Barbarians Kicking Roman Legion Ass - A Book Review

Cover of Defenders Of Dolpheim by Bruce Nickel

The Defenders of Dolpheim - The Saga of Eagles & Wolves by Bruce Nickel.

Executive Summary: 

Don't waste time reading this review, go buy a copy and invest your time enjoying a great book!!

Review:

I really enjoyed Bruce's book. I hope it is the start of many to follow.

Like all books that have characters, you - the reader, need to be properly introduced to the characters. This takes some pages to do. Also, you need to understand how a village operates day-to-day life in the time period being used in this story, this also takes pages. And, you need to know the enemy/foe. This builds context and proper back story. Without this foundation you would not truly enjoy this Saga. Once, the author has completed the task of educating you on the characters, daily life, the threats and builds up the suspense of first contact, then....then, this story accelerates into a page turner that is hard to put down. Bruce's love of his ancestors and former military service aids greatly in turning words into painted images of battles on foreign fields in ancient times. The details needed to wage war in the old days are not lost on Bruce. His narratives keep the imagery flowing as fast as the building tensions for battle. There is no shortage of grizzly, bloody details on combat in Roman times in this book. For those with a more academic approach, this book is a good study of asymmetrical warfare and the evolution of battlefield tactics to survive when outnumbered by a superior force. Superior in numbers. Superior in weapons technology. Superior in daily training. Superior in hierarchy and logistics. Superior in attitude/arrogance. In the end, like most asymmetrical situations, the invader is the invader - no matter how many; and the defender is the defender - no matter how few. Home turf advantage, plays a roll here. Speed, violence & aggression on the field of battle play a larger roll.

My ancestors were not Germanic, but my ancestors did have to deal with Roman invaders, too. So, I like this book on many levels. One level being, the Roman Legions getting their asses kicked. I did a little jig on Hadrian's Wall awhile back, while thinking about Roman Legion invaders to Caledonian (Scotland). How my ancestors would have done much more to that wall if they ever visited. But, I digress......

I had the pleasure & honour of serving with Bruce in the Balkans back in the mid-90's. He is a good person, who has written an excellent book. Get out there and buy a copy for yourself!

[I am still confused why in literature/marketing it is so important to hallmark the author. If the book is an excellent book, why doesn't the book standout on its own?? As a fellow author (The G.O.O.D. Plan - Get Out Of Dodge) and I believe the book is more important to market than the author. The book will survive long after the author is gone.] 

Bruce has done a great job and written an excellent book. It was a page turner right to the last page. My only comment now is: When does the next chapter of the Saga get released????

Until next time......read a good book!!

Mountainman.