The Risen

by David Anthony Durham

From the author of the widely praised Pride of Carthage, the superb fictional rendering of Hannibal’s epic military campaigns against Carthage’s archenemy Rome, comes the perfect follow-up: an equally superb novel of the legendary gladiator Spartacus and the vast slave revolt he led that came ever so close to bringing Rome, with its supposedly invincible legions, to its knees. 

In this thrilling and panoramic historical novel we see one of the most storied uprisings of classical times from multiple points of view: Spartacus, the visionary captive and gladiator whose toughness and charisma turn a prison break into a multi-cultural revolt that threatens an empire; his consort, the oracular Astera, whose connection to the spirit world and its omens guides the uprising’s progress; Nonus, a Roman soldier working both sides of the conflict in a half-adroit, half-desperate attempt to save his life; Laelia and Hustus, two shepherd children drawn into the ranks of the slave rebellion; Kaleb, the slave secretary to Crassus, the Roman senator and commander saddled with the unenviable task of quashing an insurrection of mere slaves; and other players in a vast spectacle of bloodshed, heroism, and treachery.
     In the pages of The Risen—the term the slaves in revolt have adopted for themselves—an entire, teeming world comes into view with great clarity and titanic drama, with nothing less than the future of the ancient world at stake. No one brings more verve, intelligence, and freshness to the novel of the classical age than David Anthony Durham.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Military Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Ancient

496 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

David Anthony Durham was born in New York City to parents of Caribbean descent. He grew up mostly in Maryland, but has spent the last fifteen years on the move, jumping from East to West Coast to the Rocky Mountains, and back and forth to Scotland and France several times. He currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. Or... actually, no he doesn't. He's back in New England at the moment.

He is the author of a trilogy of fantasy novels set in Acacia: The Sacred Band, The Other Lands, and The War With The Mein, as well as the historical novels The Risen, Pride of Carthage, Walk Through Darkness, and Gabriel’s Story. He’s won the John W Campbell Award for Best New Writer, a Legacy Award, was a Finalist for the Prix Imaginales and has twice had his books named NY Times Notable Book of the year. His novels have been published in the UK and in French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Swedish. Three of his novels have been optioned for development as feature films.

David received an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Maryland. He has taught at the University of Maryland, the University of Massachusetts, The Colorado College, for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, Cal State University, and at Hampshire College. He's currently on the faculty of the Stonecoast MFA Program. He reviews for The Washington Post and The Raleigh News & Observer, and has served as a judge for the Pen/Faulkner Awards.

He also writes in George RR Martin's weird and wonderful Wild Cards universe. He feels like the process makes him exercise a whole new set of creative muscles, and he loves the feeling.

Reviews

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of epic, violent, military-focused historical fiction that I wouldn't normally pick up, so even if you feel like this is pretty out of your interest zone, I would encourage you to think about it. Because I ended up totally in love with it. It has a large and rich cast of characters, and despite how many there were, I didn't struggle keeping them straight in my head. The world of the Roman Empire felt genuine and the history rang true. And so much happens over the course of the story - the army of the Risen felt like they were chosen and guided by the gods, and the way the story was written gives it that sense of inevitability. The Risen are on a runaway train that they can't really control, and the reader is right there with them. There are high highs, and the dread of the lows. I think most people are at least passingly familiar with the story of Spartacus, probably mainly through the Kirk Douglas movie, so the ending won't really be a surprise. (I wasn't familiar with the history of Spartacus, but I still knew enough to know where we would end.) Like most things, though, it doesn't really matter how it ends. Because this book was a journey. I loved these characters, messed up as they were. And I love that Durham chose the final chapter's narrator as he did. It had weight and resonance, and I don't think I'll soon forget this book. I might even read The Pride of Carthage. That's how much I enjoyed The Risen.

One fairly important note - this book is violent. Game of Thrones violent. It's hardly a surprise, given that the characters are rebellious gladiators and Roman soldiers, but make no mistake about the violence levels. Things get disturbing and explicit, and it's throughout. I'm relatively chill about violence in my books, but I read some pages (in the break room at my work, incidentally) about a crucifixion, and I spent the whole scene with a face that couldn't decide if it was more shocked or horrified. I was covering my open mouth with my clenched fist. I was stunned. It's brutal and intense, but I don't think it's gratuitous. If anything in life is going to horrify you, it should be a description of a torturous death by crucifixion. And it's historically accurate. But sensitive readers beware. Don't make me say "I told you so" as you frantically try to bleach your brain.

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because I loved the Starz version of Spartacus and I also appreciated the fact that is history. I have never read David Anthony Durham but his storytelling was engaging and riveting. I imagined myself in the story at times because the writing was so visceral. The only thing missing was the Spartacus Speak (Move to Purpose, Apology, Gratitude, etc.) I had grown to love on the show.

In this account, Spartacus was humanized much more than the show. We were shown pain & suffering, resistance, strength, vulnerability, shrewdness, anguish, hope and ultimately defeat. There were so many different emotions and components to the man/legend as well as his compatriots. What I loved most about his story is that this is the first time that I have experienced Romans who were conflicted or even sympathetic to “The Risen” or the rebels. In addition, in the cable television show, Spartacus (Blood and Sands through War of the Damned) was more motivated by the loss of his wife, but in this book, Spartacus was mostly moved by the injustice of the captivity.

What a study in leadership comparing Crassus to Spartacus. I was moved by the struggle for liberty and Spartacus inner turmoil with his own fears but needed to exhibit courageous strength for his followers. I still hated Crassus because of his ruthlessness and ambition. I loved Spartacus and his generals, Castus, Crixus, Gannicus, Ullio etc.

It was so sad but I found myself hoping WHAT IF? I knew The Risen wouldn’t be triumphant but I couldn’t help wanting the impossible.
“Whatever fate awaits you…it’s mine as well as yours…I am free to choose, and I choose to fight with you. I want the best life, or death, for us all. I swear it.”
Everything felt so authentic from the planning to the escape, individual plights within the rebellion. I felt their elation with each battle won as it was a sign to them that they were favored by the gods. I felt their despair with their defeats as it was one step closer to the unavoidable end. There was horrific violence in this book, but it didn’t bother me because it was disturbingly factual. This was an entertaining read for those who love historical fiction. I highly recommend this book to those who love Spartacus and also accounts of the Roman Empire.

*Special Thanks to Double Day books via Netgalley for this book received in exchange for an honest review*

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author's exciting take on the rise and fall of Spartacus, who instigated a slave rebellion and was finally overcome through treachery and the forces of Marcus Licinius Crassus. Spartacus' slave band called themselves "The Risen."

Recommended.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished beta reading this, so I cannot attest to the final published form, but trust me, people. This will be among the best historical fiction novels you'll have read. Very well-researched, with characters delicious and diverse. And no spoilers from me. :)

[Edu Zancaner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novela histórica muy bien lograda que narra la rebelión de Espartaco.

Con varios saltos cronologicos, por momentos confusos, y sin demasiado detalle de contexto macro, concentrándose únicamente en la rebelión y sus enemigos.

Durham es un especialista en este tipo de novelas.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book in the beginning and it nearly lost me completely by the end. The Risen is split up into 3 acts and I was very engrossed by the first act, mildly entertained by the second act and astoundedly bored by the third act.

Pros:
- The writing is excellent, sometimes downright poetic. Mr Durham has a very readable style.
- The history is good. You will be able to immerse yourself in the times and get a good feel for hie people may have lived.
- Good battle sequences.

Cons:
- Characters. No, they're not bad characters, in fact some of them are downright decent. But there's just too damned many of them. This book has 10 characters. 10. And thirty chapters. What does this mean? That in each act you get one chapter per character, so in essence you're not reading one book but 10 at the same time. Do you really enjoy one or more of these characters. Well too bad, you only get them for three chapters. It's barely enough time to truly get invested. And then there's characters that are just downright unnecessary. Castus and Drenis are hardly different enough from Spartacus to warrant their own chapters. Drenis has some memorable moments, but we'd have been fine without his point of view. Philon the Greek, Kaleb the slave to Crassus and Vectia the spirit talker were all interesting characters. I'd rather have had 10 chapters each from them. Even Spartacus is borderline unmemorable as a character.
The worst part about this? We get 10 endings that clog up the entire third act, rendering it almost unreadable. I would rather have just read a history book about Spartacus.

So... I can't say I recommend this. I would rather have just learned the history then trudged through so much unnecessary contentment. Ah well. On to the next.
2.5 stars.

[Read By Kyle]

DNF @28%

This was such a chore. I love Spartacus but the writing style of this book was very tedious - third person present - and it had an insane amount of POVs. At first, I thought it was not repeating any pov characters but then we started getting repeats so we were just left with an absurd amount of POV characters that I couldn't differentiate from each other.

[Jorge Gálvez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este fue uno de los libros que más disfruté el año pasado, y también uno de los que más disfruté sobre todo el material que he visto o leído sobre Espartaco.
El autor profundiza muy bien en cada uno de los personajes, haciendo que nos compenetremos con cada uno de ellos y estemos al pendiente de todos. Y tiene un gran acierto, el cual es darle bastante protagonismo a cada uno de los personajes y no sólo a Espartaco, el cual aparece aquí como uno más de los protagonistas de entre todos los que hay, haciendo que, tal como el título del libro dice, este sea un libro sobre la rebelión de Espartaco y no una novela sobre Espartaco.

Lo único malo es que casi no vemos escenas de gladiadores, ya que el libro arranca justo en la noche en que Espartaco y compañía huyen del ludus, afortunadamente el autor mete a lo largo del libro varios flashbacks, y algunos de ellos sí están ambientados en el ludus y un par de ellos directamente en el coliseo, en medio de una pelea de gladiadores que resulta en una gran sorpresa para los lectores.

La unica razon por la que no le di las 5 estrellas es por que termina de una manera muy apresurada, y al estilo de Juego de Tronos, le tiene miedo a narrar una batalla importante, la cual no vemos, sino que solo sabemos de ella a través de los ojos de un personaje que está muy lejos de la acción. Pero fuera de eso, el libro se mantiene tremendamente entretenido todo el tiempo.

[Nora Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Espartaco, el famoso gladiador, es el personaje principal de esta novela. Empieza cuando están todavía en el ludus, como esclavos, y como empiezan a planear la fuga. Con la ayuda de los demás gladiadores y las mujeres esclavas del ludus lograron escapar y allí empieza la verdadera aventura. Se topan con personajes que los ayudan en su lucha y se va sumando mucha gente a su causa. Vas viendo como va creciendo Espartaco y su leyenda, y te vas metiendo en la historia, tanto que no quieres que acabe. La brutalidad del imperio romano también es impresionante, así como su gran estrategia militar.
AMO las novelas históricas y me encanta el tema de los gladiadores y la época del imperio romano, así que esta era la novela perfecta para mi. Me súper encantó, está contada por varios personajes, creo que 6 o 7, y vas viendo desde diferentes puntos de vista como veían a Espartaco, como cada quien ayudaba en la lucha, como veían a los romanos y como contribuyeron a la leyenda de los gladiadores y como casi vencen a Roma. Si les gusta el género se las súper recomiendo. Me encantó.

[Stephen Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a shout out on George RR Martin's blog I decide to give David Anthony Durham a go. I am glad I did. I did not think the world needed another Spartacus retelling but I was wrong. The narration of the novel is told through multiple POVs; young twins, a scribe and a priestess to mention a few besides Spartacus. I will definitely read his other books as I like his writing style a lot. Durham handles battle scenes deftly by using a wide variety of techniques to describe a battle without doing it in a blow by blow fashion.

[Kaitlin Lorelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely amazing! It’s one of the best books I have ever read! I have to give a huge thanks to my sister for getting this for me. Knowing my love of Spartacus and the slave revolt he led against Rome, she researched many books and got me this one because she believed it to be the best choice for the story. She was definitely right! The way the historical tale was laid out was so unique and powerful. Such a good story, made even better by David Anthony Durham. If all of his books are like this, I’m in for a real treat!

[Creativity360 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all going good, enjoyable read. You get to part three and it starts to get a little boring.
I felt like the last three chapters were somewhat unnecessary, and they dragged on. Then we have a character that was tortured and crucified in the 2nd last chapter, but who then is fine and alive in the last chapter. Not only was that super confusing, but there was no explanation for it whatsoever.
Chapters were also a little lengthy, mostly in parts two and three. If you count single page, they're like 15-20p long but back to back it becomes 30+p long.

But I really loved how each chapter was a different characters perspective, it was kind of like getting everyone's side of the story for once, I enjoyed that :).

[Rob Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the characters were interesting. The ending of the book was a major disappointment.

[Kes · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to read a book knowing that the main characters are all going to lose in the end - especially when you grow to care about the characters through the book.

I think the author did a good job in introducing a cast of characters that participated or did not participate: from the disaffected Romans (Rufius Baebia and Nonus), to the soldiers (Castus and Drenis), to those who choose not to participate (Kaleb), to the women who provide a link to the gods (Laelia, Astera, and Vectia). There's a huge cast of characters whose voices are heard.

The betrayals that took place were a nice touch - each person looking out for their perceived self-interest. It's emphasises the honourable (i.e. Spartacus) as someone that they look up to. It also emphasised that Spartacus' rebellion could have succeeded if everyone participated - or dared to participate. I guess there are also easy parallels in our modern world - if everyone joined someone whose cause was just, then the ruling power would easily fall. It's only because we prefer the safety of the known that such efforts to make a better world fail.

It's a well-written novel, though I did finish it feeling a little meh.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew, Central circulation staff, July 2016, 3 stars:

An interesting novelization of the slaver rebellion against Rome, led by Spartacus. The story begins with his escape from the gladiator pens, which mean certain death and leads to his epic conclusion.

While the history and story are interesting, I feel like the book drags on. It jumps around from character to character and doesn't have great continuity or flow. It's an enjoyable read, but falls short of being the epic tale Spartacus deserves.

[Shane Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful. Seemingly flawless.
5+⭐️

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the third book I received from the Brilliant Book of the Month Club, and it was by far the best. The Risen is a retelling of the story of Spartacus, historical fiction done in the style of Game of Thrones. I base the GOT comparisons on the rotating cast of perspective characters that Durham utilizes to tell this story. Unlike GOT however, The Risen avoids a lot of the tedium and pacing issues that have dogged George R.R. Martin's more recent works.

One third of the way through, I was keeping a list of the characters and assigning an actor to each one just so I could keep them straight. Thankfully, between 300, Troy, Game of Thrones, and a host of other swords and sandals epics I had plenty of cool actors to populate the cast. The book is broken up into three sections, with (as best as I can tell) one chapter per each section devoted to each of the perspective characters. Unlike GOT, the characters are almost all on the side of Spartacus, with two exceptions: Nonus (a cowardly Roman who reminded me of Theon Greyjoy) and Kaleb (a slave to Spartacus's main rival Crassus). The rest of the perspective characters include obvious choices like Spartacus and Castus, as well as more diverse individuals like Vectia (an elderly woman who serves as a guide), Sura (a priestess to Kotis) and Philon (a greek medic slave).

Whereas my initial interactions with some of the characters made them difficult to differentiate (Castus and Dolmos seemed particularly bland in the early going), Durham does a fantastic job of giving each character a distinct viewpoint, history and motivation for their actions going forward. Durham also does a great job of pacing his reveals within his chapters, generally by beginning each new chapter by jumping ahead in the action and then filling in the blanks in intervals throughout. When characters begin to betray each other, or fall during battle, the reader is often made to wait several pages to find out who is involved in the action. I'd find this to be a problem in a different book, but here the plot moves so quickly that it never felt like a trick.

I was also reminded of Brandon Sanderson while reading this book, as by the end of it I had a clear idea of the plotting that went into it by the author. Each character introduced was necessary to the plot and contributed to the narrative in an essential way. My favorite chapters ended up involving Kaleb (who served as a stand in for any of the millions of people who could have led to a different outcome for the Risen) and Dolmos (who reminded me of Ned Stark by the end of it). I'd recommend this book to any fans of historical fiction or fans of the Roman era in history.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tell me, who is this man who was once an infant born where the plains meet the Rhodopes Mountains? The boy whose father took him on horseback to show to the gods and who heard the child's name whispered by them? Remember that name? It's a large name. The father said it was not a name for the child who was but for the man who would be."

Expansive, epic, and deeply personal--The Risen tells the story of the Spartacus uprising through the eyes of characters on both sides of the conflict. In a manner akin to A Song of Ice and Fire the narrative moves among the various players in the larger struggle. This movement paints a grander picture than any one--or few--characters could provide. It delves into the impact of the war on all those who are touched by its hope and brutality.

In shifting the point of view, the narrative acts more as a collage of experiences--moving backward and forward through time as each character takes the center for their key moments--all while the central narrative marches dramatically forward. In this way, the novel is not only the story of Spartacus. Though he is the driving force of the events, the title of The Risen speaks to the significance of the others who also play a role in the conflict. At its core, it is a story of people who seek to throw off the oppression of those who judge them inferior, who seek to chart their own path toward hope and freedom.

But even in this narrative of hope and community, Durham does not shy away from the brutal realities of war. His writing does not revel in the brutality--as some narratives might--but neither does it ignore the ugly realities of warfare. The heroes and villains alike are painted in great detail--with their faults and failings displayed as much as their strengths. And as much as Spartacus and his uprising achieve a mythic status in certain moments, so Durham also looks to the seemingly insignificant players in the narrative--to see them for their hope and fears, and for the remarkable things that they too can contribute.

The novel opens dramatically, and unfolds in broad scope that never loses sight of the human players at its center. And even with the story's bold start, the narrative builds steadily in tension all the way to the final, dramatic conclusion.

It is a novel that is brutal and tender, dark and hopeful, harsh and beautiful. Durham's careful control of the narrative is evident from the very start, and draws the separate elements of the story together to create a remarkable work of historical fiction that unfolds with raw humanity and great emotional impact which echoes beyond the novel's end.

[Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After completing David Anthony Durham’s latest work, The Risen, I am convinced of two things. First of all, David Anthony Durham is a fantastic writer and secondly he is a masochist, intent on inflicting the most emotional pain on his readers as he brings to life the noble yet doomed figures of history, crafting experiences so vivid, characters so lifelike that when its all over you’re a shell emotionally. In Pride of Carthage, Durham took the reader on an ancient journey categorizing the 2nd Punic War, cataloging Hannibal Barca’s greatest victories as well as his ultimate demise. The Risen follows this track, this time following the Third Servile War from the perspective of Spartacus and his fellow slaves cataloging their victories and culminating in their saddening defeat. Durham doesn’t just write about Spartacus and his fellow slaves, an army known as The Risen but uses his skill and storytelling prowess to bring you into the world of these former slaves, making you care for them, root for them, watching them ultimately fall under the Roman boot. Like many, before I even picked up this novel I knew the ending, and thereby I determined in my heart that I would keep its characters at arm’s length, not allowing myself to hope against hope that this would transform from a historical fiction novel to an alternative history novel, one where I heroes actually win. I couldn’t maintain the distance though, which is a testament to the writing, as this turned out to be one of the more poignant and somber novels I’ve ever read. That my friends is a sign of a great writer, when you know the ending, yet the journey is so emotional, the characters so well constructed and engaging that you just don’t care. The Risen is such a novel.

When Durham first announced that he’d be writing a historical novel chronicling the Third Servile War and Spartacus’ uprising I yawned. This story has been done before ad nausea, nothing to see here or so I thought. Movies, books and even TV shows have been created about this character, the ultimate underdog fighting for his freedom against the Roman Empire. Boy was I so happy to be wrong. Durham mines this well-known story to produce a work full of life, vigor and personality. The novel oozes historical authenticity with the myriad of peoples in the Risen, their gods (early versions of Odin, Thor etc show up with the Germanic characters for instance) and the landscape of Rome at the time of the uprising. Spartacus’ rebellion cut across ethnic and cultural lines, and Durham utilizes this dynamic to the tell the story of the rebellion from ten different point of view characters.

Across all ten perspectives, Spartacus’ character rightly so, is the dominant voice in the novel. His presence is the focal point of every perspective even when he isn’t on the page, talking or interacting with the point of view characters. He is the larger than life hero of the work, a force so magnetic and powerful that he almost brings Rome to its knees. Durham takes his character and crafts him into a leader that anyone can rally behind, echoing Hannibal Barca in his previous work Pride of Carthage. The rebellion is his brainchild, he is both the heart, soul and brains of the rebellion, its visionary leader and he is written in such a way that he jumps off the page. Spartacus is shrewd, smart, a visionary, a master motivator, and strategist. He understands people, he understands movements and armies and he understands how to bring Rome to heel. The novel flirts with the ultimate what if, just what if Spartacus succeeds, what if more slaves actually joined him instead of sitting on the sidelines. This sentiment is carefully balanced with a healthy dose of skepticism sprinkled throughout the novel where various characters point out that Spartacus is no Hannibal, he is no Pyrrhus of Epirus and his army basically has no chance. Eventually, Spartacus’ mistakes and miscalculations doom his army but that doesn’t mean we aren’t with him for the ride and ultimately shed a tear when he falls.

As for the other POV characters, each is unique and their motivations for joining the rebellion or fighting against it are given. What's more, Durham uses the backstories of each of his characters to detail the horrors of slavery in Ancient Rome, sparing no detail in his depiction of the cruelties Rome inflicts on those it conquers and those whom it considers traitors or malcontents. The women in Spartacus’s army have the hardest lot, their background full of sordid sexual exploitation, but Durham expertly contrasts their previous lives with the power they wield in the rebellion, empowering these women thereby making them the true strength of the movement. If Spartacus and the men are the muscle behind the rebellion, characters such as Astera, Sura and Laelia through their connection to the gods are its soul, the heartbeat that keeps it going forward. Women are given equal footing in Spartacus’ army a fact heavily contrasted with that of the heavily stratified Roman society.

In the end, you care about each of the point of view characters; you feel for them and ultimately fight back tears when it all comes to an end. For me personally, I felt the most for the character who in the end does no fighting at all, but his betrayal by his Roman master cut to the bone and was at the core of why Spartacus and co are fighting to begin with, the freedom to live your life as you choose and love whom you will. In that vein, Rome is the villain in this novel, and Durham appears to toy with the western infatuation with this Empire, arguing that the image of a noble, virtuous Roman Empire never existed. Rome in The Risen, is a petty, manipulative cruel, inhuman beast, trampling on the rights and dignity of people to live their lives in freedom, an idea personified in the character Crassus, the Roman history teaches us ultimately destroys the rebellion.

This novel is gory and boy is it bloody. This is the story of an uprising, atrocities are committed on both sides of the conflict, so if you want gore and sex in your novels, this checks both boxes. Atrocities are committed on both sides of the conflict and the risen are not completely innocent in that regard. However to great effect, Durhman moves the story beyond the gore and violence to the spectacular, the struggle moving to both the metaphysical and supernatural realms. Although this story is technically historical fiction, Durham infuses a sense of wonder and magic to the work such that The Risen reads like a historical fantasy novel or more accurately historical fiction with a healthy dose of magical realism. This was a welcome addition to the novel as it elevates it from a simple blow by blow of history, or a checklist of move and countermove to something more.

The Risen is a phenomenal novel; it excels with great characterization, vicious battles and is a great take on Third Servile War of the Late Roman Republic. Before you even pick up the novel you know the ending but that doesn’t detract from the journey. The Risen is a poignant tale of what it means to be free and the lengths people have gone to throughout history to achieve said freedom. In the end, our heroes may have all died not having achieved their goal of bringing about the end of Rome, but they achieved their second goal, dying as a free people. The Risen is an expertly told tale with compelling characters and riveting story I highly recommend it.

[Marc Kohlman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immersive and epic retelling of the rebellion that nearly changed history. The pacing, storyline; introspection into each character, and consistency of this novel measures up to the “Caesar” series of Conn Iggulden.

While the use of modern language I found a bit off-putting; the characters were well written, complex, and well-polished; yet the novel for all attention to detail and in-depth tone outshines in all the ways that really matter, bridging the gap between the Ancient World and the present. Most notable is the skillful way that Durham weaves and presents a fictional drama of passion, duplicity, heroism, and tragedy is interwoven with the thrilling historical events through the perspectives of different characters that led to Spartacus-the greatest threat to Rome since Carthage, whose name, and deeds echoes through time to this day.

It was heartbreaking coming to the end of this book, especially since I know what the end of Spartacus final battle would result in, yet Durham nevertheless was as accurate to the culture and attitudes of Republican Rome and Spartacus diverse following based on what is known yet cleverly and creatively with characters who literally come to life off the pages-whether you identify with them or not. Within the first few pages when the revolt had been launched, I was fully invested with each member of the Risen and every character who risked all for freedom. Having admired the legendary gladiator rebel since childhood, this novel is a masterpiece and should be read by others who are fascinated with figures who stand up against tyranny or who want to find themselves in characters deprived of their voices and humanity-only to regain them again. Hopefully, it will inspire and motivate other readers in just the same way as the classic Kirk Douglas movie did for me, as the Risen will always get back up no matter how many times they are knocked down.

I definitely am eager to check out Durham novel of Hannibal Barca at a later date as well after having read this one.

[Scott MacBurnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is hard to say exactly why this book failed me, as a reader, but it somehow never quite seemed to come together. Other people may have varying mileage with the tale, but for myself, the narrative felt strangely disconnected - while this partly a narrative choice, with successive chapters moving from character to character (not an invalid, or even uncommon approach), it sometimes seems that the story jumps forward and back, occasionally sliding over what would seem to be important plot developments without exploration, and other times, recounting other events in a pseudo-reverse chronological fashion.

All of this would be forgivable (and may even have worked) if the narrative had carried a strong center line, but in this, the overall narrative does not really ever seem to "land" anywhere. In some respects, it feels as though it is reaching for a quasi-historical/fantasy feeling, in the vein of "Game of Thrones" and in others, it seems as though it wants to play more traditional historical fiction, with less fantasy and more "truth" but the two impulses do not seem to complement one another. It may also simply be that, with the "Spartacus" story being such an often told tale, there just might not be a lot left to bring to the table.

The book is not badly written, the characters are generally well realized, and there are some elegantly sculpted passages in the book - but overall, it just feels disinterested in itself, which (in turn) breeds indifference from the reader.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly really enjoyed this book. But it was lengthy and was chalk full of history and Roman warfare. It has a fiction story threaded through it but it was more factual than a dialogue fictional story.

This is a story about Spartacus. The leader of the slaves of Rome. The story starts with the rebellion of Vatia and his ludus. If you have any idea about the history about Spartacus and the Roman generals who fought against him you would know how this ends. The book is set in three sections with different characters taking you on their journey. Whether they are gladiators, priestess, Roman’s, or slaves, you follow them and see what they see.

All in all, a good book even though it took me awhile to read it.

[Rob Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, start to finish. It’s up there with my favorites of all time. I have slowly been reading ancient history and historical fiction chronologically for the past 25 years. I have purposefully avoided reading or watching movies/tv of the Spartacus story my whole life so that when I finally got to it, it would be fresh and unknown to me.
So I worked my way up to the 1st century BC and chose this book to learn about Spartacus and move into this period of Roman history.
Thoroughly got into it. Stressed me out many times with some of the bad turn of events and got me pumped with the good. I really stepped into this world.
I’ll prob watch the Kirk Douglas movie next and then the recent TV series before reading focused history accounts of Spartacus and Rome at this time frame.

[thebonebreaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved tales of Spartacus, and I devoured this book. It is superbly written! (This is the first novel that I have read by Durham, and it won't be the last.) The book starts off, right away, with the slaves' uprising, and each chapter/section is written from a different characters point of view. The view point shifts between the slaves and the Romans, with time-shifts in between. It is almost like a big compilation of short stories that intertwine within themselves to make a complete novel.

Also, fair warning, this book will make you want to re-watch the Starz television series Spartacus.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book as yet another serendipitous find from my library. listening to this novel was like seeing the movie "Titanic"; no matter how many times you see it, the ship still sinks at the end. In this case, the end is ordained by history.

That said, it is an excellent read/listen and engrossed me throughout. I had a minor problem listening to the book keeping some of the characters straight by their names but that really was no detriment to the story.

The story brings to life the absolute indifference and cruelty that the government of the Roman republic and later empire felt to those who were not Romans or adopted Romans.

[Jose Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ya conocía la historia de Espartaco pero la narrativa me enganchó y la forma en que están dispuestos los capítulos por personajes hace muy interesante y dinámica la lectura. Gran intensidad de emociones en cada personaje que los hace llamativos y eso sin mencionar la pluralidad de personalidades que desfilan en esta obra y ligadas a la diversidad cultural de los personales que hacen que los principales detalles de la historia se diluyan o apenas se menciones.
En resumen, me he divertido leyendo esta obra, por eso le doy 5 estrellas.

[Scott Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting take on the third Servile War. As the title suggests, it’s more about the people who followed Spartacus than it is about Spartacus himself. It’s an ensemble piece that tells the stories of many characters as they interact with Spartacus.

Structurally, Durham loves to begin a chapter in medias res and then go back to give us context and details. I don’t think it was necessary to his narrative in most cases. I found it awkward, but other than that this is an enjoyable read.

[Will-I-AM Creith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good lord that took forever! Never words that you wanna hear describing your reading experience. It was just blah. Real wordy. Could have been 2 books. Found myself, on more than one instance, having to reread paragraphs and chapters even. Not sure on historical accuracy but it read like a highschool history book. Only thing missing were the quizzes at the end of each chapter. Skip it unless you are really just a huge fan of the subject.

[Tim Thomason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent images and characters. He needed to lighten up on the non conventional narrative structure. The story is told with ten different character perspectives, time jumps, and non linear chapters. It felt like a bit much, hurting character development, and preventing the book from being truely engrossing.

[John Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly engaging retelling of Spartacus' rebellion, using a variety of perspectives to avoid repetitiveness, and introducing a spiritual element that plays out in an incredibly satisfying way. Particularly interesting was the insight into the mind games by which Rome built and maintained its power over both slaves and foreign nations.