A Man at Arms: A Novel
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- Create Date：2022-04-05 06:51:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Steven Pressfield
- ISBN：039388239X
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Summary
Jerusalem and the Sinai desert， first century AD。 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 content of this letter could bring down the empire。
The Romans hire a former legionary， the solitary man-at-arms， Telamon of Arcadia， to intercept the letter and capture its courier。 Telamon operates by a dark code all his own， with no room for noble causes or lofty beliefs。 But once he overtakes the courier， something happens that neither he nor the empire could have predicted。
In his first novel of the ancient world in thirteen years， the best-selling author of Gates of Fire and Tides of War returns with a gripping saga of conquest and rebellion， bloodshed and faith。
The Romans hire a former legionary， the solitary man-at-arms， Telamon of Arcadia， to intercept the letter and capture its courier。 Telamon operates by a dark code all his own， with no room for noble causes or lofty beliefs。 But once he overtakes the courier， something happens that neither he nor the empire could have predicted。
In his first novel of the ancient world in thirteen years， the best-selling author of Gates of Fire and Tides of War returns with a gripping saga of conquest and rebellion， bloodshed and faith。
Reviews
William Kittler
，
Pressfield beautifully described the tensions of the Romans and Christians shortly after Christ through the eyes of a trio from both sides of the political and societal landscape of the Roman Empire。 I loved this book。
Greg
，
An excellent historical fiction。 Set in the Roman Empire， twenty plus years after the death of Christ， a mercenary， our man at arms， is hired by the local Roman authorities to track down a Christian and his young female companion who have been tasked with delivering Paul's letter to the Corinthians。 The Roman authorities understood the threat that Paul's message of unity and love posed to it's oppressive governance。 Incidentally， I have found that historically a good measure of how successful a An excellent historical fiction。 Set in the Roman Empire， twenty plus years after the death of Christ， a mercenary， our man at arms， is hired by the local Roman authorities to track down a Christian and his young female companion who have been tasked with delivering Paul's letter to the Corinthians。 The Roman authorities understood the threat that Paul's message of unity and love posed to it's oppressive governance。 Incidentally， I have found that historically a good measure of how successful a government ultimately will be， is how accepting it is of the religious practices of it's people。 A government that finds people aspiring to a higher plane of reality and to possess ambitions greater than that found within the five senses， is a government that should not be trusted。 That is a government that seeks to replace divinity and no such government can permit individual liberty。The man at arms is the ultimate gun for hire。 He soldiers not for flag nor cause but rather for gold alone。 In this instance he has no interest in what Paul's letter communicates nor the young but struggling Christian community。 He simply has a task to stoically complete。Upon capturing the Christian messenger and the young girl， the man at arms is transformed。 He forms an undeclared bond with the duo， especially the girl。 Along the way， he rejects his contract and now seeks to protect the messengers from the forces which seek to silence them， both Roman and Jewish。 The book is a page turner。 The travelling group， which also includes the man in arm's young male student as well as a Jewish witch， go through a harrowing journey in an attempt to get Paul's letter to the Corinthians。Faith and perceived reality clash on occasion。 Blood is spilled and hope is lost。 But in the end， the words of Paul， which as we know transformed western civilization， must get to their intended destination。 。。。more
James Murphy
，
A bit of personal history。 In 1999， I was recovering from heart bypass surgery。 To pass the time， I happened upon a copy of Steven Pressfield's novel "Gates of Fire。" I started reading and found myself completely absorbed in the story。 Upon finishing the book， I sat thinking， "This guy Pressfield is one terrific writer。"Pressfield's subsequent books have further cemented my initial impression of his fantastic skill in writing about the ancient world。 Said skill pervades his latest book "A Man at A bit of personal history。 In 1999， I was recovering from heart bypass surgery。 To pass the time， I happened upon a copy of Steven Pressfield's novel "Gates of Fire。" I started reading and found myself completely absorbed in the story。 Upon finishing the book， I sat thinking， "This guy Pressfield is one terrific writer。"Pressfield's subsequent books have further cemented my initial impression of his fantastic skill in writing about the ancient world。 Said skill pervades his latest book "A Man at Arms。" Telamon of Arcadia， a seasoned mercenary and former Roman legionary， agrees to intercept a letter written by Paul the Apostle to Christian followers in Corinth。 Rome regards the fledgling religion as a threat and wants the letter intercepted and its courier captured。 However， events force Telamon to look within himself and decide the letter's fate。"A Man at Arms" proves that Pressfield is a master storyteller。 Add Pressfield's tome to your to-read list。 。。。more
Michael Carlson
，
“A Man at Arms” is an exceptional read that doesn’t come along often enough。 Steven Pressfield is a writer of note， but this work feels almost like a rework of the heart。 The historical detail makes the reader feel they are there。 The plot will leave you breathless， and the characters are compelling。 “A Man at Arms” is a must have in the collection of any serious reader。
Alan Giles
，
Overall average。 The context was fun and the ending was well done。 It lacked in the middle though。
Kevin
，
I liked this book from the beginning。 Entertaining for sure。 I was all set to give it 4 stars。。。 but that ending！！！。。。 it was worth an entire star itself！
Thomas
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I've read nearly all of Pressfield's books set in antiquity。 I'd say this is the most cinematic and accessible。 It has no framing convention or narration by a storyteller， but lays out the story in linear， fast-paced action。 He brings the first century AD to life in this book！ I've read nearly all of Pressfield's books set in antiquity。 I'd say this is the most cinematic and accessible。 It has no framing convention or narration by a storyteller， but lays out the story in linear， fast-paced action。 He brings the first century AD to life in this book！ 。。。more
Jay Cothrum
，
I really enjoyed this novel。 I am a Steven Pressfield fan and love all of his other books。 This one is so different from his others。 I recommend it。
Chad Manske
，
Pressfield’s first Roman Empire-era novel of historical fiction in 13 years， and it is fantastic！ “Jerusalem and the Sinai desert， first century AD。 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 content of this letter could bring down the empire。The Romans hire a former legionary， the solitary man-at-arms， Telamon of Arcadia， to interc Pressfield’s first Roman Empire-era novel of historical fiction in 13 years， and it is fantastic！ “Jerusalem and the Sinai desert， first century AD。 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 content of this letter could bring down the empire。The Romans hire a former legionary， the solitary man-at-arms， Telamon of Arcadia， to intercept the letter and capture its courier。 Telamon operates by a dark code all his own， with no room for noble causes or lofty beliefs。 But once he overtakes the courier， something happens that neither he nor the empire could have predicted。” 。。。more
Glen
，
I am stunned that I managed to complete this 300+ page apology for cruelty and exultation of violence。 On top of it all the author attempts to conflate the Christian message of forgiveness and love with the （not credible） behavior of the "Man at Arms" in dogged brutal assistance to the early Christian movement。 In this adulation of physical might as right the author goes out of his way to include graphic and impossible assaults。 （Can anyone believe that one can stick two fingers down an ear for I am stunned that I managed to complete this 300+ page apology for cruelty and exultation of violence。 On top of it all the author attempts to conflate the Christian message of forgiveness and love with the （not credible） behavior of the "Man at Arms" in dogged brutal assistance to the early Christian movement。 In this adulation of physical might as right the author goes out of his way to include graphic and impossible assaults。 （Can anyone believe that one can stick two fingers down an ear for example？） Most upsetting to me， perhaps， is the high praise blurbs it prints on the dust cover from high ranking US military officers。 。。。more
Anneliese
，
Great premise， poor execution。 The POV character was entirely irrelevant to the story， having his one significant act of agency be upstaged by the eponymous character。 The characters treat each other badly， yet the reader is expected to be intrigued by how mysterious they are。 But at a ertain point， mystery without explanation just gets boring and feels manipulative。The narrative style was fascinating， when not focusing on the POV character。 The author often pauses to give short lectures on the Great premise， poor execution。 The POV character was entirely irrelevant to the story， having his one significant act of agency be upstaged by the eponymous character。 The characters treat each other badly， yet the reader is expected to be intrigued by how mysterious they are。 But at a ertain point， mystery without explanation just gets boring and feels manipulative。The narrative style was fascinating， when not focusing on the POV character。 The author often pauses to give short lectures on the culture， flora， fauna， geography， artitechture and history of various locations and people groups。 I personally enjoyed these， but some readers may not。 。。。more
Lori
，
New author for me。 I look forward to finding more by him。
Minerva
，
A moving， even if fictional， account of the delivery of Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth during the persecution of Nero。
Bill
，
A former legionary finds himself fighting to deliver Paul's letter to the church in Corinth against a background of simmering revolt and a 'god' emperor。 A former legionary finds himself fighting to deliver Paul's letter to the church in Corinth against a background of simmering revolt and a 'god' emperor。 。。。more
Levi Park
，
Not my favorite Steven Pressfield book for sure。 The way that the one guy could beat any and all bad guys， and just could not be killed… it was just too much。 I like Pressfield when he’s more realistic I guess
Andy
，
Awful。 Took forever。 Characters never developed。 Spent way too many words on scenes that had little diversity from those prior。 A waste of time。 Save yourself some money and read one of his other books。 Maybe one that’s actually good。 Dude takes adventure。 Gets beat up。 He’s okay。 The end。 PS。 All of the NOCs are terrible and wishy washy and bad at being people。
Stephen Arnold
，
The best of Steven Pressfield is found within the pages of this book。 Magnificent drama， battle scenes， and philosophy。
Nick
，
A little disappointed in the story， which seemed contrived to convey the history and technology of the period。 The characters moved from event to event。 Sometimes it was a total mystery why they would take a particular course of action。 The ending was uneventful in my opinion。 Not a book I'd recommend。 A little disappointed in the story， which seemed contrived to convey the history and technology of the period。 The characters moved from event to event。 Sometimes it was a total mystery why they would take a particular course of action。 The ending was uneventful in my opinion。 Not a book I'd recommend。 。。。more
Rob
，
I have read a few Pressfield books， Gates of Fire being my favourite of his library and would be in the top 10 of my all time favourites。 I brought an enthusiasm to read， thinking it would be on the same level or better than Gates of Fire。 Unfortunately I am unimpressed with A Man At Arms as I found it dry， confused and lacklustre。 The setting of time was exciting being what could be equated to a historical fiction。 Pressfield does indeed capture the essence of the time but brings what I think a I have read a few Pressfield books， Gates of Fire being my favourite of his library and would be in the top 10 of my all time favourites。 I brought an enthusiasm to read， thinking it would be on the same level or better than Gates of Fire。 Unfortunately I am unimpressed with A Man At Arms as I found it dry， confused and lacklustre。 The setting of time was exciting being what could be equated to a historical fiction。 Pressfield does indeed capture the essence of the time but brings what I think are modern morals to an ancient setting。 This soured my taste for the story and characters which were unusually out of context for the story line。 Again I take reference from Gates of Hell。 The characters in Man At Arms， I found were unusual by way of personalities and skill which made the story line confused and unbelievable。 The main character Telemon is a stereotype ancient unstoppable operator that has no soul and the reader is hard up to like him。 The other characters are not believable and become more unlikely as the story goes on。 Unfortunately I think that Mr Pressfield has difficulty in the enmeshment of historical and fantasy elements。 Overall the book has a confused story and characters that do not sit well。 。。。more
Frank Roberts
，
The historical context is all wrong。 The Roman government in 55AD was not wasting resources trying to prevent Paul's epistles from being distributed。 The entire plot of the book is ahistorical。 The historical context is all wrong。 The Roman government in 55AD was not wasting resources trying to prevent Paul's epistles from being distributed。 The entire plot of the book is ahistorical。 。。。more
Keeley
，
Got through exactly half of it - I'm at 50%Started off good。 REALLY good。 And I was so dang excited。 Yaaaassss。 An accurate historical novel that's super interesting and isn't full of bad language and sex？ WHOOT！ Sign me up。 Then the "sorceress" turned up and I Just。 Can't。 Take it anymore。 She's so dang annoying。 And the story got boring。 Realized that I was avoiding the book， and that's always a heads-up that it's not for me。 DNF。 Though I may skip to the end and read the last chapter or two。 Got through exactly half of it - I'm at 50%Started off good。 REALLY good。 And I was so dang excited。 Yaaaassss。 An accurate historical novel that's super interesting and isn't full of bad language and sex？ WHOOT！ Sign me up。 Then the "sorceress" turned up and I Just。 Can't。 Take it anymore。 She's so dang annoying。 And the story got boring。 Realized that I was avoiding the book， and that's always a heads-up that it's not for me。 DNF。 Though I may skip to the end and read the last chapter or two。 。。。more
David Riseley
，
I didn’t like this book because I found it preposterous again and again。 Eventually I lost interest and just wanted to finish it。 Worse still， this should be a story of God's providence。 Instead， it is a story of a mission accomplished by the force of men's will and strength of arms。The magoffin of the story is Paul’s letter to the Corinthians。 Inexplicably， the romans know about the letter and they will do anything necessary to intercept it before it reaches its destination。 Also， the letter is I didn’t like this book because I found it preposterous again and again。 Eventually I lost interest and just wanted to finish it。 Worse still， this should be a story of God's providence。 Instead， it is a story of a mission accomplished by the force of men's will and strength of arms。The magoffin of the story is Paul’s letter to the Corinthians。 Inexplicably， the romans know about the letter and they will do anything necessary to intercept it before it reaches its destination。 Also， the letter is headed from one Greek city to another by way of Jerusalem。 The “witch in their travelling party is sometime an ally， sometimes a pitiless enemyThe party endures extreme hardships of various kinds that would normally cripple a person but the group recovers and continues on， no problem。The girl Ruth knows the topography of the region of Greece they are headed to because her mother told her stories when she was very young。 Yeah， right。The Romans slaughtered everyone in Ruth’s mother’s home village。 How did the Romans know the girl had a connection to that village？ How does this action help the Romans？ They are the bad guys and bad guys slaughter whole villages That’s all。 Then they put Corinth to the torch， one of their most valuable Greek cities， all in an attempt to stop Paul's epistle to the Corinthians。 。。。more
Jordan
，
Brutal， often dark， occasionally mystifying， treads in very deep historical and theological waters at times， and then backpaddles a bit into safer territory in some instances。 A deeply engaging cast of characters， and the plot really serves primarily to force them into interaction。 Character definitely trumps plot in this one， as opposed to Gates of Fire， in which both the events being witnessed and those involved shared equal billing。 This one has some historical stretching - I cannot find any Brutal， often dark， occasionally mystifying， treads in very deep historical and theological waters at times， and then backpaddles a bit into safer territory in some instances。 A deeply engaging cast of characters， and the plot really serves primarily to force them into interaction。 Character definitely trumps plot in this one， as opposed to Gates of Fire， in which both the events being witnessed and those involved shared equal billing。 This one has some historical stretching - I cannot find any evidence of a Roman purge or invasion of Corinth during the Apostolic Age， but I guess it's not utterly improbable。 Still a stretch， though。Not perfect， but darn good。 。。。more
Andy
，
I'll listen to anything narrated by George Guidall， but this was pretty tough。 A series of implausibilities leading to literal cliffhangers。 I'll listen to anything narrated by George Guidall， but this was pretty tough。 A series of implausibilities leading to literal cliffhangers。 。。。more
Dave McCracken
，
Full disclosure， I'm a fan of Steven Pressfield。 First， read his "Gates of Fire （Historical Fiction）" from the USMC Reading List， and haven't turned back， finishing most of his non-fiction works。 A Man at Arms is the quintessential Hero's Journey。 The account of a Roman Legionnaire turned mercenary， embarking on a perilous mission to intercept a secret Christian message & messenger。 Without spoiling the plot or outcomes， its safe to say the Hero transitions thru many phases through his trials & Full disclosure， I'm a fan of Steven Pressfield。 First， read his "Gates of Fire （Historical Fiction）" from the USMC Reading List， and haven't turned back， finishing most of his non-fiction works。 A Man at Arms is the quintessential Hero's Journey。 The account of a Roman Legionnaire turned mercenary， embarking on a perilous mission to intercept a secret Christian message & messenger。 Without spoiling the plot or outcomes， its safe to say the Hero transitions thru many phases through his trials & tribulations。 Steven Pressfield sticks closely to historical accuracy of the times， paints descriptive blood-curdling descriptions of man-to-man combat， torture， endurance， and struggle that will keep you reading for more。Recommended for those enjoying historical fiction， yet， if you are unfamiliar with Steven Pressfield start with "Gates of Fire" and graduate to "A Man at Arms"。 。。。more
Jose C。
，
Just ok， hopefully Gates of Fire is betterBook was sorta kinda entertaining。 Maybe because I was reading Craig Thomas Firefox & Firefox Down （which are page turners！） at the same time （yup finally， after rewatching the Clint Eastwood movie a few months ago）。 Although Telamon is noble & heroic， he's hard to root for， as he's mostly tight-lipped throughout， staying a mystery in the book。 The story is mostly from 'the youth's' point of view， David。 It's a quest-type of story， which I usually like。 Just ok， hopefully Gates of Fire is betterBook was sorta kinda entertaining。 Maybe because I was reading Craig Thomas Firefox & Firefox Down （which are page turners！） at the same time （yup finally， after rewatching the Clint Eastwood movie a few months ago）。 Although Telamon is noble & heroic， he's hard to root for， as he's mostly tight-lipped throughout， staying a mystery in the book。 The story is mostly from 'the youth's' point of view， David。 It's a quest-type of story， which I usually like。 It had some good 'action，' of the time relevant of the 70s AD （Ano Domini）。 Telamon is basically a loner， who reluctantly picks up several individuals on his original quest。 I really， really hope Gates of Fire & Tides of War are better （as I've already bought them🤔）。 。。。more
Tim
，
Pressfield never disappoints。 Outstanding！
VIC
，
Geat Story telling。This story is so good。 It would make an excellent movie。 Mel Gibson please take note！ James Cameron please take note！
Michelle
，
Not what I expected and glad it wasn't。 Don't remember when I added this to my queue。 so reread description and thought hmm might be very religious。 Mind that's okay， but books for me are to escape reality。 Thus was happily surprised that it was a story of a soldier， his squire， and 3 other main characters。 The descriptions of reality from that time period was well done。 Ending was also not so happily ever after。 I do recommend this especially from a military history perspective。 The rest was fa Not what I expected and glad it wasn't。 Don't remember when I added this to my queue。 so reread description and thought hmm might be very religious。 Mind that's okay， but books for me are to escape reality。 Thus was happily surprised that it was a story of a soldier， his squire， and 3 other main characters。 The descriptions of reality from that time period was well done。 Ending was also not so happily ever after。 I do recommend this especially from a military history perspective。 The rest was faith in individual people。 We have to believe in ourselves too。 。。。more
Tyler
，
Gates of Fire is one of my favorite books， but A Man at Arms was comparatively lackluster。
Reference
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