Condemned

by Brette D Wolfe, Ashiqe Khan (Illustrator)

The factitious story of a real man named Spiculus of Rome; the gladiatorial champion favored by an emperor. It explores themes of magic, favoritism, loss, and fame.

411 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2025

Reviews

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting and unlike anything that I have read before.

First of all, I am unaware if this is a debut novel, but the writing compared to that of a more experienced writer and was well done.

I really enjoyed following the main character. His back story and family were interesting to learn about. The story about how the main character came to be at the arena was a bit confusing. It seemed as though there was information left out or maybe that was intentionally done by the author. Either way, it was very unclear in my opinion and it left me a bit frustrated honestly. Although I really enjoyed the main character, I felt like none of the other characters were really fleshed out. None of them seemed to have any depth. There also got to be a lot of characters at one point and at times I found it difficult to distinguish between them.

I also found the magic system unique. It's unlike anything I have read in a fantasy book.

This book took me longer than books of this size normally take me to read. It felt like the middle one hundred to one hundred and fifty pages really lingered on. Because of this, I feel like the book could have been shortened by fifty to one hundred pages. This also made it quite boring for me and greatly affected the rating. I remember the beginning and ending of this book so vividly, but the middle has already escaped me due to its lingering content.

Overall, I thought this book had an interesting concept and plot line. Although I found it difficult to get through the middle portion of the book, I really enjoyed the main character and his story throughout the book.

[CAtkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Condemned follows a well known gladiator named Spiculus. Throughout the story the reader follows the gladiator’s story from the arena to meeting emperor Nero. The book mentions real people by name including the emperor’s lover, and rumored husband. It depicts the gladiator’s initial confusion on Pythagoras and Nero’s relationship. The story also introduces the emperor’s preferred poisoner, Locusta. The facts from the time frame, mixed with the magic of the imagination, brings the story of the famous Roman empire together in an entertaining format.
The author introduces a lot of irrelevant characters that are not mentioned again. I found it difficult to decipher who the characters were throughout the story because of this. I also experienced some confusion on the conversations in the book due to it not including who was saying what. The middle of the book does seem to drag on longer than I would personally prefer. In contrast, the ending seemed to come too quickly and leave questions. I am hoping to see a sequel to give a feeling of closure in the series.
Overall, I enjoyed the plot as well as the factual information on The Great Fire of Rome. The story reignited a spark of interest in the Roman empire in me, and left me ready for a sequel to explain more on this mysterious magic. I have to know more on the theory that multiple occurrences simultaneously caused the massive fire that destroyed Rome. I cannot wait to see what all the author comes up with next!

[Kitana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Amazing Retelling

This book was an amazing retelling of Spiculus' story. It was captivating and I loved the touch of magic, the only thing I've got to say about it is that I wish we learned more about the magic system in this book. I will still be reading future books.

[conner m nichelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Amazing book to read, my only complaint would be the ending, and if there is any more coming or planned?