First Published in 1933, Spartacus is an inspiring and powerful account of the uprising of the slaves against the Roman Empire in 73BC, led by the gladiator Spartacus. For Karl Marx, Spartacus was 'the most splendid fellow that all ancient history has to show; great general, noble character, real representative of the ancient proletariat'. For Grassic Gibbon, a lifelong follower of Marx and a successful historian of early civilisations, Spartacus allowed him to focus on his fiercely held beliefs in the nature of society, the freedom of the individual, and the inevitable collapse of 'civilisation'. Grassic Gibbon's knowledge is impressive; the book is a fine read as fiction, as adventure and as a history of people in the grip of exploitation and oppression.