The Martyr

by Rita L Betti

Inspired by the martyr's death of St. Blandina in Lyons, Gaul, 177 A.D., THE MARTYR, follows the fictional story of her life from her capture in Parthia by the Romans, to the slave auction in Antioch to her final destination near Lyons, Gaul.Set during the reign of Roman Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, when being a Christian is a crime punishable by death, Blandina's life suddenly changes when the Roman army invades Seulecia, her home town in Parthia. Blandina's mother, dying of a terminal illness, perishes before they can escape to the nearby city of Ctesiphon and the family is captured by the Roman invaders. They are sold off to slavers who plan on taking them to the slave market in Antioch. On the road to Antioch Blandina is reunited with her sweetheart, Antonio but suffers the loss of both her father and her oldest brother. When they reach Antioch, they are purchased by Caius, a cruel man who loads them on a ship destined for Rome. But a shipwreck claims Blandina's remaining brother leaving her with a choice to either escape with Antonio or stay with her sister, Lucida who has been recaptured by Caius. Blandina chooses to sacrifice her own happiness and Antonio promises to find her again. When they reach Ostia, Romes seaport, Caius, separates them, selling them to different owners. Blandina's world crashes in on her and she determines to escape, find Lucida, and run away to some distant land where they can live in freedom. But her escape plan goes horribly wrong and Blandina ends up a runaway. Alone, desperate and possessing nothing more than her womanly wiles, Blandina experiences one bad turn after another until she finally falls into the hands of a new slave owner, Victoria and a final twist of events she never expected.

356 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2014

Reviews

[E.B. Roshan · Rating 3 out of 5]

We know very little about the real Blandina, except that she was a young slave woman with "a weak constitution" (perhaps due to chronic illness) and that she died couragously in the arena during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
In "The Martyr" Rita Betti has filled in Blandina's missing backstory, creatively weaving elements from the lives of other young female martyrs of the period, like Perpetua and St. Lucy, to create a vivid story.
I find myself unsure of exactly how to write this review. On the one hand, I found the story compelling and moving. On the other, the story contained far more violence and sexual perversion than I expected to read, and while I don't doubt that everything that happened to Blandina and her friends prior to her martyrdom is quite plausible, I'm hesitant to recommend the book to others for that reason.
In addition, from a purely literary perspective, I felt that the author tried to cram too much in, one awful adventure after another, with barely room to breathe until the bloody end. I would have preferred a story where Blandina's internal journey toward martyrdom is more at the forefront, rather than being overshadowed by all the horrifying drama of her external life. But then again, a tale so open to imagination and speculation could be told a hundred different ways, and I think this author did a fine job with the way she chose.

I received a free copy of The Martyr in exchange for an honest review.