Interesting, fast-moving story. There is plenty of action, a good deal of explicit violence, and some intrigue. If battle scenes are not to your liking, you're best to avoid this book. To me, the battles and the violence seemed realistic considering the time and the people involved.

The only criticism I have of the book is that at times the dialogue didn't seem authentic. Some expressions characters used were a bit too modern. ( )

Spartacus: Rebellion by Ben Kane is the second of two novels chronicling the life of the Spartacus, a gladiator turned rebel who leads tens of thousands of escaped slaves in revolt against Rome. This novel picks up immediately where the series first book, Spartacus the Gladiator, left off. Fresh off his tremendous (and unexpected) series of victories against various Roman forces, Spartacus leads his army north towards the Alps, where he plans to cross out of Italy and return to Thrace, his homeland. But Spartacus' plan is thwarted by his two most senior officers, the Gauls Castus and Gannicus, who would like nothing more than to assume full command themselves. With his initial plan thwarted, Spartacus turns his army around and heads for Southern Italy, where his forces will ultimately face an army larger than any they've come across before, an army that is prepared to do whatever is necessary to put down Spartacus' revolt for good.

Much like Kane's first Spartacus novel, Spartacus: Rebellion, is full of rich historical detail that gives readers a glimpse into life, both rebel and Roman, in the 7th century BC. Kane doesn't romanticize the period, as he clearly conveys the brutality of war and its aftermath during the period in which the novel is set. While little is known about Spartacus, Kane takes the few facts available and fills in the gaps in a plausible manner. As a result, the reader is able to gain an appreciation for Spartacus' possible motivations and the forces that drove him to rebel. Kane's Spartacus is a master strategist and tactician, and a remarkable leader of men -- qualities Spartacus must of possessed in order to have achieved such tremendous success against much better trained, disciplined and experienced Roman forces. One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the often strained relationship between Spartacus and Castus and Gannicus, his two most senior officers, and I enjoyed how Spartacus was able to address and overcome the constant challenges posed by these two men. I also enjoyed the sections dealing with Crassus, which dealt not only with his desire to bring Spartacus to his knees, but also with the intricacies of Roman politics.

Recommended to all readers of historical fiction interested in the Roman era.

Note: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher as part of Ben Kane's virtual book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

I enjoyed the book as I have other works of Kane's. I have always enjoyed the story of Spartacus and this work is also very faithful to the characterisation of the recent Spartacus tv series. Fans of same will accordingly like it. The book is pacy and very readable. I felt it captured the testosterone filled nature of a gladiator-led army very well. Only fault I would add was that the conversation and arguments between them could seem bitchy at times. ( )

Spartacus Rebellion is part two of Ben Kane’s 2-part set on Spartacus. Kane had intended to write just one book, but he got so caught up in the writing that it turned into two. I have to say I got just as caught up in the reading and am glad for the extra book full of details.

Book 2 starts up very shortly after the end of book one. (So if you haven’t read the first book start there!). Spartacus and the army are nearing the Alps, as much as he would like to continue on over and then back home to Thrace, he is afraid the army won’t follow him. On top of that he has heard that there has been a recent victory by Rome in his home territories which would make it less appealing to his followers should they find out about it.

Spartacus has a hard choice to make and as many who know his story know, at the foot of the Alps he turns back south and makes it all the way back to the tip of the boot. Rumors of a rebellion on the island of Sicily got his attention. He thinks it’s possible if they can get a few ships to get them across the strait, that they would be welcomed by the slave population and dispatch the 2 legions currently trying to keep the peace. It would take years for the Romans to root them out of there, if ever.

Kane tried to keep all the known facts about Spartacus and much of the speculation in the book for historical accuracy. But since there is so written material that has survived about him, it leaves a lot of room for Kane to write a wonderful story. I haven’t seen any of the movies about Spartacus, so this is the first time that someone has brought him to life for me. I think Ben Kane did an excellent job. I’ve found him to be a great storyteller and this book is no exception. As a matter of fact I think he has only gotten better with each successive book! I recommend all of Ben Kane’s books. ( )

I wish this series would go on and on, but well that just would not be possible nor historically accurate right? (unless!!! you could go on with Carbo’s story!? please? pretty please?) now the previous book (Spartacus: Gladiator) had all the action and battle scenes. This one has battle scenes times two. EPIC battle scenes. Well written battle scenes that you feel like this should be played out as a movie just to see how it looks like.

The plot of the book is well done like the last one (I do recommend you read Spartacus: Gladiator before jumping into this one). There’s slightly less intrigue, way more action and fighting, and a lot more memorable quotes to read. I’d say the best part would be Carbo’s mission with Navio (love those two secondary characters not only did they provide some comic relief but seeing Carbo develop character wise was excellent to follow through in the book).

The last and final battle scene was definitely worth reading and I like how it was through Carbo’s perspective. I felt a bit cheated that Carbo didn’t get what he wanted in the end, but I suppose it’s to make it as historically accurate as possible. The author’s note in the end provided a lot of information and the glossary in the back as helps as well because there’s plenty of terminology that was new to me (I’m not well versed in Roman history).

I really wish this could go on in Carbo’s point of view, his story was going towards something with lots of potential and it sounded so interesting. Otherwise, the book was well worth the read. Definitely recommended for history buffs and Roman history lovers out there. ( )