Customer Reviews

THE CENTURIONS (V.1)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author brings the last third of the first century Roman empire to full bloom. For a period piece this has all of the essential elements. In twenty two chapters the author describes a world very different from ours while at the same time familiar in several aspects. There is romance, warfare, sibling rivalry, travel, politics, & a ton of personal angst.

But, at the heart of the story are two main themes. The unexpected romance between the Roman Centurion Correus with Freita a German slave girl. The conflict between the Romans & some Germanic tribes sets the stage for both the action & romance on the Roman empires northern border known as the "Agri Decumates." The six main characters are Correus, the son of a Roman general & a Gallic slave girl. Flavius, Correus' half-brother who is the legitimate son of Appius Julianus the former Legate of the tenth legion who fathered both. Aemelia, is the daughter who is promised in marriage to Flavius despite being madly in love with Correus. Freita is the very proud german slave girl who is saved from a harsh fate by Correus & they fall in love under the most difficult circumstances. For the Romans are at war with Nyall Sigmundson the Chieftain of her tribe the Semnones.

What was so appealing about this novel was that almost all of the characters were that they had depth & usually showed the human condition very well for a period piece. Whether it was a grudging admiration that the Romans & Germans showed each other, the sons seeking their fathers approval, or an almost never mentioned love affair between two slaves. This was a very fast & entertaining read.

This first volume is a story of two young brothers and junior officers coming of age in the same Roman legion on the German frontier. While some words are devoted to the politics and history of the time (A.D. 72 under Vespasian), the focus is on the brother's' rivalry for honors and women. The problem is that if you read this you will wish there were many more volumes in the series, but I have a feeling something bad happened to author or publisher. The name for the 2nd vol., set in Britain, changed. Some reviewers pan the third volume. The series stops far short of having the Appius brothers fight their way through all the frontier provinces (as the broad maps imply), and over as many women, and eventually try for the Imperium?

Book Creations, Inc. (Kent Family Chronicles, Wagons West) hired a capable and informed writer to fill out its plot for the series. The author is comfortable with Roman terms in context rather than ostentatiously didactic. I developed a respect and interest in the characters-Romans, slave, or free German-perhaps because all were handled sympathetically and we see them in their familes and marriages as well as on campaign as soldiers or warriors. Good maps and illustrations.

You know the plot.
If you have ANY imagination, ANY lust for adventure, a desire to be really gripped by a book, THIS is the one ( of two ) to read.
Unlike many novels, one becomes involved with both sides of the conflict and can empathize with both the "good guys" and the "bad guys". In reality, there are none the way the story is presented.

BTW, the second of two is the sequel: The Barbarian Princess.

The third: The Emperor's games....... buy at your own risk

Excellent first book of a regrettably short series based on a Roman family of the later first-century AD. Main characters, as described in other reviews are:
* Correus, slave-born son of a Roman general and a Gaulish slave girl;
* Flavius, his half-brother;
* Paulinus, the brothers' friend and future brother-in-law who a writer and spy for the Emperor;
* Freita, a German warrior woman bought by Correus;
* Nyall, the chieftain of the Germanic Semnone (also called Semone) tribe

The book's author is very knowledgeable about Roman life of that period - she (Damion Hunter is a pen-name for Amanda Cockrell) clearly has done her homework and she has a warm and relaxed touch in dealing with the various characters. The fact that she did equally detailed research into the Germanic tribes and describes both sides' home lives enables her to present a well-rounded and detailed picture of a colorful and vibrant period of history. the characters feel as though they are at home in the framework the author draws around them - there are no false notes or anachronistic touches as are far too common in such tales. Hunter does not gloss over the unpleasant facets of the era, but also does not allow them to overshadow the heroic story she is telling.

This volume, the first in what must have been planned as a long series, describes the brothers' coming of age, training for the Roman Centuriate (centurions were a cross between the modern-day officers and sergeants) and their first campaign in Germany. It also delves into the home-life and the conflicts between some of the principals.

Overall, the entire series is one I would highly recommend for anyone who enjoys both adventure and well-written characters. Of the three books in the series, this one has by far the most scenes of laugh-out-loud humor.

However, there is a caveat. For reasons unknown, the series came to a sudden and jarring halt after the third book. This was clearly unplanned by the author as there are many un-finished subplots left hanging. I suspect this is why the third book gets such low reviews - it is clearly intended to lead into further adventures and there is no resolution whatsoever to any of the characters' lives. If you want a clean conclusion to a series, don't start this one as there is no such conclusion. Otherwise, I highly recommend it.

This is a well-written historical novel about the adventures of two brothers serving with the Roman legions in Germany, a hundred years or so after Julius Caesar. For a better sample of this author's work, try The Legions of the Mist, which she wrote under her real name. She clearly loves that period in history, and has done her research.

THE CENTURIONS was the first in a series of books by Damian Hunter chronicling the adventures of a Roman military family during the "Pax Romana" of the First Century AD. It's a tightly-written, enjoyable combination of action, melodrama, intrigue and sex that features truly likable characters set against a skillfully illustrated historical backdrop.

THE CENTURIONS has a large cast of characters but centers primarily around Correus Julianus, the [...] (and slave-born) son of a famous Roman general. Correus has all the tools to follow in the old man's sandal-steps - he's handsome, brave, decent and ambitious - but the circumstances of his birth are an albatross in snooty Roman society, and it doesn't help that his natural sympathy for the downtrodden lead him to "collect strays." (These include a gorgeous German slave girl, an insolent street urchin, a ferocious horse, and an obnoxious cat.) Correus' life is further complicated by the fact that his noble half-brother Flavius is at once his best friend and his biggest enemy - Flavius draws strength from Correus but resents his superiority, as well as the fact that Correus' is his father's obvious favorite. Sent to the frontiers of the Empire to battle a rebellious tribe of German warriors, the two brothers spend as much time fighting each other as the enemy, and while the character of Flavius is given relatively short shrift in this volume, playing the role of a sulky-fragile rich boy, this merely gives Hunter the opportunity to flesh him out in the later books, an advantage he makes full use of. Correus, for his part, realizes that career ain't everything when he falls for the "inconvenient" slave girl, Frieta.

One of the more interesting aspects of THE CENTURIONS, however, is that it spends nearly as much time exploring the German tribesmen as the Romans - instead of an anonymous, spear-chucking horde bent on destroying civilization, we are introduced to a highly complex society, the Semnone Confederation, whose main goal is to preserve its independence from the Roman colossus. And in keeping with the theme of the book, the German leader, Nyall Sigmundson, has as much to fear from internal struggles and blood-feuds among his own people than he does from the "Eagle Armies" of the Romans. Indeed, if he can just convince his rivals that "united we stand", he may actually win the day - but it's a pretty hefty "if."

THE CENTURIONS is one of those books that elevates itself above its own genre limitations - ironically by not trying to be more than it is. Hunter was aiming for fast-paced, boldly drawn melodrama that stuck as close to historical accuracy as the demands of his story would allow. It certainly has its weaknesses - the battle scenes are rather predictable, Correus is often just a bit too heroic to be believable, and his commanding officers' have a suspicious habit of getting wounded or otherwise indisposed and leaving him in command (a trait which recurrs throughout the series), but none of this really matters. It's a solid beginning to a series that only got better as it went on. Highly recommended.

The story of two half-brothers, one noble, the other freed, and their training as young centurions, first postings in Germania, and their rivalry. Set against the backdrop of the early Roman empire, first half of the first century A.D., the writer gives excellent detail and conveys a feeling of being a participant in the action. The first of a series. You won't want to loan it out!

This first book of Damian Hunter's fabulous trilogy paints a vivid picture of life in ancient Rome. The text is remarkably accurate, from details of how to wear armor to what Roman soldiers did in boot camp and as duties in the legions. Excellent work that should definitely be reprinted!