.

[Virilis]

A quiz: which late roman novel starts with words "It was a gloomy and stormy night" :wink: ?

[Polybios]

"The last days of Pompeii" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton?

I believe the original starts "it was a dark and stormy night".

[Virilis]

Sorry, the right answer is "Beagle in the Snow" (from the "Peanuts"). A bad joke, I know, I am sorry :oops: !

[Dan Diffendale]

"The last days of Pompeii" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton?

I believe the original starts "it was a dark and stormy night".

That was actually the opening to Bulwer-Lytton's Paul Clifford.

[qcarr]

I read "Eagle in the Snow" several years ago and thought it was fantastic. It is somewhat depressing as the story takes place during the death throes of the Roman world, but very well written and engaging. Absolutely worth the read.