Rating: 
Summary: Slow start but excellent overall
Review: A story that not only tells the story of the protagonists but also gives a description of life at the times the protagonists live. The first half of the book is in the times of ancient Rome and the middle ages but focuses more on the plot then on background issues. After that Vitellan (our hero) enters the 21st century and from this point on the book becomes truly excellent. From my opinion it shows that the author is more a SF author than an historic or a fantasy writer. The ideas of life in 2026 seem plausible and within the reach of current technolygies advancments, thus the books universe seems believable. This is an important point to me because I hate it when an author creates a new world and then violates his own limitations because he didn't think it through all the way. The pace is quite fast and you become entangled in a fascinating story of treachery and counter-treachery with all bits and ends properly resolved. So, after all, I can only recommend this book wholeheartedly even though I don't really like the first half. The second half makes more than adequately up for it. Another thing I liked about the book. Vitellan is not The Hero with no faults (and thus one dimensional). Rather he develops from the centurion to a man that thinks about life and his environment. As might be expected from somebdoy who lives through centuries and has to rely on the help of many people he has to trust.
Rating: 
Summary: Roamin' Roman in the 21st Century
Review: Getting books from Australia must be very hard, which explains how difficult it is to find Sean McMullen's works here in the States. Centurion's Empire predates his Greatwinter Trilogy books and it appears that the author was still learning his craft while writing this novel. The book starts slowly, which is normal in a time travel novel, but don't let the slow start get you down. Once our Hero finally reaches the 21st Century, which is about page 150 or so, the book is non-stop action and becomes incredibly fast-paced. I guarantee you'll like the book more after this point. While I enjoyed the book, it is evident that this book was written in the mid-90's. Like many books from that era, it overestimates the rise of computer and nano-technology to point where it becomes very unbelievable that the advances described in the book will be with us before 2030. We have William Gibson to thank for this and it seems that McMullen tries to imitate that style and that maybe of Stephenson in Snow Crash, instead of exploring his own style, which is quite wonderful as anyone who has read and enjoyed his Greatwinter Trilogy can tell you. However, I highly recommend this book and hope that this author continues to write and gets the recognition he deserves on this side of the Pacific.
Rating:
Summary: Roamin' Roman in the 21st Century
Review: Getting books from Australia must be very hard, which explains how difficult it is to find Sean McMullen's works here in the States. Centurion's Empire predates his Greatwinter Trilogy books and it appears that the author was still learning his craft while writing this novel. The book starts slowly, which is normal in a time travel novel, but don't let the slow start get you down. Once our Hero finally reaches the 21st Century, which is about page 150 or so, the book is non-stop action and becomes incredibly fast-paced. I guarantee you'll like the book more after this point. While I enjoyed the book, it is evident that this book was written in the mid-90's. Like many books from that era, it overestimates the rise of computer and nano-technology to point where it becomes very unbelievable that the advances described in the book will be with us before 2030. We have William Gibson to thank for this and it seems that McMullen tries to imitate that style and that maybe of Stephenson in Snow Crash, instead of exploring his own style, which is quite wonderful as anyone who has read and enjoyed his Greatwinter Trilogy can tell you. However, I highly recommend this book and hope that this author continues to write and gets the recognition he deserves on this side of the Pacific.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Premise
Review: I found the "concept" of the novel very imaginative and original. The book was good overall but felt the conclusion of the book unsatisfying and unexplained. Loose ends were taken care of with a single "gunshot."
Rating:
Summary: Good Premise
Review: I found the "concept" of the novel very imaginative and original. The book was good overall but felt the conclusion of the book unsatisfying and unexplained. Loose ends were taken care of with a single "gunshot."
Rating:
Summary: Historic parts good, but McMullen is no sci-fi guru
Review: I must differ with sparhawk@eunet.at; I found the first half of the book to be of higher quality than the second half, although in general the book suffered from the usual problem that sci-fi books have: lack of character depth. I enjoyed the historical sections, which show that McMullen did his homework, but was disappointed with the 21st-century scenario, which seemed thin and not terribly creative (it read like too many other books of the type-- and I read a lot of sci-fi). My impression of the book was that McMullen should try writing a full-fledged historical fiction novel and stop trying to compete in the sci-fi arena. His talents seem to lie more in that direction. "Centurion's Empire" has a clever premise which is well-developed in the first half of the book, then falls off the deep end in the second half. The only thing that kept me reading was the subtle twists of who is stabbing whom in the back and where their loyalty really lies-- elements of a good thriller that could have been set in any century.
Rating:
Summary: Amazingly Good
Review: Let me start by saying I'm not the kind of guy who gives 5-star reviews lightly. Many of my favorite books have serious flaws, but I don't let that get in the way of reading and enjoying them. This book has no noticable flaws, at least after one reading. The level of craftsmanship is incredible; I haven't seen it done this well since Avram Davidson (although McCullen is not a 'prose stylist' - some will find this an improvement). Some very complex plot twists are deftly handled, and well foreshadowed. I was in complete suspension of disbelief from the very beginning, and felt compelled to read it in one sitting. Characterization was strong, action scenes were comprehensible and gripping. Violence was appropriate to the plot, and not overused. The plot revolves around a Roman Centurion who gains access to a suspended animation elixer, and uses it to survive voluntary freezing for many centuries. He awakens several times over the years, finally in the mid-21st century. I don't want to give too much away; it's great fun to find it out as you go. The 21st century technology may be a bit hard to keep up with for readers not familiar with cyberpunk conventions - there is nothing completely groundbreaking here, but my mother would be quite lost in the maze of bions, tiltfans, and brain imprints. This is probably appropriate; certainly our hero is confused by them himself. All in all, it's the best novel I have read in some years. Quite excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Superb beginning, disappointing conclusion
Review: Like P. Anderson's similar novel, Boat of a Million Years, this book has a fascinating beginning which sputters out as it reaches modern times. Roman, Anglo-saxon, and French sequences are intriguing. Cyberpunk twenty-first century is absurd and boring, complete with James Bond-type female assasins with exploding fingernails. Still, this book was promising enough that I later read the author's Souls in the Great Machine, a superb book.
Rating:
Summary: Superb beginning, disappointing conclusion
Review: Like P. Anderson's similar novel, Boat of a Million Years, this book has a fascinating beginning which sputters out as it reaches modern times. Roman, Anglo-saxon, and French sequences are intriguing. Cyberpunk twenty-first century is absurd and boring, complete with James Bond-type female assasins with exploding fingernails. Still, this book was promising enough that I later read the author's Souls in the Great Machine, a superb book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and action-oriented; a little loosely structured
Review: McMullen has done a fine job here of telling an unusual time-travel story about a Roman Centurion, Vitellan, who finds a way to move into the future. The story takes place in four time periods; around 71 AD in the Roman Empire; 870 AD in Britain in the Dark Ages; 1358 in northern France; and finally 2028 in America--this last section accounting for over half of the book. Vitellan captures your sympathy pretty quickly. He's sharp, tough, and sympathetic, and it's easy for a reader to care about his misfortunes. Which is a good thing because the plot is a bit too episodic--the first two sections have almost no plot consequences for the last two; we don't meet the major bad guy until almost halfway through the book; and the love interest (a very odd subplot) is also a late arrival. The result is the book feels like two or three long stories cobbled together into a novel. Having said that, the book is worth reading. The historical sections are rather better than the 21st century sequences, which read like rehashed Neal Stephenson--lots of action and plenty of high-tech gimmickry. The section set in 71 AD, in particular, is well done; especially the part dealing with the Temporians' fortress. This is worth a try if you like historical sf; it's not going to become a classic, though.
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