Casca (series)

Cover sample of Casca#1: "The Eternal Mercenary".

Casca is a series of paperback novels, created and written by author Barry Sadler in 1979. The stories revolve around the life of Casca Rufio Longinus, a soldier in the Roman legions who is cursed by Christ on Golgotha for driving a spear into him. For his efforts Casca was doomed to wander the Earth aimlessly, always as a soldier.

Sadler wrote the first 22 novels before his death in 1989. Two subsequent novels (Casca 23: The Liberator and Casca 24: The Defiant) were written by Paul Dengelegi. The current author, Tony Roberts, has written all the novels since 2006, excluding Casca 29: Immortal Dragon and Casca 33: The Outlaw, which were written by Michael B. Goodwin. To date there are 36 novels in the series. A 37th novel, Casca: Roman Mercenary, is scheduled to be released in the Spring of 2012.

Series overview

Casca was first introduced in Casca #1 The Eternal Mercenary. In the years leading up to the fateful moment, little is known except for the odd tantalizing clues in some of the novels. He spent most of his adult life serving the Roman empire in the Legions, and there are some scraps of information about his family. He grew up in the hill country of Etruria, now known as Tuscany, to the north of Rome. The village name was Falerno. When he was a child, he saw the 10th Legion march through his village en route to Gaul. His uncle, Tontine, enlisted into the army under Julius Caesar. His family died of plague and the young Casca burned the family home as a result. He enlisted into the 7th Legion at either Messilia or Livorno. His first battle under the eagle of the 7th was on the German border against the Suevii when 15,000 tribesmen attacked them at dawn. Only 300 made it back into the forests of Germania. He joined the 10th Legion and was sent to Jerusalem where he was assigned to the execution detail for three prisoners, amongst whom was Jesus.

At Golgotha, Casca stabs Jesus with his spear, in an attempt to relieve Jesus of his pain and suffering. Jesus condemns Casca by saying: Soldier, you are content with what you are. Then that you shall remain until we meet again. As I go now to my father, you must one day come to me". Casca did not initially understand what had happened to him until he was condemned to work in labor mines over a 30 year period. There he slowly discovers that he does not age and cannot be killed or seriously wounded. He learns that he is immortal, although he can feel all pain inflicted on his person.

Casca possesses an affinity for spoken languages. He can master most languages that he comes in contact with, including their various dialects, colloquialisms, and sub-tongues. Casca is also superbly skilled in edged weapons. He was first trained as a Roman Legionnaire with the Gladius Iberius sword. He later improved those skills while as a Gladiator in the Circus Maximus. Throughout history Casca has mastered the use of most edged weapons in actual combat.

Casca is easily recognizable by the long facial scar that he possessed. It runs from the side of his eye to his mouth in a crescent shape, giving him a permanent sneer. Casca acquired the scar while trying to shortchange a local prostitute while in the Holy Land, who didn't take kindly to not being paid for services rendered. Over the years many onlookers assume that Casca received the wound while in brave battle; to which Casca just chuckles thinking "If they only knew".

Casca knew some of the most famous people throughout history, including:

• Jesus of Nazareth - Casca #1
• Attila the Hun - Casca #7
• Mohammed - mentioned in some novels
• Genghis Khan - Casca #22
• Hernán Cortés - Casca #10
• Montezuma - casca #10
• Tomas Torquemada - Casca #10
• Omar Khayyám - Casca #13
• Hassan-i Sabbah - Casca #13
• Niccolò Machiavelli - Mentioned in Casca #3
• Blackbeard - Casca #15
• Max Immelmann - Casca #21
• Shapur II - Casca #6
• Marco Polo - Casca #24
• Adolf Hitler - Where he actually shoots and kills the Führer - Casca #4
• Robert E. Lee - Casca #25, #26 and #27
• William the Conqueror - Casca #31
• George Washington - Casca #36

Other characters

Dr. Julius Goldman

He was a surgeon in United States Army with the rank of Major, stationed at the 8th Field Hospital in Nha Trang during the Vietnam War. He first met Casca when the latter was brought into the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and a large mortar shell fragment lodged in his skull and into his brain, which should have been fatal. Dr. Goldman discovered Casca's unusual healing properties and became his biographer and chronicler after hearing his story. He is often visited by Casca for updates on his life and experiences throughout the ages. Dr. Goldman later leaves the Army and establishes his own practice.

As Dr Goldman ages and reaches his mid-70s, he introduces Casca to Danny Landries, the son of his former army comrade, Colonel Bob Landries. Danny first meets Casca in Casca #34: Devil's Horseman and gradually takes over from Goldman as his biographer.

The Brotherhood of the Lamb

The Brotherhood of the Lamb is a fanatical religious sect and sworn enemy of Casca. It is run by an Elder, who oversees the Sect's hierarchy, the Inner Circle. The circle is composed of an Elder and twelve other specially chosen brothers who run the militant religious organization. They preach force and power over traditional virtues of piety and compassion.

The Brotherhood was founded by Izram, a man who called himself the Thirteenth Disciple, in the wake of Jesus' death at the hands of Casca's spear thrust. He purchased the spear from some of Casca's comrades to be used as a relic and symbol for the events on Golgotha. Known as "The Spear of Longinus", the sect worships the spear which forms the central focus at prayer times.

On the most holy of days in the Brotherhood's calendar, the sect recreates the crucifixion, right down to killing one of their 'blessed' brethren who has been selected to act the part of Jesus. Another, usually the Elder, plays the part of Casca, dressed in Roman uniform, who executes 'Jesus' with their holiest relic, the Spear of Longinus.

Izram went into the wilderness for forty days before a revelation came to him: Jesus said to Casca "Soldier, you are content with what you are, so shall you be until we meet again". Therefore he reasoned that when Jesus returned at the Second Coming he would meet Casca. The Brotherhood keeps Casca in their sights until that day; though they may hate Casca for his actions on Golgotha, they must not prevent him from meeting their Lord. Casca Longinus is their path back to Christ and they will stop at nothing in keeping their most hated enemy in their sights for all time. On occasions they inflict severe pain on Casca as punishment for his actions. Once, the Elder Dacort severed Casca's hand for daring to touch the Spear at their monastery in Asia. In Casca #6: The Persian, Rasheed, a minor acolyte, arranges to have Casca burned at the stake, thinking it just punishment for spearing Jesus. In Casca #9: The Sentinel, Elder Gregory murders Casca's adopted son, Demos, and his woman, Ireina, for which Casca crucifies Gregory to death. Casca was also a prisoner of the Brotherhood, in Casca #18: The Cursed and Casca #4: Panzer Soldier. In Casca #28: The Avenger he kills Elder Thassus as part of his mission of vengeance.

In the novel Casca #35: Sword of the Brotherhood, the spear of Longinus is stolen by the Sassanid Persians and Casca is blackmailed into retrieving it.

Known Elders of The Brotherhood of the Lamb:

• Dacort - (Casca #3: The Warlord)
• Imhept - (Casca #6: The Persian)
• Gregory - (Casca #9: The Sentinel)
• Hassan al-Sabah - (Casca #13: The Assassin)
• Father Mulcahy - (Casca #18: The Cursed)
• Heinrich Himmler - (Casca #4: Panzer Soldier)
• Thassus - (Casca #28: The Avenger)
• Janus - (Casca #28: The Avenger)

Titles in the series

By Barry Sadler - The Original Author

• Casca 1: The Eternal Mercenary (1979): During the Vietnam War, Dr. Julius Goldman discovers that Casey Romain is actually Casca Longius, a 2000 year old Roman solidier cursed with immortality by Jesus Christ.
• Casca 2: God of Death (1979): In Mexico during the 3rd century AD, Casca is declared a god by the Teotec Indians, and defends them from an attack by the Olmecs.
• Casca 3: The War Lord (1980): Casca travels to 3rd century Byzantium and China, where he is buried alive by a jealous empress.
• Casca 4: Panzer Soldier (1980): Casca fights for the Germans at the Battle of Kursk, and later meets Hitler.
• Casca 5: The Barbarian(1981): Casca deserts the Roman Legion in the 2nd century AD, and becomes a member of a Germanic tribe.
• Casca 6: The Persian (1982): Casca becomes a commander in the army of Persian king Shapur II, but is burned at the stake when he is branded a heretic.
• Casca 7: The Damned (1982): Casca returns to the Roman Empire in time to see Rome fall to the Visigoths, then joins the fight against Atilla the Hun at the Battle of the Catalunian Plains in 451.
• Casca 8: Soldier of Fortune (1983): Casca serves as a mercenary based in 1976 Cambodia.
• Casca 9: The Sentinel (1983): After sleeping in an ice cave for more than 100 years, Casca travels to the Eastern Roman Empire to fight against the Vandals in AD 534.
• Casca 10: The Conquistador (1984): Casca escapes from a 16th century Spanish prison and travels to the New World with Hernán Cortés.
• Casca 11: The Legionnaire (1984): At the end of World War II, Casca is captured by the French and drafted into the French Foreign Legion. He is eventually sent to French Indochina, where he fights in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
• Casca 12: African Mercenary (1984): In 1977, Casca is sent on a mission to kill an African dictator, but is betrayed by his allies.
• Casca 13: The Assassin (1985): In the 11th century, Casca is captured by Arab slave traders, and is inducted into the secret sect of the Hashshashin.
• Casca 14: The Phoenix (1985): Casca, on a mission to stop a Viet Cong assassination squad, is captured by the North Vietnamese. He escapes, but is badly wounded and taken to a US Army field hospital. This is a prequel to the first Casca novel.
• Casca 15: The Pirate (1985): In 1718, Casca sails to the Caribbean to escape arrest. There he becomes involved with pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard.
• Casca 16: Desert Mercenary (1986): Casca and his friend Gus work as mercenaries during the Algerian War.
• Casca 17: The Warrior (1987): In the late 1860s, Casca sails the South Pacific, where he saves a small island village from a local warlord.
• Casca 18: The Cursed (1987): Casca joins the British Army in 1899, but deserts to the Chinese side and joins the Boxer Rebellion.
• Casca 19: The Samurai (1988): Casca is rescued off the coast of Japan in 1184, and later fights in the Battle of Dan-no-ura.
• Casca 20: Soldier of Gideon (1988): Casca joins the Israeli Army and fights in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War.
• Casca 21: The Trench Soldier (1989): Casca fights with the British Army during the early days of World War I.
• Casca 22: The Mongol (1990): Casca is rescued by a young Mongol warrior named Temujin. Casca teaches the young man the art of war, which allows him to conquer and unite the local tribes into a mighty army. Now calling himself Genghis Khan, Temujin sets his sights on the West.

By Other Authors After The Death Of Barry Sadler

• Casca 23: The Liberator (1999): When the ship carrying Casca is sunk, he spends six years at the bottom of the ocean until he is rescued by African fishermen. They worship him as a god, and ask him to free their people from the rule of a tyrant.
• Casca 24: The Defiant (2001): Casca saves the life of young Marco Polo and joins him on his journey to the court of Kublai Khan.
• Casca 25: Halls of Montezuma (2006): Casca arrives in America in the 1840s. When war with Mexico breaks out he joins the US Army and helps take the fortress of Chapultepec outside Mexico City.
• Casca 26: Johnny Reb (2007): Casca fights for the South during the American Civil War.
• Casca 27: The Confederate (2008): During the American Civil War, Casca must face threats both from the North and the Brotherhood.
• Casca 28: The Avenger (2008): Casca returns to the Eastern Roman Empire in the 6th century, to get revenge against the Brotherhood, and takes part in the Battle of Taginae.
• Casca 29: Immortal Dragon (2008): Casca is pulled out of hiding in 2008, and takes part in an anti-terrorist campaign in Pakistan and India.
• Casca 30: Napoleon's Soldier (2009): Casca joins Napoleon's Grande Armée and participates in the 1812 French invasion of Russia.
• Casca 31: The Conqueror (2009): Casca enlists in the army of William of Normandy and takes part in the Battle of Hastings.
• Casca 32: The Anzac (2010): The Eternal Mercenary joins the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps to fight the Ottoman Turks at Gallipoli
• Casca 33: The Outlaw (2010): Casca searches for Confederate gold in a western adventure in 1872.
• Casca 34: Devil's Horseman (October 2010): The Mongol invasion of Europe is the background to this story of Mongol politics as Casca is dragged into factional struggles, and takes part in the climactic Battle of Mohi.
• Casca 35: Sword of the Brotherhood (May 2011): Casca is blackmailed into helping the Brotherhood retrieve the Spear of Longinus from the Sassanid Persians, with the backdrop being the Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602–628.
• Casca 36: The Minuteman (October 2011): The American War of Independence is the setting for this story, set in the first part of the war between 1775-1777. Casca finds a tough adversary in the British officer Major Sir Richard Eley while fighting at the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of White Plains and the Battles of Trenton & Princeton.

In other media

Audio

In 2004, former Casca author Paul Dengelegi wrote an unauthorized story titled Casca: The Outcast. Without the permission of the Casca publishers, he contracted with Americana Audio to have it published as a three disc audio CD.

External links

• [1] Official Barry Sadler site where you can preview and purchase the novels
• [2] Official Casca site with interactive forum, timeline, and a shop to buy the Casca novels
• Barry Sadler's Casca Swords & Sorcery reviews of most of the novels, with representative paragraphs, by Andy Beau
• [3] the facebook page of the Official Casca website