Colossus: Stone and Steel

Volume 1

By: David Blixt

Narrated by: Brian J. Gill

Judea, AD 66. A Roman legion suffers a smashing and catastrophic defeat at the hands of an angry band of Hebrews armed with only slings and spears. Knowing Emperor Nero's revenge will be swift and merciless, they must decide how to defend their land against the Roman invasion. Caught up in the tumult is the mason Judah, inadvertent hero of Beth Horon, who now finds himself rubbing shoulders with priests, revolutionaries, generals, and nobles, drafted to help defend the land of Galilee. Denied the chance to marry where he will, he turns all his energy into defending the besieged city of Jotapata. But with a general suffering delusions of grandeur, friends falling each day, and the Roman menace at the walls, Judah must brave a nightmare to save those he loves and preserve his honor. First book of the Colossus series.

©2012 David Blixt (P)2016 David Blixt

Great Listen

Great book. It has several different story lines going at one time so not a good book to listen to if you're multitasking but a great listen nonetheless.

Awesome Historical Fiction

I enjoyed this story a lot. The author brought to life Judea in 66 A.D in which a group of Hebrews bested a Roman legion in a skirmish, after which the Hebrews had to prepare for Emperor Nero's retaliation. I was amazed at the depth of research which was evident in the story. I liked the stone mason, Judah, who was drawn into the struggles of the people. I followed his journey with bated breath, which added an emotional element for me. I thought Brian J. Gill's narration was great, and his performance enhanced the story's entertainment. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this story.

excellent novel for history buffs and action nerds alike

story follows characters who grow and change through the course of several battles and a siege of a war. worth the read.

Excellent telling of an interesting period of history

Im looking forward to finding the rest of the series. It was very well researched in addition to being very engaging

Baskerville Book Reviews

Did not finish.

This will primarily be a review of the audiobook.

So this book features a lot of characters from the Christian? Bible? Don’t know, don’t care. I’m not into religious dogma. I’m also unfamiliar with much of Roman history or the many names. I have a hard time with names in general. Which led to me struggling to follow along.

I was lost the entire time I was listening to this book. Every few minutes, I felt myself getting confused, bored, and zoning out. Then I’d realize I was lost and had no idea what the hell was going on again. So I’d try to start paying attention again, only for it to happen again.

I want it known, I tried to continue on with this book. I listened to a few hours worth (stopping somewhere in the 9-hour range, listening at 2.0 – 2.55x speed.) I ended up leaving the book out of boredom and with a desire to review something shorter to not fall behind on reviews. Nine days and 9 reviews later, I returned to this book out of obligation to the author…. and I lasted another couple of hours before finally accepting defeat.

The reason I went so in detail about why I couldn’t get into this book is that I don’t think it’s a bad book, it’s just not for me. I also can’t stand reviews that are just “I got this as a review copy. This book good! / this book bad!” That’s just lazy and disrespectful to the person that gave them a review copy. The book is very descriptive. It seems well written, planned, and researched. Not that I’d know otherwise. As I said, I know little of Roman history or Bible characters.

Overall, the narrator does a great job. Somebody should tell him there’s no e in apricot. It’s not an “Ape-ricot”. Other than that annoyance, his voices and acting were excellent. You can tell he takes his job seriously.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.