From one of the best elite athletes on the planet comes a book bursting with no-nonsense advice on how to locate your inner gladiator, and first-hand wisdom to help you push yourself beyond what you thought was possible. We are all capable of locating greatness within us and achieving hitherto unimaginable feats. Whether you are old and wise or young and bursting with energy, there are limits you are imposing on yourself that this book will help you reconsider. The main theme of the book is based on the bible verse (Roman 8:28) "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose." . The script was being written and re-written as the filming was going on, yet it doesn't show that the actors had no idea how the movie was going to end when they began filming. The acting is terrific. Russell Crowe is wonderfully cast as Maximus. Many reviewers agree that he is now officially a star. Joaquin Phoenix also proves his mettle as the emotionally troubled Commodus, whose behavior and emotion toward his sister could give anyone the creeps. Connie Nielsen makes you believe that, as Lucilla, she really is torn between natural loyalty to her brother and doing what she knows is right. Oliver Reed, in his last performance, is memorable in his role of Proximo, the former gladiator who is the owner of Maximus and brings him to Rome. In short, the actors were brilliant in their roles, not over-acting, but giving subtle, strong performances.

After success in the last book, and as this is a series, we do expect success by the end of the novel, it is time to make our way home to Rome and for the heroes to get their rewards. Macro and Cato have been stepping up and giving great needed service to Rome, and Claudius and they deserve accolades. So the author had to confront the problem of a "truthful" ending that comported with both history, that is, continued Roman domination, and at least this reader's sympathy with the slaves and feelings of revulsion for the Nazis. He manages this pretty well in a cliffhanger last couple of chapters. He also lays the ground for more books! What surprised me is that the story did not provide any people to root for. There were no heroes. At the beginning of the book, I was convinced that, of course, the Romans were the good guys as they were the main characters trying to take the chaos in hand. But they weren't so good. They were convinced of their excellence and superiority. If you think of them as occupying Nazis, you get a better view of their sway. In terms of the slave rebellion, you get a view of the systemic subjugation and de-humanization of huge numbers of people - another Nazi quality. The Romans actually believe that slaves are to be used as cogs in a machine, the industrial agricultural machine, for example; that they don't need really to be fed well, etc.; that it doesn't matter if children are taken from mothers. (It all sounds familiar because it was done in this very country just a 150 years ago and not 2000 years ago!) From our point of view, the "heroes" are flawed. At the same time, the members of the slave army elicit our compassion, but they have a desperation that leads to gross violence, acts of revenge, and so forth. Read this book in 2009, and its the 9th volume of the wonderful "Eagle" series, featuring Cato & Macro. Adam Peaty shows you how to take more control of your life and helps you both discover and develop your talents. He shares his own ten secrets to a winning mental attitude, whether it be at home, at work, on the sports field, or within ourselves.Disguising herself as a slave, Vita escapes the wedding preparations to watch a performance of one of her favourite stories – Theseus and the Minotaur. Caros is pulled towards this woman, his new slave. He feels a peace when he is around her. She says she has relatives but he does not want to give her up. He is even intrigued with this God of hers. With his past years in the ring though he does not believe her God would want him.

Das Thema, dass Scarrow dieses mal aufgreift ist Sklaverei. Ein Thema, was damals wie heute eine große Rolle spielt. Die Probleme und moralischen Schwierigkeiten, auf die die Protagonisten stoßen, existieren unserer Zeit genauso wie damals, bloß ist Sklaverei mittlerweile modernisiert worden und nennt sich nicht mehr so. Indem Scarrow beide Perspektiven, die der Sklaven und die der Herren, darstellt, macht er klar, dass das Thema doch komplizierter ist, als man es gerne darstellt. So I know going into a series without reading the previous books may be bad but I was unprepared for how unconnected I was with the main characters in this novel. Right off the bat, Cato and Macro did nothing for me. They were pretty predictable and I couldn’t completely get a feel for them. The action was okay if again predictable and sort of unimaginative. Forced to fight for her freedom, Vita must both trust and learn from Brea if she has any chance of escaping the deadly gladiator games. Ultimately her survival depends on both her cunning and storytelling prowess as she and Brea join a band of escaped slaves to forge a more equal future for them all. This was a beautiful book. I have long been wishing to read a Christian romance that delivered such a rich story as this. I loved how the love story was full, and it was as much about the love between Pelonia and Caros, as it was also Pelonia’s love for Christ, and how she was able to come into Caros’ life and to help him to heal and to come to know Christ. Ms. Capshaw did such a great job of showing this without it being preachy. The message of God’s love and how it gave Pelonia strength and how it could heal Caros’ deep emotional wounds was rich. The narrative never came off as pedantic or filled with spiritual public service announcements. It truly was about people of faith living their lives. There weren’t any easy answers. Pelonia had a struggle sometimes to act true to her faith, putting her faith in God to help her and to be her strength, which is the experience of all Christians. She didn’t realize that her actions showed the truth of her message. Caros saw how her faith was her foundation, how it gave her peace, and he came to want to know her God, who had made her such a beautiful, peace-filled person.Russel Crowe gives his best performance of his career. The late Richard Harris and Oliver Reed give high performances and a quality that shines timeless etherality. Joaquin Phoenix is an equal cold maddened son who's hunger and thirst for power is a vision to see. Pelonia is the daughter of a rich land owner just outside Rome. While on her way to her cousin's wedding, her father and entire family are killed, with the exception of her uncle. After burying her father, her uncle sells her into slavery to a passing caravan. Fortunately for Scarrow, that portion of the story only takes up just under a third of the book, so there's plenty of other action to distract from that annoying niggle, including some sloppy garrison troops, a kidnapping and a clever climactic battle victory. Gladiator is a science fiction novel by American author Philip Wylie, first published in 1930. The story concerns a scientist who invents an "alkaline free-radical" serum to "improve" humankind by granting the proportionate strength of an ant and the leaping ability of the grasshopper. The scientist injects his pregnant wife with the serum and his son Hugo Danner is born with superhuman strength, speed, and bulletproof skin. Hugo spends much of the novel hiding his powers, rarely getting a chance to openly use them. We see the continuing evolution of Cato as a leader and we also see that Macro, once the Master, now becoming the lieutenant. Something that we knew from book one was a possibility and long overdue.

Non-royal protagonists tend to be in the minority in historical fiction, especially in the more violent periods of British history. Vita is therefore a welcome addition to the genre, with her strength lying in her intellect rather than her physicality. We see a love between these two but so much more. There is Cat the pet tiger. His past, her future. Jealousy, forgiveness, faith and tough decisions.Vita and the Gladiator is rich in detail, with the descriptions of Roman food, clothing and entertainment helping to bring to life this turning point in British history. Readers who are keen to move on from the Horrible Histories series will find a lot to enjoy in this book, with its skilful blend of historical insight and personal drama. The historical notes at the end provide a fascinating additional insight into Roman Britain. This devastation is the result of an earthquake, and not long after its aftermath the island's slaves begin a revolt, while at the same time local bandits, lead by a gladiator, are taking advantage of the slave rebellion, and urging the Cretans to overthrow the Romans. In Roman Britain in the year 125 CE, 14-year-old Vita longs to be a writer, secretly sneaking out of her house to watch plays and poetry readings in Londinium’s Forum. Her parents try to support her ambition, providing scrolls for her writing and praising her poetry. However, Vita is the daughter of a famous army commander, widely considered a hero for his role in suppressing the ‘barbarians’ currently mustering in the North. Imminent marriage to one of her father’s generals is therefore Vita’s only realistic future.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Think like Britain's greatest living Olympian: Ten steps to push your limits and achieve the impossible from the one of the world's greatest swimmers Pelonia has lost everything but her life and her God; if it were known that she was one of "the deviants," they would take her life as well. As it stands, she is a slave to the infamous Caros Viriathos, head of the gladiator training school and x-gladiator himself. When he first sees her, he is drawn to her instantly. He buys her from the slave trader, hoping to win her heart. She also feels for him, but vows she will not be a slave forever. He wants only to keep her near, while she wants her freedom.The strength of the Eagle series lies in the relationship between Macro and Cato. In my opinion, that is where this book goes completely wrong. Cato is way too successful. Even when his ideas are ridiculous or the mission he is sent on is near impossible, he always saves the day. This has been prevalent in previous books, but it was forgivable. Now everyone else comes across as an idiot who doesn't really know what they're doing, except for poor, young, and underestimated Cato. This includes Macro, which messes up the dynamic between the two. Cato's promotion at the end made no sense to me, and Macro calling him 'sir' annoyed me more than it should. One of my fave films of all times, one i have watched countless times. Near the beginning in the forests was filmed near my relatives too and I've been. Simply breathtaking scope and settings and the music hits your soul. Dándole por muerto intenta salvar a su familia (que estaba en Hispania ,ya que tenia una casita cerca de Trujillo), pero llega tarde ,asi que solo tiene ganas nada mas que de morirse, pero es "salvado" por unos bandoleros vascos (si habéis oído bien, que harían tan al sur!!!) y despierta en un convoy de esclavos que va a parar a Marruecos, allí a pesar que no tiene ganas nada mas que morirse logra vencer en un coliseum de 6ª categoría y al poco le dicen que si quiere la libertad se la podría dar el emperador y asi se fragua su venganza.