Forgotten Legion by Ben Kane

From the Publisher

Set in the late Roman Republic, in the first century B.C.E., The Forgotten Legion is a tale of the greatest empire of the ancient world from the perspective of those on the lowest rungs of its society.  Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery to a enslaved mother who is much beloved by them, and much abused by their owner. At 13 years old, they and their mother are sold: Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome, and their mother into obscurity and death in the salt mines.

Tarquinius is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome and trained by the last haruspex in the forgotten arts of divination. A runaway slave, then an AWOL Legionaire, he has a long foretold destiny that will take him to the very ends of the known world.
Brennus is a Gaul from the Allobreges tribe. In the battle against the Roman army, his entire family, perhaps his entire tribe, is slaughtered, and only he survives to be sold as a slave to be trained as a gladiator. He rises to become one of the most famous and feared gladiators of his day - and mentor to the boy slave, Romulus, who dreams night and day of escape and of revenge.

The lives of these four characters are bound and interwoven in a marvellous story which begins in a Rome riven by corruption, violence and political enmities, but ends far away, where Romulus, Brennus and Tarquinius find themselves fighting against the Parthians and overwhelming odds - survivors of one of the most legendary battles in Roman military history and destined to become part of one of the most compelling, enduringlegends:  The Forgotten Legion.

Publishers Weekly

Two gladiators, a soothsayer and a prostitute seek freedom and revenge in Kane's sword and sandal epic that starts strong but runs adrift after too many bloody battles. While Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus struggle for control of Rome, Romulus and Fabiola, the illegitimate children of a slave raped by a nobleman, run afoul of their master and are sold off; Romulus to gladiator school and Fabiola to the city's fanciest brothel. Romulus is trained by Brennus, a fearsome gladiator whose family was slaughtered by the Roman army. Across the Forum, Fabiola, soon a favored courtesan of the social elite, vows to save her brother from certain death and to destroy the man who fathered her. After a fatal accident outside the brothel, Romulus and Brennus flee the city, joining up with Tarquinius, an Etruscan warrior who can glimpse the future. The trio enlists in Crassus's army as they prepare to invade the Parthian Empire, a military action that quickly turns disastrous. Though the cliffhanger ending is oddly underwhelming (a sequel is in the works), readers into Roman intrigue and epic violence will consider Kane's debut promising. (Mar.)

Robert Conroy - Library Journal

This epic story of Rome at the time of Julius Caesar is a gripping blend of history, battles, gore, ancient politics, betrayals, consummate and casual cruelty, and sex. The novel revolves around four people-Tarquinius, an Etruscan soothsayer; Brennus, a champion gladiator from Gaul; and the twins, Romulus, who becomes a gladiator, and Fabiola, who is sold into prostitution and ends up, well, very successful. The three men join Rome's doomed attempt to conquer Parthia under the rich but inept Crassus, Caesar's rival. When Crassus's army is destroyed, their legion surrenders, and they are impressed into a Roman force ("the Forgotten Legion") that now has to fight for their enemies at the edge of the known earth. Kane richly describes the Roman world, showcasing a solid knowledge of and appreciation for the first century B.C.E. and how people lived, survived, and sometimes thrived. Based on fact, this debut will be a pleasure for those who like history and great adventure; and, yes, a sequel is planned. Recommended for historical fiction collections. [100,000-copy first printing.]

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