Marching with Caesar

Birth of the 10th Legion

By: R.W. Peake

Narrated by: Simon Burdett

Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Titus Pullus, the hero of the 10th Legion and the Marching With Caesar series, tells his story from the very beginning of his life, starting with his relationship with his father, how his friendship with Vibius Domitius began, and how their burning ambition to join the Legions was helped by a veteran nicknamed Cyclops. Enlisting in the 10th Legion, raised in 61 B.C. by Gaius Julius Caesar, Birth of the 10th Legion recounts the first campaign ever conducted by Julius Caesar as a commander, when he quells an insurrection in Hispania, as seen through the eyes and from the perspective of the men like Titus and Vibius who actually did the fighting.

©2012, 2014 R.W. Peake (P)2014 R.W. Peake

Superb history and pulse pounding excitement.

Would you consider the audio edition of Marching with Caesar to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version but the audio version was well read, exciting and vastly informative. Most Roman history, at best, gives slight reference to the lives and the world the common citizen and Roman Legionary lived and fought it. Mr. Peake brings his own military experience along with extensive knowledge of the political and social world of ancient Rome that Titus Pullo lives and fights in. Mr. Peake effectively brings the marble men incised on the ancient monuments to life, flesh and not an inconsiderable amount of blood. A great read an outstanding book. Highly recommended.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Titus Pullo. The trajectory of his life before and after joining the X legion is the stuff of great literature. The real Titus Pullo was mentioned by Caesar in his commentaries. He must have been an extraordinary man. This book is fiction but so well researched and written that Titus emerges from the pages, 3-dimensional and very, very human and equally Roman.

Have you listened to any of Simon Burdett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but found his performance first rate.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had the time probably!

Any additional comments?

I see that this book, alone of the series, has been turned into an audio book. The rest of the series needs to converted to audio format ASAP! This author deserves it and this reader, for one, will be very thankful.

Outstanding story of a young Roman legionaire

What made the experience of listening to Marching with Caesar the most enjoyable?

I always enjoy stories about ancient Rome. This book was especially interesting because it's written from the perspective of a very young man who early on dreams of marching with the Roman army, a dream that keeps him going in the face of a father who hates his son. Learning about the actual development of a young soldier going through training and his first combat experiences was fascinating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Marching with Caesar?

I would say his first battle.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Actually no, but that's not a problem. It's the kind of book that you want to keep going back to, expecting to hear more and more.

Any additional comments?

I will surely look for more books by R. W. Peake.

Gripping historical fiction story

Where does Marching with Caesar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've been listening to audible books since 2011 and this is one of my best purchases. It merged my love of history with attention to detail. I somewhat discovered this audible book by accident as I almost didn't buy it based on it's cover which looks pretty boring.

What did you like best about this story?

Best historical fiction book that I've heard. It is also about a period of Caesar's campaign in- Spain, that I did not know about.

Which character – as performed by Simon Burdett – was your favorite?

Main character Titus Pillus who apparently did exist. Btw, the various British street accents of the different characters were highly entertaining.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. It did however, make me listen more than my regular car journey.

Any additional comments?

This is 1 of 6 books but unfortunately, this is Volume 1 is the only one I find on Audible as of Jan 2015. I'll keep my eye out for future releases

Unexpected gem

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. The story is compelling and the reader does an excellent job

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the character of Titus Pullo on the HBO show "Rome." I like Mr. Peake's vision of him even better.

What does Simon Burdett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A warm and friendly voice that invites the listener to continue with the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The entire story delighted me.

Any additional comments?

Ask Audible to commission the other books as audiobooks (8 of them).

knockout 1st person account

Great personal story. A soldier's tale set 2000 yrs ago in Ceasar's 10 th Legion.
I looked up the series and I really hope Audible invests in the whole series.

My new favorite historical fiction

What did you love best about Marching with Caesar?

It was very detailed and realistic. Believable and likeable main character.

What did you like best about this story?

It covered an aspect of the life of a Roman soldier that I haven't seen in other works.

Which character – as performed by Simon Burdett – was your favorite?

Titus Pullus, the main character was my favorite.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this audio-book. The realistic focus on the everyday soldier of the Roman army is very interesting. The writing style and narration are also a little different as they come from the perspective of a retired soldier dictating his experiences. They fit that theme very well.

Can't Wait for the Next Installment

I always enjoy a good historical novel and this first installment of Peake's book about Caesar's 10th Legion really fit the bill. I had a hard time turning it off and can't wait for the next audiobook.

Amazing!

What made the experience of listening to Marching with Caesar the most enjoyable?

Seeing the first person account from a roman soldier on the ground, all the horror and bond soldiers form from battle.

What other book might you compare Marching with Caesar to and why?

Cant recall a book atm a book that has this perspective of the Roman era.

Which scene was your favorite?

The Whole book.....

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The loyalty men can show when deployed in battle.

For Everyone

Would you consider the audio edition of Marching with Caesar to be better than the print version?

I just listened to the audio.

What other book might you compare Marching with Caesar to and why?

Bokerman

Which scene was your favorite?

The first hour was good but this story really takes off when he is in the Army.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yes. My husband and I did our work around the home with the story latched to our ears. We enjoyed it that much.

Any additional comments?

We are hoping Audible continues this jewel.

Great story! NEED the rest of the series

What did you love best about Marching with Caesar?

Great story of a young legionnaire on his first campaign.

Any additional comments?

Please do the rest of the series

Not just another sword and sandals epic

An excellent book, telling the story of an unhappy teenager's realisation of his life's ambition to join the army, his training, her introduction to a tough life of work, comradeship, and danger, his experiences of battle, and his development as a man. Highly detailed and very well researched, this is definitely not a simple "sword and sandals" tale or one of those "Roman in name only" generic adventure tales. In its rich detail and its characterisation it reminds of the historical novels of the great Alfred Duggan - and it is difficult to praise a book more highly than that.

So good!

The detail is stunning, the storytelling fantastic, and the narrator is perfect, he absolutely nailed the character of Titus telling his tale. Loved this book.

Brilliant

Certainly amongst the very best authors of historical fictiion. Very well narrated and a great story. I really hope that the rest of this excellent series of books will be realeased on audible

hope the rest will be in audiobook!

this was a great read. cant wait for the rest of the books te come out on audible

disappointing

started this book not knowing that it was the 1st part of 6 books, no way I'm gonna bother with the rest, the story might be historically accurate but endded up not liking the main characters (Titus) and the accents are laughable there's Welsh, Irish, London Midlands liverpudlian and many more, couldn't take it seriously. I'd give it a miss. shame as the topic is very interesting.

Marching on with the 10th

Listening to any audiobook in which the author can magically transport you back to a forgotten time is brilliant. RW Peake achieves this and then some.

Titus is a character who you can believe in and root for. The interplay with the other soldiers is superb and the battle scenes...wow

loved it

I am just a bloke that loves history. This story just made me see things from the view of the smaller cogs of Caeser's machine. Brilliant. Thank you Mr P.

A Pedestrian Stroll Back In Time

This is an OK listen with the tale narrated by a retired beefcake of a legionnaire remembering the good old days of rapine and slaughter. It's a bit stereotyped and the characters didn't really grab me, but some of the battle details had the ring of truth. The narrator, excercising a full array of UK regional accents, was pretty bad.