Marius Mules Book One The Invasion of Gaul by S.J.A. Turney

This is the first of a series of novels based on the subjugation of Gaul by the Roman Legions under the command of Julius Caesar.   The first volume covers the campaign against the Helvetii and Caesar's pursuit of them into the west and the territory of major Gaulish tribes that are nominally at peace with Rome.
Turney makes his opinion of the Divine Julius quite clear, he is not a great general but a politician on the make and if that requires provoking the Gauls into a war with all the suffering that entails he is ready to do it.   He also appears indifferent to the losses inflicted on his own men which conflicts with much of the later legend that was built around him.
Other writers of Roman adventures set their stories among the lower ranks but Turney's main characters are the senior officers on Caesar's staff, not that they are averse to getting in the thick of the action if needed.   Turney is very good at showing the pressure under which those responsible for the conduct of the battles labour and the way that politics can intrude even when men are fighting for their lives.
Turney's main character, Fronto, is Legate of the Ninth Legion.   A bluff professional soldier he has turned his back on the prospect of political office that his senatorial familly expected of him which is why he has no illusions about Caesar.   His fellow officers are all rounded characters well drawn and believable with the hard drinking cynical attitudes that soldiers affect to get through the dangerous bits.   The action scenes, of which there are plenty, are well written as are the descriptions of the difficulties of getting large numbers of men into action in place and on time.  
I enjoyed this book so much that I have bought the three following volumes.   All I need now is the time to read them.