Customer Reviews
Gladiatrix - By: J. Forester, 27 Jul 2008 
An excellent book. A plot that keeps you engrossed to the end, well drawn & believable characters & enough action to ensure the pages keep turning.
I just hope there is a sequel.
Fantastix Book - By: J. B. Thorne, 02 Jul 2008 A fantastic book which holds your attention to the end. An insight into the lives of female gladiators seen through the eyes of one of its participants. Full of action, character development & sexy to boot. Buy now...
Brilliant debut novel - By: S. Hanson, 20 Jun 2008 I have to admit that I only bought this book because I know Russell (I know, I'm shameless when it comes to namedropping!) as I'd never read a book from this genre before. However, I once I started I was hooked!
The story was fascinating, the characters well-rounded & believeable although incredibly annoying at times (Lysandra, aarrgghh!) & the fight scenes are gripping, which is an difficult thing to master in print.
Although the ending felt a bit rushed, it's just left me wanting more. Come on Russ - where's the sequel!!
Moves at a cracking pace - By: Legatus Hedlius, 24 May 2008 I picked this up four days ago having spotted the cover in a book shop, purely by luck (how rare is it to have a cover that accurately illustrates a scene from the book?!).
I was already reading another (very good) novel but having read the first few pages of Gladiatrix on the train I immediately abandoned that one as this one has such a strong narrative drive that I actuallly regretted every time I had to close the covers at the end of my daily train commute & romped through it in a few days.
The novel has some faults: some of the dialogue can be a bit clunky & the ending, in particular, is very rushed (I was expecting another book, at least, to wrap up what had been set up in the latter half of the novel).
Overalll, however, it is great fun for anyone who likes historical novels set in the Early Imperial Roman period & the setting in ancient Halicarnassus (modern Bodrum, in Turkey)is unusual. The way the author has built a whole story out of a particular archaeological relic (which is now in the British Museum)is a neat idea.It is written very much in the (early)Simon Scarrow style (not quite such polished dialogue, perhaps)broad,chunky & pacy.
I'd certainly buy a sequel like a shot.
Gripping and Exciting - By: I. Picornell, 19 May 2008 What a brilliant read! For a first time novel, this is simply fantastic - the story of Spartan Priestess Lysandra sold to a Roman female gladiator training camp (hence 'Gladiatrix')and her battle to survive & give meaning to her existence there. Its been lovingly researched,and this give life to the story without bogging it down in detail.
This should be everyone's 'sand & sandal' read for the summer.
