Blurb
Long the stuff of legends, Spartacus is known to most modern readers through the classic Kubrick film version of Howard Fast’s novel. Now bestselling historical novelist Ben Kane returns to the source material and presents a lively and compelling new vision of the man who was Spartacus―Roman army auxillary, slave, gladiator and ultimately the leader of an army of slaves who nearly brought Rome to its knees. Ben Kane’s brilliant novel begins in the Thracian village to which Spartacus has returned after escaping from life as an auxiliary in the Roman army. Jealous of his attachment to Ariadne, a Dionysian priestess, the Thracian king betrays Spartacus to the Romans who take him, along with Ariadne, into captivity and to the school of gladiators at Capua.
Against the background of the unbelievable brutality of gladiatorial life, Spartacus and Crixus the Gaul plan the audacious overthrow of their Roman masters. They escape and flee to Vesuvius, where they recruit and train an army of escaped slaves that will have to face the conquerors of the known world, the most successful deadly army in all of history in a battle that will set in motion the legend that is Spartacus.
My Review
Like most of us, I was influenced by the Kirk Douglas movie. Fortunately, even though this book takes a slightly different tack, it does not disappoint. Our Spartacus is surprisingly mild-mannered despite his obvious bulk and talents. For the most part he gets along with the other gladiators, except for one—an arrogant Gaul who is a constant thorn in his side. Even after Spartacus beats Crixus in a fair fight, the Gaul keeps coming back and getting into his face. The ranks tend gather into their national clans, and the Gauls are a big force, outnumbering the rest of them. Spartacus must stay on Crixus’ good side, or risk losing out when the gladiators revolt against their keepers. As it was, their escape was a close call, and not all of them survived:
A threatening primeval roar—the titanismos—filled the air around Spartacus as the warriors answered his battle cry. With faces distorted by fury, they smashed en masse into the guards’ shield wall. A pair of fighters each took a sword in the belly, but the impact drove their enemies several steps backward; two of the guards stumbled and fell. They were trampled into the sand and hacked apart like slabs of beef.
The escaped gladiators made their way to the peak of Vesuvius, where they managed to stave off repeated Roman attempts to put them down. Meanwhile, Spartacus manages to find a semblance of happiness with the elusive Ariadne, but we all know it won’t last. Bigger and bigger armies come after them, though so far the gladiators manage to come out ahead. Spartacus and Crixus come to a parting of the ways, inevitably. I was most of the way through the book before I realized this was only part one. Crassus, who makes an occasional appearance, has yet to put together his army. It’s well worth pursuing!
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250001161?
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