Review Detail

Marcus has a good life on his father's Roman farm until his father refuses to repay a loan and beats up the goons sent by the debt collector, Decimus. Decimus later retaliates by having Marcus' father, a former Centurion, killed, and Marcus and his mother enslaved. Marcus manages to escape being sent to a remote farm with his mother, but after he stows away on a ship in order to get to Rome, he is sold to Porcino, a lanista who wants to train him as a gladiator. Life in the training school is hard for Marcus, who at eleven is far younger and smaller than the other fighters. He makes an enemy of the Celtic Ferax, but has allies in the cook Brixus, the simple minded but kind Phyrus, and the street savvy slave Pelleneus. Marcus is determined to break free and find his father's commander and explain what has happened to his mother, but he struggles to survive training and the beatings of Ferax. The feud between the two draws the attention of men planning a private fight, and Ferax and Marcus end up in a fight to the death. After Marcus wins and defiantly refuses to kill Ferax, he is pitted against wolves in the arena. Portia, the neice of Julius Caesar, is in the front row of spectators and falls into the arena. Marcus saves her, and is bought by Caesar. Before he heads to Rome, however, Brixus shows up and tells him shocking news about Marcus' past. Will he be able to use this knowledge to save his mother? We'll find out in (SQUEE!) Street Fighter.