Fight for Freedom (Gladiator Series)

by Simon Scarrow

Overview

Rome, 61 BC RECRUITED as a gladiator, young Marcus Cornelius Primus faces a new life of brutal training, governed by strict rules, as he learns the skills of an elite warrior. But Marcus cannot simply forget his past. His father lies murdered by soldiers and his mother has been kidnapped and forced into slavery. Marcus is determined to find his father's old commander, Pompeius the Great, to seek justice for his family and set his mother free. Yet, unbeknown to him, Marcus is hiding a life-threatening secret. And if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141328584
Publisher:	Penguin UK
Publication date:	11/22/2011
Series:	Simon Scarrow's Gladiator Series
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.15(w) x 7.75(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Simon Scarrow was born in Africa and lived in a number of countries, including Hong Kong and the Bahamas before settling in Britain. He has always been interested in writing and his love of history began at school, in particular when he was being taught about the ancient world by his Latin and History teachers. Since then he has travelled with his wife and children across the world to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Syria and Egypt to research his historical novels. Simon was an enthusiastic teacher for a number of years. He now writes full time, but does intend to return to teaching when he can find the time.

Editorial Reviews

When his father, a former Roman centurion, is murdered, 10-year-old Marcus Cornelius Primus is enslaved and forced into training as a gladiator, and his mother, a former slave, is returned to slavery. "The Gods will play their games," Aulus Tullius Taurus, his chief training instructor, tells him, reflecting on Marcus' declining fortunes. Marcus' dream is to survive gladiator school and one day earn his freedom. But his path will not be easy. Gladiator training is harsh enough, but he must also face a bully in the form of Ferax, a Celt bent on his destruction. But Marcus develops a friendship with Brixus, a slave in the kitchen who had once been a lieutenant to Spartacus, and Brixus discovers a secret about Marcus that will alter Marcus' destiny. When Marcus is forced to face wolves in an early gladiator challenge and ends up saving the life of Portia, the niece of Gaius Julius Caesar, his life takes a turn, as Caesar brings Marcus to Rome to be Portia's bodyguard. It's an exciting, well-told adventure that deserves a readership…if young readers can get past the corny cover and untangle all the names that end in -us. Marcus' exciting journey as a Roman slave and the unfolding of secrets and fortunes will have readers racing through the pages and eagerly anticipating the sequel, Street Fighter. (Historical adventure. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews