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Gladiators of the Empire #1
Sand of the Arena
In AD 63 the long arm of the Roman Empire stretches across the European continent and the gladiatorial games are awash in blood and glory. For Quintus Honorius Romanus, son of one of the richest men in Rome, everything is as it should be—as long as he can sneak off to the arena for a little entertainment. Things go drastically wrong, however, when Quintus loses his family, his social standing, and his name to an imposter. Faced with a life of menial slavery, Quintus joins a gladiatorial school instead and begins a game of high stakes, as he vows to bring down the usurper who stole his life.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2005
9 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
James Duffy
51 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
James Duffy is the author of a number of scholarly books on shipwrecks, slavery, African history, and a novel for young readers, The Revolt of the Teddy Bears. He has received fellowships from the Bollingen Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.
James Duffy is the author of a number of scholarly books on shipwrecks, slavery, African history, and a novel for young readers, The Revolt of the Teddy Bears. He has received fellowships from the Bollingen Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 6, 2019
Kanlı, vahşi, gladyatörlü bu şeye bayıldım!
Uzun zaman sonra okuduğum en iyi his-fic oldu. Kitabın çevirisi, devamının çeviriden olmayışı beni üzdü (puan kırma nedenim)
Kalan kısmı cidden herkese tavsiye edebileceğim cinstendi. Özellikle de benim gibi Spartacus dizisinin fanatiklerine okuyun diyorum.
Kitap hakkında çok bilgi vermeyeceğim, o yüzden gidin ve OKUYUN!
Daha kaliteli bir yayınevinden çıksa bu kadar kaybolacak bir kitap değildi bu, fazlasını hak ediyor.
Uzun zaman sonra okuduğum en iyi his-fic oldu. Kitabın çevirisi, devamının çeviriden olmayışı beni üzdü (puan kırma nedenim)
Kalan kısmı cidden herkese tavsiye edebileceğim cinstendi. Özellikle de benim gibi Spartacus dizisinin fanatiklerine okuyun diyorum.
Kitap hakkında çok bilgi vermeyeceğim, o yüzden gidin ve OKUYUN!
Daha kaliteli bir yayınevinden çıksa bu kadar kaybolacak bir kitap değildi bu, fazlasını hak ediyor.
September 11, 2024
A gladiator story with a satisfying ending. Revenge most sweet.
June 19, 2008
I had the pleasure of meeting author Jim Duffy last Spring at the first North American conference of the Historical Novel Society in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jim was working on the final edits of his book "Sand of the Arena" that will usher in a new series of novels, "Gladiators of the Empire". Jim was kind enough to send me a pre-release galley of his new book and I have enjoyed reading it. Jim has conducted extensive research in the life and training of gladiators and it shows in the depth of detail he has woven into his novel. His action scenes are very well paced and draw the reader quickly forward, rewarding him with a believable and gratifying conclusion to each encounter.
I found the protagonist's Ethiopian friend Lindani's almost miraculous feats of prowess in the beast hunts particularly fascinating and the shipwreck scene graphically realistic and immersive (no pun intended). Duffy's experience in writing for television has given him insight into the entertainment aspect of historical fiction and his tightly written prose provides a literary adrenaline rush that is seldom experienced in a first novel.
I do think as the series progresses, however, he will need to balance the glorification of victory and the rush of audience acclaim with the bittersweet aspects of belonging to a social class that is considered the lowest of the low, and the obstacles that this creates in the pursuit of other objectives.
Book description:
"In 63 AD the long arm of the Roman Empire stretches across the European continent and the gladiatorial games are awash in blood and glory. For Quintus Honorius Romanus, son of one of the richest men in Rome, everything is as it should be--as long as he can sneak off to the amphitheater for a little entertainment. Things go drastically wrong, however, when Quintus loses his family, his social standing, and his name to an imposter. Faced with a life of menial slavery, Quintus joins a gladiatorial school instead and begins a game of unimaginably high stakes, as he vows to bring down the usurper who stole his life. But first he must survive his training. Together with the deadly African hunter Lindani and the lethal gladiatrix Amazonia, Quintus learns the hard way what it means to live--and die--in the arena.
Rough-and-tumble, fast-paced, and unrelenting, Sand of the Arena brings the Roman Empire to life and sheds light on its most controversial form of entertainment. Quintus, Lindani, and Amazonia face the ultimate test of courage and skill inside the arena--and out. For the Gladiators of the Empire, the goal is simply to survive!"
I found the protagonist's Ethiopian friend Lindani's almost miraculous feats of prowess in the beast hunts particularly fascinating and the shipwreck scene graphically realistic and immersive (no pun intended). Duffy's experience in writing for television has given him insight into the entertainment aspect of historical fiction and his tightly written prose provides a literary adrenaline rush that is seldom experienced in a first novel.
I do think as the series progresses, however, he will need to balance the glorification of victory and the rush of audience acclaim with the bittersweet aspects of belonging to a social class that is considered the lowest of the low, and the obstacles that this creates in the pursuit of other objectives.
Book description:
"In 63 AD the long arm of the Roman Empire stretches across the European continent and the gladiatorial games are awash in blood and glory. For Quintus Honorius Romanus, son of one of the richest men in Rome, everything is as it should be--as long as he can sneak off to the amphitheater for a little entertainment. Things go drastically wrong, however, when Quintus loses his family, his social standing, and his name to an imposter. Faced with a life of menial slavery, Quintus joins a gladiatorial school instead and begins a game of unimaginably high stakes, as he vows to bring down the usurper who stole his life. But first he must survive his training. Together with the deadly African hunter Lindani and the lethal gladiatrix Amazonia, Quintus learns the hard way what it means to live--and die--in the arena.
Rough-and-tumble, fast-paced, and unrelenting, Sand of the Arena brings the Roman Empire to life and sheds light on its most controversial form of entertainment. Quintus, Lindani, and Amazonia face the ultimate test of courage and skill inside the arena--and out. For the Gladiators of the Empire, the goal is simply to survive!"
May 16, 2017
Some of the initial setup of the plot seemed unlikely to me, but I enjoyed the story once I got into it. The author over-corrected a little by making a gladiator school seem such an ideal place to be, but I can understand that given the bad press they usually get, and the main character was the kind of person who certainly would have loved the school, ideal or not. The battle scenes were gripping and made for a page-turner, and I liked the short political interludes with Julia and Lucius.
April 24, 2021
Mr. Duffy is an emmy award winning writer and a reader can easily recognize a style meant for the screen. The characters are mostly two dimensional, the plotline outrageous and the style somewhat simple. It's got sex, blood, some research and big scenes. Unfortunately the film "Gladiator" appeared and killed any chance of this novel coming to the big screen. I will say, however, that I did complete the entire novel and enjoyed its simplicity. Those emmy awards must have meant a good writer, just not in this genre.
September 30, 2010
A tale of betrayal that ends on the sands of the Roman arena. A young nobleman has a passion for gladiators. He and his father attend many games together until both of his parents are drowned in a tragic boating accident. The young man survives but is betrayed by his slave who switches clothing and identities with him. No one believes his wild story that he's actually the nobleman and he's sent away to work at the family horse farm. One day he runs off and joins a gladiator school. Over the next few years he moves up through the ranks as he hones and refines his skills. Several times he sees the former slave (masquerading as the young nobleman) and vows vengeance. The final combat is intense and a real page-turner!
June 24, 2010
The detail and information is what makes this book so interesting. It's hard to put down, as well, since you get drawn into the world. I knew where it was going the whole time and was confident of the ending, which is not a negative criticism. I was happy taking the trip and enjoyed the destination. It's a fun summer read--plenty of action, intrigue and sex to keep the brain stimulated.
August 25, 2010
Story of a well-born young man who becomes a gladiator in Ancient Rome. Interesting story as long as there's fighting going on, but there are some bad plot holes, plenty of details, not too much silliness for a first novel.
Longer review can be found here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_32209...
Longer review can be found here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_32209...
January 27, 2011
Eh, it was mediocre... there are worse stories out there. I do enjoy historical fiction, and so the basic setting and premise were very good.
The story was simply absent. The whole thing read as Act One....... I realize this is the first book in a series, but still. I need a conflict of substance and developed relationships and characters in EACH book, and this didn't deliver.
The story was simply absent. The whole thing read as Act One....... I realize this is the first book in a series, but still. I need a conflict of substance and developed relationships and characters in EACH book, and this didn't deliver.
October 2, 2015
OK, so it's a history lesson as taught by Spike TV, but still surprisingly enjoyable -- for those who like to read about the roaring Roman Empire, that is. The history is probably questionable, but Duffy explains some of this in the Introduction. I do wonder how the curses translated from old Italian/ Celtic into modern English. WARNING: The animal hunts make for nightmarish reading.
January 19, 2012
I enjoyed this book. it was historically accurate and the author is very good at putting his fictional characters into the front lines of history
December 11, 2012
I really enjoyed this book.
July 18, 2013
Sand in the Arena: I really enjoyed this story and the author's writing is superb. The character and plot is engaging. This one's a keeper.
April 6, 2019
Story is basically "The Karate Kid" and "Gladiator" combined...
I thought it was strange.
I thought it was strange.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews