Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt: A Novel of the Twentieth Legion During the Rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus [Paperback]

James Mace (Author)

Book Description

Series: Soldier of Rome | Publication Date: February 12, 2008

It has been three years since the wars against Arminius and the Cherusci. Gaius Silius, Legate of the Twentieth Legion, is concerned that the barbarians-though shattered by the war-may be stirring once again. He also seeks to confirm the rumors regarding Arminius' death. What Silius does not realize is that there is a new threat to the Empire, but it does not come from beyond the frontier; it is coming from within, where a disenchanted nobleman looks to sow the seeds of rebellion in Gaul.

Legionary Artorius has greatly matured during his five years in the legions. He has become stronger in mind; his body growing even more powerful. Like the rest of the Legion, he is unaware of the shadow growing well within the Empire's borders, where a disaffected nobleman seeks to betray the Emperor Tiberius. A shadow looms; one that looks to envelope the province of Gaul as well as the Rhine legions. The year is A.D. 20.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Mace is a screenplay writer and historical novelist. He has written four books so far in the series Soldier of Rome - The Artorian Chronicles, with the fifth expected out next year. He also co-wrote the critically acclaimed screenplay, The Evil That Men Do, which is competing in the 2011 Page International Screenwriting Awards. More recently he has turned to other periods in history and has started work on a series of historical novels about the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, under the working title, Brutal Valour.

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (February 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595483313
• ISBN-13: 978-0595483310
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Mace is a historical novelist and screenplay writer. He has written four books so far in the series "Soldier of Rome - The Artorian Chronicles". In addition, he has written short novella based around the series, "Centurion Valens and the Empress of Death". He also co-wrote the critically acclaimed screenplay, "The Evil That Men Do".

James is expecting the fifth Artorian book, "Soldier of Rome: Judea", to be out in the spring of 2012. At the same time he will be publishing his first non-Roman work, a novella entitled "Forlorn Hope: The Storming of Badajoz".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first, March 12, 2009

By 

Dale E. Mommer "dmedwards" (Modesto, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt: A Novel of the Twentieth Legion During the Rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus (Paperback)

I give this book 3 stars

Like many others, I eagerly awaited the sequal to the first book. In many ways I was disappointed because the story took a step back from the action intense first book that dealt with the massacre at Germany and Rome's campaign of retribution, followed by the Triumph of Rome.

This book I think was effected by the overall conflict of a rebellion that just isn't a page turning conflict to get excited about. There were also too many instances of 'shop-talk' when the main character was taken aside by his Centurion or other officer. Though I understand this happens irl situations in the military where officers take soldiers aside like this, in the story it really slowed down the pace of the story. I also felt the tournament could have been done a lot better and felt more like page fillers in the story when the focus during the body should have been the revolt. The tournament still could have taken place at the end of the story which would have given the second book a similar ending to the first.

I do hope there are more books in this series and will continue to read them.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roman soldiers as humans..., July 20, 2009

By 

Alan L. Turner (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt: A Novel of the Twentieth Legion During the Rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus (Paperback)

I was very happy with the second Soldier of Rome installment. The Author has created a historic but human look at Roman soldiers and their world. He tells the story of men, young and old that face many of the same challenges that our service men around the world face now. Protect your brother on either shoulder in the heat of battle. In the first book, (I'm told a second edition has corrected the gramatical errors that went largely unnoticed in the first edition) large scale battles and mayhem kept me turning pages. In the second book of the series we learn more about the day to day life and politics of the Legion. Still plenty of action, but character development fills out the individual soldiers of the Twentieth. I look forward to the next book, (coming out soon I hear!) not only see the saga continued but to appreciate the growth of an outstanding young Author. I highly recommend these books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As good as the first!, July 19, 2009

By 

R. C. Williams - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt: A Novel of the Twentieth Legion During the Rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus (Paperback)

I was pleasantly surprised to see that James Mace had done a follow-up to his previous book, "Soldier of Rome: The Legionary." Like most people I had never even heard of the rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus, so it came as another surprise to see that this book too is based on actual events. Most historical novels from this era seem to focus on Julius Caesar, or events in Britain (i.e. Boudicca's rebellion). These topics have been done to death, so I'm glad to see this author pursuing other historical events that most of us probably have never heard of before. Just because a war doesn't have a hundred different books written about it doesn't make it any less brutal or tragic to those who had to take part in it. The events surrounding the sons of the Gallic nobility is especially devastating.

One thing about this book is that it does not have as many large-scale battles as the first book. In my opinion this is a good thing, because now we are able to see more character development rather than just bouncing from one blood-bath to the next. And while the characters do grow and mature, I had to be reminded periodically that Artorius is still pretty young in this book (twenty-two, I think). The "Legion Champion" tournament could have been given some more detail, but it was still a nice addition to the story.

Overall I am glad to see Mr. Mace has elected to continue the story of Artorius and his fellow legionaries. While "The Legionary" could very well have been a stand-alone book had he elected not to write a sequel, "The Sacrovir Revolt" makes it plain that there will be more books to follow as it does leave the reader hanging a little bit at the end. I look forward to the next one.