 |
 |
Sign in/joinLanguage: English [ others ]
Over forty million books on members' bookshelves.
|
Loading... The Centurion's Empireby Sean McMullen
LibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
won't like
will probably not like
will probably like
will like
will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Minireview: In the first century CE, Roman Centurion Vitellan finds a way to freeze himself and sleep through the years without aging, travelling through time the slow way. After brief encounters with Vikings and the Hundred Years' War, the bulk of the plot is set in the 21st century, as Vitellan and other travellers like him become objects of adoration for cults. Although the book can drift a bit, its focus on the central character of Vitellan helps keep it from sprawling as badly as Souls in the Great Machine, the only other book by McMullen I've read. (  )daschaich | Apr 30, 2008 |   This book is absolutely amazing! After taking 3 years of Latin, I loved the Roman culture in this book, which has a lot of twists and betrayals with the Romans still being the coolest people out there! (  )scistarz | Jul 16, 2007 | Vitellan the Centurion has a chemical invention that allows him to travel through time, in a sense. This is the good old fashioned freeze me up baby type of method, however, so its more of a long wait, than travel. He has enemies that pass down a vendetta through time, as well as allies that do the same thing, and it comes to a head in the current day. http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/02... (  )bluetyson | Feb 17, 2007 | fascination | Dec 30, 2006 | 0.132 seconds to build listing  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0812564758, Mass Market Paperback)Sean McMullen, frequent winner of Australia's top science fiction award, the Ditmar, has created a fascinating adventure through time in The Centurion's Empire. From A.D. 71 to 2029, the Roman centurion Vitellan hibernates through the centuries via an elixir made from snow-dwelling insects. Unfortunately, he doesn't possess the antidote for the corrosive substance, so every time he is awakened, his body is more ravaged. His frigidarium is secreted beneath an English village, and as the Danes invade during the Dark Ages, the villagers, in fear for their lives, awaken him. He teaches them Roman martial discipline and they fight off the Danish rabble, but he's so weak that he must return to his cold sleep and await better medicine in the future. He is awakened in 1358 to battle again, this time in France, but it's his next awakening--in 2028--that propels the latter half of the novel into a thrill ride of nanotech-embellished skullduggery, as Illuminati-like factions vie for control of the resurrected hero. The centurion's viewpoint offers both a window into history and a ledge to stand on while peering into the future. Readers who enjoy the juxtaposition of historical novel with science-fiction adventure, as in Ian McDonald's King of Morning, Queen of Day, will appreciate McMullen's expertise in The Centurion's Empire. --Blaise Selby(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:05 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
Abebooks |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
