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Apr 18, 2017 | ISBN 9780307948557 Buy
May 03, 2016 | ISBN 9780385535670 Buy
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Available from:
Apr 18, 2017 | ISBN 9780307948557
May 03, 2016 | ISBN 9780385535670
It is one of the most storied uprisings of classical times. Spartacus, the visionary captive and gladiator, used his toughness and charisma turn a prison break into a revolt that would threaten the Roman empire. Now, with verve and intelligence, David Anthony Durham brings us a thrilling retelling that gives voice not only to Spartacus himself, but also Astera, Spartacus’s oracle consort; Nonus, a Roman soldier working both sides of the conflict; Laelia and Hustus, two slave children drawn into the ranks of the rebellion; Kaleb, secretary to the Roman senator and commander saddled with the task of quashing the insurrection; and many others in a vast spectacle of bloodshed, heroism, and treachery.
From the author of the widely praised Pride of Carthage, the superb fictional rendering of Hannibal’s epic military campaigns against Carthage’s archenemy Rome, comes the perfect follow-up: an equally superb novel of the legendary gladiator Spartacus and the vast slave revolt he led that came ever so close to bringing Rome, with its supposedly invincible legions, to its knees. In this thrilling and panoramic historical novel we see one of the most storied uprisings of classical times from multiple points of view: Spartacus, the visionary captive and gladiator whose toughness and charisma turn a prison break into a multi-cultural revolt that threatens an empire; his consort, the oracular Astera, whose connection to the spirit world and its omens guides the uprising’s progress; Nonus, a Roman soldier working both sides of the conflict in a half-adroit, half-desperate attempt to save his life; Laelia and Hustus, two shepherd children drawn into the ranks of the slave rebellion; Kaleb, the slave secretary to Crassus, the Roman senator and commander saddled with the unenviable task of quashing an insurrection of mere slaves; and other players in a vast spectacle of bloodshed, heroism, and treachery. In the pages of The Risen—the term the slaves in revolt have adopted for themselves—an entire, teeming world comes into view with great clarity and titanic drama, with nothing less than the future of the ancient world at stake. No one brings more verve, intelligence, and freshness to the novel of the classical age than David Anthony Durham.
David Anthony Durham is the author of Pride of Carthage, the Acacia Trilogy, and other works of historical fiction and fantasy. His novels have twice been New York Times Notable Books and his novel Gabriel’s Story won the First Novel… More about David Anthony Durham
“David Anthony Durham never disappoints.” —George R.R. Martin “Full of blood, thunder and excitement…. No doubt there will be other novels about Spartacus, even though one may think that Mr. Durham has made any unnecessary.” —Alan Massie, author of Caligula and Augustus“Monumental in scale and rich in intimately portrayed characters, Durham’s brilliant rendering of slavery and the horrors of war gives the novel its emotional impact.” —Publishers Weekly“Rousing. . . . [A] lightness of touch keeps the story moving at a steady pace toward its inevitable end.” —Kirkus Reviews
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