Halfway into this book, I closed it. Reading this book was unbearable. The reader begins the book as a a new recruit named Marius Gaius who journeys through the life of a Roman soldier.

The narrative is filled with a bunch of cool facts, but I am not sure where the author was going with the illustrations. Each pages is filled with goofy cartoons about the Roman military and the life of a Roman soldier. The only thing is that these images lack humor and cause this book to be a turnoff.

This book seriously lacks something. ( )

This is a short nonfiction book about life as a Roman soldier in 105 A.D., told with short and clearly written texts and lots of great cartoon illustrations that capture the details of equipment and lifestyle of a soldier. The book takes the perspective that the reader is joining the army, and walks through the aspects of life that they would experience, from pay, equipment, formations, clothing, parades, and even promotion and retirement. The book includes a glossary and an index, but these are almost unnecessary given that the entire book is only 32 pages long. There is not too much depth, but this book is a good introduction to the topic and covers many aspects of soldier life. This is an excellent choice for young students who need to do reports on history or ancient weapons, as the text passages are not too hard, and the pictures both detailed and humorous. Recommended especially for elementary school libraries. ( )