The author of the bestselling Empire sequence continues his new trilogy: the epic story of the uprising of the Batavi in AD 69. 'A master of the genre' - The Times AD 69: The Rhine frontier has exploded into bloody rebellion, and four centurions who once fought in the same army find themselves on opposite sides of a vicious insurrection. The rebel leader Kivilaz and his Batavi rebels have humbled the Romans in a battle they should have won. The legions must now defend their northern stronghold, the Old Camp, from the enraged tribes of Germany, knowing that they cannot be relieved until the civil war raging to the south has been resolved. Can they defend the undermanned fortress against thousands of barbarian warriors intoxicated by a charismatic priestess's vision of victory?
An ambitious Roman soldier. A stunning crucifixion. An unlikely romance. A long war and a chance reunion—the moving parts that make The Centurion a gripping story of love, duty, and sacrifice. Lucius has always dreamed of military conquest and Roman glory. Little does he know how a routine crucifixion will change him forever. Curious about this “King of the Jews,” Lucius seeks out His followers and falls for one named Mary Magdalene. But all is interrupted when Lucius is called to lead military campaigns. There the hardships of war, year after year, wear him down to nearly nothing. When Lucius finally returns to Rome, the city has lost its allure. A chance encounter tests his allegiances, and he must decide who he is, what is real, and what is worth dying for. This work of historical fiction includes an extensive annotated list of sources.
AD 69: The Rhine frontier has exploded into bloody rebellion, and four centurions who once fought in the same army find themselves on opposite sides of a vicious insurrection. The rebel leader Kivilaz and his Batavi rebels have humbled the Romans in a battle they should have won. The legions must now defend their northern stronghold, the Old Camp, from the enraged tribes of Germany, knowing that they cannot be relieved until the civil war raging to the south has been resolved. Can they defend the undermanned fortress against thousands of barbarian warriors intoxicated by a charismatic priestess's vision of victory?
The action-filled climax of the epic story of the Batavi uprising in AD 69, from the author of the bestselling Empire series. **NOW FEATURING AN ADDITIONAL SHORT STORY** 'A masterclass in military historical fiction' - Sunday Express Victory is in sight for Kivilaz and his Batavi army. The Roman army clings desperately to its remaining fortresses along the Rhine, its legions riven by dissent and mutiny, and once-loyal allies of Rome are beginning to imagine the unimaginable: freedom from the rulers who have dominated them since the time of Caesar. The four centurions - two Batavi and two Roman, men who were once comrades in arms - must find their destiny in a maze of loyalties and threats, as the blood tide of war ebbs and flows across Germania and Gaul. For Rome does not give up its territory lightly. And a new emperor knows that he cannot tolerate any threat to his undisputed power. It can only be a matter of time before Vespasian sends his legions north to exact the empire's retribution.
“FDR’s centurions were my heroes and guides. Now Joe Persico has written the best account of those leaders I've ever read.”—Colin L. Powell All American presidents are commanders in chief by law. Few perform as such in practice. In Roosevelt’s Centurions, distinguished historian Joseph E. Persico reveals how, during World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt seized the levers of wartime power like no president since Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Declaring himself “Dr. Win-the-War,” FDR assumed the role of strategist in chief, and, though surrounded by star-studded generals and admirals, he made clear who was running the war. FDR was a hands-on war leader, involving himself in everything from choosing bomber targets to planning naval convoys to the design of landing craft. Persico explores whether his strategic decisions, including his insistence on the Axis powers’ unconditional surrender, helped end or may have prolonged the war. Taking us inside the Allied war councils, the author reveals how the president brokered strategy with contentious allies, particularly the iron-willed Winston Churchill; rallied morale on the home front; and handpicked a team of proud, sometimes prickly warriors who, he believed, could fight a global war. Persico’s history offers indelible portraits of the outsize figures who roused the “sleeping giant” that defeated the Axis war machine: the dutiful yet independent-minded George C. Marshall, charged with rebuilding an army whose troops trained with broomsticks for rifles, eggs for hand grenades; Dwight Eisenhower, an unassuming Kansan elevated from obscurity to command of the greatest fighting force ever assembled; the vainglorious Douglas MacArthur; and the bizarre battlefield genius George S. Patton. Here too are less widely celebrated military leaders whose contributions were just as critical: the irascible, dictatorial navy chief, Ernest King; the acerbic army advisor in China, “Vinegar” Joe Stilwell; and Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, who zealously preached the gospel of modern air power. The Roosevelt who emerges from these pages is a wartime chess master guiding America’s armed forces to a victory that was anything but foreordained. What are the qualities we look for in a commander in chief? In an era of renewed conflict, when Americans are again confronting the questions that FDR faced—about the nature and exercise of global power—Roosevelt’s Centurions is a timely and revealing examination of what it takes to be a wartime leader in a freewheeling, complicated, and tumultuous democracy.
The Chief Centurion is an action packed novel about a First Century Roman Centurion named Claudius Lysias who makes his living in one of the hardest professions in the history of the world, that of a Roman soldier. You will march with him as he joins the Roman Army and does his basic training in Jerusalem before being posted to his first assignment in the remote village of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. There he comes in contact with the individual who will divide history between BC and AD, Jesus of Nazareth. Next you will travel with him as he sails to Gaul (modern day France), rises to the rank of centurion, and leads his men into battle against the Celts when Rome invades Britain in AD 43. He serves in the Second Legion Augusta, commanded by the future Emperor Vespasian and participates in all the major battles of that illustrious legion. Finally, you will travel with him back to Jerusalem in the twilight of his army career to become the Chief Centurion of the Fortress Antonia. There he falls in love with a beautiful woman, puts down a rebellion led by "The Egyptian," and is called upon to rescue the Apostle Paul from an angry mob. His life will never be the same! You will feel the weight of the armor and the sweat pouring off his body as he undergoes the rigors of Roman Army training and the daily grind of a soldier as he marches over the dusty hills of Judea. You will go with him into battle against Germans, Britons, and Jews as he fights those enemies of Rome. You will grieve with him as his only real friend in life dies in battle and his wife and children are killed by a plague. Finally, in the twilight of his army career, you will watch him as he falls in love again and tries to learn just what it means to be a Christian in first century Judea. The book contains real people in history that we know about from the Bible and the writers of ancient history such as Josephus, and Tacitus. Men like Pontius Pilate, Titus Vespasian, Procurator Felix, and the Apostle Paul. These men come alive and will leap off the pages as you follow Centurion Lysias from one adventure to another.
How could they have known? Four young school friends encounter a new teacher who is warm and wise but whom they feel is strangely out of place. Intrigued, they sense she is trying to prepare them for something, but none could imagine what God had in store. When the friends awaken one morning in a strange place and time at the foot of a looming mountain, which has been appearing in their dreams, they are lonely and frightened but know that this could only be from the hand of God. Through prayer, they are led to move in faith, trusting in God's providence alone. They soon meet a fascinating new friend who is carrying a deep secret. As their lives entwine, the secret unfolds, revealing the approaching fulfillment of prophecy foretold since the creation of the world. The hour is drawing near, and nothing can stop God's timeless word from accomplishing the purpose for which it has been sent. The storm clouds are gathering, and the sword is dividing hearts and homes. All creation waits with bated breath, and tension is palpable in every corner of the land. Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's word will stand forever. Follow this gripping but heartwarming journey of faith, friendship, and the true cost of discipleship in the face of real danger and personal sacrifice.
Centurion Lucius Titus Justus is a devoted Roman soldier. He oversees the city of Capernaum with fairness and diligence. Though still tenuous, Lucius has cultivated a peaceful coexistence for the Jews and Romans he rules over. This is not the case for all of Judea. Factions of bandits threaten the peace of the province, and disloyalty among the Roman ranks tips the scales in favor of revolution. Lucius and his men soon learn of a plot against Pontius Pilate that could see the end of his rule. It seems one man, a Jewish priest who has been garnering both praise and skepticism for his wonderous acts, is a key element in a rogue centurion's plan to take power from Pilate. Lucius is familiar with the stories circulating the region of this man and his radical teachings but has ignored this relatively harmless priest to tend to more pressing matters. That is, until his beloved servant becomes the victim of a tragic accident. The boy's injuries are beyond the abilities of Lucius's most trusted physician. He finds himself seeking out this Jesus for a miracle. What he finds is more than he ever imagined. Join The Centurion in his journey to faith and redemption.
