Review: Sand Of The Arena Written by James Duffy

Author: James Duffy

ISBN: 1590131118

Reading Sand Of The Arena, it’s obvious that author James Duffy has a deep and abiding interest in the history of gladiators and the Roman Empire. To his credit, he has undoubtedly spent countless hours researching his first novel, as poignantly illustrated in the many detailed scenes depicting the life of gladiators that dispel many of our preconceived ideas.

Taking us to the age of Nero between AD 63-67, Sand Of The Arena revolves around Quintus Honorius Romanus, son of Caicas and Politla. Although Quintus is living a privileged life, all is not as rosy as it should be in the Romanus household, where a jealous slave, Lucius Calidus, barely conceals his disdain and hatred for his master, whom he considers “a spoiled rich kid.” “. .”

The family along with their slaves begin a journey to Britannia, where they will meet Quintus’ uncle and aunt, Sextus and Julia, and where Lucius will stay behind. On the way to Britannia, the ship capsizes and takes the lives of everyone on board with the exception of Quintus, his bodyguard Aulus, who had taught him many techniques in the art of gladiatorial fighting, and Lucius. Unfortunately, Aulus was seriously injured and Lucius decides to kill him. Later, as Quintus is not in the best of shape, Lucius steals the latter’s robes and begins the charade of impersonating his master. The two are picked up by some fishermen and eventually make their way to Sextus and Julia’s house, where Lucius manages to convince the couple that he is, in fact, his nephew and not Quintus, whom he ridicules. Consequently, the roles of Quintus and Lucius are now reversed in that master becomes slave, while slave becomes master. The subsequent lives of Quintus and Lucius are effectively contrasted: one is based on brains as well as bronze, while the other is based on deceit, greed, and manipulation.

Sand Of The Arena displays all the hallmarks of excellent historical fiction with a flawless and moving background, where events and scenes capture the reader’s imagination with many exciting moments. The narrative voice shows a strong cinematic influence, as the author has in the past provided creative development, writing, and production services for television documentaries, cable networks, government agencies, and interactive multimedia projects.