Sand of the Arena: A Gladiators of the Empire Novel (The Gladiators of the Empire Novels) Review

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Sand of the Arena: A Gladiators of the Empire Novel (The Gladiators of the Empire Novels) ReviewQuintus Honorius Romanus, a 15 year old young man who is an avid fan of the gladiatorial matches in ancient Rome, realizes his dream of becoming a gladiator when a calamitous shipwreck takes the lives of his successful merchant parents and an unscrupulous slave usurps his identity. This story, set in the Roman Empire from the period of 63 AD to 67 AD during the reign of Nero, is bracketed between the revolt of Boudicca and Galba's bid for emperorship.
The novel has a number of things going for it including good writing and characterization, an interesting time period, the fact it is fiction based on ancient Rome, and an author who is obviously expert on the lives, training, and experiences of the ancient gladiators. He corrects a number of mistaken impressions left from the Hollywood treatments like Spartacus, and tells a riveting good tale while doing so. I was very impressed with the book and the scholarship which underpins the story-telling.
If I had any quibbles it would be that the book, while reasonably realistic in many ways, could have benefitted from an even grittier realism. The protagonist benefits from an oriental martial artist, self-devises a weight training regimen similar to what you see today, becomes famous on the basis of two matches, ends up being one of the top gladiators of the period while he is still nineteen, and makes a few friends who seem a little to good to be true. I'd also have liked the story progression to have been influenced by world events such as Boudicca's revolt or the coming crises of emperors, but if the auhtor writes a sequel, as seems likely from the dust cover, then that should be present in future novels.
Other than my personal preference in wishing for a slightly more realistic development of the protagonist and a tale impacted by the major events of the time, I have to say this is a very good book and a really enjoyable read. I banged it out over two days this weekend and enjoyed myself immensely because the author does a fantastic job of describing the training of the gladiators and an even more impressive job in describing the gladiator matches themselves. If you want an enjoyable trip to the past of Rome, an immersive experience in the life of a gladiator, and some of the most rousing fight scenes I've read then you will really enjoy this book.Sand of the Arena: A Gladiators of the Empire Novel (The Gladiators of the Empire Novels) Overview

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