Winter Quarters (Cassell Military Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Alfred Duggan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cassell Military Paperbacks

Camul and Acco were both Gauls of the Pyrenees living at the time of Julius Caesar, both young and proud of their noble descent; Acco, also an Ovate training to be a Druid. In avenging the girl he loved Acco brought upon himself the curse of the Goddess; and in consequence both men left home to join the Roman army. The story tells of their adventures and travels which took them to Rome and across the greater part of the Empire as far as its Eastern rim. Duggan includes a brilliant account of the fate of Marcus Crassus's expedition of seven Roman legions and Gallic cavalry which set out to plunder Seleucia and met with the Parthian horse-bowmen under their leader the Surenas. 'WINTER QUARTERS covers a remarkable amount of ground, and covers it convincingly...Mr Duggan throws the strengths and weaknesses of the era into sharp relief...damnably skilful' Sunday Times

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Winter Quarters covers a remarkable amount of ground, and covers it convincingly. Mr Duggan throws the strengths and weaknesses of the era into sharp relief... damnably skillful' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Alfred Duggan was born in Argentina in 1903. He was educated at Eton College and Oxford. He worked for the British Natural History Museum collecting specimens and travelled extensively pursuing his job for the museum. From 1938-1941, when he was discharged as medically unfit, he served in the London Irish Rifles and saw active service in Norway. His first book was published in 1950. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cassell military
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304366099
• ISBN-13: 978-0304366095
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,523,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy read, May 20, 2006

By 

Colin P. Lindsey (Manchester, NH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winter Quarters (Paperback)

As a big fan of historical fiction, particularly that which deals with Rome, I constantly see this book pop up at me on Amazon due to many of the purchases I have made in the past. After a year I succumbed to Amazon's marketing acumen and purchased the darn thing, mostly because it seemed like I had read every other piece of historical fiction dealing with the Roman legions that I could find. I put off purchasing this book for two reasons. One was that it was written quite a while back and the other is that it dealt with two Gauls and not with the legions themselves.

I suspect many of you reading this are looking at this book for much the same reason as I have, so let me assure you that this is a truly good book and I enjoyed it. It was historically immersive, culturally accurate, and you get to tromp through ancient Rome environs, from Gaul to Scythia, with protagonists who are interesting, believable, and who tell a fascinating story. This was a winner and a fine addition to my collection and I recommend it. I will certainly be purchasing more novels from this author; it will help with the waiting for the next Simon Scarrow installment! For those interested in more great fiction books dealing with Rome and her legions I have compiled a listmania list, but I am not sure how you navigate to it. Good luck, and good reading.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally back in print..., April 21, 2005

By 

kimina2 (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winter Quarters (Paperback)

My first encounter with Duggan was the purchase of a used copy of the novel "Family Favourites", which is about the Roman Emperor Elgalabulus. It was so good that I could not wait to read his other works. Recently, Winter Quarters and another novel, Three's Company, have come back into print. Apparently, many of his novels will be reprinted over the next few years. (You can check Amazon's UK website for details) I purchased both and read Winter Quarters first. The book description above is fairly accurate. The story involves two Gauls, Acco and Camul, who join up with Ceasar's legions after they are forced to leave home due to a confrontation with "The Goddess". The story is told from Camul's point of view. The story opens with Camul on a Parthian border outpost. He then tells another warrior his tale, hence the story of Winter Quarters. Camul and Acco wind up attached to Crassus's son and wind up joining him on his invasion of Parthia. I look forward to reading Duggan's other novels. If you enjoy reading ancient historical fiction, I highly recommend Duggan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plain, humble, and very entertaining, January 16, 2008

By 

Andariel Halo "Disillusioned Smark" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Winter Quarters (Paperback)

Winter Quarters tells a familiar tale from an unfamiliar point of view. With so much research and interpretations of late-Republic Rome, this book recalls the Rome of Caesar, Pompeius, and Crassus, from the point of view of minor noble Gauls Acco and Camul. In their home village, Acco's love Grane is mauled to death by a bear in the woods, and Acco then kills the bear. From the warning of an old woman who witnessed it, he believes "The Goddess", whose name is almost never used, has cursed him for slaying her bear.

To avoid her wrath, Acco and Camul go to join the Romans, with whom their tribe is at peace with, and join Caesar on his campaign against the other tribes. From there, they join Publius Licinius Crassus, and his father Marcus's campaign east to attack the Parthians.

The text is very plain and humble, without Pressfield-esque literary richness, or McCullough-esque description of politics, people, and history. The narrator, Camul, is very optimistic, relatively untouched by traumas of hard marches and fierce battles, with only honor and pride in his head and heart.

Despite this lack of lush writing or historical density, the book is far from dry, as the story holds enough interest to keep one reading through all its 234 pages, from the distant Gallic tribe bordering Iberia they come from, to the deserts of Syria and the battlefield of Carrhae, and to the barren Sea of Grass in the middle of Asia, where the narrator's story ends.

Not a phenom of a novel, but an entertaining read.