Attila the Hun doesn’t really need that much of an introduction.  We all have some vague notion of how he was.  Roman botherer supreme, he became king of Hunnic Empire in 434 and then spent the next 20 years attacking both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

The first section of the book is for me the most interesting as I thought the Huns were Germanic – but apparently they are from much further East.  The book also talks about the nomadic society of the Hun. 

It was this nomadic horseback lifestyle that made the Hun far superior to anything the Roman or Gothic cavalry had encountered before. According to the book, the early encounters, the romans didn’t even know who the hun were.

There is an interesting photo section with pictures of some of the weaponry and shows the Hun bow and swords they used ( the sword looks like a cossack sabre – just saying).

I love all the fragments of meeting notes  and documents that are peppered throughout the book.  This gives you more of a first hand account of who the Hun were treated and how anxious the romans were about Attila. 

I found this a really, really good read and I now have a better understanding of who he was and this period of time.  Combined with my recent read of the Battle of Cataluanian Fields – I have a much better understanding and it is quote staggering to think he could have made it all the way to the Atlantic coast.

Personally, I think Ian Hughes has done a great job with this book and one that will stay on my bookcase.

You can buy this book from Pen and Sword Books

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

I have been looking forward to reading this book for a while, as I recently acquired a steel Montante. I had always seen this weapons in museums and had a fascination about who these things could possibly be used.

They do look ceremonial in nature, but the more and more I use it, the more I see how effective it is for a variety of uses.

One of first things the book covers is the different countries styles each two handed sword had and there are different characteristics for each.

This book doesn’t cover actually using the weapon in any great detail, there are plenty of treatise and work being carried on that front. This book fills the gap on the historical element of the sword and its development and use on the battlefield.

There are lots and lots of pictures of two handed swords and I feel this book is a great addition to anyone’s library who has an interest in big swords.

The author uses images to work out how the sword was used in combat. There are again, lots of images, useful, as I had not seem lots of these. There are also reference to some sword treatise and use of pictures from some of the fechtbuchs.

Overall I would say a great read and would help the HEMA Montante or great sword trainer get a much better understanding of the weapon they are researching and using. I know I have.

You can buy this book direct from Pen and Sword Books

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

When I was a kid, the main warfare we read about were land based conflicts during the Greek and Roman periods. Battle of Marathon and Thermopylae – that kind of stuff..

Yet I still remember reading and seeing pictures of biremes and triremes and being fascinated by their battering ram hulls.

That said, I only ever thought about the shops of this periods as troop carriers and never really thought that naval warfare existed.

Owen Rees’ book has certainly changed that, and I want to find out more.

The book itself is well laid out and for a book of this type I like the format of each battle and it is actually a real easy read.

I love the naval tactics section and glossary as well. I now know what a “diekplous” is.

Also the “kyklos” which must have been an amazing feat of seamanship to get these big ships in a circle with rams facing out. I don’t like parallel parking, so imagine trying it with a ship.

Each battle is broken down into background, forces, the battle, and aftermath.

While I am not going to start fighting on board ship, it is an amazing read. I can see this been a great book for scholars and wargammers.

You can buy this book direct from Pen and Sword Books

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.