Spartacus and his ragtag army take on the mighty Roman army in Ben Kane's brilliant recreation of one of the best-known epics of the modern era
Spartacus has already done the impossible—not only has he escaped from slavery, he and his seconds have created a mighty slave army that has challenged Rome and defeated the armies of three praetors, two consuls, and one proconsul. On the plain of the River Po, in modern Northern Italy, Spartacus has defeated Gaius Cassius Longinus, proconsul and general of an army of two legions. Now the road home lies before them—to Thrace for Spartacus, and to Gaul for his seconds-in-command, Castus and Gannicus.
But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. One of Spartacus's most powerful generals has defected, taking his men with him. Back in Rome, the immensely rich Marcus Licinius Crassus is gathering an unheard-of Army. The Senate has given Crassus an army made up of ten legions and the authority to do whatever it takes to end the slave rebellion once and for all.
Meanwhile, Spartacus wants to lead his men over the Alps and home, but his two seconds have a different plan. They want to march on Rome itself and bring the Republic to its knees. Rebellion has become war. War to the death.
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Release date
August 6, 2024 -
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781250026088
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- ISBN: 9781250026088
- File size: 1147 KB
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- English
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Reviews
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Kirkus
January 1, 2013
This historical yarn from Kane (The Forgotten Legion, 2009, etc.) isn't your grandfather's Spartacus, or even Stanley Kubrick's. But it likely marks the first time that the Thracian gladiator, who began his rebellion against Rome in 73 B.C., ever charged into a sword battle with the words "We go for it!" Picking up from the author's Spartacus: The Gladiator (2012), the story joins Spartacus and his troops as they savor an early victory over Rome. But trouble is already brewing: Spartacus celebrates his victory by staging a munus, in which 400 Roman captives are made to duel one-on-one until only one is left alive. It's the first of a few signs that the gladiator's bloodlust and thirst for power may be his undoing. Political intrigue mounts as his army begins to fragment, with his Gaulish generals plotting to seize control. There is also a feminist subtext as Spartacus' wife, Ariadne, a priestess of Dionysus, becomes the first to see his fate. The story reaches a turning point when the pregnant Ariadne entreats him to flee into the Alps, but he remains compelled to carry his rebellion against increasing odds. Historical figures, including Julius Caesar and the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus, lend the story some legitimacy. The parts heaviest on sex and violence are also the most enjoyable, including a sequence where Spartacus' general Navio visits a brothel on a spying mission, gets charged by Romans at the most inopportune time and has to escape through a dung heap. The book's pulp-fiction cover art, where Spartacus looks rather like Mel Gibson, is somehow perfect.COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
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- English
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