A devastating eruption in Pompeii, a majestic building in Rome and a slave and her master…

Synopsis

They called it the Flavian Amphitheatre. We call it the Colosseum. Let the Games begin. 

Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen by themselves. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius.

Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him.

Can a motley crew comprising a retired centurion, slaves, a prostitute and an ex Vestal Virgin pull off the greatest gladiatorial Games ever seen? Or will they fail and find themselves in the arena as punishment? Time is running out to deliver an unforgettable spectacle.

From the Ashes is the first, fast-paced novel in the gripping new Colosseum series. Follow the quick-witted and fiercely loyal backstage team of the Colosseum through the devastation of Pompeii, plague and fire. This is historical fiction at its most captivating: both action-packed and tender.

Take a front row seat at the Colosseum’s inaugural gladiatorial Games. Buy From the Ashes today.

My review

Althea is a Greek woman, now a slave working for her domina in Pompeii. But as often with slaves, her dominus sells her to a man in charge of creating the most amazing gladiatorial Games in a new amphitheatre that is being built in Rome.
As Althea is able to read and write, she is an asset to Marcus, her new dominus.
But while they are in Rome, news arrive that Pompeii has disappeared and that everyone and everything they cared for are no longer…
How can Marcus, after losing his wife and child, fulfil the Emperor’s wishes? With not only Althea by his side, but also a prostitute yet loyal friend, and an ex Vestal Virgin, it’s a race again not only time to let the Games begin… 

We have all learnt about the devastation the Vesuvius brought in 80AD at school. And I think it’s safe to say we all have watched or read movies, series, books about Ancient Rome, the fights in the amphitheatre and how life was supposed to be. And some things could be for sure extravagant, as we can also read in the first few chapters of this book. 

Despite everything we know from the eruption of the volcano, it’s not easy to have an emotional link to what happened. Of course it was horrible, but we cannot really say that we know someone that has a far member of the family who has lost someone, can we?
So reading about Marcus’ loss, feeling his pain, made it possible for me to feel that utter despair that people who have seen it all and lost it all, had.
But also the somehow injustice of it all, because many innocent lives were lost at the hand of ‘just’ nature… 

It’s clear from the start that Marcus is one of the good guys, treating his ‘staff’ correctly and not taking advantage of his status. Being a former centurion, he now wants nothing more to live in peace with his wife and son, buying back land. He doesn’t like his job necessarily, but he will do what it takes to make his dream come true.
He is also the kind of person who looks at you for who you are, and not what you are. So he does not see Althea and his other loyal servants as such, but he sees their potential and allow them to rise up. 

Althea may be perhaps a slave, but she is also a smart woman, with great insights but she is also very perceptive and understanding.
When it’s clear that Marcus has lost everything, she feels his pain and understand his grief. But she also understands that he cannot allow himself to jeopardize the job in Rome, and protects him to fall into a deeper downward spiral. 

This book is a race against time, as the amphitheatre must be ready for its inauguration, while our main characters are facing several severe setbacks that come at a price.
Both Marcus and Althea are in an alliance together, to make things happen. Yet seeing this particular alliance, purely based on mutual respect and nothing more, showed me that not everything can be bought or comes with a price. 

A story that takes its reader way back into Ancient Rome, showing its brutalities, not only of the eruption but also the brutalities of the fights in the amphitheatre, but also the honest yet unlikely friendship between a centurion and a slave.