In the summer of 9 CE, Publius Varus, the Roman governor of Germania, and Lucius Tullus, a centurion garrisoned on the Rhine, march east with three legions. As they prepare to return to their winter quarters, they are lured off the road and ambushed by German warriors. The Germans are led by Arminius, a chieftain who is a trusted ally of Rome - and a man who has been secretly planning to betray the empire since childhood. Trapping Varus' legionaries between a hillside and a marsh, and thereby preventing them from forming up or using their artillery, Arminius and his warriors wreak a terrible slaughter. The Roman defeat is overwhelming, but it is not until the third day of the massacre that the scale of Arminius' victory becomes clear. Three legions, upwards of fourteen thousand men have been annihilated, and three treasured Eagle standards have been lost. Just a few hundred legionaries, including Tullus, manage to escape. Nor is the survivors' ordeal over. Pursued to the last Roman fort east of the Rhine, they are besieged by thousands of bloodthirsty tribesmen. Only the gods can save them now ...

Author Biography

FROM BEN KANE 'The battle of the Teutoberg 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. 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.' www.benkane.net