Centurion [Hardcover]

Peter W. Mitsopoulos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2002

Set in A.D. 9 and based on an actual incident, Centurion moves from the battlefields of Germany to intrigue and danger on the streets of Rome. As he nears retirement, Senior Centurion Glaxus Valtinius encounters incompetence, ambition, and betrayal at hi

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter W. Mitsopoulos was born in southern California and still lives there. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation (April 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401027415
• ISBN-13: 978-1401027414
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,794,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good novel indeed. It's only flaw is it's too short, April 6, 2003

By 

Ross Durham (Lookout Mountain, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Centurion: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Paperback)

The career of a centurion during the reign of Augustus and the disastrous campaign into Germany by Varus.
If you enjoy historical novels, this is one you cannot pass up. As is the case with Scarrow's novels, this novel of Ancient Rome doesn't involve christians or christianity at all, a very refreshing fact. It covers the problems of a senior centurion who is faced with following a know-nothing Tribune and a totally inept commander into a disaster in Germany. Arminius is a real historical character and he did just what the book says he did to Varus and his army. The Rhine legions were the pride of the Roman army and Varus lost them all due to his total ineptitude and some organizational genius by Arminius (whose German name was Herman and who headed the Germanic tribe known as the Allemani) Arminius was trained in Roman ways through service in the legions and used this knowledge to pull together the fragmented, feuding Germmanic tribes into a single unit. His army didn't have much discipline, but they didn't require a great deal since he was able to lead the pompous Varus, as if on a leash, into an ambush where discipline was useless.

Augustus was actually much more distressed by the loss of his Rhine legions and their eagles than the book indicates, but all in all, it's a very good read indeed. I wish Mistopolous would write a few more like it.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's action and adventure and a good read, March 23, 2005

By 

H. S. Wedekind "Mr. Weekend" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Centurion: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Paperback)

I've been reading books similar to this one by Scarrow and Altimari and found Centurion:A Novel of Ancient Rome to be just as enjoyable. A previous reviewer seemed to think it was written with adolescents in mind, but I disagree. True...it is not exactly a Pressfield kind of novel, but I liked the story and all the twists and turns it took along the way. I can't say as I learned much more about the destruction of the three legions led by Varus in the Teutoburg Forest than I had gotten from a history book, but I wasn't looking for a history lesson anyway. I wanted to be entertained and that's exactly what this book did for me.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action, adventure, plot, insight, emotional depth, character, August 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Centurion (Hardcover)

Not to be missed. Action, adventure, plot, insight, emotional depth, character development; that's all in here and then some. The writer has clearly done his homework on Rome and the Roman army. His attention to detail is both informative and entertaining. Mr. Brozyna, a reviewer from Annapolis, MD has it right, but some reviewers who have posted here can't seem to grasp the book's obvious worth. One reviewer also gets a fact wrong by saying the Greek physician walks from Germany to Rome. That's not accurate. He walks part of the way across the Italian peninsula, and for a good reason which I won't reveal here. And when another reviewer describes the book as being like a comic strip, that's simply not so. It's well-written and packed with depth. The human side of the story rings true on every page. There's also more than one surprise as the plot unfolds.
This novel combines mature insights with terrific action scenes. The disastrous attempt to capture a bear for use in the gladiator games is spectacular, as is the calamity that befalls the Roman legions when they are lured into the fatal trap. This tale is based on the massacre of three legions by Germanic tribes in A.D.9. Dr. Durham from Lookout Mountain, GA is on target by saying this is one historical novel you cannot pass up.