Clash of Eagles: The Clash of Eagles Trilogy Book I

Such a great story about what mite have been if the Roman Empire never fell! Great character development and great build up to the climax of the story after reading it I I give it 5 stars

good book enjoyed it will read the next one soon

I am going to have to join some of the other reviews in their criticism, but I also think the book is well written in some ways.What I Did Not Like: The most glaring problem with the book is not its grand assumption that makes it an alternative history story. The book assumes that Rome never fell, but continued to expand, and finally, in 1218, the Roman Emperor sent the 33rd Roman Legion, commanded by Gaius Marcellinus, to North America to conquer it for the glory of Rome and the gold that they expect to find in plenty. This is perfectly in keeping with the alternative history genre. But the story then falls completely off the rails.It assumes as a second alternative history twist that the Indians, particularly the Cahokia Tribe, have developed hang-gliders. That is unlikely enough, but they have also developed huge thunderbird gliders that can carry a number of men, and a sort of naplam, or Greek fire that they drop on their enemies. These things are more deadly than World War One airplanes, evidently, because they were able to destroy an entire Roman Legion in a matter of minutes.Now, Alan Smale can create the kind of world he wants--that is an author's privilege. But as a reader I am appalled at the very suggestion that such a thing could have happened. It stretches my credulity to the breaking point and far past it. Why not have them develop atomic weapons to wipe out the Romans? It would be no more impossible than these deadly bombers that Smale invented.The other thing I did not like is the simple matter of the corn. Indian corn or maize was unknown in Europe. Yet Marcellinus simply talks about the fields of corn he saw as if he had seen them all his life. Smale missed a chance to show how strange the new world would have looked to a Roman. Perhaps a mention of turkeys or hummingbirds might have done the same, since he would have seen neither before.What I Liked: I liked the characters Smale created. They seemed like real people, and Marceinus showed growth as the story progressed. The woman glider pilot Sisika also was well developed. The descriptions and tactics of the Roman Legions seemed credible. Some reviews thought a more Medieval army would be more likely, but I am with Smale on this. It seems likely that Roman Legions would stick with what worked.The descriptions of the local tribes in North America seemed to be credible, also (with the notable exceptions mentioned above).Conclusion: A well-written story in some ways, but so deeply flawed that I have no wish to continue the series. If an editor could have convinced the author to drop the ridiculous Indian air force and liquid fire from the sky this would have been a great story.

Not as good as Simon Scarrow orBernard Cornwell books, the story was more about the life of tribes than all out action, sorry but not for me, and I wont be ordering the follow on. DAVE BOWEN.

Poorly thought out story, only read half way and gave up