Attila the Hun (Command Book 31)

Attila the Hun's reputation as the ferocious leader of a bloodthirsty horde of ravagers has survived the centuries to the present day, in spite of, or perhaps because of, the scarcity of real information about the man who united the Huns into a potent military force in the years 430 to 452 of the common era. In "Attila the Hun", author Nic Fields takes on the limited information for a study in command, as part of the Osprey Series.Few credible accounts have survived from Attila's time. Indeed, Attila was much demonized by Christian Europe after his lifetime. The author does his best, out of the limited materials, to tell the story of his life, and to focus on his abilities as a commander. Certainly Attila was capable enough, and frightening enough, to run what amounted to an extortion racket at the expense of the rapidly fading Roman Empire. His few known military expeditions do however suggest real talent for the leadership of his very capable force. The author is quick to admit the limits of his resources, but make a honest effort to knock down some of the wilder legends. What remains is part fact, part reasonable surmise, and all of it a very readable introduction to a much vaunted leader. Recommended.

I found this book to be lacking in focus and detail regarding the subject of the book. I know little more about Attila the Hun than I did before reading this book. I do not recommend this book.

Nick Fields has never written a bad Osprey book !

After so much hype and misinformation, it is good to read factual accounts and and distillation of current academic thinking about Attila and the Huns. After all, if the Huns were such uncivilized, uncouth and savage people, why did they bother establishing a city in the form of Attila's capital as documented by the Roman ambassador Priscus in his memorable account of a diplomatic meeting and meal with the king of the Huns? Many myths are laid to rest in this book and as usual, the illustrations of Steve Noon give the reader many tools to discern between historic fact and myth and legends about the the migrant nation that may very well have laid the Roman Empire to rest.

This book, at only 64 pages long, should act as a short introduction to the life and times of Attila the Hun. Obviously you're not going to get much information from this book as you would from other more academic titles, so unless you're a diehard Osprey collector or someone who knows next to nothing about the infamous king of the Huns, there isn't much point in getting this book.As an introduction it keeps the information short, sweet and easily digestable. Like a typical Osprey book it contains plenty of maps, photographs and some excellent colour plates courtesy of Steve Noon. This book also deals lightly with controversial topics such as the supposed origins of the Huns - were they the Xiongnu of ancient Chinese records, ord did they originate elsewhere in central Asia? The author Nic fields treads the traditional line and avoids some of the modern scholarship presented by Dr. Christopher Kelly on his work on the Hunnic King.The book has some weak points, but that's mostly to do with the format. It's obvious that the 'Command' series of Osprey books were written with modern commanders in mind, as some sections of the book make little sense when you consider the dearth of primary sources from Attila's era. For instance in one part of the book we have a section that attemtps to delve into the mind of the general - this makes sense for men like Churchill, Napoleon etc where there's plenty of letters, diaries or other materials written by the men in question, but for the illiterate Hun leader we have nothing except descriptions by Romans, or a Gothic account written over a century after his death.All in all though, this isn't too bad. It's nicely written, the illustrations are great, and you could easily read it in one sitting. I'd recommend it as a good introductionary title, but those looking for something a bit meatier might be better served reading Professor Christopher Kelly's 'The End of Empire: Attila the Hun & Fall of Rome' or even John Man's lighterweight travelouge/history book on Attila the Hun .