Blood Forest - Geraint Jones, Penguin

Gladiator meets Platoon in this spectacular debut where honour and duty, legions and tribes clash in bloody, heart-breaking glory Twelve Roman legionaries have been massacred. A bloodied individual is found among the dead. He has no idea who he is, or where he's been. Only that he is a soldier. Forced to join Governor Varus's army - fifteen thousand seasoned legionaries - he heads north to subdue the hostile Germanic tribes. The army marches deep into enemy territory, a densely forested land of deadly traps and merciless foes. As battle begins, Varus's army is swiftly destroyed. Trapped in the forest, the soldier must band together with a small group of survivors who neither trust nor believe in him. If they fight together they have a slim chance of staying alive. But which side is the soldier on? And is it the right one?