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Casca #2
God of Death
Soldier, slave, lord, lover. Casca ha been all of these in two and half centuries of existence, but nothing he had encountered had prepard him for what he was about to experience next. Sailing west from Helsfjord, he and his intrepid band of adventuring Vikings find a strange, foreign lake where snakes have rattles, the swamps contain hideous creatures, and the warriors took captives to sacrifice on alters in their blook soaked temples. Taken prisoner Casca is sacrificed to the savage gods, but the man that cannot die reclaims his heart and rises from the alter to become a god himself among the Teotec.
218 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1979
140 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Barry Sadler
109 books78 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
American author, musician and former green beret.
To the general public he is most known for the hit single "Ballad of the green berets"
After his musical career he decided to write a series of novels centered around the character "Casca Rufio Longinius" Who is cursed for piercing Jesus on the crucifix with a spear and is forced to forever remain a soldier until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In the mid 1980s Sadler moved to Guatemala City where he was shot in the head one night in a taxi. He spent 7 months in a coma and died more than a year later.
American author, musician and former green beret.
To the general public he is most known for the hit single "Ballad of the green berets"
After his musical career he decided to write a series of novels centered around the character "Casca Rufio Longinius" Who is cursed for piercing Jesus on the crucifix with a spear and is forced to forever remain a soldier until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In the mid 1980s Sadler moved to Guatemala City where he was shot in the head one night in a taxi. He spent 7 months in a coma and died more than a year later.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 29, 2025
A riveting tale of Casca and the Vikings sailing to Mexico. Of course Casca becomes involved in battle between the Teotecs and Olmecs with the Vikings joining in with berserker enthusiasm. Far fetched, yes, but also told in a way that seems believable.
March 12, 2019
So you just a soldier doing your job. You shove a spear tip into the side of this supposed messiah, except he is the real thing. He curses you to wander the earth till his return. Not bad right, immortality and all. Oh but he also curses you to be a soldier forever at war, never to know peace. This is the story of Casca the Roman legionnaire that stabbed Christ. Forever wandering the earth fighting one war after another. Great adventure series. Very recommended
January 8, 2009
Continuing the satisfyingly brutal series of stories, in which Casca Longinus encounters near death experiences around the world, century after century, after being comdemned to eternal life "as a soldier" until Christ's return on Judgement Day.
In this story, Casca sails to the new world abord a Viking dragonship, and has his heart ceremoniously cut out atop an Aztec pyramid. When he stands up and reinserts his apparently not-so-vital organ, he is instantly deified as "Casca, God of Death."
Trivia note: Barry Sadler is the composer and singer of the "The Ballad of The Green Berets."
In this story, Casca sails to the new world abord a Viking dragonship, and has his heart ceremoniously cut out atop an Aztec pyramid. When he stands up and reinserts his apparently not-so-vital organ, he is instantly deified as "Casca, God of Death."
Trivia note: Barry Sadler is the composer and singer of the "The Ballad of The Green Berets."
February 4, 2023
A tonne of fun - I really need to go back and read the first one
January 27, 2022
Vikings and ancient Mexicans collide and Casca has to convince people that he is a living god. Fun pulpy adventure.
April 1, 2022
Gritty, sexist, racial slurs, and language not quite fitting the times. But mostly fits in its time historically. Casca, is quite a character and stuck, for the most part, in a bad eternity.
February 11, 2017
I've wanted to read this series for awhile now. Unfortunately for me they are scarce and fairly expensive online. I found this gem at my local library used book room for just a quarter. The story greatly interested me and it lived up to my expectations of it. This is certainly a men's adventure type of story.
Fleeing Rome, Casca heads west. He falls in love and becomes the leader of a Viking settlement. When tragedy strikes, it leaves Casca devastated and he decides to head an expedition to the west into open ocean. He and his Viking warriors go on a long journey with plenty of adventure.
I cannot wait to read more of this series. I really wish someone would publish the series as e-books. Until then I'll keep a look out for more Casca books.
Fleeing Rome, Casca heads west. He falls in love and becomes the leader of a Viking settlement. When tragedy strikes, it leaves Casca devastated and he decides to head an expedition to the west into open ocean. He and his Viking warriors go on a long journey with plenty of adventure.
I cannot wait to read more of this series. I really wish someone would publish the series as e-books. Until then I'll keep a look out for more Casca books.
September 26, 2014
A fair story with some basis in history. If you are reading the story to perfect your use of English, you won't find it here.
May 27, 2020
Politics aside the movie The Green Beret is still an awful movie (though, kudos for the great performance by George Takei playing a Vietnamese soldier who spouts American propaganda even though he is of course of Japanese ancestry, 1967 America would have seen all people from the East as one and the same), and history aside this book still is as nuanced and subtle as the title song to The Green Beret, that is to say, not at all.
These books are available for free at Hoopla in audio format. In chapter 2 of this saga, the author realizes he has something that allows him to play with and does go beyond his tropes with his misogynism and comic book sensibilities from the first book. Casca has been cursed to never change or grow, but that doesn’t mean the author has to remain in a cult of ignorance, and the author is starting to realize he has a great concept that transcends the thinking level of a twelve-year-old boy.
What would you think, if you sacrificed someone and ripped out their heart and they kept breathing, talking, and mysteriously healed themselves? Perhaps, you would instantly say that person must be a God. It is as if someone had walked on water, or changed water into wine, a possible explanation could be he is a God, another explanation could be he is a synthetic AI machine built with Turing universal principles. Sadler lets the Aztecs turn him into a God. I wish that Sadler had incorporated a tiny bit of Mormon archeology into the story. That would have made for an interesting connection. The author’s fixation on women’s breast and maleness as seen through 1970ish sensibilities does distract from the story.
One doesn’t read this series for the history. One doesn’t read it for the nuances or subtlety of plotting since there is none. There is a concept that predominates that is intriguing and most of all these are available for free at Hoopla.
These books are available for free at Hoopla in audio format. In chapter 2 of this saga, the author realizes he has something that allows him to play with and does go beyond his tropes with his misogynism and comic book sensibilities from the first book. Casca has been cursed to never change or grow, but that doesn’t mean the author has to remain in a cult of ignorance, and the author is starting to realize he has a great concept that transcends the thinking level of a twelve-year-old boy.
What would you think, if you sacrificed someone and ripped out their heart and they kept breathing, talking, and mysteriously healed themselves? Perhaps, you would instantly say that person must be a God. It is as if someone had walked on water, or changed water into wine, a possible explanation could be he is a God, another explanation could be he is a synthetic AI machine built with Turing universal principles. Sadler lets the Aztecs turn him into a God. I wish that Sadler had incorporated a tiny bit of Mormon archeology into the story. That would have made for an interesting connection. The author’s fixation on women’s breast and maleness as seen through 1970ish sensibilities does distract from the story.
One doesn’t read this series for the history. One doesn’t read it for the nuances or subtlety of plotting since there is none. There is a concept that predominates that is intriguing and most of all these are available for free at Hoopla.
December 7, 2022
This may not be historically accurate but it was a great adventure story that gave us a badass hero who was able to save the day. Vikings did not visit Pre-Columbian Mexico but it was an interesting mashup of the two cultures. Barry Sadler can write a good pulpy adventure influenced by his military background but I would not expect an A in history class if you used it as a source. What was really badass was how Casca crushed an enemy's skull with his bare hands.
December 10, 2020
This is probably one of the only books that manages to mix Vikings and Aztecs together. The story starts out with Casca fighting a barbarian on the German frontier during the later Roman Empire. This symbolically shows that Casca is leaving his Roman life behind and entering the unknown. From here he very quickly becomes the Lord of a Viking castle. There is a fierce battle early on as other barbarians try invading his new home. Casca is in his element here as he devises a strategy that will demoralize the enemy early in the battle and hold the knockout punch until the end. It was fun reading the buildup to the battle and getting a good understanding of how Casca thinks tactically.
All this could have been its own book, but it is only the first few chapters. The heart of the book begins after Casca’s wife dies (there is not much said about her) and he grows restless. He gets a master shipbuilder to build a longboat and takes a group of warriors with him to explore the great unknown world. All this takes place around the year 250 AD, so I believe it is well before the earliest Vikings went exploring.
After a long sea voyage, the Vikings make landfall somewhere near Mexico in the lands of the Aztecs. This presents the most gruesome part of the book where Casca is captured and sacrificed to the Aztec gods. Of course, being sacrificed means ripping Casca’s heart out, which has an unusual result for someone who is immortal. After this ordeal, Casca becomes the God of Death among the Aztecs. From here Casca bans human sacrifice and leads the Aztec soldiers into battle against a rebellious tribe. There is even a moment where Casca attempts an early form of blood transfusion that does not go as expected.
This book does a good job at quickly presenting two vastly different cultures: Vikings and Aztecs. It never gets bogged down in the technicalities like the sea worthiness of a longboat in the ocean (it was built by a master shipbuilder… live with it). It puts Casca into a completely foreign culture that sees him as a god. However, even after all these adventures, Sadler does well at showing us the true Casca that is still a lonely human at heart.
All this could have been its own book, but it is only the first few chapters. The heart of the book begins after Casca’s wife dies (there is not much said about her) and he grows restless. He gets a master shipbuilder to build a longboat and takes a group of warriors with him to explore the great unknown world. All this takes place around the year 250 AD, so I believe it is well before the earliest Vikings went exploring.
After a long sea voyage, the Vikings make landfall somewhere near Mexico in the lands of the Aztecs. This presents the most gruesome part of the book where Casca is captured and sacrificed to the Aztec gods. Of course, being sacrificed means ripping Casca’s heart out, which has an unusual result for someone who is immortal. After this ordeal, Casca becomes the God of Death among the Aztecs. From here Casca bans human sacrifice and leads the Aztec soldiers into battle against a rebellious tribe. There is even a moment where Casca attempts an early form of blood transfusion that does not go as expected.
This book does a good job at quickly presenting two vastly different cultures: Vikings and Aztecs. It never gets bogged down in the technicalities like the sea worthiness of a longboat in the ocean (it was built by a master shipbuilder… live with it). It puts Casca into a completely foreign culture that sees him as a god. However, even after all these adventures, Sadler does well at showing us the true Casca that is still a lonely human at heart.
December 12, 2017
Today I completed the second book in the “Casca: The Eternal Mercenary” series “Casca #2: God Of Death” (1979©) written by Barry Sadler. In this volume, Casca leads some Norse men in battle and then takes them out in long ships to adventure in new lands. Ultimately, they land in Central America (probably Mexico) and run into the Teotecs and the Olmecs. Casca is sacrificed to the Teotecs gods and has his heart cut out. Now before anyone gets too worried about the rest of the series, please recall Casca cannot be killed because he was cursed (by Jesus) in book #1 to live forever. (Well, at least until the second coming.) Surviving death, Casca “becomes” the Teotecs “god”.
The story supposedly happens in the 3rd century AD. The author conveniently overlooks the academic / scholarly belief the Olmecs disappeared (or were destroyed) as a civilization around 500 BC. It also pre-dates the (probable) first voyages of the Vikings to the “New World” by about 700 years. Be that as it may, the story is another well written, fast paced action story which is as entertaining as any re-watching of “Gladiator“, “The Long Ships” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” all rolled into one.
Final recommendation: strong recommendation. Like all the books in this series, this is another fine example of historically based action / adventure / warfare genre which many (including myself) enjoy. Again, the descriptions of warfare and violence in this book (and series) are quite graphic and this book is not suitable for pre-teens.
The story supposedly happens in the 3rd century AD. The author conveniently overlooks the academic / scholarly belief the Olmecs disappeared (or were destroyed) as a civilization around 500 BC. It also pre-dates the (probable) first voyages of the Vikings to the “New World” by about 700 years. Be that as it may, the story is another well written, fast paced action story which is as entertaining as any re-watching of “Gladiator“, “The Long Ships” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” all rolled into one.
Final recommendation: strong recommendation. Like all the books in this series, this is another fine example of historically based action / adventure / warfare genre which many (including myself) enjoy. Again, the descriptions of warfare and violence in this book (and series) are quite graphic and this book is not suitable for pre-teens.
January 14, 2019
The book is good, but KindleUnlimited plays games with you I used to read about two works a week when I worked. I am on disability now and I am unable to read like I used to, so now I listen to Audible books. I looked up kindleUnlimited audiobooks and a whole bunch of books popped up, that had the ability to read or listen, not both... unless I pay for both of them. I have been buying books from Audible for years.. hundreds and hundreds over the years. I was hoping that I could reduce my daily cost of buying audible books. I already supplement my reading/listening with my local library... but I’m often waiting for the next book or have to skip over or read out of order. I questioned a person from their sales office and I was told “that if the kindleunlimited book has audio, it automatically get it. This is clearly a misrepresentation, which is a shame. I am a user that has purchased hundreds and hundreds of books from Audible and I would wary if I was you!!!! I know I’m thinking about leaving them with all this skullduggery! I would prefer to work with a company that is honest and doesn’t play these silly games. I thought Amazon/Kindle was abound that... I guess NOT!!!!!
I enjoyed the boo, it’s what I expected after the first book. Don’t us KindleUnlimited to listen, it won’t work
I enjoyed the boo, it’s what I expected after the first book. Don’t us KindleUnlimited to listen, it won’t work
November 1, 2019
Contains some spoilers. Casca meets former medic Goldman again in a museum in Boston and tells him the story of an ancient Mexican mask. Having travelled north (after Book One) Casca meets a warrior and they travel on to meet Vikings. Casca makes his presence felt and becomes leader and lives with a woman for 40 years. When she dies, he and other Vikings head West in two long boats. They reach America and down the coast to Mexico, where ashore, he is captured by the Taotec warriors who think he is a god returning to them. The Taotecs sacrifice people to send messages to the gods and eventually it is Casca's turn, as the ultimate sacrifice. The immortal Casca survives death again and all now are sure he is a god. A treacherous high priest betrays the Taotecs to the Olmecs and there is a mighty battle after which his lover is murdered. Casca decideds to return "home" again, wherever that is.
November 23, 2018
In the second book in the series, Casca is briefly a Germanic tribe Lord of the Keep. Once his love, Lida, dies of old age, Casca then goes to sea and ends up in what will become modern day Mexico before the Aztecs.
As I said before and will say each time, these books are far from the best examples of fiction writing you will ever run into. In fact, given that there seems to be a love interest in every book, this is almost a Harelquin adventure for men, with lots of killing, swilling and swagger built in.
Overall, I love the mindless diversion they provide. The books average 200 pages in a small book format, so they are a quick read. This was perfect for a four hour flight and the two hours spent waiting in the lounge before departure. That time allowed me to finish one and almost halfway through another.
Worth the time spent reading if you don't have anything serious to read.
As I said before and will say each time, these books are far from the best examples of fiction writing you will ever run into. In fact, given that there seems to be a love interest in every book, this is almost a Harelquin adventure for men, with lots of killing, swilling and swagger built in.
Overall, I love the mindless diversion they provide. The books average 200 pages in a small book format, so they are a quick read. This was perfect for a four hour flight and the two hours spent waiting in the lounge before departure. That time allowed me to finish one and almost halfway through another.
Worth the time spent reading if you don't have anything serious to read.
March 15, 2014
I was given a few of these as "quick reads", 'when I'm bored'
I didn't get #1, which explained his origins, as the Roman soldier who thrust the sword into Jesus' heart, thereby condemning him to immortality until the Second Coming.
It wasn't bad, the grammar, spelling, etc were good, and the story line is consistent. We'll have to give it a 2.8, rounded to a 3
I didn't get #1, which explained his origins, as the Roman soldier who thrust the sword into Jesus' heart, thereby condemning him to immortality until the Second Coming.
It wasn't bad, the grammar, spelling, etc were good, and the story line is consistent. We'll have to give it a 2.8, rounded to a 3
December 30, 2019
Pretty good
I thought this book was pretty good. We learn more about Casca's immortality curse and there was lots of action.
One thing I've noticed is that there's not much dialog in these books. It's almost like it's written as Casca's internal monologue. It's very different and I think it would be a lot better if it were more conventional.
I thought this book was pretty good. We learn more about Casca's immortality curse and there was lots of action.
One thing I've noticed is that there's not much dialog in these books. It's almost like it's written as Casca's internal monologue. It's very different and I think it would be a lot better if it were more conventional.
October 31, 2017
Lots of fighting and blood and gore. Follow Casca from Germany to Scandanavia to Mexico. Casca kills and kills. Casca loses the love of his life. Casca watches his own heart torn out. Will his curse of eternal life finally be lifted? Ultimate high adventure.
July 28, 2020
2nd read
I first read this book over 30 years ago. It still is as good now, as it was then. My reading tastes have changed over the years, but this series gets to me. I have only read book 1 and 2. As WH Smith's had no more. Thank goodness for Kindle!
I first read this book over 30 years ago. It still is as good now, as it was then. My reading tastes have changed over the years, but this series gets to me. I have only read book 1 and 2. As WH Smith's had no more. Thank goodness for Kindle!
January 6, 2016
Very fast paced adventure with interesting unexpected twists.
September 17, 2015
Solid read. The author is still working on his style at this point, so there are some rough bits.
February 16, 2018
Great second book to the series. I was a little lost on how they made it from one place to another by boat, but I just looked past it.
March 4, 2023
Another great Casca, The Immortal, adventure. This is Book #2 in the series (with a total of 53, including ones written by Tony Roberts, after the original author Barry Sadler died).
This adventure takes Casca to the land of the Teotec. After he is captured, he is captured the priests try to sacrifice Casca to the Gods. But, since Casca cannot die, he rises from the altar stone to proclaim himself Casca, God of Death.
This adventure takes Casca to the land of the Teotec. After he is captured, he is captured the priests try to sacrifice Casca to the Gods. But, since Casca cannot die, he rises from the altar stone to proclaim himself Casca, God of Death.
July 27, 2023
This series is such a great idea and it's really fun short pulp adventures. With that being said its hampered by the times it came from. Barry Sadler was a Green Beret and served in Vietnam. These books are from the 70's and he writes like your old, racist, misogynist uncle. Book 2 definitely fleshes out more of what this series can be it's just a shame how much wasted potential is in these pages.
June 6, 2020
New World Adventure for an Old Warrior
2nd in the Casca series a decent if a bit formulaic. I enjoyed the look at pre-columbian central America and the character's are familiar but the 3rd act seems very rushed.
2nd in the Casca series a decent if a bit formulaic. I enjoyed the look at pre-columbian central America and the character's are familiar but the 3rd act seems very rushed.
August 3, 2022
Great read !
Action, action ,action ! Edge of the seat and holding on. Wonder at what is coming next . It keeps the suspense coming, If you do not like this , you should check your pulse ! Thanks for a good adventure and good work.
Action, action ,action ! Edge of the seat and holding on. Wonder at what is coming next . It keeps the suspense coming, If you do not like this , you should check your pulse ! Thanks for a good adventure and good work.
January 19, 2024
Good read
This is an entertaining read for young adults and teens. The historical facts are definitely blurred to fit the story line, but if you only interested in entertainment it is good enough.
This is an entertaining read for young adults and teens. The historical facts are definitely blurred to fit the story line, but if you only interested in entertainment it is good enough.
May 8, 2021
A nice series
This series I read many years ago. It is worth reading again because of an intriguing storyline and interesting characters
This series I read many years ago. It is worth reading again because of an intriguing storyline and interesting characters
September 14, 2021
interesting
August 8, 2022
Another winner with this series. There’s nothing deep or hugely thought provoking about these books. It’s just good brutal action and escapism plot that keeps you engaged.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews