Varus

by Iris Kammerer

Zwei Männer - ein Nie war eine Schlacht so verheerend

Publius Quinctilius Varus war ein Mann von Charakter, Stärke und viel Vertrauen in die Seinen. Denn sonst hätte der römische Statthalter die Zeichen deuten können, die er übersehen wollte. Hinweise darauf, dass der Cherusker Arminius nicht zuallererst sein enger Vertrauter war, sondern im Herzen immer noch Germane – und als Germane die römischen Unterdrücker auf brutalste Weise zu vernichten plante. Die Varusschlacht tötete 20.000 Menschen – Männer, Frauen, Kinder – und gilt als Schicksalsstunde Europas.

• Der Roman zum Jubilä 2.000 Jahre Varusschlacht
• Nach der „Cinna“-Trilogie begeistert Iris Kammerer mit einem neuen großen Roman
• Faszinierend, actionreich und spannend wie Bernard Cornwell

Genres: Historical Fiction, German Literature, Historical

462 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jane]

Another treatment of Teutoberg, the Varusschlacht, this time a gripping version by a German writer. This novel, with the battle as background, follows three characters and their fates: Titus Annius, a soldier originally from Hispania so badly wounded in previous fighting he had been taken out of action, made a scribe and attached to Varus' staff; Thiudgif, a German slave whom Annius wins in a dice game and later frees; and the senatorial Tribune, the awkward and lonely Gaius Caelius Caldus. He also lacks self-confidence but hopes to please his senatorial father back home. Varus is presented as kindly and not inept but with a blind spot as far as Arminius is concerned. We see that his failing leads directly to the eventual slaughter. Is that possibly why the title bears his name as his actions overshadow everything else and he is a catalyst for what follows? He will brook no talk of betrayal by his "golden boy". The fighting per se was as gory as any other book I've read. So many soldiers are killed, even Annius is pressed into action. After the battle, the officers, including Caldus, are captured by the enemy and suffer a grisly fate. After bearing torture and prepared for human sacrifice, Caldus dashes his own brains out. Annius berates himself over and over that he hadn't been able to save his life; the two had become friends, despite class difference. Thiudgif leads a group from the baggage train to safety, just as Annius leads a small group of soldiers with him. He is the the only one left as the others die. The last being his good friend and fellow scribe Sabinus, who dies of complications from serious wounds. There were intimations of a burgeoning love between Annius and Thiudgif; will they find each other again after being separated?

I enjoyed following the stories of these three, of their treks, and of their feelings. The novel was simply enough written. There was much action, but the author concentrated on her characters' psychology. Several incidents were so poignant I had a lump in my throat.

Highly recommended.

[Gerhard Venter]

Iris Kammerer had no choice but to make this book more fiction than fact. Because two entire legions were annihilated by the German tribes in the Teutoburg forest in 9 AD, nobody knows exactly what happened during the battle. So she had to make it up. And she did it well. Very enjoyable work of fiction.

The history part has always made my hair stand on end. Towards the end, it was definitely not combat anymore, but simply murder, ending in torture and human sacrifice. A few years later, Roman legions that came to avenge the slaughter found heaps of bones and skulls nailed to trees, among other evidence of sacrifice and torture. What stands out in Kammerer's book is how long it took. It takes almost a week to kill more than 20,000 people by hand.

Eeeeuw.

[Mareike]

As a young woman who wouldn't normally pick a "book like this", I loved the little built-in romance. It catches different target groups. Espeically age groups under the 40 limit.

[Martin]

We learn how a Roman Beneficarius, a senatorial tribunus and a Germanic slave girl experienced the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. As the exact circumstances of this decisive defeat of three Roman legions are still unknown - and will probably remain so given the sources - the author doesn't dabble too much into the political background, but focuses on her characters. Showing a Roman perspective the Germanic men (not the females, mind you) are described as raw barbarians, brutal and treacherous. The only downer really. Nice and easy read.

[Alex Jahnke]

Faszinierende Erzählung der Varus-Schlacht aus Sicht der Römer gegen einen nicht greifbaren Feind.