A Man at Arms: A Novel by Steven Pressfield - An Epic Tale of Courage and Strength

John T. Turner: Pressfield writes great historical fiction. This book puts you in the Middle East 55 AD.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

United States on Oct 14, 2023

Brian Weston: Always a safe pair of hands although his original works of Gates of Fire ,Tides of War and The Afghan Campaign will always be the best in my view

United Kingdom on Jun 29, 2023

Lexicon: Gates of Fire was a great book, sadly A Man at Arms was not. There was a worthwhile story struggling to break free but was bogged down by lack of pace and pseudo philosphical rants. I struggled to continue with story but did so at a snails pace.

United Kingdom on May 16, 2022

Amazon Customer: A great Pressfield book, A little more hollywood and less heartbreakingly savage and unjust as previous novels, but nonetheless a great read and shorter than some of his other historical epics. Well researched and puts you there in that time and makes you reflect on how easy life is these days.

Australia on Aug 20, 2021

Ray F: A Man at Arms is a military action story set in the Judean and Mediterranean world of 55 CE. Like most of Mr. Pressfield’s novels, it is fast paced and has a realistic, gritty feel for the times and environment he is writing about. He drops the ball, though, with an omniscient narrative viewpoint that gets too omniscient at points.

Though I was disappointed with this novel overall, it does have some good bones. Mr. Pressfield knows his classical era history and especially how warriors were equipped and operated. And he does attempt to go beyond military genre fiction with his characterizations and subplots.

TROMPING THROUGH THE FIRST CENTURY

The story follows a group of characters over the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean landscape of the First Century CE. The group is lead by a mercenary (”Man at Arms”) and ex-Roman soldier named, Telamon. While near Jerusalem in Judea, Telamon saves a group of travelers from bandits. Among the travelers are a young teenager named, David, and a nine-year-old mute girl traveling with her father.

No sooner has Telamon saved this bunch of travelers than they are all captured by a company of Roman soldiers looking...

United States on Apr 03, 2021

George P. Wood: “In the turbulent aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus, officers of the Roman Empire acquire intelligence of a pilgrim bearing an incendiary letter from a religious fanatic to insurrectionists in Corinth. The contents of this letter could bring down the empire.”

So reads the dust jacket of Stephen Pressfield’s new novel, A Man at Arms. The book tells the story of Telamon of Arcadia, the titular “man of arms,” who is a former Roman legionary, now mercenary. He is hired by the commander of the Tenth Legion to track down the pilgrim and retrieve the letter. The pilgrim is Michael the Nazarene (i.e., a Christian), and the letter is the apostle Paul’s first to the Corinthians.

I am a Christian minister, and this setup piqued my interest. Unfortunately, the book didn’t sustain my interest throughout. My two rules for fiction of this type are that (1) the story is a page-turner, and (2) it doesn’t tax my willing suspension of disbelief. A Man at Arms failed on both counts.

First, the book wasn’t a page-turner. Books that I enjoy compel me to keep reading them because I’m so interested in what is happening. That wasn’t true here. A book this...

United States on Mar 17, 2021

Gary Chamberlain: I’ve liked Pressfield’s writing since reading Gates of Fire some years ago. He has a rare grasp both of ancient history and the warrior mind. I recommend this to all who admire both.

United Kingdom on Mar 04, 2021

Deimos: All of Steven Pressfield’s work is very good, I have bought ten copies of Gates of Fire to give as gifts over the years. As usual he does a good job of setting the scene and introducing the world in which the story unfolds. The story itself is very well written and a fine alternative way to learn about the events of 55 AD in Judea.
I don’t want to spoil the plot as it’s unfolding is a great part of the book’s impact. I would recommend reading this for anyone possessed of an open mind and a desire to learn whilst being thoroughly entertained.

United Kingdom on Mar 02, 2021