One of my favorite novels by Taylor Caldwell is Dynasty of Death which I read in the late sixties. Caldwell's writing held a fascination for me so it was natural that I would read The Eagles Gather, the sequel to Dynasty. The saga continued but dealt this time more with the fortunes and misfortunes of the somewhat decadent inheritors of the Bouchard and Barbour estate than with the sweep of the munitions industry itself. The setting is, I should say, two generations beyond the main body of the previous novel. The families have continued to intermarry, and their integrity seems to have dissipated in conflict over power, show, wealth and personalities. However it is still a story of brother against brother with a new generation and new names. Christopher, cold-blooded schemer is out to "get" the brother who holds the titular headship, and uses other family members for his own ends. Two new characters are introduced; one is an idealist, the other more unscrupulous than all the rest and willing to show that it takes a thief to catch a thief. Mayhem ensues and while it is lively it does not equal the depth of emotions in the previous novel. Nonetheless Taylor Caldwell can tell a good story; but her characters are often unappealing. This novel would be best read by the true aficionados of Caldwell's magical fictional imagination. ( )