The Far Arena

by Richard Ben Sapir

Released from the Arctic ice after two millennia, a Roman gladiator contends with his haunted memories and the modern world in this “marvelous” novel (Los Angeles Times).   While exploring the polar expanse for an oil company, geologist Lew McCardle discovers something a body encased in the ice. Even more remarkable, the skills of a Russian researcher bring the man miraculously back to life.   This strange visitor from the distant past has an amazing story to tell. With the help of a Nordic nun who translates from his native Latin, Lucius Aurelius Eugenianus reveals that in the era of Domitian he was a champion in the ancient Roman Coliseum, a gladiator known far and wide as the greatest of all time. But now the warrior Eugeni must readjust to this new world, with its bizarre customs, hidden traps, and geopolitical and moral complexities, as he struggles to come to terms with painful memories of loves and glories lost, and the bloodthirsty imperial politics and heartbreaking betrayals that ultimately led him to this time and place.   An ingenious amalgam of science fiction, fantasy, and history, Richard Ben Sapir’s The Far Arena is a breathtaking work of literary invention, at once thrilling, poignant, and thought-provoking.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Historical, Science Fiction Fantasy

588 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Under this name, Richard Ben Sapir wrote standalone
thriller/fantasy novels.

Under the name Richard Sapir, he was the creator and original author, with Warren Murphy of the immensely popular series The Destroyer.

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just bought a used copy of this long out-of-print book.

I first read it when it was originally released in 1978. I was working at Doubleday as a book club editor. It fell to me to do the write-up for it in the monthly publication that went to book club members.

A large part of my job was to read books. Talk about great jobs, that was the best of the best. I'm not sure I ever recovered from my Doubleday years. Not merely was I paid to read and write about books, but I received (as did all the editors and graphic artists in the department) new copies of every book we worked on. We all had very large personal libraries. We also had 2 hour lunches and wonderful co-workers. I looked forward to work the way most folks anticipate the weekend. It was that good. I realize this is a digression, but I wanted to put this in context and maybe brag a little.

The Far Arena is classified as science fiction. It is, sort of, but not in any traditional sense. It doesn't fall into any of the usual sci fi categories. Time travel? Not exactly, but it has a time travel-ish feel to it.

The story in brief: A Roman gladiator is flash frozen in the arctic ice. He is accidentally discovered by a team drilling for oil and subsequently defrosted and brought back to life. What follows is his story as a Roman married to a Hebrew slave, and his perceptions of the modern world from the point of view of a man whose world disappeared 1600 years ago.

His observations on modern society are priceless. For example, while he is in the hospital, he asks about the slaves who serve him. He is referring of course to the to nurses and other workers who attend his needs.

His new friends explain that they aren't slaves, that they work for wages and are free to leave or be dismissed by their employers. He thinks this is a fantastic idea. "You mean they do everything you tell them to do, but when they get old you don't have to take care of them? What a great idea! Slaves, but no responsibility to them."

"They aren't slaves," insist his modern friends.

"They are treated like slaves, they act like slaves," he responds. Who would like to argue the point? Not me.

That is paraphrasing, of course, but is captures the gist of the dialogue. I have never looked at the world quite the same way since I read this book. Modern workers have all the freedom of slaves, but no assurance that anyone will care for them when they are no longer able to work. That's a pretty good deal.

This is a brilliant and unique book. It stands apart from the thousands of books I've read over the years. All other time travel stories are about modern people visiting the past. This is the only book I can think of where a man from the past offers a view of the modern world from the perspective of the past and it's not a pretty sight.

Richard Ben Sapir wrote other books that are unusual and worth reading. I especially like "The Body," but I "The Far Arena" stands head and shoulders above the rest.

If you can beg, steal or borrow a copy of this book, it is a must-read, regardless of whether or not science fiction is a genre you normally enjoy. If this is science fiction or just plain fiction is a matter of opinion. I think it sits just on the edge where the two genres meet.

You might check to see if your local library has a copy. I got a reasonably good copy in hard-cover from a second-hand seller on Amazon for $8.50 plus shipping, which I thought was not bad since the book has been out of print for 30 years.

It would make a great movie. I can see it all in my mind's eye. I recommend you read it if you can.

Did I mention that it's exceptionally well written?

[Stephen Sealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this novel, I am actually quite shocked that this work is not more commonly known and revered. In fact, it is rather unknown. But it is well worth the time it takes to search for. This book crosses genre lines between historical fiction and science fiction. A remarkable "what-if" situation, resulting in a wonderful read that inspired my imagination and gave me reason to reflect upon the possibilities of a by-gone millennium. The story itself is somewhat far fetched, involving a human being frozen in ice for a couple thousand years, waking up to the modern age. Gone are the days of the Roman empire, the blood and gore of the Colosseums, and the dark ages that existed before the advent of modern technology. It is a tale of how a human being would adapt to the sudden onslaught of our modern age. Very gripping.

[Lynn]

Fascinating Character

Men taking core samples came up with flesh and blood and realize there is a naked body frozen in ice that has been there for an unknown amount of time and it is taken to an abandoned Russian laboratory. The body is of a small man with scars, but good muscular development and they realize that everything is perfectly preserved and go about seeing if any of the body can be cryogenically revived. As they are attempting to revive the body the brain of the man is beginning to recover and is replaying his last days as a retired gladiator trying to save the lives of the people most important to him. He has enemies and he knows that his enemies will be coming for his family and he has tried to set them up to be safe when he is no longer there to protect them.

When he does awaken there is a nun there who has heard tapes of his mumbling and knows that it is ancient Latin and she is there to communicate with him. Eugenie’s story is very interesting, in fact so much more interesting than thawing an ancient man from the time of Jesus back to life. (Of course, that certainly has its moments.) This is one of my favorite stories and I had to do a re-read to make sure I had it on Goodreads. Five stars.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the gladiator and the nun who could speak Latin. I read this one as a teenager, I believe, and can still recall details in my 50s. Like the culture shock experienced by the Roman gladiator who wakes up in the modern world to find the grandeur of Rome lost - until he discovers the Catholic church. I remember it as one of the first things I read that did a good job of creating a sense of culture-based world view and the non-trivial problem of adjusting to a world one didn't grow up in.

[Clyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Far Arena is a difficult book to classify. It has science fiction elements (man displaced in time), it has historical fiction elements (ancient Rome), it has science, it has corporate wheeling and dealing on an international scale, it has mystery and suspense, and that is all served up with a massive dose of culture shock. All of those elements just incidentally ride on a damn fine story.
Good book. Read it if you can find a copy.

[Genia Lukin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm always devastated to write a poor review for a displaced-out-of-time novel. I won't call this a time travel novel, because it kind of isn't.

The story revolves around Ye Olde Corpsicle of a Roman gladiator who got executed by freezing and swept under the ice in the north sea. The corpsicle gets dug up accidentally by a Stereotypical Mining Crew and is sent off with the Stereotypical Uncaring Geologist. He gets picked up by the Soviet Scientist, revived, and, well, the rest is plot.

Okay, so, honestly, pretty cool. I love reading about time displaced people, whether from the future or the past, and this concept of a Roman waking up in modern society and trying to adjust to just... this whole thing, could be really well done. Unfortunately it's just not. The writing style while occasionally rising to the, pardon me, occasion, mostly remains thoroughly telegraphic and, frankly, occasionally more than a little odd.

But the real problem being with the characters. Exhibit one you have the Indifferent Texan Geologist. He is so indifferent it takes a literal signed paper to make him take a body to a city in a snowmobile. He spends the entire book being a Texan who Cannot Possibly Be Educated, and everybody else somehow buys into that, because apparently there were no doctorate holders from Texas in the 1970s. Sure, the Texan Cowboy hick stereotype was pervasive, but even the biggest holders of it, and people from abroad, are generally aware that Texas had cities, and even the occasional university. It seems odd, instead of making this a thing that comes up occasionally, to dedicate the entire character to this.

Exhibit two is the perv doctor, which is a much bigger issue. I get the book was published in 1978 - and, mind you, it was not published in 1878, or even 1958 - but the oversexed caricature of the doctor who spends his days molesting women, sleeping with women, harassing women who clearly don't want to be harassed, and somehow coming off as charming (well, in the author's mind) while doing it. Honestly, the doctor isn't even the only gender issue portrayal in this book that is a problem. All the nurses under his command, somehow, are women. Every single one. This is so blatant that the author, in what I hope is a moment of self-realization, makes a bit of a joke of it when the Roman character comments on the large number of female slaves the physician owns.

Then there is Sister Olav, who is supposed to be a super-genius with a declined doctorate from Oxford at 21 (I wish!) but who comes off, to be honest, as rather insane. It's also a bit hard to credit that in the entire area of Oslo there was not a single other person capable of identifying classical Latin. Oslo has a university (or two, or three, I don't remember) and they have classics and linguistics departments. Why do we need one nun who for most of the book wants nothing to do with it? There is a level at which a reluctant hero is plausible, and the plot needs them, and then there is a level where we say 'okay, we'll get someone else who can identify an ancient language.' She is described as a stuck up prude on the one hand, and as so impulsive she literally has memory blankouts on the other. A woman, in other words. And when this so-called genius comes up with potential names for our trio to use in the presence of their captive Roman, to give him the illusion of normalcy, what does she come up with? Semyonus, Lewus and Olava!

Seriously, writer? Seriously? Yes, let's add the already obligatory nominative suffix to their names and talk about how we've Romanized them. Surely you could come up with something a little better than that! Let me help you out - the Russian name Semyon is a derivative of Simeon, or Simon, a name that would have been recognized as a Jewish name already in Rome, and would therefore have been entirely usable in that form. Llywellyn and Olav are a bit harder, granted, but surely something more creative could happen to them.

Of course, the entire research portrayed in the book is characterized by the same kind of slapdash sloppiness. Apparently, the characters taking care of our Roman are so busy reading epic Latin poetry that they can't even bother to research the Roman diet, beyond what odd notions they already have, or at the very least take the Mediterranean diet, substract the America-originating foods like tomatoes, and go from there. Some olives, anyone? Citrus, maybe? Most f the ancient Roman diet should be at least vaguely resembling of the locally-sourced Italian diet, it's not that hard. I doubt a Roman would fall from his lounging couch at the sight of a piece of steak, to be honest. Oh and by the way, they'd recognize lettuce - the Egyptians had it.

Likewise I doubt that a Roman would confuse science - from a Latin word, by the way, meaning knowledge, not that hard to parse - with a deity and declare that it needed to be worshipped. And look, I get it, it's supposed to be a parody mirror of our weird, sexually repressed, science-worshipping, modern times. I'm not entirely stupid, I get 'author intent' but to be successful with parody, the parody has to be done right. Parodies and satires are actually harder to write, not easier, than straight stories. To show a satire of our times requires an accurate representation of our times, an accurate representation of the patterns of thought and behavior of the person from earlier times, and a precise, razor-sharp way of writing the one to explain the other. This book has neither one, nor the other, nor the third.

And on a personal note, it would be really nice if a book about time travel and Rome - or anything and Rome - was not, for a change, about Christianity, and it would be nice if anyone ever (except Feuchtwanger, have a gold star, Feuchtwanger) had Jewish characters who were not proto-Nazarenes. Just FYI, early Christianity didn't really enjoy a lot of success in Jewish circles, that's why Paul had to turn to gentiles to find converts in the first place. It would be nice to get a Rome-themed book that was not about Jesus.

[Sue Bursztynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on a remainders table many years ago and loved it. It's beautiful and touching, but has touches of humour as well, such as the hero needing his fix of garum (the Roman answer to Vegemite, in that the Romans simply had to have it, just as Aussies carry their own Vegemite supplies overseas) and making up a disgusting mixture of ingredients on the table, which he eats with great enjoyment. And the scene where he shocks the poor nun who is his interpreter by letting her know that he threw a few coins to a Christian priest to marry him to his beloved Christian wife. The priest was St Peter and he was only too pleased to pocket the coins in exchange for the ceremony. The most poignant scene is where the gladiator, who has never quite believed that he's in the twentieth century, runs outside and sees a plane flying overhead. He knows that there just couldn't be anything like it in his own time and accepts finally that everyone he knew and loved is left behind, two thousand years in the past...

A gorgeous book that would have made a great movie, but probably isn't even in print any more. Or is it?

[Pat Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books I've read so often, I can no longer really review them. The Far Arena has been on my every-few-years list for over 30 years. Something about the Cold War revival of a frozen Roman gladiator by an American oilman, a Soviet physician, and a Norwegian nun just draws me back, time and again.

I first encountered the novel in a friend's collection in 1985 or '86. Rarely had I been so tempted to a five-finger discount! I borrowed it again every few months for a while until I had memorized several passages—when he moved away, I knew I had to find my own copy. I almost walked past it in a second-hand bookstore, because the cover was so different. Another publisher, plus an artist (or perhaps a marketing department) who had not read past the opening chapters, lead to cover art that focused on "John Carter" buried deep in the ice.

What caught my eye, in fact, was a cover-quote from Howard Fast, author of Spartacus. "Breathtaking," it said, "you must read it." I had just re-read Spartacus, and the name grabbed my attention. Voila! I had my fix.

Even if Publius had my speed and strength and my perfect weapons and I but a club, still I would emerge alive. I had walked on arena sand, and Publius had not. ("Eugeni", Lucius Aurelius Eugenianus)

Over several moves, I lost and replaced the novel several times, most recently to add it to my Kindle. Each time, I dove into the story, rapt in a tale that addressed much more than the real life and culture of Rome, as seen through the eyes of a half-Greek slave rising to arena stardom in Rome.

Each of the other three, modern protagonists has a similar journey to make, from their first innocent encounter with the gladiator, to their struggle to understand what they really want from him, to a final arena, with a battle that will cost each of them something very precious.

Of the three, I most identify with Lew McCardle, the Texas petroleum geologist, promoted to Vice-President on the strength of his discovery in the ice. Again and again, his musings reveal a kindred spirit trapped by the Peter Principle in a conflict even his decades-past experience on the gridiron has not prepared him to face.

First, the naïve, focused engineer:

[H]e knew that good engineering did not have right angles in pipes.

Then the isolated husband wondering why he had chosen his wife, instead of a hookup girlfriend from his distant past:

She had everything to recommend her but a heart. And yet that is the last thing a young man looks at.

And the chip he carries on his shoulder, which may bring him down under its weight:

Oil men did not particularly like people who read books, nor did they trust them. Somehow Lew’s size, and his origins in a backwater Texas town, compensated for his reading.

The Cold War had yet to begin its thaw, with Soviets in Afghanistan, Reagan and Thatcher—and Gorbachev—still on or below the horizon, when Sapir was writing this novel. Many of Eugeni's reactions to modern life, his observations about the East/West conflict, rang solidly true to the readers who would soon sweep those politicians into office:

Why is it people think the authorities are some form of gods with either great justice or great, cunning evil, rather than the same plodding fools they see in their daily lives, and most of all in their mirrors?

And:

The purpose of an authority is to remain an authority, not dispense justice.

Re-reading it today, I find equally-cogent statements about the resurgence of Socialism and Communism, as well as identity politics:

You call people ‘masses’ when you treat them as a lump, as a hundred slaves more or less, as an army if you will. Nobody ever knew a mass or loved a mass or even paid the respect of hating a mass.

Because, Eugeni muses near the end of his story:

...a man was a man because he thought, and all the cheers and all the illustrious parentage could not add one whit to any of his meaning.

It is not what one is, but what one thinks, that matters in the meaning of life. If one thinks.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1979 novel about a Roman gladiator who is revived in the 20th century is part science fiction, part fantasy, and part historical fiction.

Overall, it’s extremely good even though it does suffer from several unexplained details and some cultural and sexual biases common to the 1970s.

The plot in a nutshell: A Roman gladiator named Eugeni, from the age of the Emperor Domitian, ends up frozen in the ice of the Arctic (I know, I know, but trust me – the author is skillful enough to actually make this sound plausible).

His body is discovered in the 20th century by an oil company drilling for oil. A team made up of a Texan geologist, a Soviet scientist who specializes in cryonics, and a Nordic nun with extensive knowledge of Latin succeeds in reviving Eugeni and piecing together his remarkable story.

The best thing about this book is the author’s superb characterization of Eugeni. His descriptions of his life as the premier gladiator in the Roman Empire are rich with details of classical Roman society.

Eugeni’s observations on modern society are priceless, while his struggle to adapt and his ultimate despair when he realizes that the world he knew and the people he loved are really gone forever are very poignant.

Although extremely well-written, the book does have several details that don’t hold up. For example, after a fencing match to test Eugeni’s authenticity goes disastrously wrong, the team comes up with a plan to help him disappear that involves the Texan geologist committing suicide, for reasons that are never explained. Also, the modern male characters in this novel, being products of their time, display some unpleasant chauvinistic traits. The Soviet scientist, for example, assumes that the nun is obviously a lesbian because she has chosen to live without men, and he even confesses to a perverted fantasy about buying a female slave so he could use her for kinky sex. The Texan geologist realizes that he never really loved his wife, so he maliciously calls her to tell her so, as if it’s her fault.

If you can get past these flaws, however, The Far Arena is definitely an absorbing, worthwhile read.

[Mia Tryst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book at a bookmobile, and I was so excited to read it. I read it when I was something like 17 and I loved it so much it stayed with me. I just picked up another copy, reread it and it still has a lot of the magic I felt the first time I read it, but it did fall a little short of my expectations - mainly, the writing is less spectacular than I remembered. Anyway a brief review that I lifted off Amazon:

"The Far Arena" is, quite simply, a magnificent story, which places Richard Sapir among the top ranks of novelist talents. Why this one did not receive greater acclaim is a mystery, because this is a powerful, well-written, even compelling story dealing with ancient Rome. Without spoiling the plot, it is simple enough: by entirely plausible scientific means, a Roman gladiator is revived in the modern age. His flashbacks to life in ancient Rome and his impressions of the modern age are all woven into a compelling plot that moves at lightning speed to a startling and yet wistful conclusion. This is a great story.
Sapir's prose is superb. Many authors have trouble switching from first-person narration to a third-person perspective as Sapir does in this novel, but Sapir does it effortlessly. The storyline never drags. The novel has a wonderful sense of authenticity that causes the ancient Roman Empire to become real to the reader. Sapir's characterizations are excellent as well. Eugeni, the Roman gladiator and the other leading characters all become real people about whom the reader will come to care a great deal. Put simply, there is very little about this novel not to like.

I own two copies of this one and would never part with either--I consider this to be one of the very best novels I have ever read. The discerning reader will want to read and keep this one in his or her personal library.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book-- a Roman gladiator is frozen in ice, and by a medical quirk, he is able to be revived, reawakening in 1978. The book itself didn't work for me, though. I found the modern characters (a Texan geologist, Norwegian nun, and pervy Russian doctor) impossible to connect with, and Eugeni's characterization was a mess. Just because someone lived 2000 years ago does not make them simple-minded or unsophisticated; Roman society was just as complex as ours, even without light bulbs and automobiles.

As a former Latin teacher, it is clear to me that the author knows very little about ancient Rome. Nearly everything-- from the purported height of Romans, "barbaric" nature of blond hair, lack of education, and dubbing of Lucius Aurelius Eugenianus as "Eugeni"-- is historically inaccurate. The average Roman man was about 5'5" - 5'7", not under 5'. Caesar Augustus had blond hair, and Achilles was a redhead; non-brown hair was not uncommon or shocking. Everyone knew the Iliad and Odyssey-- it would be impossible not to recognize the names. A dude named Lucius would be called Lucius, at least by his family. Does the author think Gaius Julius Caesar's wife called him Caesar in bed? Does his wife call him by his last name? I could go on, but you get the idea.

Also, the ending was a non-ending. It gave no idea what happened afterwards. And, frankly, by the end of the book, I didn't really care.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading this one, I'll stay away from Roman historical fantasy. This one was so-so, despite several interesting episodes.
A nude man is found encased in ice by an American oil man/geologist. A Russian doctor thaws out the man, who turns out to be from ancient Rome at the time of Emperor Domitian. The doctor replaces his poisoned blood with fresh blood, and a nun translates his classical Latin for the two men. The part where the Roman, Eugeni, remembers his life in Rome as gladiator, freedman, rich man, and with his family was fascinating. But after that, an ancient Roman stranded in present-day Norway did not gel for me and was too outlandish. I thought Eugeni's description of modern clothing to himself, analogizing them to what he knew; e.g., neckties like torques, was clever. I thought the scene where 'garum' was mixed together for Eugeni, out of disgusting ingredients, was humorous. The novel was poignant when he visits modern-day Rome with the nun and sees the ruins of things he knew and realizes without a doubt that his beloved wife and son have been dead for close to two millenia. But as a whole the novel was mediocre.

[Bethany Salway · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because the premise sounding interesting. I never expected the resuscitation of an ancient Roman would be treated in such a satisfyingly plausible, scientific manner. The first half of the book tells the fascinating life story of this man in such a way that by the time he wakes up in the modern world, you really understand and sympathize with him. I laughed at Eugeni's interpretations of our culture, especially his insistence on referring to science as a God.

All the main characters were flawed but highly nuanced and believable. The culmination of the story was a friendship gradually built up between two people with very different personalities. It was truly refreshing to see that between a man and woman without a sexual component.

Weird to think this author died when I was 5 years old, given the themes of this novel. Wish I could tell him how much I liked it.

[Pat Gerber-Relf · Rating 4 out of 5]

And now I know what Gladiators did in ancient Rome, not quite a job like any other. If you did the job well, you could become something like a Roman idol. The crowds love you, but only if you brought the results they wanted: otherwise you could spark off a revolution and get sent to a barbaric country. No problem, if you get frozen in ice - you will be saved when discovered a couple of thousand years later, thawed out and brought back to life. A book something completely different but entertaining. Thanks for the tip Marilyn.

[Jocelyn Charbonneau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun and compelling story. I have always been interested in history from the point of view of people who lived it. Well, this book provides a lot of it, and it is extremely satisfying, regardless whether or not it really happened that way (who really knows, anyway...). Characters are conflicted and compelling, story doesn't claim a grand scope and is good that way. All in all, it was a page turner and emotionnal read for me!

[Darnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not mediocre, but rather a work with unusual flaws. The book has three core pieces: historical fiction, ancient gladiator engaging the modern world, modern elements. The first two can be pretty interesting, but I'm not sure the whole book hangs together and by the end I still wasn't sure why I was supposed to care about some of the modern aspects. Interesting read, but odd.

[Bill FromPA · Rating 3 out of 5]

He’s slim and muscular, has black hair, stands five feet tall and is frozen. It’s not Tom Cruise, but Lucius Aurelius Eugenianus, the greatest Roman gladiator at the time of Emperor Domitian, who has somehow ended up naked and frozen under the Arctic icecap. His body is found by a geologist on an American oil surveying team, revived by a Soviet expert in cryogenics working in Norway and communicated with through a Norwegian Latin scholar turned Catholic nun.

Part historical novel set in first century Rome and part Michael Crichton-like techno fantasy-thriller, this is an interesting novel both for its evocation of the historic period and its commentary on the modern world as evaluated through the perceptions of its ancient protagonist. This is written more for a general audience rather than an SF readership, going light on the speculation and concentrating more on historical information and descriptions of contemporary institutions. Sapir has chosen the three modern characters that interact with Eugeni to stand in for larger collectives: capitalism, science, and religion, which are then presented through the understanding of his main protagonist, the man of 2000 years ago. Events are set up in the ancient and modern stories so that they reflect upon each other both in overt and subtle ways. The historic sections are plot-driven in a more traditionally novelistic manner, filled with sensory detail and often violent action, while the modern sections read more like a novel of ideas, for the most part concerned with intellectual rather than physical combat. The writing is generally in a style I associate with bestsellers – telling the story in a straightforward way with a minimum of stylistic pyrotechnics. Sections are narrated by the reawakened gladiator and he sometimes uses jarringly un-Latinate terminology. Sapir makes his gladiator an accomplished fighter but also a canny showman, aware of how to manipulate the perceptions and reactions of his audiences, both ancient and modern. An author more like his character might have set the action in the US, where a larger readership could be found, rather than Norway, and spiced up the modern day narrative with more action and danger. But, as co-author of The Destroyer series, perhaps Sapir was looking to take a holiday from pandering to his readers.

I found the book very compelling, going through its 400+ pages in four days, quite a fast pace by my usual reading standards. I’d recommend this book to readers who find the concept interesting – the idea is handled well and the story is told in a satisfying manner.

[Mark Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

One part Gladiator, one part Jurassic Park. Eugeni was a Roman Gladiator (in fact, the best) under the emperor Domitian. Until he fell from favor after failing to kill a friend during a gladiatorial contest. The Praetorian guard was ordered to take him to the North Sea and kill him, but succeeded only in causing him to be frozen, and awakened two millenia later by cryogenic techniques. He’s discovered by Lew McCardle, Ph.D. texan hunting for oil. To keep the discovery secret, Lew enlists the aid of Semyon, a Russian cryonics specialist, and Sister Olav, a non who speaks fluent latin.

(see The Far Arena on The Hawaii Project)

The book alternates between Eugeni’s life in Rome, and his experiences coming to grips with being alive, and being in the modern world. The scenes from ancient Rome are simply brilliant — historically accurate, by turns gripping and harrowing, and capture the intrigue of Rome. Interesting details (the Legionnaire’s equivalent of “combat pay” was called “nail pay” — because they wore out the nails in their sandals during long marches) are interspersed with wonderful characterizations. Eugeni is a brilliant character — he has the black humor of soldiers (“How are your pains?” — “My pains enjoy themselves immensely. I do not.”). The interplay between the worldly-wise Eugeni and cynical, aging Lew are priceless. The scene where Eugeni demonstrates in the modern word how brilliant a swordsman he is, is harrowing and devastating.

The modern scenes are done equally as well as the Rome scenes. So it’s hard to characterize the book. It’s one part fantastical historical fiction and one part modern day thriller, combined with a morally compromised realpolitik that drives the plot. It’s a great book, and the writing is smooth as glass. Can’t recommend this book more highly if you are interested in Rome or Gladiators.

As a bonus, here’s a list of other great books about the Roman world

Happy Reading!

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An American oil company drilling near Oslo finds a body in the ice. They give it to a Russian doctor who's been experimenting with cryogenics, and lo and behold! He manages to bring the human ice cube back to life. The mystery man remains in a semi-comatose state for days, muttering in a language that no one can identify until tapes are sent to a nun at a nearby convent. It's Latin! OMG THE GUY IS A ROMAN GLADIATOR REVIVED CENTURIES AFTER HIS DEATH!

As you can probably guess, the plot is the main focus of this book, and for the most part it's wicked fun, moving at a very fast clip toward the part I was really waiting for: Lucius Aurelius Eugenianus' introduction to the modern world (which, since this book was written in the '70s, actually seems amusingly unmodern in a lot of ways). Unfortunately, just as we were getting to the good stuff, the story gets a little bogged down with a sideline about the oil company's machinations. Further, the characters are much more of the servicable type than the kind that leap off the pages, and there are several moments that just seem...off, like when the guy who found the body, Lew, finally "finds the balls" to chew out his ungrateful wife and daughter. I think this is supposed to be a heroic moment, but he just sounds like Alec Baldwin indulging in answering machine rage. All in all, this was a fun read, but far from a great one. If I'd been alive in the '70s, I bet I would have enjoyed reading it on a plane.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Far Arena was fascinating because of its historical richness and exploration of the ancient Roman culture. It gives the reader a first hand view of the games and the horrors they entailed. Ben Sapir shows the reader how easy it is to accept and cheer on something so vile. The character of Eugeni was raised and trained as a gladiator, and when he is brought into the modern day world, the problems of his transition are telling. There are some touching moments in this novel, but most of its interesting moments involve violence. The most powerful scene in the novel, however, and the one which I believe draws one of the starkest contrasts between Eugeni's time and ours, is when Eugeni sees the crucifix around the neck of a woman. To her, it is a symbol of Christ and of her faith. But to Eugeni, it is a perverted decoration, a sick instrument of the cruelest death. He is enraged by the fact that the woman would wear such an object. He even tries to kill her. Scenes like these draw the reader into the novel, and make him think about the passage of time--about how difficult it would be to adjust to another age. And though it is right that the brutal age of Roman gladiators and crucifixion should pass away, the novel forces the reader to feel great pity for the gladiator who must awake in a world where all he believed in is dead.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like reading something that turns out completely different than how it would turn out if it was a big-budget movie.

The setup is that a Roman gladiator is found frozen in arctic ice and successfully revived in the present day.

In the movie version, if it existed, they would turn it into a fish out of water story. First the ancient gladiator would clumsily absorb modern culture. Then he would be exploited by some corrupt force to continue being a gladiator. (I dunno, it's the future, and an unpopular president resumes gladiatorial games to boost civic pride, let's say.) In the end, the good guy wins and the bad guy loses and everyone learns a valuable lesson about the incorruptible human spirit. Or something. Escape From the Planet of the Apes meets The Running Man.

In the book, however...none of this happens. My expectations were thoroughly confounded, and the book is much better for it. Instead, it's simply about the people involved and how the events change all of them. I agree with Keith, it's a great example of literary genre fiction.

[Johanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I really liked this slightly hokey 70's tale of a defrosted roman gladiator coming to terms with 1970's Civilization. It is sadly long out of print - I got my copy second hand after reading a recommendation in a Guardian comment but its worth making the effort.
Its an idea that I've always liked; what would someone from the far past make of the current world and conversely how many dodgy modern assumptions about the past would they upset? In this tale the defrosted gladiator is assisted by a nun (who want to know about early Christianity), a soviet scientist - cue US soviet stereotypes & and an alcoholic oilman (think Dallas). Its really good although arguably a little slow paced: quite a lot of time is spent diverting down the mechanics of how he could have survived and waiting for him to wake up. But other than that it manages to be thought provoking & informative - how was latin actually spoken, were ancient Romans so different from 20th C Europeans and the big questions - what really matters in life, how do we construct our world view.

[David Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think in some ways this is one of the most impressive works of fiction I gave read. I am not a historian, so I cannot argue with the fact that the author may have gotten the time of some events in ancient Rome slightly wrong but really, when you judge the book for what it is, this criticism is nitpicking in the extreme.

This book was written well before the advent of the internet yet the author's research enabled him to combine plausible science fiction, ancient history, commentary on politic regimes (modern and ancient) and a view of the commercial world, all in a very engaging story with good action.

In some ways it's a shame there was never a sequel but in others it's perfect as it is.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have often revisited books read and enjoyed in my youth, only to be disappointed that from my now "adult" perspective, they were neither as gripping nor as revelatory as I had once thought. That is not the case, however with this one. This is a lovely book and Eugenie is a character that stays with you long after the story has ended. He would be in his 70's now and I wonder how his life has been and what he would make of what we have become in the 40 odd years since he awakened. So glad I found him again.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thumping good read and one I reread every so often, also one that I snatch up used copies of and press on friends. I would love to see a serious move made of this. This is the kind of genre fiction that destroys any criticism of genre as lacking the heft of literary fiction. Add one small suspension of disbelief and the novel roars on its merry way.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

How nice--two of my favorite genres: a science fiction and historical novel--involving a Roman soldier no less!--combined. It wasn't bad. It wasn't that great either. I like to look for the inaccuracies in such things.

[Thomas Wictor · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels ever written. Just about flawless. It'll stay with you. A Roman gladiator is dug out of the ice and revived. The only person who can communicate with him is a young Norwegian nun who's suffering a crisis of faith. Heartbreaking on lots of levels, but also extremely uplifting.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable book by the guy who wrote a lot of the Destroyer novels. This is a combination of historical and modern work that really creates an interesting gladiator character.

[Cathie Stumpenhaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!

This intertwined story of Ancient Rome and modern science, politics, and society is a page turner. Full of vivid characters.

[Lorelei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just - Wow.