The Gladiator’s Victory

Travel back to ancient Rome with time-traveling brothers Arthur and Finn as they try to convince a powerful gladiator to escape certain death in the Roman arena. Will the boys manage to persuade the gladiator to break free, escape the clutches of the powerful and evil lords, and avoid being caught by the unforgiving Roman soldiers?  

The Gladiator’s Victory explores the brotherly bond and begins with the introduction of Marcus, a gladiator who regrets not joining his brother in fighting for freedom. When Arthur and Finn go back in time to help Marcus, their bond is tested. When Senator Lucius discovers Arthur and Finn’s bond, he uses it to manipulate Finn. If Finn doesn’t poison Titus, Lucius’ rival, the senator will murder Marcus. Despite his conflict, Finn is determined to save both his brother’s and Titus’ life. As readers continue reading the Warrior Heroes Series, they will discover that while Arthur and Finn have different personalities, they are devoted to each other and willingly jump into battle to protect each other. The brother’s bond and their desire to help the restless ghost gives the story heart.  

Short sections interspersed throughout the book provide more historical information, including descriptions of life in Rome, life as a gladiator, the types of gladiators, and how the games worked. One section describes the origins of gladiators. “The Greeks did it and so did the Etruscans who lived near Rome in the early days. They used to get people fighting to the death as a sacrifice at funerals, and the Romans picked up the idea and ran with it.” Eventually, the funeral games became a big business so the gladiators “weren’t expected to kill each other anymore. . . Of course, people still wanted to see some blood, so the Romans would execute prisoners or get prisoners of war to fight to the death. . .”   

Even though The Gladiator’s Victory is part of a series, the books do not have to be read in order because each book focuses on Arthur and Finn going back to a different time period and each book wraps up the storyline.  

The Gladiator’s Victory is another action-packed adventure that leads Arthur and Finn into the dangerous world of Rome. In a world ruled by rich senators, the boys discover death lurks around every corner. Senator Lucius magnifies the ruthlessness of the wealthy and the vulnerability of slaves. The Gladiator’s Victory will leave readers reflecting on Finn’s situation—is killing an innocent man worth saving Arthur’s life? Despite this question, Finn displays admirable strength of character and a willingness to trust others with the truth. This leads to a surprising and satisfying conclusion that asks: What is worth dying for?  

Readers interested in jumping back into time but want to avoid intense battle scenes have many opinions, including Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander, Time Travel Adventure Duology by Elvira Woodruff, and the Tangled in Time Series by Kathryn Lasky. 

 Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• Spartacus, a gladiator, recruited “an army of highly trained solider-slaves who wanted to be free.” Spartacus and his army were defeated. “And most of them were crucified to set an example to other slaves.” 
• When Arthur travels through time, he appears in an alley. Festus, a bully who leads a gang of homeless boys, finds Arthur. Festus says, “Now get up and tell me why you’re here, or by Jupiter, I’ll crush your skull before you say another word.”  
• Arthur convinces Festus to fight with no weapons. “Festus hurled his club to the floor and charged at Arthur without warning. . . Arthur stepped to one side, leaving a foot trailing so that Festus tripped and tumbled to the ground. . . Festus stepped forward, feigned as if to punch Arthur in the stomach and then dropped to one knee, grabbing hold of Arthur’s ankle and giving it a vicious twist. Arthur tumbled to the ground, and Festus pounced, pinning him with an arm across his chest and punching him hard on the chin.” 
• As the fight continues, Arthur escapes Festus’ grasp and stands up. Arthur “grabbed Festus’ wrist in both hands and twisted as the punch carried the older boy forwards and past Arthur. . . [Arthur] standing behind Festus and twisting his arm up behind his back. He curled a foot in front of Festus and pushed, sending him crashing to the floor.” Festus admits defeat. One illustration shows Festus getting ready to punch Arthur. 
• When Festus’ gang surrounds Arthur, an older group of men who watched the fight step in. When the men approach the boys, “the gang’s circle disintegrated, and a brawl broke out as fists and boots and knees and heads connected with each other.”  
• Festus goes after Arthur with a club. Finn helps his brother by “leaping onto Festus’ back. Festus staggered backwards and then fell forward to the floor yet again. Arthur rushed forwards and stomped on Festus’ arm. He dropped the club and roared in pain.” The fight ends after four pages. An illustration shows Festus preparing to punch Arthur. 
• Arthur and Finn are taken to a gladiator school. Finn is recruited to be a spy for Senator Lucius. The senator threatens Finn with punishment if Finn is unable to carry out his mission. Lucius “gestured toward the slave . . . The slave grimaced and opened his mouth. . . it seemed that the slave was missing his tongue.” 
• Lucius wants Finn to use poison to kill his rival, Titus. 
• Finn meets Lucius’ niece. She says, “If I could kill him without getting caught, I would. He is very, very careful. He kills anyone who gets in his way yet no-one can kill him. He poisons people . . . He poisoned my parents.”  
• Arthur is ordered to spar with Ajax. Arthur is given a net “to ensnare” his opponent and a trident, while Ajax has a spear and shield. “Arthur spang into action, taking a step forward and jabbing with the trident, which clattered into Ajax’s shield and glanced off . . . Arthur switched the trident to his right hand just as Ajax lunged forward, holding his shield out before him like a battering ram and crashing into Arthur, who fell heavily to the floor. . .” 
• Arthur believes Ajax is going to kill him. “Arthur slashed out with the dagger in the direction of Ajax’s feet and felt the blade jar against something hard as his opponent howled in pain, dropping his sword and falling to the floor.” Because Arthur injured Ajax, Arthur is ordered to fight in the gladiator’s ring in Ajax’s place. The fight is described over one page and has one illustration.  
• Two gladiators, Marcus and Achilles, fight each other on horse. “Again and again they charged . . . at last Marcus caught Achilles with a glancing blow to the shield arm, drawing blood from his opponent . . . Achilles was knocked back in his saddle but stayed on his horse and wheeled around immediately.”  
• As the gladiators charged again, Marcus’ horse reared, and “Marcus fell heavily onto the sand of the arena. . . Both men drew their swords and rushed to clash again, this time on foot. . . Achilles was down on one knee, fending off overhead blows until his sword was smashed from his grip by a particularly savage strike.” Achilles surrenders. The match is described over three pages.  
• Unable to poison Titus, Finn lies. When Lucius finds out, he “screamed, lashing out and slapping Finn hard across the mouth. . . Lucius roared, leaping forward and grabbing Finn by the throat.” Lucilla jumps in to help before Lucius kills Finn. 
• Enraged further, Lucius grabs Lucilla by the throat with the intent to kill her. “Marcus could hold back no longer. He leapt at Gaius [who oversees the gladiator’s school] and with one vicious punch laid him out cold. . .” Lucius mocks Marcus for being a slave, but Lucius’ “words turned to a high-pitched groan as Marcus lunged and thrust forward savagely, burying his sword in Lucius’ back. The girl fell gasping to the floor while Marcus stood behind the senator and pushed him away, causing him to topple forward off the sword.” Lucius dies. 
• Finn, Arthur, Lucilla, and Marcus must flee Rome. They get help from Festus and his gang. To hide the fugitives, Festus has Lucilla and Marcus crawl into a cart filled with dead bodies.  
• When guards discover the ruse, a fight ensues. Marcus “leaped down with a cry, punching the hold of his sword into one man and knocking him into the other so that both collapsed to the ground. Two quick thrusts followed, and moments later, Marcus was dragging the bodies down the steps and flinging them in the river.” A boatman takes the fugitives out of the city.

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• Arthur calls Festus and his gang cowards. 

• A man calls Arthur an idiot. 

Supernatural 

• Arthur and Finn’s grandfather created a museum about warriors throughout history. The museum is haunted, and when the grandfather died, “he started haunting the place too. He felt guilty about the trapped ghost warriors and vowed he would not rest in peace until all the other ghosts were laid to rest first.” 
• When one of the ghost warriors touches the boys, “we get transported to the time and place where the ghost lived and died. And we can’t get back until we’ve fixed whatever it is that keeps the ghost from resting in peace.” 
• When the boys travel through time, “the air in the room shifted, and seemed to fill with mist, drifting at first and then whirling faster and faster around them until the study could not be seen, and it felt to the boys if they were spinning through the sky.”

Spiritual Content  

• None