»Spartacus«

(73 v. Chr.)
a historical novel by:

Adrian Franklin

(Pseudonym, chosen by the author to detach himself from other writings more easily)

first published in 2007

three years before the well-known TV-Series of the...

Pay-TV channel »Starz« and five or nine years before the other novels that appeared in the time frame of this series.

English Edition:
Thalia Hugendubel Amazon Orellfuessli

Exlibris

Spartacus, a Thracian

not really tangible,...

from the mists of history, because compared to Hannibal or Alexander, there are hardly any traditions about it.

Making the impossible possible.
The attempt of the impossible

Only a few histo-events...

fit well under these lines, the insurrection, named after him, is certainly one of them, especially because the roman legions were a professional army at that time, not a melic army, as in the times of Hannibal.

This novel

tells the uprise as...

-The attempt of the Impossible-
The films »Blade Runner«, (despite a different genre), and »Bram Stoker's Dracula« (here only the intro) were the strongest Inspiration

Sklave-Sein »MrWissen2Go«

Being a slave, what does it mean...

to be out of possession, to be without rights, what does it mean for the 'I'. The novel tries to show this through scenes that flow into the plot as if casually.
„Slaves in the Roman Empire“ , is the title of a Youtube-Channel »MrWissen2Go«, that markedly describes how much Rome, the 'Roman Empire', was also -hell-.

Being a Gladiator »MrWissen2Go«

„...had rather a big belly...“

...Gladiators had rather a big belly, because the thicker layer of fat offers more protection in fights.“, (quote of the channel): „Gladiator games, how deadly have they really been“
Looking at everything else in this channel, then one can assume, at least assume, that Drotschmann is probably just trying to serve the current zeitgeist. We quickly feel bad today, with ourselves, (somehow not sufficient, not enough, always somehow just insufficient).
But if, in such a broadcast, we are told that even they were like 'us', everything is fine again. And that's not just supposed to be claimed here, --> from the channel:
- wanted to see good fightings, technical finesses
- Gladiatores...Topstars
- Gladiator-Games...Highlights
- Gladiator's Blood... remedy

Boxing fights: One doesn't have to be a fan of this sport(me neither), short clips are certainly enough. After half the time (about 20 min), the sweat drips, the breathing goes deep, despite the breaks (every three minutes), despite boxing gloves instead of a shield, sword and helmet, with which they were not supposed to dance, but to move abruptly, to defend or attack..
Gladiators as top stars, their blood as a remedy, technical finesse... hard to imagine if such fights didn't last more than three minutes, because both are panting in the sand.

Difference to other novels

Besides the Inspiration it is...

the description/development of the main character, Spartacus. Fränklin tells the story in the present tense, letting the reader approach the Thracian, without fleshing him out. To create an atmosphere, in these scenes, such as one might experience when reading the reports of Plutarch or Appian.