Check out the cover for Gerald Van Slyke’s “The Three Eagles: AD 42-43”
Now available!
A novel of the Roman invasion of Britain,
of the First Century Church,
of some of the men and women who
“turned the world upside down…”
and of course,
the story of a man who loved a woman.
Editorial Reviews
In Gerald Van Slyke’s Historical Novel, The Three Eagles, the settings and events are realistic, immersive, and based in fact. He establishes just the right balance for the tone of the book, which explores the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 A.D. with a fictional account of the Christian missionaries who brought the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth to the Celts and Saxons. Historical writing requires many explanations and details, yet the pace of the writing never falters. The battle scenes are vividly real. Roman politics, social order and military details, tactics, and overall strategy have been comprehensively researched. The fictional elements and characters are thoroughly believable. A compelling, fascinating read. Five Stars.
–Glenn Schiffman, author
The Three Eagles taught me more interesting details about first century Roman culture and everyday life in the Roman army than any college history class. Throw in strong characters, a dramatic plot, and a fascinating story of Jesus’ Apostles walking around as regular people in common social situations and you have a terrific read.
–Jake How, author
The Three Eagles, is a work of historical fiction. The Roman Empire goes to war to lay claim to the British Isles. Author Vanslyke portrays in-depth battle scenes and plenty of intrigue that lovers of ancient history will appreciate. This is a story of love, hate and war written by a military man with a sense for accurate history.
–Marie F Martin, author
When I finished this book I wanted to keep reading and I can’t say that about many fiction books on Rome. You’d think I would like Roman historical fiction, but I rarely do. This one I liked. I am ready for the next one. I thought the story employed just the right amount of cynicism about motives and behavior. It seems like there is some wisdom evident in there! I like the way Claudius is portrayed. He knew he was regarded as a lightweight buffoon, but knew a bit about how to combat that perception and how to mostly ignore it so he could enjoy his scholarship. I thought the pace was remarkably good. I have always felt it must be difficult for authors to develop a whole book with events and revelations occurring at the right places to move the story forward and not do too much too soon nor bog down by doing too little for many pages. You got the pace right. Leaving the supernatural part of Christianity until near the end was good. It allowed time for the story to develop before asking the reader to accept Christian miracles, which the reader is ready to do by the time they appeared. The title is good and the cover artwork excellent. It is missing the usual fair maiden with cleavage. The book had the fair maiden, but the cover didn’t. Good for you! The afterward discussion of what was real and what was not was by itself worth the price of the book. Sometimes (often) historical fiction is more impressive and memorable than book learning and I like to know what actually corresponds to our best guess as to real history. It’s a fine work and I’ll recommend it to my church book group.
–Warren Esty, Ph.D.
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