Book Review: "Spartacus - Morituri" by Mark Morris

- by V.L. Locey, 29 August 2012

There is no shame in admitting that I`m a Greek mythos geek, at least, I find no shame in it. Heck, I'll gladly confess to reading every Percy Jackson book written at least twice. This woman here is the first in line for any Greek mythos and non-mythos based films, and yes, I've seen ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ several times. I'm the woman that is now in the middle of her third novel revolving around said Greek gods so yeah, what's the point in trying to hide my addiction? I also enjoy a good Roman tale as well. There is just something about a man/god in cuirass and greaves that appeals to me. This love of all things Greco/Roman brings me to my latest book review for ‘Spartacus – Morituri’ by Mark Morris. Clever darn segue there, huh?

I will start off by saying that I came into this novel purely as a reader. We don't have any premium cable channels, so I've never seen the Starz series this book is based on. As an avid reader and book reviewer this can be a blessing I think. I'm not clouded in any way by the show. My judgment is solely on the book itself and its flaws/merits. I base my review on the things needed for a good novel, not on the fancy I may have for an actor.

There are a few things I look for in a book: plot, sub-plots, character development, mechanics, grammar, and drama. Grammar is not as important to me as it is to some others. If I can read it without having to pause to figure out what is being said or who is saying it, then all is well. Being a romance writer action isn't key for me. I don't require several pages of detailed fighting. Several pages of spicy bed play….Where was I? Oh yes, fight scenes. I do know that men look for action in books, so I`ll include that as well for the guys. So, now that that is explained, let`s chat about ‘Spartacus – Morituri’ a bit.

This novel revolves around our hero, Spartacus, a Thracian. Right off the bat Spartacus wins points for me due to his homeland. See back in the day my main Greek god Ares called Thrace home. Go Thracians! We find out as the book evolves that a new ludus (Gladiatorial house) is coming to the city of Capua. The owner of Spartacus, and many other gladiators, Batiatus, is not overly keen on yet another rival ludus in his city. He already has to deal with the ludus owned by Solonius. When the new ludus owner arrives, in the company of a high ranking Roman official named Marcus Crassas, it`s pretty obvious that Hieronymus and his nefarious ‘assistant’ Mantilus are going to become a thorn in Batiatus' side. This is very promising! Machinations and back-stabbing are always fun.

Mr. Morris does a fine job with plotting in this book. The pace is brisk, never slow, and kept me turning pages rather quickly. Morris does a great job in making Batiatus sympathetic without making him nice. We can see some real moments of concern from the ludus owner when his men begin to suffer from some odd malaise, reducing them to mere shadows of themselves in the ring. Now we have to guess if he is really concerned about his men or the money he is losing. I wager the money but I caught a glimpse of decency.

The action is top-notch. Fans of blood and gore will be very pleased with the fights upon the sand.

Character development and sub-plots are also nicely handled. As I just said Batiatus is shown to have a smidgeon of heart….maybe. Spartacus is detailed nicely; his thoughts, intelligence, and moral stances were well described which aided a non-watcher of the series like me. Many of the secondary characters such as Lucretia (Bastitus' rather lusty wife), Varro (Spartacus' friend), Crixus (The champion Spartacus defeated to become the new Champion of Capua), and many others felt nicely fleshed out. Not having ever seen the series I cannot say if they were in character or not. I`ll leave that call to those of you who have watched the show.

The drama of the tale was tight. I was quite nicely tied up in the mystery of why the gladiators of both Batiatus' and Solonius' houses were sickly. Was it due to dark magic being cast by Mantilus? Is the assistant of the new ludus owner really a shade from Hades? Are the new gladiators honestly creatures called up from the depths of the underworld? I'm not going to tell, but suffice it to say it was a tidy little mystery.

The only thing I had some trouble with was how they speak in the book. You'll recall I did mention that grammar generally isn't a huge issue for me? Well that's true, I`m no grammar Nazi, just ask my editor. But when a book makes me stop, re-read, and try to figure out what is being said, that gives me pause. I did spend a few moments re-reading much of the dialog in the first couple of pages because they seemed odd to me. Then I noticed a lack of pronouns in the characters speech. Let me give you an example from the book:

“What presses heavy on mind, Quintus?” she asked, her voice a concerned purr.

Batiatus scowled. “Observant wife, ever able to unscroll my thoughts.”

“Your countenance betrays. And goblet in hand is further telling sign. You rarely douse reflections in so much wine before sun descends.”

This really annoyed me for the first few chapters. I even asked my daughter's boyfriend, who loves the show, if this is how they speak in the series. He told me that wasn`t the case to his knowledge. So, I finally gave in and assumed that perhaps the author was adding his own take on how the characters would have spoken. Perhaps they do speak that way in the series and my source just didn't notice or care. The Pidgin English didn`t keep me from reading, and enjoying, this book though. It was a minor nuisance at the least.

Overall ‘Spartacus – Morituri’ is a fast-paced, action-packed, heavy dose of Greco/Roman fun. It's a good, solid read for those who enjoy the period and the history of ancient Rome. For fans of the series I wager you'll really enjoy it. For those of us who haven't seen the show, it just might make some of us ask for a box set for Xmas like I plan to do for the second season of that HBO series about thrones and games.


"Spartacus - Morituri" is available for purchase on the Titan Books website.

*    *    *

V.L. Locey is the author of ‘Of Gods & Goats’, the first in a trilogy of rural romantic comedies with a heavy Greek mythos flavor. When not writing, V.L. is reading, playing X-Box, sipping coffee, tending goats, “researching sexy Greek gods” or has her nose buried in a Marvel comic book. She is also the writer for the web strip, ‘Don't Ever Tell Alex’ and has several online stories, ranging from Marvel-based fan fiction the original character tale ‘Sons of War’ and a new original work entitled ‘Bloodlines’ set to debut in July.


To purchase a copy of her book, you can go to her website, or grab a copy for your eReader at SmashWords. To read along with her MU based work, check out Mickey's Tavern. If you're hankering for original character work, you can find V.L. Locey's stories at Essential Webcomics. She can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads or any local book shop.

Tagged: books, Reviews.

blog comments powered by Disqus

---

Follow @TrashMutant