Soldier of Rome: Rebellion in Judea

The Great Jewish Revolt series, Book 1

By: James Mace

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

The year is AD 66, and the Roman province of Judea has exploded in rebellion. Far from being a revolution of unified peoples, the various Jewish factions of Sadducees, Zealots, Sicarii, and Edomites are in a state of civil war; as anxious to spill the blood of each other as they are to fight the Romans. The Judeans find hope when the Romans commit a serious tactical blunder and allow their forces to be ambushed and nearly destroyed in the mountain pass of Beth Horon. Following the disaster, Emperor Nero recalls to active service Flavius Vespasian, the legendary general who had been instrumental in the conquest of Britannia 23 years before. In the northern region of Galilee, a young Jewish commander named Josephus ben Matthias readies his forces to face the coming onslaught.

A social and political moderate, he fears the extremely violent Zealot fanatics - who threaten to overthrow the newly established government in Jerusalem - as much as he does the Romans. Soon Vespasian, a tactical and strategic genius who has never been defeated in battle, unleashes his huge army upon Galilee. His orders are to crush the rebellion and exact the harshest of punishments upon those who would violate the "Peace of Rome". Lacking the manpower and resources to face the legions in open battle, Josephus knows he will need plenty of cunning, ingenuity, and perhaps even the intervention of God himself, lest the once proud Kingdoms of Judah and Israel become a kingdom of the damned.

©2014 James M Mace (P)2019 James M Mace

Guts and Glory!

Mace is an absolute master of bringing history to life. His writing bristles with life, passion and excitement and reflects a deep comprehension of the subject matter.
The narration is a perfect choice! All 3 books in this series are top notch

Pleasantly Surprised!💜

(Books1-3)
I suppose I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I started this book. In the beginning and actually often times during this series I found myself a little confused, but a lot intrigued lol. But “it’s not you it’s me” lol I’m not exactly a historical genius (not even much of a historical fan 🤷🏻‍♀️) so the places & names were somewhat unfamiliar to me. That said, I couldn’t stop reading/listening to this amazing story. Devastating, sad and disheartening, but at the same time, fascinating and extremely entertaining.
I have to admit, the only reason I started this series is because I think narrator Jonathan Waters is one of the best story tellers out there. He has a great voice which is absolutely perfect for this genre.
This review is for books 1-3 in this series. If you are a fan of this era I highly recommend this series.

Sisters Spotlight 💜

Ambitious tale pulled off well

When I read the description of Rebellion in Judea, it sounded like an ambitious project. I have to say it was, but that the author pulled it off well. While the conflict is focused in Judea, the cast of characters is extensive and handled well. From Roman generals and lower ranking officers and a few common foot soldiers to governors, Emperor Nero and the Jewish side. That included leaders (political/religious and military) as well as some side characters.


Each was distinctive enough that as they returned to the narrative, I was able to recall and keep going without having to ponder or backtrack.


The action (political and especially military) was interesting and fast-paced. The tale didn’t drag or get bogged down. There were many angles with different sides with different hopes and objectives, from the Jewish moderates attempting to deal with the more radical factions, to the political/military intrigue on the Roman side.


The telling of the combats, from ground or ambush, to siege, were detailed enough to keep my interest and provide a vivid picture of what was happening.


While the political and military aspects were well represented in the plot, the religious was not quite so much, and that is the only weak link in the tale, albeit minor.


The narrator, Jonathan Waters, did an excellent job, especially with such a large cast of characters to voice. The little things he did, like varying inflections or pacing and tone, as well as different voices, kept me on track and not wondering who was speaking.


A worthwhile listen, especially if you enjoy tales of Roman/military history.

Very Good

Solid mix of historical information with understandable narration and dialogue. The narrator was very good.

great historical story

I love history and this audiobook didn't disappoint. I knew some of this part of history, but this gave me some interesting tidbits I hadn't heard of before. Great job!

excellent historical fiction

great narrator
excellent story.
relive the battles that begun the end of Juda.
well told with excellent coverage of both the Roman side and all the fractured sides in Israel.
you should love this.

it's hard to say.

I very rarely give a bad review on here. it's not the book or story I have a problem with. I think it's the narrator. it seems like every character in the book was an English blue blood from Cambridge lol. it didn't resonate with me. of course that's my opinion.

An imaginary retelling of history

An imaginary retelling of the Great Jewish Revolt of 66 AD as a narrative story. While accurate in broad strokes, much of the detail is supposition at best … and while we will never know how accurate the author’s imagination is here, I felt that in many cases he did not accurately capture the context nor the nuance of the history … and so I had a hard time connecting with the story. The 14+ hours of narration was adequate but didn’t help with improving the real feel missing in the story as written … in fact I felt it made it worse. Still, for anybody wishing to know a little more about the War, it was an okay diversion.

I was given this free review copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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