Casca: The Eternal Mercenary (Action/Adventure Series)

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: This is probably my favorite book of all time. I have read it no less than seven times over the past eight years. If you are interested in historical fiction, you are cheating yourself if you have not read Casca. The entire series is great. Some are better than others, but The Eternal Mercenary is in a class by itself. Sadler is great.

Rating:
Summary: an odyssey through history!
Review: This series by the author Barry Sadler is a modern blend of two ancient legends. The first is the legend of the roman centurion Longinus who was supposedly present at Christ's crucifixion.
He stabbed christ in the side with his spear to end his agony on the cross and afterwards he became a christian convert and a
saint.
The next legend is that of the wandering jew who was supposedly cursed by Christ to wander the world until the second coming.
The reason according to the story why he incurred the wrath of Christ was that he out of spite made a derogatory or insulting remark to Jesus as he was being led to his crucifixion.
The result of this blend has been Casca Longinus,a Roman soldier cursed by Christ to wander the world forever until the second coming.
Forever fighting,forever surviving and waiting for him to return.
This series of adventures takes our protagonist down through history from one war to another. In almost each case he endures wounds and horrible pain only to encounter more.
A strange unexplained power makes his flesh heal miraculously from all wounds inflicted and which renders it along with his blood poisonous to all other creatures man included.
His ability to outlive others makes his existence a lonely one without any lasting friendship or company. He finds himself in many cases the victim of other's brutality and hatred thus making his long existence also a harsh and violent one.
That which he desires so much eludes him and that is death,which is freedom from his brutal life and eternal peace. He is not so much a hero as he is a victim of fate in a situation not of his choice.
There is plenty of historic detail in this series much of it dealing with warfare and the military.
For those who want historic fact mixed with fiction this might be worth a try.
For fans of action adventure series in the tradition of "The Executioner" and the "A Team" this is a good recomendation.
There is plenty of fast-paced action in this series and it's guaranteed to keep you from yawning.
There are graphic descriptions of violence and gore so if if you're looking for light reading then I suggest reading Robert Fulghum instead.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books i have ever read
Review: This was one of the best books i have read in years, i found it included all the aspects i found to make up an excellent story, Plot, Scenes, Descriptions, Just everything about it.
The only problem i could find was that I you are unable to get hold any of the other books in the series anymore.

Rating:
Summary: Immortal Killer
Review: You may have heard the story of the wandering Jew. Well this is that story brought to life, in a very real and gritty way. If you don't know what I am talking about, it is the story of the Roman who killed Christ on the cross and was cursed to wander the earth till the second coming.

In Sadler's rendition, Casca is that Roman and Christ's curse goes on to include, "As you are, so shall you remain". What this means is that Casca, being a soldier, will therefore remain a soldier through his immortal search for the Christian god. This is a great plot device because we, the reader, get to vicariously participate in every major battle for the last two thousand years with a man who can not be killed. At least not permanently.

It's true that I have a fascination with immortality. (Strangely, I don't look forward to my own death). But even so, I think most people, (well... guys), will enjoy these novels. There are 22 in total but don't expect the last one to round out the series. They just stop; apparently because Sadler was murdered while on a trip through Central America.