An intense novel, following the historic battle of the Teutoberg Forest told from a solider's perspective. A rare breed of books in this genre as it is told in first person but this only adds to the excitement and allows the author to create the truly horrifying image that the massacre must have been. I usually find first person reads somewhat tedious as I prefer to "look over the shoulder" of the protagonist rather than "become" them but, I was somewhat surprised by the author's ability to encourage such empathy.

I have read many other books that have attempted to convey the desperate conditions of the Roman army in the forest and the hopelessness of the situation as it was and I have to applaud the way in which the aforementioned has been achieved.

Otherwise a great debut novel from the author (and an aptly named book!).

Geraint Jones opens his story with a naked man awakening in a strange forest next to the several naked corpses, where he is discovered apparently lost and amnesiac, by soldiers of the Roman army. He is pressed into service, given unwarranted attention by centurions and generals. The survivor, Felix, clearly holds a secret that he cannot or will not reveal and so is absorbed into the army as a pariah.
I do not how historically accurate Mr Jones novel is, probably not very, but that does not detract at all from the story being told. We are looking closely at the bonds and loyalty created between individuals faced with extreme suffering and the constant expectation of death or worse.. How and why some men break and others don't, the interdependence of action and effect, and the tiny difference between heroism, stupidity and cowardice.
Felix's mystery is gradually exposed, but by that time his is only one of the many tales of suffering in unimaginable ways.
Mr Jones grabs his reader and forces him to stare cruel, imminent death in the face and reflect

AD9, the Romans are in Germania Magna, trying to subdue the German tribes. A section comes upon a German army and is soundly beaten. A sole survivor, drawn by the smell of cooking meat, finds six bodies in wicker baskets suspended above fires. He knows they are Romans by the sight of their cross-hung leather belts. Six of their comrades are lying in a circle with their bellies slit and entrails piled upon their chests.

A fresh posse of Romans happens upon the bodies and the survivor hides until he knows it is safe to reveal himself. The leader of the small posse is Arminius, German-born but a Roman citizen. Arminius asks the survivor who he is ‘I don’t know’ came the reply.

He is taken, cleaned up and sent to serve with Governor Varus’s army on the Rhine. They call him Felix. He is resented at first by his new comrades and has to find his own level in their company.

Does Felix really not know who he is? What side is he really on? One thing is for certain, he is a professional soldier and cannot hide that fact, no matter how hard he tries.

This book is written in the first person by Felix so we see everything from his perspective. From the very first page, it is a brutal and shocking insight into the times. No attempt has been made to soften the action and we see just how vicious, bloodthirsty and nasty the fighting was. There is also a liberal use of profanities scattered throughout the book.

This is a tale of Roman soldiers told from the bottom of the pile. No use for political niceties here.


Mr Bumblebee

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A debut novel set in the Roman Empire and fictionalises the battle between the Romans and the Germans... It sounds epic. It sounds amazing and it sounds bloody. It was definitely bloody. 

It is AD 9. In Northern Europe, an army is dying, and an empire is being brought to its knees.

The Roman Empire is at the height of its power. Rome's soldiers brutally enforce imperial rule, and its legions are the most efficient and aggressive fighting force in the world. Governor Varus leads 15,000 seasoned legionnaires north to subdue the Germanic tribes. To Rome, these people are savages, ripe for conquest. But the Romans know little of this densely forested territory governed by fiercely independent chieftains. Rome's supposed ally, Arminius, has unified the disgruntled tribes, leading the would-be conquerors towards a deadly trap. As the army marches deeper into enemy territory, one small band of soldiers must face the deadliest of foes, alone.

The first half of this book did nothing to capture my attention at all. I didn't find myself gripped by the story or the characters, which was a massive shame because the first half of the book had so much potential! I think the characters didn't grip me because there were just so many of them to keep track of in the beginning and so I kept getting their nicknames all mixed up. Plus, because our protagonist tells the army that he can't remember anything about his past, I couldn't really connect with him about anything. He was just... there.

It was a sort of mystery book though because event though Felix tells his comrades that he can't remember anything, we as the reader knows that he does because he keeps letting out little hints to us about how he remembers certain things. We don't actually find out about his past until the very end, and even then, it just seemed really far-fetched and confusing. To be honest, the ending itself gave me whiplash. One minute, he decides something, then goes back on it, the changes his mind again and again. Like... seriously? No. At the end though, I was content with his decision but he still really annoyed me. I had grown to like his character but he kind of let me down towards the end.





"At times, I was at peace with my place in the world, feeling not a care for my past, or my future. At other moments, I felt as if a boulder was on my chest, crushing me with the weight of my depression... If not already broken, I would say that my mind was breaking."

- Geraint Jonest, Blood Forest





The second half of the book is where things really get going. I think I was at about 46%(?) when I started really binge reading because I was so into the story. It's also around this point where Felix starts to bond with the other troops and starts to care for them and because of this, I felt myself also bonding with the characters (but still not really liking Felix). I mean, come on, how could you not like Chickenhead and his kitten?!

The second half was fast paced, action packed and full of feels. We saw bodies get chopped up, rage fill every single troop in the army and we also witness a stealth mission through a dangerous forest. I loved it. If it wasn't for the second half, I would have given up completely.

This book is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It is full of vicious killings that are described in graphic detail and there is pretty much every swear word ever known to man in the book so yeah... if you're not a big fan of those things, you definitely shouldn't read this book. Otherwise, go for it and jump straight in. Just be weary of the first half because it drags.

Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a gory Roman read. It's an ok book for a debut and I look forward to reading what Jones comes up with next.

Side note: I know I've rated this book 2 stars but my real rating it 2.5

Warning: this book contains triggers for death, suicide and war. 

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Released 27th June

Anything set in the Roman era instantly grabs my interest. I was looking forward to reading Blood Forest by Geraint Jones!

The first thing to say about this book is it is not for the squeamish, or if you dislike swearing. Films have ratings on them and this book made me think that the same should be true for novels. There were some graphic, gory scenes scattered throughout that would not be appropriate for younger readers.

The story is told from the first-person narrative by a soldier the reader only knows as Felix. After being found at a scene of carnage, Felix is taken in by the army. But he doesn’t remember who he is, or how he came to be at that site in the first place.

At least, that is what the characters are led to believe. From the reader’s perspective, we know he remembers more than he is letting on. But, just like his friends, we’re left in the dark about what haunts him.

While this is an effective technique – you want to keep reading just to discover what Felix is hiding, never mind everything else! – it also means that I struggled to connect with the characters. When you know the main character is hiding something big that terrifies him every night, it’s hard to relate and connect to him.

Partly due to Felix’s reluctance to get to know his new comrades and partly because of their nicknames, it also took me a while to figure out who was who out of everyone else. For at least half the book, I felt detached from the story because I didn’t feel anything for any of the characters.

The second half of the book is stronger. Despite his intentions, Felix does start to bond with the men. Not only does this make him a more relatable character, it also clarifies the personalities of the others.

The majority of the book is either the camp marching from one location to the next, or a battle. Or, rather, the army being harassed and loosing! When I think about it, there isn’t a lot more to the plot than that, despite Felix’s mysterious past. Once you get to know the characters, however, the battle has more weight because you’re willing these men to survive. The second half certainly gripped me more than the first!

It isn’t the level of violence that I found uncomfortable in this book, it’s the intimacy of it. The men who are supposed to be the good guys are prepared to commit acts as atrocious as the bad guys. Again, this makes it hard to relate to the characters and empathise with their plight.

The ending left me bemused. Without spoiling anything, you do find out Felix’s past. But I personally found it so far-fetched with everything else that was happening, I was bemused rather than shocked by the revelation.

An enjoyable read that was too heavy at times to be considered entertainment.

A tale of treason
Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem set the standard for Roman army battle novels about forty years ago and I have struggled to find any which come close in quality. Breem combined excellent Classical knowledge with a gritty integrity and story-telling ability. In addition his world was believable. His soldiers behaved like soldiers, not like Hollywood constructs. In Blood Forest, I felt once again some of the magic of reading Eagle in the Snow all these years ago.
In a rapidly expanding sub-genre of Roman historical fiction, Jones captures the catastrophe of the Roman betrayal and defeat in the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 from the standpoint of the ordinary Roman legionary. Roman nobles, officers and governors play only a background role in this story – with one exception, the architect of the Roman defeat, the German Arminius. The narrative focuses closely on the legionary soldiers, as they are led in ignorance into a dreadful trap, and on their resilience in the face of impossible odds. The narrator, a soldier with a mysterious past, given the name Felix, as well as his tent mates are all granted interesting and convincing back stories. The slide into disaster begins at the edge of the soldiers’ consciousness, building to an unstoppable momentum. Best of all, the author in a novel with a known historical result, packs plenty of surprises, most of them entirely believable. The dark depths of the forest, the wind and the rain all contribute to the bleak tone of the narrative.
There are flaws. I nearly gave up on the novel with the prologue, which throws the reader straight into the carnage of the Teutoburg Forest, as a sort of taster of things to come or bait for the impatient reader. Like Gregory Solon’s Three Legions, which explores the same territory, this novel builds up to its explosive climax. The language is very strong, the violence is visceral, but I never once thought it was gratuitous.
At its apocalyptic close, the author allows himself space for a possible sequel. I would certainly read it, but wonder if the ending would be best left where it is.

Thriller which makes you sense you're in the midst of battle:
In Battle you depend on your friends to survive.
This novel is a must read for readers who follow Simon Scarrow's Macro and Cato series. The only difference being that the author, Geraint Jones, focuses on one "section" within a Century. A section comprises eight men plus its two leaders. By concentrating on a limited number of Roman Soldiers the author is able to bring each to life as you read.
The story is narrated through the eyes of Felix, the a sole surviving Soldier of a massacre bloodlust by Germans of 12 Roman soldiers in the most gristly fashion. Felix joins a section of Governor Verus's Army which belatedly seeks to destroy the native Germans.
But deceit, stupidity and arrogance are to prove Verus unfit to lead 3 Roman legions. Especially as he leads them straight into a German trap.
Will the Section and its members survive the battle of attrition which the Germans wage against the Romans?
In battle you depend on the members of your section for mutual survival and the author succeeds ever so brilliantly in getting this message across.
Possessing a superb flowing narrative we are transported back two thousand years to a time when the Roman Empire was at its strongest. However we soon learn that an Army used to fighting its battles in open ground can struggle when the enemy uses the natural terrain to its full advantage. In this case in the Forest.
The story is in a sense timeless in the sense that it rolls all the various campaigns Rome fought against the Germans into one.
This book is not for the feint hearted: there is lots of blood and gore. I wouldn't describe the violence as gratuitous: Geraint Jones simply describes the reality of battle in that age. It has a good storyline with several twists as we learn the inner workings of the minds of soldiers as they live out a life never knowing how long they have to live. Felix's section boasts controversial characters who are as likely to fight one another than the Germans. Until called upon the bonds of friendship emerge through a sea of comic dialogue.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to others especially readers of Roman Historical Fiction.

This was a very absorbing story full of action, set during the famous massacre in Teutoburg Forest in Germany of the Roman army. The main crux of the novel involves that of a small group of the soldiers, their friendship, rivalry and loyalties.
Including exciting battles, that are intense, brutal and very graphic. Good characters that are well fleshed d out and concentrating on the daily grind of army life. Although set in the Roman army, I think the enduring friendships, and comradeship would be the same in any army environment including those of today.
I found the book really absorbing and would recommend it.

loved it, such an interesting take on history, great to see the setting different for the usual Britian/Hadrians wall from so many similar book.
great action and huge tension. first person narrative takes a bit of getting used to but well worth it, very much looking forward to the second instalment.

Blood Forest is an intense and gory debut from Geraint Jones. Set in AD 9, Blood Forest follows a Roman legionnaire through the campaign to subdue the Germanic tribes of northern Europe. The hero, Felix, has forgotten (or hidden) his true name and origins providing a layer of mystery to the character.

This is heavy on action and gore but the plot is limited and the characters are underdeveloped (possibly because so many die off). The ending was disappointing with little of the plot resolved and leaving the surviving characters 'up in the air', everything is teed up for a follow on.

If you want an idea of what it was like to fight in the Roman army 2000 years ago then you might well enjoy this (I am not sure how historically accurate it is), I didn't really care and just wanted it to finish as soon as possible - sort of the equivalent of watching a movie with your hands over your eyes and peeping through the cracks. I'll pass on the next one.

One of the difficulties besetting authors of historical fiction is how to maintain interest in a story when the whole world and its brother already knows the ending. One way round this is to see the events through the eyes of a relatively minor character who will feature only minimally, if at all, in the histories, and who may therefore be allowed to escape the fate of the main protagonists. Such a one is Felix, amnesiac deserter lost in the German woods who unwittingly falls in with the army of General Varus, the man destined to lose his life, his soldiers, and his eagles at the hands of Arminius, aka Herman, a one-time German protegé of Rome.
Geraint Jones has certainly done his research, and the world he depicts reeks authenticity. The whole "Engineering Corps with weapons" aspect of Legion life and the rough-and-tumble life of soldiers on the move is shown with great insight. Arminius is charismatic, cunning, and has learned his lessons well from Rome. Felix himself is a damaged individual intent only on flight to Britain where he feels he will never have to be involved with the Legions again. The tragic Varus is a victim of gullibility and his own Roman arrogance.
The settings are believable, the dialogue flows naturally, and Blood Forest, is a damn good read. I'd put this up with Cornwell and Iggulden in terms of its readabilty and attention to detail - I read it in one sitting. My only quibble - a lack of leavening of the atmosphere - is explicable largely by the disastrous circumstances looming over the actors in this drama. It is a very Aristotelian tragedy indeed.

Gore filled novel of Rome and it's defeat in the German forests. Told from the view of a mysterious hero and the group of soldiers he is forced to serve and fight amongst. Beautifully graphic the action is unrelenting all the way to an ending that says "to be continued ",hopefully soon. Splendid!

My knowledge of Roman legions was limited at best, but I enjoy historical war books, so gave this one a go.

Geraint Jones has written a book that has a gritty backbone to it and which some readers might find uncomfortable but it is well worth sticking with. This is a book about the people involved in warfare and the emotions viewed are as relevant to a 20th century battlefield as the ones in which they are based. Jones draws you in, making you root for people to do well where, lifted from this book and dropped into a different tale, they would be vilified and disliked.

This is not just a war story, but one about people and those elements that make each of us unique and yet the same. It is a book that belongs in a series of books and yet stands alone as a one off tale. It made me want to research Roman legions to better understand this army that ransacked a continent, but did not leave me feeling uneducated in my lack of knowledge.

Jones has certainly made his way on to my "author watch" list and I look forward to other books from him.

I must first make two things very clear 1) I don't like Ancient Rome/the Romans and I have no interest in studying it because I'm an Anglo-Saxonist 2) I tried to give this book a 4 star but I've had to give it a 5.

I am, I must confess, conflicted by those two points above! However, for all that I don't like books on Ancient Rome or the Romans (to me the Romans are all about sandals and skirts - and sandals are mentioned quite a few time) this story by Geraint Jones is stunning. I devoured it in two days and the reason I've opted for the 5 star is because the storyline infected my dreams last night and that means it's had a big impact on me. In case you want to know, it was the cover and the title that made me want to read the book.

I can not, and won't, attest to any historical accuracy in this story. As I said, I'm not a Roman historian however, the majority of this novel is about a small group of men, in a much larger army, and the events take place so far from Rome that the whole Roman 'thing' isn't actually all that important. This is a story of men, battle and comradeship, and perhaps, honour. It is very brutal, it is filled with foul language and hideous images of death and the dying.

The author manages to avoid stereotyping his Roman soldiers, and all of the 'main' small group (Felix, Titus, Moon, Rufus, Chicken, Micon, Cnaeus and Pavo) have something to add to the story. It is told in the first person - which makes for a quick and easy read anyway - but our main character - whose name we only find out very late on in the novel and who we must call 'Felix' as the rest of the cast do - is an intriguing, if conflicted individual. And to be honest, most of the soldiers are conflicted - in the descriptions of the way the men deal with the violent conflict they find themselves in - the author spares nothing in allowing them to be twisted and changed by the many violent actions they've taken part in, or are forced to take part in, and while we may deplore their acts with our more modern sensibilities - so much of this novel is life and death that we too end up accepting what they're doing.

The reader might not like all of the men, I don't think we're meant to, but that means that we can respect the actions they take.

Even if you don't like Roman historical fiction, I would still recommend this novel to you. The writing style is fresh, the battle scenes well told so that even though there are many battle scenes, they never feel repetitive, and although I think the weakest part of the novel might well be its ending, when all the secrets and lies are exposed about the truth of the men making the decisions for the army that Felix and his comrades are a member of, I would still be interested in reading more about Felix.