Spartacus: The Gladiator Audiobook By Ben Kane cover art

Spartacus: The Gladiator

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Spartacus: The Gladiator

By: Ben Kane
Narrated by: Michael Praed
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Warrior. As winter approaches in 74 BC, few travellers are abroad. But one man is making the long and weary last stage of his way home. Large parts of his homeland, Thrace, a land north of Greece, has fallen under the hated power of Rome. This Thracian has fought in the Roman legions for nearly a decade. He is skilled, hardened in battle, a sophisticated fighter. Spartacus.

Slave. But home is no longer the safe haven of his imagination. A new king sits on the throne. Treacherous and cunning, he has seized the crown by murder and he will hold onto it by violence. When a Roman slave trader comes to the village in search of men who will fight as gladiators, Spartacus is betrayed and sold. His odyssey has begun.

Hero. The legend that is Spartacus has come down to us through the centuries - the story of a man who took on the might of Rome and nearly brought her down. Now Ben Kane, the brilliant author of The Forgotten Legion and Hannibal: Enemy of Rome, brings to glorious life the first part of the Spartacus story.

©2012 Ben Kane (P)2012 Random House AudioGo Historical Fiction War & Military Rome Warrior Genre Fiction Fiction

Critic reviews

“There is much to enjoy in this saga of the downtrodden triumphing temporarily over their oppressors, and the portrait of Spartacus as charismatic leader is a vivid one.” ( The Sunday Times)
“Ben Kane is a master of blending action, storytelling, living characters and historical and military detail … highly recommended.” ( Editor’s Choice Historical Novels Review)
“Historically little is known about the real Spartacus but in the hands of Ben Kane his legend has been crafted into two fantastic novels and this is the first.” (4 stars, Daily Express)
"The vestigial knowledge we have of Spartacus’s life is cleverly woven into a well-researched realisation of Thrace and Rome in the first century BC…a tense, bloody and page-turningly good novel." ( Lynn Roberts , The Tablet)
All stars
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Definitely worth listening to. I enjoyed this from start to finish. I look forward to the sequel.

Excellent story and narrator!

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If you could sum up Spartacus: The Gladiator in three words, what would they be?

Unforgettable, legendary story!

What did you like best about this story?

I read several books about Spartacus: 1969 Spartacus by Rafaello Giovagnoli, historical facts and Spartacus: The Gladiator, Spartacus: The Rebellion. The best part of this story is that it does not destroy the already formed vision of the hero nor the history or battles. The author managed to present Spartacus in much more powerful character yet, preserved his gentle and human side. Throughout the book the author made me feel like I was Spartacus (not that I would not like to be). I lived his each and every moment, fought all battles and shouted along (For Thrace!!!!!!!) while driving my car. The story is truly amazing!

Have you listened to any of Michael Praed’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened the next book about Spartacus and equally loved it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Interestingly, NO! Why?! Because I enjoyed taking pauses and replaying the completed part of the story in my mind. I wondered what could have happen if his decisions and those of his brothers in arms were different. Things like that.

Any additional comments?

Before reading this book, please, make a little research about Rome, its army and the history of the gladiators. Take a map of Italy and make a note of several cities. Look at the history of Hanibal Barca and his crossing of the Alps. It will help you to understand the book much better.

Absolutely wonderful!

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I felt like I was watching a move, I could not stop listening to this!

Best book ever

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I would greatly recommend this book to Readers looking for a battle driven story that takes you back in time to a man who does not just fight bravely and powerfully but is calculative on every move that he takes.

The Book is amazing

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Narrator whispers way to much. Volume level at comfortable level . It became a distraction and really made me regret the purchase

Whispers

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