The Capsarius cover art

The Capsarius

Legion XXII, Book 1

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The Capsarius

By: Simon Turney
Narrated by: Colin Mace
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About this listen

Warrior and combat medic, Titus Cervianus, must lead a legion and quell the uprisings in Egypt in a new Roman adventure from Simon Turney. Egypt.

25 BC. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, he's now a capsarius—a combat medic. Cervianus is a pragmatist, a scientist and truly unpopular with his legion. The Twenty Second Deiotariana have been sent to deal with uprisings and chaos in Egypt. Yet the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion either. Founded as the private royal army of one of Rome's most devoted allies, the king of Galatia, their ways are not the same as the other legions, a factor that sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers.

Marching into the unknown, Cervianus will find unexpected allies in a local cavalryman and a troublesome lunatic. Both will be of critical importance as the young medic marches into the searing sands of the south, finding forbidden temples, dark assassins, vicious crocodiles and, worst of all, the warrior queen of Kush....

©2022 Simon Turney (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd Ancient Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction War & Military Royalty Solider Africa Middle East

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All stars
Most relevant
Another series under way, can’t wait for the next book and of course Marius’s mules XV.

Thank you Simon

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Great storyline, great narration, held my interest from start to finish.
Can’t wait for the next in the series.

Brilliant

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Kept me entertained all the way through. Similar to Simon scarrow in Reading and layput

Good listening

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Servianus is a Capsarius, a trained healer, part medicus, part legionary with special privileges, serving with the XXIi legion which has just arrived at Alexandria. An educated man, he is unpopular with the others in the 22nd and is constantly afraid of the physical injury their cruel 'pranks' can cause. A loner, trusting more in science than prayer, he finds a most unlikely friend in another soldier, short where he is tall and foolhardy with fists where Servianus would prefer not to be noticed. Together they go into war...

A different Roman military story, well narrated by Colin Mace. However, one star has been deducted overall.because the story is not complete: book two continues where this one stops - frustrating and irritating if not known before hand.
Apart from that, a good read. I've just purchased the next episode, Bellatrix.

"All hail, the legion of fools."

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the genius that is Simon turney embarks on a new journey, following a capsariuus more qualified than his senior medicos, down the nile from alexandria to Cairo to thebes and aswan, fighting not only kushites but rival legions, local religion, black clad nomads, and crocodiles.
the research is impeccable, especially the medical requirements of a capsarius' equipment,
a senior tribune leads the xxii, more interested in fame and glory than the welfare of his men.
the last battle on the edge of Egyptian/kushite territory at the 2nd cataract, leads the tribune to strange tactics and dissent in the ranks, a cliffhanger for book 2 into the desert and further south, and I can't wait!!
I'm not 100% with the narration, but 95 is good enough, and he sells the story with vocal tones and accents.

beware Sobek, stop at the first cataract, but definitely do not pass the 2nd!!

excellent as always

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An enjoyable listen with characters who feel believable. An enticing introduction to Legion XXII. Something to relax with.

Interesting characters

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Very well written. The journey this story takes you on is second to none. Colin Mace is such a good storyteller.

Very good.

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The book follows the journey of a combat medic during the campaign in Kush. The plot is well paced with a mixture of political intrigue, battles, Egyptian culture, Roman military life and structure. The setting of the book is particularly interesting because it not only shines a light on how ancient Egypt was even at this time, but also loosely follows a campaign that isn't well known.

Overall the characters are interesting and quite likeable. They are grounded and not heroic in skill and ability, bar the very stubborn Centurions.

if you are looking for a book with a worms eye view of life as a Roman Legionnaire, this is it.

Roman military fiction at its finest.

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Wonderful story telling with rich characters & deeply embedded history. Can't wait for the next in the series!

Truely brilliant

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This is a new series. I’ve enjoyed Turvey’s other work and I quite enjoyed this one without loving it. I’ll be interested to see how, in the second book, he manages to keep his foot soldiers in situations where they have pretty constant access to senior officers otherwise someone is going to have to get promoted pretty quickly if there’s to be anything but walk and fight to the stories.

Not a bad start

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