Steven Pressfield is back. The author of the bestselling novels of ancient Greece [...] turns his attention to ancient Rome in this page-turning new thriller ... As with any good novel, the characters draw you into the plot, and this book has a complex set of misfits, each with their own goals, motivations, and backstory yhay Mr. Pressfield teases out through most of the book ... What makes Mr. Pressfield’s novels so compelling is the depth of his research and his remarkable ability to drop the reader into the middle of a scene from 2,000 years ago ... If you are a fan of Mr. Pressfield’s previous works or enjoy great historical fiction, grab a copy of this book and be transported back to the Roman Empire circa 55 CE. You will soon smell the dust of the ancient Roman roads.
A Man at Arms puts forth a story so compelling and rich in detail that you are completely absorbed in the time, the culture and the danger. The writing is beautiful, the research is impressive, and the drama --- given that most readers surely will know a part of the outcome --- is surprisingly heightened ... A Man at Arms weaves a great deal of history effortlessly into a compelling story ... I enjoyed A Man at Arms immensely. The history, the writing and the provocation posed to the reader all made the book wonderful to read and reread. I recommend it without reservation.
... vivid ... Throughout [the] arduous journey are hundreds of colorful details, such as the balloon trousers of the Sadducees and the underground city called The Anthill. The writing style feels at times like that of an old storyteller of the day ... Action, loyalty, bravery, and blood make for fine historical fiction, and it’s all here.
Pressfield’s considerable gifts for historical military fiction [...] are nowhere in evidence in this ponderous account ... The prose is nowhere near what Pressfield has shown himself to be capable of; clichéd staccato passages and clunky phrasing abound ... the author also underwhelms with period detail ... This isn’t likely to appeal even to fans of biblical fiction.
