Gladiatrix
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
A great debut that shines an entirely new light on the glory and the bloodshed of the Roman arena. Whitfield paints a vivid picture of the fights and the passions of women combatants. It's exciting stuff, with well rounded characters, nail-biting duels to the death and vividly depicted settings. Gladiatrix makes Gladiator look very tame indeed! --Simon Scarrow, author of Under the Eagle and Centurion
What a brilliant novel! Whitfield has taken one of history's curiosities -- the role of the female gladiator -- and woven from it a savage and splendid tale of the Roman arena . . . a tale that, once sampled, cannot be easily forgotten. --Scott Oden, author of Men of Bronze and Memnon
Gladiatrix weaves a complex tale against the vivid background of Rome's far-flung Empire in the heady but dangerous days during the reign of Domitian. A must for anyone interested in Ancient Rome as well as for those who have yet to visit this fascinating era. --Paul Doherty, author of The Alexander the Great Mysteries
What a brilliant novel! Whitfield has taken one of history's curiosities -- the role of the female gladiator -- and woven from it a savage and splendid tale of the Roman arena . . . a tale that, once sampled, cannot be easily forgotten. --Scott Oden, author of Men of Bronze and Memnon
Gladiatrix weaves a complex tale against the vivid background of Rome's far-flung Empire in the heady but dangerous days during the reign of Domitian. A must for anyone interested in Ancient Rome as well as for those who have yet to visit this fascinating era. --Paul Doherty, author of The Alexander the Great Mysteries
Product Description
Under the Flavian Emperors the Roman public's hunger for gladiatorial combat has never been greater. The Emperor Domitian's passion for novelty and variety in the arena has given rise to a very different kind of warrior: the Gladiatrix. Lysandra, member of an ancient Spartan sect of warrior priestesses, is the sole survivor of a shipwreck off the coast of Asia Minor who finds herself the property of Lucius Balbus owner of the foremost Ludus for female gladiators in the Eastern Empire. Lysandra's Spartan pride refuses to accept her new status as a slave. Her deadly combat skills not only enable her to survive but win the adoration of the crowds, the respect of her Lanista, Balbus, and the admiration of Sextus Julius Frontinus, the provincial governor. But Lysandra's hubris has stirred up the ethnic factions of the ludus attracting the enmity of the Dacian warrior, Sorina, Gladiatrix Prima and leader of the Barbarian faction as well as inciting the hatred of the sadistic Numidian trainer Nastasen. Meanwhile Frontinus and Balbus plan the ultimate combat spectacle for the visit of the emperor's emissary, Trajanus, that will involve Lysandra in her greatest and deadliest trial.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Launching a new year with a new writer is always a good thing for me, it's a taster of things to come in a new generation of writers in much the same way that Janus looks forward and backwards at the same time. So I was more than pleasantly surprised when I picked up the novel Gladiatrix. As the name would suggest the principle protagonist (or protagonista) is a female gladiator which were originally seen as a bit of light entertainment. Knowing this did put me on edge to begin with until I started getting into the tale.
The combat which appears within the pages is simply written alongside being short descriptions which allows the reader to envision the fight as it takes place. No complications are thrown in as otherwise it could have easily detracted from the scene and lost the key element that made it so gripping. Its brutal, fast paced and at times short, but then again that's the typical life of a gladiator. With the principle protagonist coming from Spartan stock it's a bit of a giveaway as to the toughness and inherent combat skills that we would come to expect from such and with her freeness of speech it endears her to the reader.
Well written with a touch of wry humour and a number of nods to past masters of writing within the pages it's clearly a novel of love and one that has been painstakingly researched. A great first novel and one that the passion clearly shows through allowing any errors to be ignored by the reader due to the sheer enthusiasm and gusto within. I look forward to reading future novels from this author.
The combat which appears within the pages is simply written alongside being short descriptions which allows the reader to envision the fight as it takes place. No complications are thrown in as otherwise it could have easily detracted from the scene and lost the key element that made it so gripping. Its brutal, fast paced and at times short, but then again that's the typical life of a gladiator. With the principle protagonist coming from Spartan stock it's a bit of a giveaway as to the toughness and inherent combat skills that we would come to expect from such and with her freeness of speech it endears her to the reader.
Well written with a touch of wry humour and a number of nods to past masters of writing within the pages it's clearly a novel of love and one that has been painstakingly researched. A great first novel and one that the passion clearly shows through allowing any errors to be ignored by the reader due to the sheer enthusiasm and gusto within. I look forward to reading future novels from this author.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Gladiatrix is a well written debut novel from Russell Whitfield which puts an interesting spin on that old staple of 'sword n' sandals'tales, the enslaved Gladiator fighting for honour and freedom, by focusing on female 'Gladiatrices'. It features well conceived and diverse characters, a sense of time and place that does not pander to contemporary expectations brutal action, a fair smattering of sex (mostly of the sapphic kind) and a well worked plot. It holds the attention for most of its not inconsiderable length and is by most measures a good book.
What it didn't do for me however, is prompt much in the way of a warm emotional response. As a book I found it to be like a well designed machine rather than a piece of art; practical, functional & precise but without any real beauty or soul to it.
Partly that is down to the setting. By avoiding any contemporising of the characters and the place they inhabit there is very little that is familiar for a reader to cling on to. The world depicted in Gladiatrix is a brutal one that utterly alien to modern sensibilities. With nothing even vaguely 'modern' with which to associate it also remains a remote and distant one.
It doesn't help that none of the characters on display are particularly likeable people. Even the nominal 'hero' of the piece, Lysandra, with her haughty Spartan manner is someone it is very hard to warm to or cheer for. Credit to Whitfield for trying to create characters of some complexity, but in doing so he has also succeeded in removing the reader's ability to really empathise with any of the individuals on display.
By the end of the book I was interested to find out what happened more out of curiosity than a burning desire for Lysandra to prevail over her enemies. When the book ended on what I found to be something of an ambiguous, anti-climatic and less than satisfying note I found that I didn't feel particularly cheated or disappointed because I really didn't care that much about any of the characters' fates, and that told me exactly how little a connection I had made with this otherwise admirable book.
What it didn't do for me however, is prompt much in the way of a warm emotional response. As a book I found it to be like a well designed machine rather than a piece of art; practical, functional & precise but without any real beauty or soul to it.
Partly that is down to the setting. By avoiding any contemporising of the characters and the place they inhabit there is very little that is familiar for a reader to cling on to. The world depicted in Gladiatrix is a brutal one that utterly alien to modern sensibilities. With nothing even vaguely 'modern' with which to associate it also remains a remote and distant one.
It doesn't help that none of the characters on display are particularly likeable people. Even the nominal 'hero' of the piece, Lysandra, with her haughty Spartan manner is someone it is very hard to warm to or cheer for. Credit to Whitfield for trying to create characters of some complexity, but in doing so he has also succeeded in removing the reader's ability to really empathise with any of the individuals on display.
By the end of the book I was interested to find out what happened more out of curiosity than a burning desire for Lysandra to prevail over her enemies. When the book ended on what I found to be something of an ambiguous, anti-climatic and less than satisfying note I found that I didn't feel particularly cheated or disappointed because I really didn't care that much about any of the characters' fates, and that told me exactly how little a connection I had made with this otherwise admirable book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
My relationship with this book is a story in its own right, to add to the one that Russ wrote. It's a pity I can't share that too much with the other Amazon reviewers, bearing in mind the high risk of spoiling it for others.
Russ on the whole made a very brave attempt at this. When reading novels of Roman fiction, even nearly all Roman history fans (and I'm at least as guilty as they are) would expect the military campaign adventures of Tony Riches and Simon Scarrow, or Ben Kane's gladiatorial scenes of the male kind. Russ brought another dimension into Roman fiction, bringing in the female gladiatrix. One would also expect this to be written by a female writer, but Russ (a male) got there first, having come up with an idea which would indeed have been a shame to overlook, and giving the chance of a male writer to view an equally inspirational world dominated by women.
I can only assume this, but with Russ having first looked at what inspired him to write this novel, did so meticulously, and interwove fact and fiction, making a strong, taut story that enables Russ to fit in so easily with this genre of writers. I confess too that I overlooked any book written by Russ Whitfield for at least 6 months, for it did not look at first like anything that coincided with my own interests in Ancient Rome. I think it was Ben Kane's 5-star review that gave me that last push, and now, I too would recommend that any Roman history fan reads a book by Russ Whitfield, after what I read in Gladiatrix. I promise you it's amazing.
Like in Ben Kane's "Silver Eagle", "Gladiatrix" takes about 100 pages to warm into it. The story needed chance to develop, but from about the point where Lysandra befriends Eirianwen, it comes all in one fell-swoop and doesn't stop till the end. As you read along, each chapter is better than the last. It gives even a vivid account of a woman's reaction after her rape, the sadism of Nastasen, the jealousy written all over Sorina (a good account of how a jealous person would act, using any excuse to say bad things about a rival) and what I like particularly are the feelings that go through all the fighters at each stage of time in the run-up to a duel in the arena.
That is all I dare say about the story - I daren't go into the plot. But yes, I would definitely buy Roma Victrix. Keep writing Russ, you're a very talented man - you wrote at the end of the book that you were getting a bit frustrated in the process of writing your first novel. Nothing to get frustrated about, you've definitely chosen the right career, you've gained another fan, and that is reflected in the number of buyers of your works, well done Mate.
Russ on the whole made a very brave attempt at this. When reading novels of Roman fiction, even nearly all Roman history fans (and I'm at least as guilty as they are) would expect the military campaign adventures of Tony Riches and Simon Scarrow, or Ben Kane's gladiatorial scenes of the male kind. Russ brought another dimension into Roman fiction, bringing in the female gladiatrix. One would also expect this to be written by a female writer, but Russ (a male) got there first, having come up with an idea which would indeed have been a shame to overlook, and giving the chance of a male writer to view an equally inspirational world dominated by women.
I can only assume this, but with Russ having first looked at what inspired him to write this novel, did so meticulously, and interwove fact and fiction, making a strong, taut story that enables Russ to fit in so easily with this genre of writers. I confess too that I overlooked any book written by Russ Whitfield for at least 6 months, for it did not look at first like anything that coincided with my own interests in Ancient Rome. I think it was Ben Kane's 5-star review that gave me that last push, and now, I too would recommend that any Roman history fan reads a book by Russ Whitfield, after what I read in Gladiatrix. I promise you it's amazing.
Like in Ben Kane's "Silver Eagle", "Gladiatrix" takes about 100 pages to warm into it. The story needed chance to develop, but from about the point where Lysandra befriends Eirianwen, it comes all in one fell-swoop and doesn't stop till the end. As you read along, each chapter is better than the last. It gives even a vivid account of a woman's reaction after her rape, the sadism of Nastasen, the jealousy written all over Sorina (a good account of how a jealous person would act, using any excuse to say bad things about a rival) and what I like particularly are the feelings that go through all the fighters at each stage of time in the run-up to a duel in the arena.
That is all I dare say about the story - I daren't go into the plot. But yes, I would definitely buy Roma Victrix. Keep writing Russ, you're a very talented man - you wrote at the end of the book that you were getting a bit frustrated in the process of writing your first novel. Nothing to get frustrated about, you've definitely chosen the right career, you've gained another fan, and that is reflected in the number of buyers of your works, well done Mate.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Simply great!
I loved this book to the very last page. I can really recommend this to the lovers of the historical fiction as well as unpredictable action.
Published 2 months ago by Claudine
Brilliant!
A brilliant novel about female Gladiators, with sex and violence included, what more could you ask for? Read more
Published 2 months ago by S. A. Swaffington
Action-packed and hot!
This is the story of a Spartan priestess called Lysandra, who, as the only survivor of a shipwreck is captured by the Romans, enslaved, and trained as a gladiatrix. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lance Mitchell
Girl Power in the Arena
The Spartan priestess Lysandra of a (fictitious) cult of Athene ends up after being shipwrecked in a ludus of women gladiators only. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Svenja Grosser
Gladiatrix
This book was very easy reading ( I read it in one day) and while it seemed like a good idea the final story was a bit of a disappointment. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Book Addict
A great read - I love a book that keeps me awake :-)
Well written and genuinely impulsive reading. Not for those who want to read before bed in my opinion, unless you don't need sleep. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Stasia
Substandard and very disappointing !!!
To begin with, I am simply amazed with the 20 high ratings and very flattering comments that this book has attracted. Read more
Published 21 months ago by JPS
Fantastic!
This is almost a guilty pleasure- it's exceedingly violent and contains some truly horrific scenes but it is, unquestionably, a good read. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by JennyD
Lame ending
Bought this on the basis of the great summary on the back. Book started out well but mid-way through deteriorated into a predictable romance. Read more
Published on 5 Nov 2009 by Murf61
Interesting novel
We all know about the gladiators of ancient Rome. Slaves who found a kind of freedom because of the adulation of the crowds for whom they fought, often to the death. Read more
Published on 4 July 2009 by J. Cronin
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
