Review: The Boar and the Eagle by Jesse Fokke

Title: The Boar and the Eagle: All of Gaul is divided and the Eagle approaches
Author: Jesse Fokke
Publication: October 4, 2024
Genre: Historical Fiction
Find it on: Amazon | Jessefokke.com
Rating: 5/5★

Publius Crassus is a promising youth at the forefront of Rome’s nobility, who is eager to crawl out from underneath his father’s tall shadow. He joins the equally loved and reviled politician Julius Caesar on a military adventure to the fabled land of Gaul. But when the reality of a bloody war unfolds in front of his eyes, young Crassus quickly learns that there is little glory to be found on the battlefield. He is forced to decide what kind of man he wants to be, in the face of one of the most momentous and monstrous wars of antiquity.

The Boar and the Eagle is the debut novel of Jesse Fokke. It revives the ancient world as it has never been experienced before, combining compelling characters and a thrilling story with the backdrop of a realistic depiction of the ancient world in the last century before our age. It features 11 hand-drawn maps and a wonderfully rich appendix. This exciting novel is a great read for lovers of historical fiction and fans of ancient Rome, who enjoy the works of Robert Harris, Simon Scarrow and Conn Iggulden.

I absolutely loved reading The Boar and The Eagle by Jesse Fokke. I had such a good time with it! It’s quite the chunky read so it took me a little while to finish it but it was all so very worth it. It’s also the author’s debut and it’s definitely one of the more impressing debut novels I have read in recent years. I could tell how much effort and dedication went into this book.

The Boar and the Eagle depicts the events preceding the Gallic Wars under Caesar’s command. I can’t say I’ve read many books set in ancient times featuring this particular topic, at least not in a fictional novel. I genuinely liked learning about this chapter of ancient Roman history as well as getting to know the characters whether they were prominent people from history or not. I especially liked Publius Licinius Crassus, the main character of the book. I was really invested in his journey.

Publius Licinius Crassus is the son of the famous Marcus Licinius Crassus (who is also known as the richest man of Rome). As the synopsis says, Publius is eager to crawl out from underneath his father’s shadow. His chance has finally come when he goes on campaign in Gaul with none other than Julius Caesar where Publius, eager as he is, gets command of the cavalry. As the months go by Publius learns the grim truth about leadership and war. It’s far more complex than he imagined and war is brutal and unforgiving. His fate and that of the other soldiers hangs in the balance.

This book was thoroughly researched by the author and the focus on historical accuracy was definitely maintained, which is something I find important in historical fiction. All of the characters were engaging to read about and the humor that was added now and again in the story provided a welcome relief from the brutal battles that took place. It was effectively balanced like that!

The Boar and the Eagle by Jesse Fokke draws the reader into the ancient world of Roman might and doesn’t let go until the very end. Fans of Robert Harris and Ben Kane will absolutely devour this book!

Some amazing maps from the book provided and made by Jesse Fokke:

An excerpt from the book:

“Apollonius?” he shouted.

His servant entered within moments. “Domine?”

“Come help me get this off, will you?” Crassus said, patting his leather cuirass. He didn’t look Apollonius in the eye.

“Yes, domine,” Apollonius nodded, but as he approached his master he paused for a moment. “Are you alright?”

Crassus waved distractedly. “Yes, it’s… It’s been quite a day, brother.”

The slave sat down on the bed beside him, and busied himself with the straps of the cuirass, while Crassus spoke. 

“Aureus acted out quite a bit today,” he murmured, steering the conversation in a direction more comfortable than recounting the pursuit of the fleeing Helvetii.

“Oh? What did he do then? Did he buck you?”

“No, no… Just… He didn’t listen. A lot of head-shaking, you know?”

“I see, well, battle is new to him, isn’t it?”

Crassus sighed, with quivering breath. “It is… It’s his first time. He went in every direction, like…”

“Do you think he’ll get used to it?” Apollonius asked softly, as he peeled away the clammy leather armour from Crassus’ body. 

Crassus sat there limply, not being particularly helpful. If Apollonius was puzzled that the subject of Crassus’ horse troubled his master so, he didn’t voice it.

Crassus sighed again, his breath only slightly less serrated than it had been before. 

He stared off into a distance greater than his quarters accommodated.

“He might… Maybe, we’ll see.”

“I’m sure he’ll cope eventually,” Apollonius said soothingly. “He’s a good boy.”

Then there were a few moments of silence, as Apollonius hung the cuirass and helmet from a rack and took Crassus’ sword from the sheath, hanging the sword belt gingerly from the rack and eyeing the sword for a moment. There were dark red stains on the sword, as well as strands of hair caked to the blood. Apollonius sheathed it without comment.

“Would you like to bathe, domine? I’ve run a bath for you.”

“I’d like that,” Crassus said, his voice so husky it almost came out as a whisper.

Neither spoke for many moments, as the servant led his master to the steaming bath in the other room, like a shepherd leading a meek little lamb. The silence was thick as mud.

Finally, as Apollonius was scraping the dirt and blood from his master’s skin with a strigil, he found the courage to ask. “So… Is it truly this business with Aureus that has got you so flustered?”

“Pour me some wine,” Crassus said.

“As you wish,” Apollonius replied, laying down the strigil on a table. He left the room for a few brief moments and reappeared with a wineskin and a clay cup.

“Drink with me,” Crassus said, not looking up.

“Domine?”

“You heard me.”

Apollonius disappeared once more and reappeared with a second cup. He poured wine generously and then asked, “Watered or—”

“Unwatered.”

Apollonius handed him a cup and waited for Crassus to drink before he drank himself. But Crassus didn’t drink yet. In this other room, he had again found a place beyond the walls to stare at, with glassy eyes, slightly trembling.

After a while, Apollonius drew a breath for another attempt, but before he could speak, Crassus did. “It was horrible, Apollonius. I killed them. I killed the lot.”

“The warriors of the Helvetii?”

“Hah! Them too. They were nearly as helpless as their women and children.” Crassus took a big draft of unwatered wine.

Apollonius drank too. “There were women and children?”

“Hundreds of them,” Crassus said, his bottom lip quivering. “Upon thousands. All as helpless as babes. Well, there were also babes. We rode those poor wretches down, cornered them, burned them. There was nowhere they could go.”

He now started to sob more freely, shaking more heavily. “I joined in the slaughter. I lost count of how many I killed. The tragedies I saw, they cut me like a knife. Mothers witnessing their children being killed. Men howling with anguish after seeing their friends fall. The rape… Oh, all the ravaging going on.”

“You did what you had to do.”

Crassus wiped his face. “Did I? Yes… Yes, I suppose I did. Still, I guess I had hoped I wouldn’t have to kill women and children.”

“I suspect you’ll have to kill many more before this is done, domine,” Apollonius said with an earnest face. “You’re going to have to get used to it.”

“Thank you for your comforting words,” Crassus said wretchedly.

“I’m sorry, domine, but have I said anything untrue? Isn’t this how war goes?”

“It is, it is…” Crassus replied, gasping for air. “You’re right, of course. I’ll witness a lot more butcher’s work before I return home. I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy it, though.”

Apollonius laid his hand on Crassus’ wet shoulder and squeezed it. “I am very glad to hear that.”

If you’d like to buy the book yourself you can use my coupon code for 5% off: BOOKFEVER

https://jessefokke.com/?ref=Bookfever