Rider of the Storm

Circus Maximus #3

by Annelise Gray, Bronwen Price (Narrator)

Dido gallops headlong into her third adventure, following her escapades in the riveting and action-packed Race to the Death and Rivals on the Track.

Dido is reconciled to leaving the racing track and staying at home to train horses with Scorpus and Parmenion. But a storm is brewing. It brings with it a fiery black stallion, uncannily like Dido's beloved Porcellus.

Word arrives from Rome that her cousin, Abibaal, a talented young charioteer, has been recruited to compete for the evil emperor, Caligula. To save Abibaal, Dido must return to the great Circus Maximus track where she once drove to glory herself, confront her enemy Caligula, and face the toughest, most dangerous race of her life. For 9+.

'Rich in period detail, with a few real historical characters – its principal invention the idea that a woman might have been a charioteer – this is an involving, well characterised tale that feels original'
Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week, on Race to the Death

Genres: Horses, Historical Fiction

Audiobook

Published March 16, 2023

Reviews

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this third book in the Circus Maximus series, that follows Dido a young teen in the Roman Empire when Caligula is the Emperor.
Just like in the first two books Dido is a great character, she wasn’t annoying or stroppy like some teenagers can be, although she did have her moments of being quite headstrong in dangerous situations!
In this book she’s matured somewhat and resigned to staying put in Utica (present day Tunisia) and training horses with her uncle Scorpus rather than being a charioteer. Until that is, a strange horse turns up during a storm, and then someone from her Mother’s past as well. Meanwhile one of her cousins has become a charioteer in Rome, and it seems he is racing for the Emperor Caligula. Dido is horrified, and following an incident with her uncle at home, she decides she needs to return to the Circus Maximus to try and resuce her cousin from the Caligula’s clutches!
Just like the previous books the story is rich in historical detail making me feel like I was in both Utica and Ancient Rome. Bronwen Pricer’s narration was superb, she brought all the characters to life perfectly!
If you love horses, mysteries and all things Ancient Roman you’ll definitely enjoy this series, especially on audio!

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining and fast paced story in this series. Dido is a great characters and was glad to catch up with her.
Well plotted, compelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

[A.M. Swink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the previous two installments of the series, this book really gallops along at a brisk pace! I had no idea where it was going for a large part of the book, and seeing Dido have to come face to face with Emperor Caligula while trying to extricate her cousin from his clutches made for great reading!

Again, Emperor Caligula has been characterised very faithfully, per what we know from the Roman historians. He was cruel, he was childish, he was violent, and he was off his rocker. There are hints and glimpses of humanity to him, as other characters try to understand how someone could end up the way he did. As Evander points out to Dido, past trauma does not necessarily turn a person into a monster. At the end of the day, however, he was a Julio-Claudian, and that may be the most you can ever say to justify his behavior.

The appearance of Ghost in this story to fill the role of Incitatus 2.0 was compelling, especially as Dido couldn't really figure him out. It also meant that Porcellus was safely free from the emperor's clutches throughout the story! The chariot racing scenes were again really well constructed and it was heartening to see Dido's victories bolstered by the friendships and esteem she'd garnered along the way.

What a compelling way to end the reign of Caligula! I look forward to seeing what happens to Dido next in the Claudian era.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Run, don't walk, to your preferred YA horse book dealer and catch this story. A young woman has retired from pretending she was a boy chariot driver, in Ancient Rome, and settled to living on a horse training farm with relatives. But now Dido has to return to Rome, and danger from those surrounding the mad emperor Caligula.

Dido inevitably returns to driving in the Circus Maximus, amid the faction rivalry, bribery, threats, and worst of all, coming to the attention of Caligula. The Roman people of various levels are shown, foods, homes, customs, and not forgetting horses. This is a spectacular success.

I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley and Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.

[Miriel68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is still a very engaging and entraining read, but if in the previous volumes with a little suspension of disbelief, it was just possible to see the protagonist as an improbable but potentially credible character, here the author went decidedly over the top transforming her into a kind of superhero.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't refuse the chance to see what Dido might get up to in this next adventure. She is a brave young lady who wants to go to Rome to save her cousin from the clutches of the Emperor Caligula. Being a firm fan of Roman history I was keen to read this book. And it didn't disappoint.

[ThatBookGal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such an interesting series. I was obsessed with Roman history and the different spectacles as a younger reader, I wish I’d had these books. I found the pacing a little off for this latest episode of Dido’s tale, but I did none the less enjoy returning to the Circus Maximus.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book is the Creme dela Creme of the Circus Maximus series, Highly Recommended!
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).

[Mythical Mishmash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich in historical detail, filled to the brim with action and overflowing with emotion, this was a powerful third instalment of the series.
Caligula was absolutely terrifying!