Cestus Dei

by John Maddox Roberts

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0523485840
• ISBN13: 9780523485843
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

More, please

This is one of my favorite books; I keep lending it out. My only complaint is that Roberts creates one of his inimitable universes, and then he doesn't do anything with it. How could this book be a one-off? It's begging to be a series. I would love to spend some time amongst the pirates, but their role is given shockingly short shrift. The constructs are an issue begging for a proper story line. And of course the theological and ethical issues are inexhaustible, esp when blended with Roberts' wicked humor. One can turn to Roberts' other books for solace, but the only true cure will be a good, solid Cestus Dei series...

Space Opera My Son

Cestus Dei and the universe John Maddox Roberts created for it (or with it) are extremely enjoyable. The book begins well, setting the scene and introducing the universe to the reader in a thorough but fast paced manner. The introduction to the main heroes is somewhat muted by the fact that, inside of the first three chapters there is a serious argument over the destruction of an entire planetary system because of their clone production, a day in the life of a gladiator training school, and a description of Jesuit warrior monks training for "missionary" work on a high gravity planet. Oh yeah, and things speed up after that... You cannot fault Maddox for writing a slow-moving story. The only thing I CAN fault Cestus Dei with, is the seeming inability of Maddox to choose a focus. Cestus Dei can really be divided into three parts, the kingdom planet, the clone planet, and the space pirates (oh so space opera). He begins his story by introducing his universe, a humble Franciscan missionary with a drive to spread the Word, a subdued and very dangerous Jesuit priest missionary with a more physically practical method of serving the church, and a self-sacrificing young pagan tribesman who saves his tribe by selling himself for a LOT of money to a gladiator trader who knows that he is worth every penny and more. Characters are traded in and out of the story as we pass through these three parts, and we end up unsure of who the main character really was or if there was a main character. Still, all that aside, Roberts has created a wonderful adventurer's space opera. The action almost never slows; the superhero-like Jesuit rarely ever breaks a sweat, and is probably one of my favorite sci-fi swashbucklers. The self-sacrificing young tribesman will have you rooting for him by the time he finishes his first fight. I think that I can safely recommend Cestus Dei to anyone who likes a good Buck Rogers or any other time-filling space opera story.

Great book!

This is a great book which I havn't read for some time and can't find-this should definitely be reprinted

Wonderful book

After reading "The Strayed Sheep of Charun", I was hooked on the universe created. I eagerly read "Cestus Dei" to see how Mr. Roberts had expanded the story, and was not disappointed. If you can find either of these books, hang on to them. They are definitely books to read more than once.