Easy listening.

Easy narration to listen to. The narrator's style is relaxing. The detail of the content impresses,

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So Much More Than Dry History

Wow! This book was so very much more than I expected. Using the formation of the Xth Legion, we are taken through a history of Imperial Rome, its conflicts, Emperors and military culture.
I initially listened to this to have a break from fiction, and boy was this a break. I spent so much of this book googling to find out more, to get a visual on the players and to get a more in-depth look. The real triumph of this book is, that apart from Caesar himself, we don't linger on any one Emperor for long. This is the story of the fighting men, the political movers and the tactics of the time.
When the book first started it seemed like the author may be using the writing of Caesar (one of history's true propagandists) on face value, but no, he does cross reference with other writers and later evidence to build a full picture.
There were times where the names got a bit confusing. and the movement of units became a bit dry, but not for long - with the narration, the use of language and the pace bringing it back, in fact at times really bringing a sense of investment in certain people.
This is a great book for history lovers, military fans and hobbyists in the wargaming space. Well worth a listen. A truly entertaining audio book.

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Brilliant!

Well worthwhile listening to. Both engaging and interesting throughout.

Broken down in a way that even a newcomer to the period can follow the history being presented to the listeners. Good narration also.

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1 person found this helpful

Allround great listening

Stuart Langton does a great job narrating this interesting, informative view of what life was like as a soldier under the tactical genius leadership of Julius Ceasar. Well worth listening to. Thumbs up

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History brought to life

History book that reads like an adventure story. Enjoyed the topic and narration a lot and found it easy to get lost in the 'plot'.

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A Must Listen

An insight into the legions of the late republic and early empire told with their perspective in mind rather than that of their commanders.

The benefit of this is that is gives further context to the origins of each legion, their political leanings and gives a deeper understanding of why there were defections or fierce loyalty.

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2 people found this helpful

great historical take on a famous unit

I think if you have an interest in ancient Rome. this is a must read / listen. Great amount of detail, very informative. Even some of the humour soldiers manage to get up to managed to make its way in. The part of the naked Legionary digging trenches equipped with only his sword, had me laughing out loud. And rang very true to me. The Tenth was a unit that was world famous back in antiquity, and remains so today. And this book allows you to know more about the men and their leaders. And the battles they were involved in. Many thanks to the author.

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2 people found this helpful

unbelievable

Felt like a fiction paced story, unbelievable for a true story and well voiced overall amazing

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not for historians

use of modern military ranks bad idea. very descriptive considering our lack of original sources

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If you’re going to write a history piece, don’t modernise it.

The use of modern day military rank equivalents was clumsy, confusing, inconsistent and often inaccurate.
Rather than converting all the Roman ranks and roles to US military ranks (btw, Field Marshall was never used by the US), why not just add an explanatory chapter outlining the correct Roman structure? In the end it would make more sense and provide a better understanding of the Roman Legions, which is, after all, the subject of the book!

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