Reviews
Russ Whitfield is a natural storyteller. He delivers breathtaking surprises as he weaves gripping scenes of combat with vivid interludes that reveal the underside of Roman life. His Lysandra is a heroine you won't forget; whether being mulish or noble, she is always engaging.
A great debut that shines an entirely new light on the glory and the bloodshed of the Roman arena. Whitfield paints a vivid picture of the fights and the passions of women combatants. It's exciting stuff, with well rounded characters, nail-biting duels to the death and vividly depicted settings. Gladiatrix makes Gladiator look very tame indeed!
What a brilliant novel! Whitfield has taken one of history's curiosities -- the role of the female gladiator -- and woven from it a savage and splendid tale of the Roman arena . . . a tale that, once sampled, cannot be easily forgotten.
Gladiatrix is a stunning debut which brings the violent and bloody world of the Roman arena to life. A great story. Very well told, "Gladiatrix", through its sympathetic main character Lysandra puts flesh on the well-documented accounts about women gladiators fighting for their lives in the arena. "Gladiatrix", weaves a complex tale against the vivid background of Rome's far- flung Empire in the heady but dangerous days during the reign of Domitian . A must for anyone interested in Ancient Rome as well as for those who have yet to visit this fascinating era.
Action-packed adventure full of love, hate and the thrills and spills of the arena.
Men of Bronze
Men of Bronze caught my eye at a time when I was looking for something new to read. It really was a case of synchronicity in action for me because the book was literally just what I was looking for - a new author who wrote historical action/adventure set in the classical world. I recall being drawn to the cover, and I had picked the book up and bought it without even remembering that I'd done it. Suffice to say that the story of Barca the Phoenician gripped me from opening word to last sentence - Scott Oden, like Simon Scarrow, writes the kind of book I wish I could.
