Circus Maximus: An unforgettable Roman odyssey of rivalry and power

by A.D. O'Neill

Enter the greatest sporting arena in history - the Circus Maximus.A.D. 69. As the mob of 150,000 Roman citizens watches on, Corax of Campania (a.k.a "the Raven") and the flamboyant and cocksure Alector of Arcadia (a.k.a "the Rooster") - champions of the Green Faction - fight for supremacy during the final races of the Plebeian Games.Over the previous decades these once friends and now bitter rivals rose to prominence as they competed in the bloodstained arena. Now, they must leave everything to fate in order to gain ultimate power and determine not just their own destiny but that of Rome itself. This epic adventure blends history, imagination and a thirst for adrenaline to uncover one of the greatest rivalries of all time, played out in the greatest sporting arena in history.

Genres: Historical Fiction

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2024

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an exhilarating read this was! It's centred around the charioteers and racing in Ancient Rome. Lots of excitement and drama. Wonderful escapism

[Adam Lofthouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that tells the tale of the Year of the Four Emperor's and its lead up through the eyes of the Circus Maximus.

It is told in the style of a history, with our 'historian' narrating the tale of his father's stewardship of the Greens and their rise and fall under different emperors.

This style limits the narrative, and there is quite a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. If told through the eyes of the charioteers themselves I feel the author would have got a lot more of an emotional connection with the characters. As it is I felt quite distant reading the tales of the races on the sand. Having said that, having chosen this style the author does the best they can with it. Historically it feels authentic, the research that has gone into this must have been huge. For the Roman history enthusiasts (like me!) there are countless little nuggets buried in the text that had me nodding or smiling as I read.

It starts quite slowly, and for the first third I did wonder if it was going to pick up, but just beyond the halfway mark it does and it was then I became more engrossed.

Would definitely recommend for lovers of Roman history in particular. Some more casual historical fiction fans may struggle to get into it.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book had the potential to be great but suffered from a lack of quickness through it. Whilst the characters have depth, we could have sped along a bit more. An interesting delve into the life and reality of politics in the Corcus Maximus charioteering world. All in all the book felt like Corax running a lap of Circus Maximus when I wanted it to travel at the pace of Corax driving the Andromeda team in his chariot.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A surprisingly unexciting book. I was really looking forward to it but the characters were completely flat and dull.

More of a ‘Boy’s Own’ adventure I think.