The Gladiator Isarna

by Sara Pacher

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0759641013
• ISBN13: 9780759641013
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Authorhouse
• Length: 655 Pages
• Weight: 1.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Emphasis is on adventure rather than character development

If I had not firstly read "The Lightbearer" (1994) by Donna Gillespie I would have enjoyed this novel more. Isarna is a young and beautiful Iceni living in a small forest in Britain with her mother and brother following the warrior Queen Boudicca defeat. Her world is turned upside down one day when she and her brother are intercepted by a Roman cavalry patrol. Captured, the comely Isarna finds herself in a strange new world. The world of the Roman Empire she hardly knew existed such was her isolation previously. A plaything to Valerius the officer who found her, she bides her time between being the object of his lust and seeking to escape. Escape brings with it tragedy and learning. Isarna finds out who her parents truly are and her own surprisingly noble identity. An identity that carries with it great risk for herself and rewards for those who would betray her as Boudicca lives on. Her adventures and trials are numerous. Ultimately Valerius's determination to possess her brings her to Rome though slavery does not temper her desire for revenge even if she must die. For Valerius's father is the most despised man in Britain. The architect of the crushing Iceni defeat. As for Valerius, Isarna's feelings rage from hate to obsession as she struggles to weigh up whether his value to her is measured greater in life or death. My criticism of the novel is only that Isarna suffers great losses throughout the book. She is raped many times by her various captors , she loses family, friends, numerous lovers and see's tragedy constantly (some 20 such events). Yet she emerges like teflon - nothing emotionally sticks as one might expect of a real flesh and blood young woman finding her way in a cruel world . The authoress reduces her to a two dimensional character who seems to just move on. I felt better characterisation was the one thing lacking that could have made this a far superior work. However having said that i guess we must be allow some leeway to the authoress for the fact our western ancestors were no doubt a hardier more resiliant people than our present day lifestyle and moral perceptions have enabled us to become on the whole. It may also be the authoress's style of keeping her emphasis on constant adventure and action (which the novel certainly has plenty of)as opposed to charaterisation. If so it doesnt hint at why the fight scenes in the arena weren't given more suspense and buildup in the way "The Lightbearers" were which truly inspire the reader to believe they front row and present with the lead character, in the Colessum. The research is not as rich as "The Lightbearer" but in "The Gladiator Isarna's" defence few classically set novels are. Its easy to compare as both novels cover the same era in Roman History and have a comely female lead character of similar age. Both are noble rank to their people , both are the object of mens desires and end up interacting with the same Flavian dynasty that ruled Rome latter latter third of the

A reader from Northern California

Sara Pacher's epic novel about the gladiator, Isarna brings us into the Celtic world during its occupation by Roman militia during the first century AD. As the daughter of Iceni nobility, Isarna is dedicated to the preservation of the integrity of herself and her people while growing up in the hidden backwoods of rural Briton. Things spiral out of control when she and her brother, Cian are captured on a sunny spring afternooon by Roman soldiers.The love story...between the Roman Prefect, Valerius, and a teenage girl, whose very name Isarna means "strong metal" illuminates human passions in an atmosphere of desire and hostility that transcends politics as it embraces the limitations of time and place. Isarna escapes from Valerius only to be returned to him in Rome as a woman, as his slave and his lover. Sara Pacher's deep understanding of life and love come alive in her creation of the characters which complete this tale of unbelieveable human strength in the face of danger and captivity. Valerius, now the Urban Prefect of Rome, does all he can to protect and comfort the woman he loves, but when Isarna is thwarted by God and nature in her attempt to assasssinate his father, he can no longer contain his anger and feelings of betrayal.Isarna's life is spared only to be trained as a gladiator, where her survival becomes as legendary, as was her father's fame before her. Although, "Where I go, death follows" is engraved on her weapons, Isarna's spirit will live forever.Misunderstandings and duplicity lace the lives of Isarna and her lover Valerius. The intrigues of the Roman court in AD 78 undermine the course of events and love during the reign of Titus and on into the reign of Domitian in AD 79. Celtic myth, magic and culture persist through the centuries.The book excites and informs the reader as only the artisitic weaving of a great writer can do. Kudos to Sara Pacher!