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McMullen is quite the imaginative writer! Here he presents a twist on time travel. The "time machine" is essentially an ice vault. Those who use it drink a sort of antifreeze, which is, of course, poisonous. The process of bringing them around is complex. These are the gods. Vitellan, a young Roman centurion, just missed being killed when Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii--he was out of town, so to speak. Through a series of events and some adventure, young Vitellan becomes one of the frozen. He
Terribly written. Plot didn't hang together, characters were poorly developed. Not enjoyable at all.
A fun idea (What if ancient Rome's best and brightest, and most cold-resistant, maintained their Empire via cryonics?) marred by its execution. First half (Roman and medieval times) is largely prelude and wordy back story. Second half, in the (now-not-too-distant) future, is strongly reminiscent of "Snow Crash," although Stephenson does it better. The Centurion himself is stoic, honorable, wooden, adaptable, dull. His Roman/medieval supporting cast are forgettable, with the exception of an Ice K...
Read this book awhile ago - but remember being impressed! An interesting story that takes you through history from the Roman Empire to the future - a kind of combination historical fiction/time travel/sci-fi with a little Da Vinci code style world order conspiracy theory mixed in.
An unusual book. The books are much better than the execution with multiple time settings and characters. The biggest problem bar the section set in the future not enough time is spent in any time period. The main character is interesting but somewhat a cipher. The ending is also somewhat a disappointment but it feels left open and I would be curious to see what happens next.
I didn't like this book - didn't even finish it.
Loved this book about a journey through time and a not-so-impossible, in the the near future, way of becoming immortal.
I started this book in high school and remembered it being much more exciting than it was. I must not have finished it then, because I didn't remember anything about the ending when I read it this time around. As a concept, the book is absolutely fantastic - I love the idea of seeing a citizen of the Roman empire suddenly thrust into the 21st century - but the execution for this novel was difficult for me to read. The pacing made the exciting portions unexpected and confusing, and I had trouble
Very tedious to begin within, but it gets better and with a better pace toward the end. I'm still left with the feeling I've read the outline of a novel, rather than a completed work. There are so many gaps with no background to help you get any depth from the story. Which is a shame really, because it had some pretty good bits.
I had never read any of McMullen's books before, but picked this up at my library's book sale and knew I had to have it as soon as I read the description. It's a pretty unique storyline about a group of ancient Romans called the Temporians who were basically human time machines. They discovered how to freeze themselves in ice chambers with a combination of natural resilience and a special mixture of cryoproteins isolated from glacial-dwelling insects.The Centurion is the last of the Temporians a...
isbn,original
I'm not entirely sure the first half of the book is necessary; it's more like an extremely long prologue, setting up the background so that the action can continue without breaking stride with exposition.That said, it is well thought out and entertaining, but on a second reading I'd skip the first hundred pages or so -- I doubt my experience will be negatively hindered, except in fully understanding the psychopathic nature of the Icekeepers.
This won an Aurealis Award back in 1999. But I don't know why. Roman centurion finds a means to move through time a la Buck Rogers. Finds himself in 21st C and gets involved in cyberpunk activities. No real resolution. Side characters and plots that go nowhere and a fair few unexplained events. Started ok but downhill slide all the way. Rated M for violence and infrequent coarse language. 2.5/5
Seems strangely rushed.And overly complicated. Some nice ideas but still a lot to plough through.
