An exhaustive account of the famous Battle, where the Romans got their butts kicked by Germans. While it wasn't Rome's biggest disaster, or even that massively impactful historically, as the author admits - this one seized the imagination of Romans and historians. It scared Rome off deciding to conquer Germania for a time (though they spend a lot of years invading it afterwards) and became a genuine folk tale.
This book sets the battle in context, sketches the key players, and deals with several "what if"s. As history it can't be faulted.
I did feel as though the book could have been more exciting - I mean a sizeable Roman force were surrounded and wiped out in a forest by marauding Germans - it was real opening-attack-in-Last-of-the-Mohicans stuff but the drama isn't really here. A solid book on the subject but I feel the human face of the battle might've been stronger.
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