It is my pleasure to have Ben Kane here at Celticlady's Reviews!!
How much is history and how much is myth or
unknown/artistic license in my latest novel
My
most recently published book is Spartacus: Rebellion. It’s the second of
two novels that follow the story of the man who led the greatest slave
rebellion in history. While Spartacus is still widely remembered, little more
than 4,000 words survive about him in ancient texts. That corresponds to about
ten pages of a paperback, which is precious little compared to men such as
Julius Caesar or some of the emperors. We know tantalising snippets about him ―
he was probably from Thrace (modern-day Bulgaria); he fought for the Romans; he
was wrongly enslaved and forced to fight as a gladiator; he was strong and
resourceful, a good leader and a good fighter; he had a wife, who was a
priestess. That’s about it as far as personal details go. Frustrating for the
novelist, you might think, and you’d be right. However, such a dearth of
information bestowed huge freedom on me as well. It allowed indeed forced me to
fill in the gaps.
Fortunately,
my first three books (a trilogy) are also set in the first century BC.
Most of the events in those novels take place around fifteen years after
Spartacus’ rebellion. This meant that the huge amount of information on Rome,
its armies, social norms etc. that I had amassed while researching could be
used again. That saved me months of reading textbooks. The reason I
mention this is that such information provides the accurate – in as far as is
possible and excluding any unforeseen errors ― framework upon which Spartacus’
story is built. For those who are unfamiliar with his amazing exploits, the
four thousand words make astonishing reading. Practically every single event
mentioned became a ‘must use’ in my novels. How could they not have?
Spartacus
broke out of a gladiator school, unarmed, with about seventy companions. Made
his camp on Vesuvius, where he and his companions were besieged by a force of
three thousand Roman soldiers. Undeterred, they descended a cliff face at night
on homemade vine ropes and attacked the enemy camp, putting the Romans to
flight. After this unexpected and stunning victory, tens of thousands of slaves
flocked to join Spartacus. From that point, his breakout became a rebellion.
Victory after victory over the Romans followed; so too did a march north to the
Alps, and the landmark decision known by many ― when Spartacus chose not to
leave Italy thereby escaping pursuit by the legions. After that, his fate was
assured. Rome was not a state which accepted defeat (think Pyrrhus, think
Hannibal), least of all from that lowest form of life – a slave. Spartacus
marched south again, and was followed to the bitter end by Marcus Licinius
Crassus and ten legions. Everyone knows what happened to Spartacus at the end,
and to his six thousand followers along the Via Appia from Capua to Rome. All
striking images, scenes that had to feature in my books.
Yet
lots of battles and dramatic scenes do not a novel make. At least not a very
interesting one, and that’s where the artistic license came in. I had to
introduce Spartacus in a plausible way, make him a living, breathing man who
immediately engaged the reader’s interest and who continued to do so. I had to
do the same for Ariadne, his wife (my name for her) and the other characters, the
most prominent (and fictional) of whom was Carbo, a young Roman who enlists in
the gladiator school to help pay off his family’s debts. Basically, I had to
invent so many things about Spartacus’ story, from the reason he left the Roman
auxiliaries to how he became a slave, to the reason he befriended Carbo, how he
rallied the other fighters to his cause in the gladiator school and so on. In
my opinion, none of these artifices matter, because I believe that they were
all plausible. And if it can’t be proved otherwise, then it’s fair game as far
as I’m concerned! I know that I am not alone in holding that belief, both among
readers and other writers.
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
St. Martin's Press
Hardcover; 464p
ISBN-10: 1250012775
Spartacus has already done the impossible—not only has he escaped from slavery, he and his seconds have created a mighty slave army that has challenged Rome and defeated the armies of three praetors, two consuls, and one proconsul. On the plain of the River Po, in modern Northern Italy, Spartacus has defeated Gaius Cassius Longinus, proconsul and general of an army of two legions. Now the road home lies before them—to Thrace for Spartacus, and to Gaul for his seconds-in-command, Castus and Gannicus.
But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon. One of Spartacus's most powerful generals has defected, taking his men with him. Back in Rome, the immensely rich Marcus Licinius Crassus is gathering an unheard-of Army. The Senate has given Crassus an army made up of ten legions and the authority to do whatever it takes to end the slave rebellion once and for all.
Meanwhile, Spartacus wants to lead his men over the Alps and home, but his two seconds have a different plan. They want to march on Rome itself and bring the Republic to its knees. Rebellion has become war. War to the death.
Praise for Spartacus: Rebellion
"The author comes into his own during the numerous battle scenes when his burly prose highlights the pain, brutality and chaos of ancient combat. Kane's Spartacus is brave, vain, ruthless and sexy, a Superman for more savage times. The author is genuinely deserving of praise for taking on this mighty subject matter in such a bold and regularly entertaining fashion. Admirers of Kane's work to date will not be disappointed and there's every chance this latest instalment will attract plenty more." (Daily Express )
"Kane succeeds in drawing a convincing picture of how it might have been, which is what a good historical novel should do." (Historical Novel Society )
Praise for Spartacus: The Gladiator
Gritty, passionate and violent, this thrilling book is a real page-turner and a damn good read. It brings Spartacus - and ancient Rome - to vivid, colourful life (Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire )
Ben Kane manages to bring a freshness to the saga ... Told with Kane's usual panache and historical knowledge, this book is highly recommended (Kathy Stevenson, Daily Mail )
Eyes are merciless, blows are wicked and screams are piercing, but this is a compulsive if relentless story, vividly recounted in muscular prose. Definitely one for the boys (Daily Telegraph, 4 stars )
If you want to become familiar with the lanista and the rudus, to know your scutum from your licium, then Kane's your man ... plenty of action (Independent )
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 (Sunday Times)
About the Author
Ben Kane was born in Kenya and raised there and in Ireland. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from University College Dublin, and worked in Ireland and the UK for several years. After that he travelled the world extensively, indulging his passion for seeing the world and learning more about ancient history. Seven continents and more than 65 countries later, he decided to settle down, for a while at least.
While working in Northumberland in 2001/2, his love of ancient history was fuelled by visits to Hadrian's Wall. He naïvely decided to write bestselling Roman novels, a plan which came to fruition after several years of working full time at two jobs - being a vet and writing. Retrospectively, this was an unsurprising development, because since his childhood, Ben has been fascinated by Rome, and particularly, its armies. He now lives in North Somerset with his wife and family, where he has sensibly given up veterinary medicine to write full time.
To find out more about Ben and his books visit www.benkane.net.
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