Caesar Triumphant

Marching With Caesar

by R.W. Peake

"A certain seer warned Caesar to be on his guard against a great peril on the day of the month of March which the Romans call the Ides; 6 and when the day had come and Caesar was on his way to the senate-house, he greeted the seer with a jest and said: 'Well, the Ides of March are come, ' and the seer said to him softly: 'Ay, they are come, but they are not gone." Plutarch, Parallel Lives What if Gaius Julus Caesar had heeded those fateful words and survived that day in March of 44 BC? That is the underlying premise behind Caesar Triumphant, a story of a Caesar and his army that conduct his planned campaign against the Parthians...then just continues on a march of conquest that takes him to the very edge of the known world. The story opens with the last target of conquest: an island nation known then as the Isles of Wa, and what we know today as the country of Japan. It will be the final challenge of a remarkable career, but facing him and his battle-hardened Legions are a race of people as fiercely dedicated to the profession of arms, and fanatically devoted to their emperor as any foe Caesar and his Romans have ever faced. The Wa have never tasted defeat, repelling every attempted invasion of their sacred islands. In these warriors, has Caesar and his unstoppable force of an army finally met their match in the immovable object, in the form of the men of Wa, or will Caesar once again be triumphant? Caesar Triumphant is an alternative history, by the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Marching With Caesar series, R.W. Peake, featuring Titus Pullus, Legionary of Rome.

Genres: Historical Fiction

609 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2013

About the author

The first adult author with whom RW Peake developed a long-term relationship
was Louis L’Amour, whose body of work shaped his life philosophy.
After retiring from the Marines, RW proceeded to earn a BA in History from
the Honors College at the University of Houston.

Although RW wrote a novel as a kid, he didn't publish his first novel until
age 50.
In addition to is time in the Marines, and before the tech bubble burst in 2000, he was
a paper millionaire in the software industry.

A native Houstonian, RW recently relocated to the Olympic Peninsula of
Washington, where he lives with his yellow Lab, Sadie.

Reviews

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julius Ceasar decided to turn back on the Ides of March. Then, as planned, he and his legions attack Parthia, then he continues on. The story then begins on the coast of Korea looking towards Japan. I will not spoil the story, but it is intriguing. The one fault is that the author goes into far more detail on individual sword fights during battles. Along with a good story, the reader will learn much about how the legions of Rome under Julius Ceasar operated and fought.

[Keith Bonington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this one a higher rating ... but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I though I would. The main fault is that the battle in the middle goes on for far too long and gets repetitive in telling us that Caesar's men are doomed. Also the ending felt a bit rushed.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great alternate ending to the series. Can't wait for the next title to be released.

See above. Wonderful alternate path to the series. Very much looking forward to the next book in the "main" story line.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read most of the earlier "MWC" series, this one didn't grab me quite like the others did, but it is still a great read if you like historical fiction or speculative history. The gist of it is that Caesar did not get assassinated on the Ides of March but instead goes off on a long crusade to conquer the ends of the known world. He and his army march through the lands of the Han (China) and eventually ends up in the land of the Wa (Japan). What ensues is a long and bloody battle between Caesar's legions and the Wa warriors. Descriptions of battle scenes are graphic and often gruesome, so if you are not enamored by this type of fiction, don't read this one.
If I have one complaint about the book, it would be that there are no breaks between scene changes. It took some getting used to, and I suspect it was more of an editing issue than a writing issue because other works by this author don't have this problem. It just made it more difficult to follow the action, and there is plenty of it.
All in all, I enjoyed "Caesar Triumphant." It shares many of the same characters as the other "MWC" books, such as Titus Pullus, but gives them different lives. "Caesar Triumphant" is a good stand alone book and does not rely on previous books. If you have not read any of the "MWC" series, this would not provide any spoilers.

[Jean-luc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book by R.W. Peake. I was happy to see all the likable characters from the Marching with Caesar series. I would have liked to have seen more about the actual march to the East through the various regions while the author concentrated most of the book about the campaign ending. One criticism - the big battle seen spans well over 100 pages and that was a bit too long for me.

[Stephen Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caesar survives the ides of March, conquers to the east rivaling Alexander and continues on to conquer Japan! Wonderful alternative historical fiction.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Wow. What an amazing end to one of my all time favorite series. I was very happy to see both pullus and scribonious retire in peace

[Nate Culbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Read this after reading the Marching With Caesar series and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It had me holding my breath at moments. The epilogue was a good touch also.

[John Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kind of skeptical of reading this book haven't really read to many what if books but pleasantly surprised that I really did enjoy it cant wait to start the next one