If there is a capital mistake to ever be made than it is to misunderstand the people, trying to put them into the stereotypes one can live with because knowledge that someone cannot be categorized and catalogued (as Mulder would say) is always terror for those in power.

One of the science fiction stories that left huge impression on me was the story Warrior from the Dorsai universe. In it Donal Graeme goes back to Earth to punish a man who managed to psychologically twist his brother so much that he caused huge loss of life for one of the Dorsai commands. While Graeme starts his own psychological operation against the powerful brother he constantly gets misunderstood and underestimated by his opponent that at the end Graeme wins the battle and war by just using his opponents wrong starting premise, without need to inflict any physical harm. He won because Graeme was never a soldier but a warrior. And there is quite a difference between the two.

And here we have a similar situation.

Story protagonist is Telamon, our man at arms, former legionnaire turned mercenary. He is given an offer he cannot refuse - save his own life and help Roman Imperial command in Judea to obtain the secret letter sent by early Christian sect to European based hideouts. Everyone thinks of Telamon as yet just another mercenary ready to bloody his sword but as story progresses it is visible that Telamon is not just killer for hire. He is man dedicated to profession of war (or as he says strife). He sees entire life as a constant struggle - metaphorical and physical - so he decides to become a master when it comes to winning conflict situations of any sort. When he fights he is engaged but - which is important thing - he approaches it rationally and not emotionally. As story progresses and Telamon's quest gets more and more involved with the quarry he chases, he starts to show increasing professional respect towards these members of the sect that are so willing to suffer in order to protect their own - in contrast with the world they live in where everything has its price. Although outnumbered by Romans these religious outcasts (I especially liked the way author portrayed official Jewish religion perspective on early Christians) do not flinch and are more than ready to give their lives for the cause. While this portrayal of early Christians for me is a little bit too much of romantic view of things - I think they were much more pragmatic people than emotional activists considering that alternative was extermination - it is easy to see how their dedication and willingness to fight for the cause struck a cord with Telamon.

Man without the cause to live for, especially in a deadly world of professional soldiers is a ghost, lost and wandering the world, almost seeming to be a person seeking self-destruction. In a world of warfare if one finds himself in situation when he cannot justify the actions of his side he finds himself between a rock and a hard place because in war there is always quite a few questionable situations one will find himself in. And Telamon, being a non-Roman who ascended through auxilia ranks until joining the Legion, could hardly identify with the Roman Empire and it is obvious that in his time he was involved in bloody activities that forced him to leave the Legion and start living as a mercenary. At the end Telamon does find a cause [and no it is not religious one but deeply human] while fighting side by side with his allies and getting saved by them not once but multiple times.

We are given all the gritty details of the professional soldier of the time - there was no quarter given and considering there are no stand off weapons here everything is up, close and personal. While all the military action might sound as adopted from temporary war scenes it is not that difficult to imagine that Roman Legions after decades and centuries of warfare that made them the ultimate war machines in the day (and proved their worth when Legion model of war was resurrected by innovators in Renaissance period) would be not unlike professional soldiers of today - with only difference being inability to fight the enemy from afar using guns. Author gives us some insight into the life in the Legions and the way they were used in war operations. While this might not be completely faithful to the historical records, author manages to show how waging of war in its basics did not change at all from the first time people met at the battlefield.

We are shown how in murderous business of counterinsurgency there is no line between civilians and soldiers - unfortunate turn events that still remains true in remote and wild areas of Asia and Africa. Torching of Corinth was done in such a detail that one can easily imagine the destruction of Carthage and treatment its citizens received from the Legions.

Do note that this is not a story with a happy ending (same as excellent book The Profession by the same author). In here people die, nobody is safe from projectiles or sword and while our protagonist does survive very hard ordeals he is left with lasting scars and experiences loss more than once.

Excellent book on the professional soldiering and importance of serving the greater good. Highly recommended to everyone interested in military fiction. ( )

I purchased this book because Pressfield is very well known in the historical (fiction) field. To say the least, I was underwhelmed with this book. As far as history goes, it was a time period piece and I did learn something about the time period (50-100 AD). That being said, the writing was barely average. We have some chapters that are good narrative and some chapters sound as if they are a history lecture--no dialogue and a barrage of facts. The premise of the book, IMHO, is also weak, historically speaking. A total of five different hitmen (and their compadres) are after Michael, the Nazarene, to intercept a letter from Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. Most of the book is Michael and those he met up with escaping time and time again from dangerous situations. I never did find out WHO wanted the letter intercepted--I listened to this on audio, so I may have missed it, although it was not germane to the story. I think I may have enjoyed this book more had I read it instead of listened to it. 9 hours 10 mins=309 pages. ( )

From an acclaimed master of historical fiction comes an epic saga about a reluctant hero, the Roman Empire, and the rise of a new power.
Jerusalem and the Sinai desert, AD 55. In the turbulent aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus, agents of the Roman Empire receive information about a pilgrim bearing an incendiary letter from a religious fanatic calling himself Paul the Apostle to insurrectionists in Corinth. What's in the letter could bring down an empire.

The Romans hire a former legionary, a solitary man-at-arms named Telamon to intercept the letter and destroy the courier. Telamon fights for money, not principles. He's been promised a rich reward; should he fail, the punishment is death by crucifixion. But once he meets the courier, Telamon experiences an extraordinary conversion, and instead of carrying out the mission, takes on the Empire. In his first novel of the ancient world in thirteen years, the best-selling author of Gates of Fire...

What a joy of a book. Having read most of Pressfield’s work I have to say I enjoyed this book the most. This story pulls you into the water and throws you out soaking wet and gasping for breath. I would have loved for this to be considerably longer. Some gaps could have been filled in such as. More backstory for Telamon and his connection to men the hunting him and a little more character development for the Roman Officer. The way Telamon is presented is darky and gritty. A beyond seasoned ex roman soldier now Mercenary. He is feared throughout the empire for his guile and ability for self preservation. In short, what makes him dangerous is that he has nothing to loose except what matters to him and nothing will get in the way of those ideals. He is a man of unwavering honor eclipsed by a selfless motivation. The journey taken upon by our harried and melancholy heroes is beautifully tragic. From Jerusalem to Greece and all the points in between. It was tough to see what some of the characters endured and how they overcame not only the obstacles facing them but their own inner feelings. The connection between Telamon and the girl was so painful and heartfelt at moments it stung. David was brilliantly crafted as well. The heat of the sands and the sting of the desert wind will remain with me for quite some time. Excellent book. The idea of the book is really quite crafty. The message that it seems everyone in the ancient world is seeking is of such importance. Just what it means and what the result could be. As readers we know what will happen. Our characters and heroes have a concept of what will happen, or think they do but really have no idea just how it is going to change the world. A simple message that will hammer the foundations of our world for the next two thousand years. ( )

Mercenary helps deliver Paul's 1st Epistle to the Corinthians
Review of the Recorded Books Inc. audiobook edition, released simultaneously with the W. W. Norton hardcover (March 2, 2021)


Image of a 1st century AD Roman soldier, image sourced from The Evolution of the Ancient Roman Soldier.

Despite a considerable amount of historical detail about the Roman Empire and its occupation of Judea in the late BC and early AD years in the early parts of this historical fiction, the rest of the plot became a rather tiresome repetition of travels, captures, tortures, and escapes. The fiction finds us in Jerusalem with the Roman garrison seeking to put a stop to the delivery of Paul the Apostle's First Letter to the Corinthians which they believe threatens the integrity of the Roman Empire.

A former legionary of the Legio X (Tenth Legion), now a mercenary is hired to hunt down the supposed courier. In the first of several about faces, betrayals and twists, the mercenary instead proceeds to guard the courier Michael and his companion "the Girl" (later named Ruth) in their mission, along with a young Jewish boy David who seeks to be his apprentice. They are bedeviled by a Jewish sorceress who inexplicably is sometimes for them and sometimes against them. They are chased by the forces of the Jerusalem commander Severus and various bandit forces who periodically capture them and let them escape constantly.

Paul the Apostle and his scribe make a distant cameo appearance but there is very little learned about him and the early Christian communities. The actual Corinthians don't even give the struggling party a very warm welcome at the end. A recitation of 1st Corinthians Chapter 13 Verses 11-13 wraps it all up very enigmatically.

11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12. For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known.

13. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

I listened to the A Man at Arms audiobook through the Audible Daily Deal offer for $3.95 on June 27, 2021. ( )