Scipio Rising

Scipio Africanus #1

by Martin Tessmer

Three men, three one sworn to preserve Rome, another to destroy it, a third to committed to defeating the both of them. The history-defining clash between Scipio Africanus, Hannibal the Great, and Cato the Elder. Four books comprise the series.

Genres: Historical Fiction

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2013

About the author

Martin Tessmer spent thirty-five years as a design and training expert for universities and the military. In the late 1990s, he went on hiatus from the academic world to work as an outdoor writer, publishing several wilderness books and writing for numerous outdoor magazines.

Martin returned to academia in 2000, heading up an online training development center for the University of Colorado system. He retired in 2010, and went on to work with the U.S. Navy on designing fighter pilot training programs. He is now semi-retired, devoting himself to historical novels. His recent research on the Punic Wars has taken him to London, Rome, Ostia, and Barcelona.

In addition to his six-book Scipio Africanus series, Martin has just released The Noble Brute, the first historical novel about Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus.

Reviews

[Katherine Hebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but could be better

Scipio Rising is the historical fiction novel about a young boy (Scipio)’s rise to greatness during battles in 210 BCE. The author did a great job of learning a lot of facts about the time frame; so much so that the novel sometimes feels really “teachy.” (The author is a teacher so I’m sure that influenced his writing style.) This is one of those books I would much prefer to read as a supplement to a history class. However, I do think people who enjoy this genre would enjoy this book. The characters themselves did pull some emotion out of me. It’s hard not to feel a little sympathy for people trying to be leaders in a war.

[Anthony Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story with believable characters

Pretty well written and enjoyable even though the story is easily available as an actual history it was well 'fleshed out' and I thought the character's were well defined. One historical inaccuracy - Ciabata bread was 'invented' in the 1950's by Italian bakers to compete with French baguettes which were becoming too popular in Italy at that time. Little 'niggle' really - just nitpicking ! Enjoyed the book.

[william m. selman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling reading

I love history but the historian is a dry read. Tessmer writes in a fashion that makes the reader read more before he takes a sip of his/her drink. A truly enjoyable book.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always a pleasure to read historical fiction that makes you feel a part of the time period and alongside the characters of the book. Cornelius Scipio reluctantly follow the footsteps of his father, into the army, with a pledge to destroy Rome's most fearsome enemy, Hannibal the Carthaginian. The book is as much about Hannibal and his genius for defeating Roman legions as it is about Scipio growth into a soldier and advancement in Roman politics. We learn how Hannibal changes warfare from head to head confrontations to warfare that utilizes tricks, ambushes, and the terrain to his advantage. The Romans refuse to recognize this change and continue to throw legion after legion at Hannibal, each getting wiped out. This is the first of a trilogy on Scipio and by the end of the book we see Scipio riding off to war in Iberia having learned Hannibal's lessons and intent on practicing the same skilled trickery on Rome's arch enemy.

Mr. Tessmer puts you in the middle of each battle to groan at Rome's stupidity and marvel at Hannibal's strategies. Of course, nothing is easy and all is susceptible to politics. Both Scipio and Hannibal have to fight their senates for men, arms, and money. Mr. Tessmer doesn't stop at the battles but provides a rich background of life in Rome and of Scipio's family and Rome's political intrigue between the Latin (with Cato playing an important role) and Hellenistic parties. An excellent novel making it fun to learn ancient history.

[Francis Mulhern · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in two minds about 3 or 4 stars for this book. I did like the story and it is well written, yet something keeps nagging at me to say it's not as good as others in a similar category - so 3 it is.

The book is good in many ways - good pace and energy and I really liked the way that Tessmer gives you a first hand insight into the politicians and practicalities of being a senior Roman at the time. I enjoyed the way I learned about Scipo and his enemies and I did like the overall feel of the book.

Yet I like a good old battle scene and these were short and sharp - with good explanations of what happened and sound reviews from two or three viewpoints, but I didn't feel transported to the side of my fellow Romans standing in line against the enemy.

I liked the different perspectives, from Hannibal to Scipio and back as well as minor players giving their thoughts on how things will play out. Yet, again, I wanted more. It seemed as if the story was too long for the writing and elements were cut short to make the book finish at a particular point in time.

Having said all of that it was well worth a read and I will read the next one in the series because (as I said above) I did like the overall feel of the book and its story.

[Deba · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a thrilling journey through history, into the human heart and soul of Scipio and Hannibal. Two of the most distinguished heroes of ancient History. This inspired narrative reveals the aristocrat, general, politician, and aesthete behind the Roman triumph to bring us a novel of love and betrayal. The story starts at the beginning of their lives, from childhood and on to their adult life. Braiding together parallel plots of both Scipio and Hannibal in the art of war among the Carthaginians and Romans through the Punic wars. War between Rome and Carthage was one of the great military conflicts of the ancient world and the author writes it into an entirely satisfying symphony of story and substance with breathtaking battle scenes and a tale of violent passions. As the story unfolds you have a great respect for both great men. The book is complex, surprising and thought-provoking. Non-stop entertainment right until the last chapter. All I can say is WOW! I am now an adamant history buff, and I want to read more of the story. Great book and a great author. I was given this book in return for my review. It was my pleasure, indeed.

[Jerry Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced and well-told story on the whole, and I was gripped by the plot line in particular. Some of the characters were rather shallow, and they stretched credibility a bit too much at times. The book is written in the present tense and it took me a short time to adjust to that, but once I became used to it I found it completely acceptable. But I found the occasional translations of latin words or phrases a bit irritating where they were injected into the text of the story.

I found this book to be a damned good read. I could envisage the action well enough, although the odd extra scintilla of descriptive detail could have helped. It would not have slowed the story in any way. I am certainly looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Some of the political background was exaggerated but Tessmer admits to that for the sake of the story. The one thing I hated was his reference to 'legionnaires'. In the UK, legionnaires look after doors at clubs etc. For us the Roman Army consisted of Legionaries.

However, a great story and I shall go straight to the sequel. Recommended to any lover of Roman Army Fiction.

[William B. Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read

I think this book was interesting to read but not to the standard of other roman books I have read

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. Fast-paced/story moved along nicely. Enjoyed it. The writing was a little heavy handed to belabour some points.