It would be easy to put off Barry Sadler’s character CASCA as dime store fluff. But that is not the case. Cursed by Christ as he is dying upon the cross CASCA is damned to walk the earth until the return of the Messiah. The pain, misery and agony our character endures in the first book alone is enough for us to feel pity for him. Sadler hit a home run with this character, his somewhat decent knowledge of history, cause and effect and the events that shaped the world over the last two thousand years are strong. CASCA’s suffering tears at your heart strings. Yeah the language is kind of off pace and at times the story seems rushed, but at less than two hundred pages Sadler gets a lot done. It would be awesome to see these stories on the screen. Violent, sexist and at times culturally intolerant, these stories would be attacked by the modern woke crowds. But they are relative to the times and attitudes. Good stories, a quick read with insight into ourselves. CASCA as a character is not above himself. The author instills in him the importance of self-awareness and higher understanding of a force much larger than ourselves. Though CASCA may be resistant to these deeper feelings he has...he is not beyond letting them shape him. ( )

A friend recently gifted me with all 22 books in this series, a favorite of hers and her entire family. I like the premise, but will need to read another one or two to see if the series, for me, is worth pursuing. The problem is, I have read other books and manuscripts on this premise that I have truly adored, and while this is engaging, the writing didn't sweep me away as those have. But, as I said, I'm willing to give the series at least one more book, if not two. ( )

The premise is a mercenary who can not die until the Second Coming. Thus, although beginning in Vietnam, Sadler's own war, the story of the mercenary really begins in ancient Rome. It details the eternal mercenary who is a soldier, gladiator, and for a time a free man

http://thelittlemaninchina.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/book-review-casca-the-eterna... ( )