Rolf Devinci

Being a fan of the Arthurian legend since childhood I was intrigued by Artorius and the book's premise that the roots of the legend lies with a second century Roman officer. Published in 2022 by Amberley this is an enjoyable read. Malcor and Matthew present a compelling argument backed up by in depth research, logical assumptions and convincing speculations. Purchased via Amazon the hard cover book details the life and career of Lucius Artorius Castus in an easy to read chronological format compete with illustrations and photos.

 Legions of Rome - The Definitive History of Every Imperial Legion by Stephen Dando-Collins. Purchased on Amazon this hardcover edition published by St. Martin's Press does not disappoint. Slightly oversized this book is definitely an impressive work of research. Not only does it offer chapters on the history of each imperial legion it also discusses the manpower, organization and tactics of the Roman empire. It also addresses the history of specific battles in detail.  To compliment the text are numerous illustrations, photos and maps. For such a grandiose subject it is an nformative, enjoyable and pleasant read. It is a fantastic resource and a must have for any fan of Roman history. Highly recommended.

 Purchased Gioal Canestrelli's Celtic Warfare from Amazon.  Published by Pen & Sword this is an excellent analysis on a subject that is often overlooked - the examination of Celtic martial culture from the fifth century BC to the first century AD. Too often the Celts of Europe are considered supporting actors and often overshadowed by the Roman empire. The irony being the influence the Celts had within the Roman world in terms of arms, armors and culture. The book is well constructed with bright white crisp pages and an easy to read text. It possesses an attractive cover art and comes with color plates depicting the evolution of Celtic military panoply. It also has numerous supporting illustrations of the text which is very helpful for the reader. Easy to read and follow as the author has presented the research in a nice chronological order. Great read. Recommended.

 Having purchased an actual straw archery target to replace my worn out DIY target bags I decided to take the plunge and acquire an archery specific backstop netting. Made from a tightly knitted synthetic fabric it was marketed as a netting to stop field point arrows. Currently I was using some kind of felted material as part of a permanent backstop which was showing its age after many years exposed to the elements. I liked the idea of a portable netting that could be carried to a location and set up between two trees or poles. It could add some diversity to my shooting and roving of the woods. A extra large beach bag would complete the ensemble of netting and target and let me discreetly transport both to a shooting location. The question was whether it would perform as advertised so off to the woods I went to do a product review. Using some paracord and the preholed grommets it was simple to hang the tarp as instructed with the bottom unsecured so it could billow and absorb the i...