Sand of the Arena (Volume 1) (The Gladiators of the Empire Novels, 1) - Softcover

Duffy, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159013124X ISBN 13: 9781590131244

Publisher: McBooks Press, 2006

Synopsis

In AD 63 the long arm of the Roman Empire stretches across the European continent and the gladiatorial games are awash in blood and glory. For Quintus Honorius Romanus, son of one of the richest men in Rome, everything is as it should be—as long as he can sneak off to the arena for a little entertainment. Things go drastically wrong, however, when Quintus loses his family, his social standing, and his name to an imposter. Faced with a life of menial slavery, Quintus joins a gladiatorial school instead and begins a game of high stakes, as he vows to bring down the usurper who stole his life.

About this title

About the Author:

James Duffy is an Emmy award-winning television writer and producer with his own production company and the author of a series of graphic novels featuring the Cisco Kid. He lives with his family in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

From Publishers Weekly:

For this first entry in a new series, debut novelist Duffy recreates in gory detail the world of Roman gladiators, complete with larger-than-life characters and plenty of fast-paced, sanguinary action. When the hero, Quintus Honorius Romanus, loses his parents and is injured during a storm at sea, a resentful and resourceful slave, Lucius, steals his identity. The real Quintus—renamed Taurus—works to rebuild his life as a gladiator, with the help of new friends Lindani, an African hunter, and Amazonia, a rare female gladiator who seems lifted straight from the overheated world of professional wrestling. Meanwhile, Lucius—masquerading as the patrician Quintus—rises to a position of power in Rome. Beginning in Britannia on the frontier of the Empire, Taurus fights his way to notoriety, a match in Rome and the inevitable showdown with his nemesis. From training regimen to weapons and fighting tactics, Duffy renders the technical elements of the "sport" in layman's terms. He also corrects some common misconceptions about gladiatorial combat—e.g., the losing fighter was more likely to be spared than killed. Despite its made-for-TV-movie plotting and characterizations, this entertaining read may find a receptive audience among fans of historical fiction.
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About this edition

• Publisher: McBooks Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 159013124X
• ISBN 13: 9781590131244
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368