Today we know very little about Spartacus the man – partly because contemporary Roman historians were keen not to eulogise his successes. This of course is grist to the novelist’s mill.
Ben Kane’s latest novel begins in the Thracian village to which Spartacus has returned, after serving as an auxiliary in the Roman army. He quickly falls foul of his overlord, the tribal king, who has set his heart on Dionysian priestess, Ariadne – later to become Spartacus’ wife.
Betrayed to the Romans by his jealous king, Spartacus – and with him Ariadne – are taken in captivity to the gladiator school at Capua. It is from here – against the unbelievable brutality of gladiatorial life – that Spartacus and Crixus the Gaul plan their escape to Vesuvius, where they recruit and train a huge slave army. An army which will keep the might of Rome at bay for two years and create one of the most extraordinary legends in history.
hector69 says
Looking great gald you have updated the website! Looking forward to the release of Spartacus. When will you have the next compotition for giving away as free books?
Ben Kane says
@hector69: glad you like it. There’s a new competition on now…check your Twitter feed, or the blog…
Attalus says
Looks great Ben…..Can’t wait for this to be released!
Ben Kane says
@Attalus: keep entering the competitions – there’ll be more after this one too…with other prizes including a Roman coin to win… If you don’t win, the time until Jan 19 will have passed by without you noticing 🙂
sunkinggem says
hi ben
read your 3 books of forgoton legion series,they are great.starting hannibal now.ben you have got your name in the great leauge of writers.keep it up.nowadays no one wants to write about historical works.wish you all the best
basil lobo
mumbai
india
Ben Kane says
@sunkinggem/Basil: Thanks so much! Delighted that you enjoyed the first three books so much. If you are interested in other Roman books, try those by Anthony Riches, Douglas Jackson, Harry Sidebottom or Russell Whitfield. All great!
carillion72 says
hi
hannibal was brilliant,cant wait for spartacus,your books are absolutley fantastic can’t put them down once i start.
Ben Kane says
@carillion72: that’s what I like to hear! Get your pre-order in for Spartacus now, please! 😉
carillion72 says
hi ben
already sorted it mate,you are one of my favourite authors,keep up the great writing mate.
Ben Kane says
@carillion72 – fantastic – thanks! Have a good one.
Mike Reed says
Wishing you a happy 2012 Ben – I must go and get a shower now. Best wishes, Mike.
tabailey says
hi,
loved the forgotten legion series and Hannibal was great, one of the greatest people in history in my opinion. Can’t wait for your next book, is this one in the same series as Hannibal, a new series in itself or a one of ?
cheers
Ben Kane says
@Mike Reed: Thanks – and the same to you!
Ben Kane says
@tabailey: Welcome to my site, and thanks for posting! I’m glad that you’ve enjoyed my books so far. I agree that Hannibal was one of the greatest people in history. I often wonder what would have happened if he’d brought Rome to its knees. Sadly, we’ll never know.
My next book, Spartacus: The Gladiator, comes out in 18 days – you can order it on Amazon now! – and it’s one of two books about the most amazing gladiator the world ever saw. The second one comes out in August this year, and then it’s back to the Hannibal series in early 2013. Sorry about the wait on that, it’s just that the time seemed right to write the ones about Spartacus, what with the craze about Blood and Sand etc. I hope you enjoy them too! Best wishes for 2012.
burgesbr3 says
Hi Ben
Finished your Forgotten Legion Trilogy. What an incredibly gripping read. Bought Hannibal (starting it today) and pre-ordered Gladiator. Plenty of history, steel and gore to come. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the books…
Cheers from a cold and wet Brussels
Brian B.
Ben Kane says
@burgesbr3/Brian: Good for you – thanks! Hope you enjoy the blood and gore (there’s plenty of it in Hannibal, but even more in Spartacus!)
Best wishes to you for 2012.
(It’s been cold and very wet here this morning, but now the clouds have cleared to reveal the sun. I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.)
mcceltica says
Immediately after finishing the final book 🙁 in The Forgotten Legion series I searched out if you were going to keep the character going…oh how I wish that were true. You have a great talent for pulling the reader in (at least myself) and making me feel as if I were marching along with them. Fantastic! I cannot wait to read Spartacus. Best wishes in the coming year. 🙂 ~~~balmy, phoenix, arizona.
Ben Kane says
@mcceltica: Sorry to disappoint you with no fourth book about the Forgotten Legion, but very glad that you were so drawn in by the characters. Best wishes to you too for 2012!
Mike Reynolds says
Salve Ben,
The cheapest way to buy Spartacus, is on Amazon! £8:19 and go for free delivery that takes a couple of days!
Read everything so far and now await the arrival of your latest!
Shame to lose your previous charecters that gave me so much pleasure but Roman history is vast and so many stories can be written……….which you do so well and I thank you for them!
So…….Spartacus, in victoria history books in via calamus Ben Kane!
Happy New Year
Mike
macwoodsy says
Just ordered Hannibal and sparticus. If they are as good as your other books then i cant wait.
Ben Kane says
@macwoodsy: Good for you – thanks! I prefer them both to the first three books, but I am a little biased 😉 Cheers for posting on the site, and Happy New Year to you.
macwoodsy says
Thanks Ben. Now i really cant wait. The last books i couldn’t put down.
Happy new Year and Keep writing!!!!
fmarks says
Not sure who that other guy way, maybe Crixis….Also the name of a shady character in a Flashman novel, Flash for Freedom. If I win this time, I will personally fly to England to collect the prizes, you can save your ackers on postage. Looking forward to your new books.
Fred Marks
Mike Reed says
Ben – very well done for the publicity in the national press, I can’t think of anyone more who deserves that. I realise the hard work you put in just through following writers like you and Tony, and it’s nice to see such work paying off.
I got the news through following my own fan mail on Twitter (through my art works), and that in itself is enough to make me realise how hard it is to keep up with things. Phew! You’re keeping me busy Ben! Seriously though, it was well worth taking just those few minutes to put my own comment in The Independent, if only to add impetus to such an event. Congratulations, Mike.
Ben Kane says
@Mike: thanks very much. You may have seen that I’m going to be on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book next Sunday too…
Mike Reed says
Thanks Ben – 4pm next Sunday. I’ll remember and I look forward to that.
Ben Kane says
@Mike: I hope you enjoy it!
Derek T says
Hi Ben ,
You are a very talented guy & all your books keep you interested right till the end .
I’ve pre-ordered your latest book ” Spartacus the Gladiator ” & cant wait for its delivery .
All the best
Derek ( Penzance , Cornwall , England )
Ben Kane says
@Derek: thanks so much for your kind words. Thanks too for ordering the book! Why don’t you also enter the competition and have a go at winning signed copies of either Spartacus or Hannibal? You could also win a Roman coin or other cool prizes.
Happy New Year to you.
Mike Reed says
Hi again Ben – I read today on Google News about a find near Market Harborough in Leics, featuring a helmet made not for a Roman, but for a high-ranked Briton from a tribe allied with the Romans. It’s significance is that it dates no later than AD50, only shortly after the Claudian invasion.
What’s also interesting is that it was found about 10 years ago by a metal-detector enthusiast. Moreover, this was at a time when Simon Scarrow had barely even written Under the Eagle, especially when Simon’s book is subject to the alignment between the Romans and the Atrebates against the Durotriges.
The helmet is now kept in a nearby museum. I’ll let you find it anyway, Mike Reed.
Ben Kane says
@Mike: yes, I’ve tweeted and been on Facebook about it already, but hadn’t got around to posting about it. Cheers for the mention of it – I’m planning to go and see it when I’m at Kelmarsh this year, because M. Harborough is only down the road.
Not sure that it was made for a Briton, by the way. It’s not clear who buried it, or why, and it may well have been a spoil of war.
Mike Reed says
Thanks for that Ben. That’s why I’ve been onto both you and Tony about it, to see if either of you could reflect more light on that. It goes without saying it’s well worth following up.
Good luck at Broadcasting House, Mike.
neal says
Hi Ben!
I met you at Caerleon Roman Fortress in 2010 when there was a King Arther/renactment weekend. You did a talk there. It was there that I bought the first in the Forgotten Legion Chronicles and you kindly signed it for me. I had seen your book in the shops and thought it looked good but after meeting you thought I’d give it a go, being a fan of historical fiction. Well from that book I was hooked!!! I thought the Forgotten Legion books were fantastic and I really enjoyed Hannibal. Really looking forward to Spartacus. In my opinion, you are definately up there on the list of great historical writers!!!
Cheers,
Neal.
Ben Kane says
@neal: Welcome to my site, and thanks for posting. It’s great that you enjoyed my books thus far! If you live near Caerleon, I’m going to be appearing at a festival there on Saturday 7 July. Might see you there?
Plus: don’t miss your chance to enter the competition to win signed copies of Spartacus, Hannibal and a Roman coin, among other things. See the competition blog post here on the site. Good luck!
neal says
Hi Ben,
I live about an hour and half away from Caerleon so its not too far! What festival is happening in July..? Anything you can tell us about..?
Thanks for running the competition! Ive entered!!
Mike Reed says
I’ve just looked at my 2012 schedule Ben, and I’ll be in Ribchester as part of my art project on 7 July at the event there, so I’m unable to see you in Caerleon that weekend. But the ESG (me included) will be at Caerleon the following month (about the 18th). However, besides seeing you at Lincoln (without the ESG) in May, the ESG will be at Chester in June, so I’ll also (hopefully) be seeing you there as well.
You’re the only author I’ve made arrangements to see so far. Despite my planner filling up very quickly, I will also fill in slots for Tony, Manda, Doug and Russ before the summer’s out. I hope your interview went well, Mike.
Ben Kane says
@neal: I think it’s the first or second Caerleon Arts Festival…
Where’s your entry for the competition?? *scratches head*
Ben Kane says
@neal: It’s OK, I found it from some days ago. Rest safely, your entry’s in the virtual ‘bag’. 🙂
carillion72 says
hi ben
i will have the new book soon mate,i would just like to add that i will be interupting the game of thrones books i am reading,just so i can read spartacus,that is how much i am looking forward to it mate.
Ben Kane says
@carillion72: Thanks.I really really love it when people tell me what they are NOT doing so that they can read my books. 🙂
carillion72 says
hi ben
enjoyed your article in the mail mate,i think i will take the missus to rome to see it for myself,i have always been fascinated by the romans,they were brilliant and horrible a the same time,i bet you had a great time mate.
Ben Kane says
@carillion72: cheers! You’ve got to go to Rome – it fits everyone’s bill – culture, shopping, fab restaurants and bars, and history!
carillion72 says
hi ben
listened to you on the radio mate,good stuff,starting the book this weekend all being well,can’t wait.
Scurfield says
Hi Ben.
I normally read Crime Thrillers but browsing through Amazon’s Kindle Store yesterday I stumbled across Spartacus, and being a fan of both the original movie and the recent TV series, I decided to download your new book. I have now finished it, pretty much, in one go and must say what a terrific read. I can’t wait for the second book in the series which I believe is due out in September this year (is that correct). In the meantime I shall be reading the Forgotten Legion Chronicles and Hannibal books.
Please keep me informed of your future projects
Ben Kane says
@Scurfield/Alan: Many thanks for the impulse buy; I’m delighted that it paid off for you!! I hope that you’ve seen at the end of Spartacus that there will be another book in August? (If you’ve registered on the site, you will get my newsletter, yes.) Best wishes.
ClassicFictionLover says
Hey Ben!
Just to say you’re an awesome writer 🙂 Keep up the good work please! I read all of the Forgotten legion series, and the Spartacus series, and ordered the Hannibal book… But when do the next in the series come out?
Thanks
CFL
ClassicFictionLover says
PS: For all Ben Kane readers, other great writers are Simon Scarrow, Douglas Jackson and Glyn Iliffe…
Ben Kane says
@ClassicFictionLover: welcome to my site, and thanks for posting! Glad you like my books. Spartacus series – do you know something I don’t?!
The second Spartacus book comes out on August 16th. The second Hannibal book will be out early 2013…
Ben Kane says
@ClassicFictionLover: what about Anthony Riches, Giles Kristian and Robert Low? 😉
ClassicFictionLover says
Thanks alot for your speedy response and for some reading suggestions… will get some of their books! 😉