Gladiator – Street Fighter

Title: Gladiator – Street Fighter

Author: Simon Scarrow

Main Characters: Marcus, Decimus, Pompeius, Gaius Julius Caesar, Portia, Brixus, Ferax, Milo, Bibilious and Festus.

Description of one of the main characters: Marcus is a eleven year old boy. He is the bodyguard of Portia. He earns Gaius Julius Caesar’s, his master’s, respect by saving the life of Portia and Caesar himself. He spies on Milo and his street gangs for Caesar as Milo is Caesar’s sworn enemy. At last, when he saves Caesar from his death, planned carefully by Decimus and Bibilious, Marcus earns his freedom from slavery as a reward. He sets about finding his mother, Amaratis(Livia).

Whom I like and why: I like Gaius Julius Caesar as he is very fair and not very cruel to his loyal servants. He gives them proper rewards. He does things for the welfare of the people. He is Portia’s uncle.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Decimus because he is very cunning. He tries to kill Julius Caesar by giving poison. But Marcus finds that it contains poison and pushes it out of Caesar’s hand in time.

Setting/theme of the story: As Marcus becomes the slave of Caesar and is the bodyguard of Portia, he comes to Caesar’s house in Rome. He is trained by Festus, a soldier in Caesar’s army. Marcus learns to fight with all kinds of weapons quickly. He saves Portia’s life when two kidnappers from Milo’s street gangs try to kidnap her. As Caesar’s spy, he goes to the pit – where Milo and his street gangs live – and works as a house slave in Milo’s house. He hears all the secrets spoken by Milo and Bibilius and tells them to Caesar. He saves Caesar’s life when Decimus tries to give Caesar poison. Later Bibilious challenges Caesar to call a fight, with one of their gladiators versus Marcus, if he dares. So Marcus is sent into the arena and he meets his old enemy Ferax as his opponent again. This time he kills the celt and earns Caesar even more glory from the people. So, Caesar gives him freedom from his slavery as  reward for being loyal and serving him. Marcus sets bout finding his mother, Amaratis(Livia).

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part where the street gangs of the pit fight with the street gangs of Rome.

Gladiator – Fight for Freedom

Title : Gladiator – Fight for Freedom

Author: Simom Scarrow.

Main characters: Marcus, Titus, Amaratis (Livia), Decimus, Pompeius, Spartacus, Gaius Julius Caesar, Portia, Porcino, Brixus, Phyrus, Pelleneus, Spiro, Taurus, Amatus and Ferax.

Description of one of the main characters: Titus is a centurian working for Rome under Pompeius, the Great. He pretends to be the father of Marcus. He borrows a lot of money from Decimus that he couldn’t return it. So Titus is killed by Decimus’s men, and Marcus and his mother, Livia, are taken as slaves. Titus is a kind and fair man. He was centurion of the 17^th century. He fought on Rome’s side and during the slave’s revolt. He once saved Pompeius’s life.

Whom I like and why: I like Phyrus. He is strong and bulky. When Phyrus was a little boy he was sold to an Athenian woman as a household slave. He is originally from Rhodes, not Athens. Phyrus is kind and soft. He hates Ferax as Ferax is a bully. Phyrus likes Marcus and Pelleneus very much.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Ferax as he is a bully. Ferax is a huge celt. He is strong. He is the sworn enemy of Marcus. He gets defeated, in front of Gaius Julius Caesar and Caesar’s family, by Marcus. After that he is teased by the class by calling him ‘mouse bait’(he is nicknamed 'mouse bait' as he is spared from death by Marcus).

Setting/theme of the story: A eleven year old boy, named Marcus stays with his father, Titus a centurian who faought under Pompeius in the slave revolt, in a farm. Titus borrows too much money from Decimus, so Decimus's men kill Titus and take Marcus and his mother Livia as slaves. Marcus escapes and his mother gets caught. He travels from Dyrrhacium to Brundicium in a ship named Fairwind. While travelling, a lanista named Porcino buys him as a slave for a hundred and fifty denarii. Marcus is taken to a gladiator school and is trained to be a gadiator. He gets a celt enemy named Ferax. Amatus trains Marcus very well. One day when Gaius Julius Caesar comes with his family to look at the Gladiator school, Ferax and Marcus are in a deadly fight. One of the Caesar’s family members sees it and wants it as a special programme. During the fight in the arena, Marcus defats Ferax. Caesar orders Marcus to fight with wolves. Marcus fights with wolves and while trying to kill them, Caesar’s niece, Portia, falls into the arena. Marcus saves her by killing the wolves. So, Julius Caesar decides to make Marcus as Portia’s body guard. While travelling from the Gladiator’s school to Rome, Brixus, one of the slaves who had escaped from Porcino’s house met Marcus. Brixus had always been Marcus’s favorite. Marcus knew that Brixus had fought in the slave revolt supporting the slaves. While they meet Brixus tells Marcus that Marcus is Spartacus’s son and not Titus’s son. Though Marcus didn't want to believe the news, he knows whatever Brixus said was true. Marcus was born a slave and is a slave.

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Marcus fights all the men on the Fairwind single handedly to get a loaf of bread.