Germanicus puts down a mutiny on the death of Augustus and then crosses the Rhine in search of revenge on Arminius.

Again, we alternate between the viewpoint of the Romans and that of the Germans, which sometimes led to a loss of focus. I found the PTSD on the part of some of the survivors from the previous book touching. Ancient soldiers must have had to contend with it, but it's not something we hear about much. ( )

Continuation of the story of Centurion Tullus and the other survivors of the Teutoberg Disaster. He and some of the legionaries in his original legion--the 18th--which had nearly been wiped out are now in the 5th Legion. Germanicus, general, a member of the imperial family, comes to take charge of several legions on the Germania frontier. He and the legions are bent on revenge for the Teutoberg, several years earlier. A mutiny of some soldiers is put down and ringleaders executed. There is much character development and camp life. Battles against Arminius and allies occur and are brutal. Arminius' wife is abducted by the Romans, who destroy several villages along with their inhabitants. Arminius is still at large. After victory--for now--the men proceed towards their winter camp. One eagle is found, but not that of Tullus' old legion.

I thought the scene very moving where Tullus brings Germanicus to the site of the previous battle and its description, as well as soldiers dividing up the possessions of a fallen comrade, as remembrance of him and his friendship. That same poignant incident, adapted from a World War II memoir set in Burma, has also been used in one of M.C. Scott's novels as occurring among ancient Greek and Roman soldiers. Realistic battle scenes seem to been Kane's strength. The writing style is more mature than his earliest books; of course, he was "dipping his toes into the water", as it were.

Highly recommended. ( )

Five years after the disaster of the Teutoberg Forest and the Romans are keen for revenge against Arminius and the German tribes. The lgions whose eagles were captured have been disbanded and the few remaining soldiers have been allocated to other duties. Tullus has been demoted, even though he managed to rescue the largest number of survivors, but a chance meeting with Germanicus, heir to the Emperor, gives him the chance for redemption and revenge. A huge force invades the tribal areas, capturing Arminius' wife and laying waste to the countryside but a retreat for winter leads Tullus and his comrades across a bog, harassed by Germans. Is history about to repeat itself?

I found this book far harder work than the original. This is possibly due to the fact that there is little action until the last third of the book and the description of fighting is the strength of Kane's prose. Most of the book is taken up with descriptions of everyday life in the camps and development of the characters. However some of the dialogue seems clunky and, whilst Kane has gone to a great deal of effort in his research, it feels superfluous. This is still an enjoyable read but struggles due to the fact that little happens and it feels like a book that is in the middle of a series ( )

For a review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2016/08/17/hunting-the-eagles-ben-kane/ ( )