I had thought the first volume was complete in itself and was surprised the author put out a sequel. Following on the action in the first volume, the novel was just as exciting and kept me glued to the pages. Felix and the other members of his contubernium who are left alive after Teutoberg, escape slavery, along with three Batavians. They reach the fort of Aliso, which is putting up stiff resistance to Arminius' army, while other forts have been completely destroyed. They are taken in and become part of a unit, in the century led by the pragmatic and fair Centurion Hadrianus, nicknamed H, a good soldier. The novel details the progress of the siege, fighting Germans outside and also contending with unrest and rationing inside, including murders of women and girls. The Syrian archers, a large part of the defense force, are blamed. There are raids, two successful and one an absolute debacle. Finally, H, Felix, and Titus scout out a route to avoid Germans, to try to reach Vetera. The whole population of the fort, military and civilians, set out under the cover of a severe storm hoping to avoid any German interference.

The novel was just as bloody and gruesome as The first volume, BLOOD FOREST. Some of the soldiers were stereotypes: the greedy opportunist who runs a black market; the arrogant, tactless malingerer, whose mouth is his downfall ; the innocent, dim-witted boy soldier; and the complainer with the sarcastic sense of humor. The action in some parts affected me deeply. I was able to get into the soldiers' heads and understand their feelings and reactions to events. Hints are given as to Felix's life prior to his being in Germania through either memories or more often, nightmares: PTSD? The dialogue was coarse. At first I thought the Prologue something tacked on: merely a "hook" to get the reader interested in the novel, then wondered if "the [unnamed] soldier" was Felix himself, because of a broken sandal mentioned in both novels. Could this have been his entry into Germania? The author leaves room for the possibility of another sequel to further the narrative.

Highly recommended. ( )