Arena
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Narrated by:
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David Thorpe
About this listen
Arena is a Sunday Times best-selling novel from Simon Scarrow, author of Invictus, Centurion and The Gladiator, and T.J. Andrews. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell.
It is AD 41. The city of Rome is a dangerous place.
Optio Macro of the Second Legion, recently decorated for courage on the battlefield, can't wait to leave the teeming city behind. He's dismayed when he's compelled to stay in Rome to train Marcus Valerius Pavo, a young gladiatorial recruit.
Though fearless Pavo has fought for his life before, he's a novice in the arenas. But he's a driven man, with a goal dearer than survival - to avenge his father's death at the hands of a champion gladiator. Will he live to face his nemesis?
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Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary fighter Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed by the armies of Julius Caesar. On the eve of her 17th birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her place in her father's war band. She never gets the chance. Fallon is captured and sold to an elite training school for female gladiators - owned by none other than Julius Caesar himself.
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Couldn't keep my attention
- By Kendall on 03-13-17
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Night of Knives
- Novels of the Malazan Empire, Book 1
- By: Ian C. Esslemont
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The small island of Malaz and its city gave the great empire its name, but now it is little more than a sleepy, backwater port. Tonight, however, things are different. Tonight the city is on edge, a hive of hurried, sometimes violent activity; its citizens bustle about, barring doors, shuttering windows, avoiding any stranger's stare. Because tonight there is to be a convergence, the once-in-a-generation appearance of a Shadow Moon - an occasion that threatens the good people of Malaz with demon hounds and other, darker things....
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Worth the wait
- By Aran on 06-20-16
By: Ian C. Esslemont
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The Steel Remains
- By: Richard K. Morgan
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In just a few short years, Richard K. Morgan has vaulted to the pinnacle of the science fiction world. Now he turns his iconoclastic talents to epic fantasy, crafting a darkly violent, tautly plotted adventure sure to thrill old fans and captivate new readers.
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This isn't your father's gay hero!
- By Kindle Customer on 01-23-09
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God's Last Breath
- By: Sam Sykes
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 25 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The great demon Khoth-Kapira has broken free of his prison and taken his first step upon the mortal world. And he owes it all to Lenk. Believing that the demon will heal a broken world that the gods have abandoned, Lenk serves as reluctant champion to Khoth-Kapira's cause. But as the desperate and fearful flock to Khoth-Kapira's banner, begging for salvation, Lenk begins to doubt his patron's great designs.
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Fantastic Finish
- By Casey on 07-18-18
By: Sam Sykes
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The Mortal Tally
- By: Sam Sykes
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 24 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Cier'Djaal, once the crowning glory of the civilized world, has gone from a city to a battlefield and a battlefield to a graveyard. Foreign armies clash relentlessly on streets laden with the bodies of innocents caught in the crossfire. Cultists and thieves wage shadow wars, tribal armies foment outside the city's walls, and haughty aristocrats watch the world burn from on high. As his companions struggle to keep the city from destroying itself, Lenk travels to the Forbidden East in search of the demon who caused it all. But even as he pursues Khoth-Kapira, dark whispers plague his thoughts.
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Great Middle Entry
- By Casey on 04-15-18
By: Sam Sykes
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Akiri: The Scepter of Xarbaal
- Akiri, Book 1
- By: Brian D. Anderson, Steven Savile
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Akiri is a blistering new heroic fantasy novel from the multiple award-winning international best sellers Brian D. Anderson and Steven Savile who have come together to create the first adrenalin-filled standalone novel in Akiri's tortured world. Can one betrayal can save a kingdom? Will two destroy it?
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Buy this story!!!
- By wlantz on 11-02-16
By: Brian D. Anderson, and others
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Vengeance
- The Tainted Realm Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Ian Irvine
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
- Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In an unjust land, the only law is vengeance. In Cython’s slave camps, it’s the timid and obedient who survive – and Tali is neither, for she has sworn to bring her mother’s killers to justice. Her dramatic escape precipitates Cython’s war on Hightspall and, when Tali is rescued by Rix, heir to Hightspall’s greatest fortune, they flee through a land in turmoil.
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Eh, never really felt right
- By Jeff Jackson on 03-01-12
By: Ian Irvine
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Child of Vengeance
- A Novel
- By: David Kirk
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 15 hrs
- Unabridged
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Japan in the late 16th century was a land in turmoil. Lords of the great clans schemed against one another, served by aristocratic samurai bound to them by a rigid code of honor. Bennosuke is a high-born but lonely teenager living in his ancestral village. His mother died when he was a young boy, and his powerful warrior father Munisai has abandoned him for a life of service to his Lord, Shinmei. Bennosuke has been raised by his uncle Dorinbo, a Buddhist monk who urges the boy to forgo the violence of the samurai and embrace the contemplative life.
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Clever weaving of history and fiction.
- By JW Crummett on 02-25-16
By: David Kirk
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The Way of the Warrior
- Young Samurai, Book 1
- By: Chris Bradford
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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August 1611. Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan - his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates. Rescued by the legendary sword master Masamoto Takeshi, Jack's only hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins. But life at the samurai school is a constant fight for survival. With courage in his heart and his sword held high, can Jack prove himself and face his deadliest rival yet?
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Great story, HORRIBLE Japanese pronunciation
- By Derek Sorenson on 12-24-20
By: Chris Bradford
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The Path of Anger
- The Book and the Sword, Book 1
- By: Antoine Rouaud
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Year 10 of the new republic, in the remote port city of Masalia: Dun-Cadal, once the greatest general of the empire, has been drinking his life away for years. Betrayed by his friends and grief stricken at the loss of his apprentice, he's done with politics, with adventure, and with people. But people aren't finished with him - not yet.
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Great Epic Fantasy!
- By Bob-o on 08-31-15
By: Antoine Rouaud
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In the Land of Hershel
- The Sunrider Saga, Book 0
- By: Rafael Hohmann
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Five knights tell stories of ancient lands, madness, and terrifying monsters...but no one can top Knight Elric's tale of the Land of Hershel, a monstrous swamp filled with horrifying creatures and an ever-present threat. If you stop moving, you drown. "In the Land of Hershel" is a short story set in the thrilling world of SunRider.
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Good but
- By Mistina on 05-09-23
By: Rafael Hohmann
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At the Sign of the Crow and Moon
- A Sorcery Ascendant Prequel Novella
- By: Mitchell Hogan
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In the bustling capital city of the Mahruse Empire, Felicienne Shyrise spends her days as a talented investigator, taking on stolen goods and missing person cases and the occasional murder the city guard are too incompetent - or too lazy - to resolve. During the nights she hones her skills playing Dominion, a board game almost as complicated as life itself. She dreams of making a name for herself and becoming the richest woman in the Empire.
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Worth It
- By Gaia on 09-23-19
By: Mitchell Hogan
What listeners say about Arena
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dany
- 05-17-22
A re-listen worthy of a re-listen
As an amateur historian, I appreciated the political intrigues. It felt authentic. The film 'gladiator' tried to convey the same sentiment but failed. It wouldn't surprise me that the screenplay of 'gladiator' was based on this book.
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- lynn
- 03-09-14
another great Simon Scarrow book
Would you listen to Arena again? Why?
great book about Rome and the gladiatorial events and the things that could have happened under the reign of Cladius with his use of vindictive freedmen that he did use as advisors
What other book might you compare Arena to and why?
other simon scarrow book you should read all of the they are very good
What does David Thorpe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
his voice is wonderful for the book
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1 person found this helpful
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- Michelle Cowart
- 09-19-15
Story read like it was on repeat
Would you try another book from Simon Scarrow and T. J. Andrews and/or David Thorpe?
Yes, I would still listen to David Thorpe's narrations, and I'd be willing to read another Scarrow
Any additional comments?
This book seemed like a never ended repeat of events. Main character gets into a tight spot due to the nasty Grecian. He is forced to fight. He whines about the injustice of it. He trains. He wins. He is still subject the the Grecian's plots. Plot escalates (barely). Repeat.
I was not satisfied with the end. I did not like the characters, and an overuse of the f word made me feel like the characters were adolescents.
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- Rob
- 09-18-13
Dont waste your time or money
What disappointed you about Arena?
Sub plots that make no sense - characters devoid of personality - You actually find yourself rooting for the bad guys - Whiny self absorbed 2 dimensional hero then suddenly he finds the heroism to save the world. Vomit.
What do you think your next listen will be?
Anything but this
How could the performance have been better?
white noise
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
No
Any additional comments?
I want my money back
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2 people found this helpful
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- Roger
- 01-02-14
Badly Written and Badly Read.
What disappointed you about Arena?
I have to say I loved Simon Scarrow's Cato and Macro characters, and I enjoyed Scarrow's writing - it got the story done with enough embellishment to entrance and transport to a relatively authentic impression of the time. So I bought this book, (not realising he wrote it with someone else) expecting the same. Anyway, for whatever reason, this book is as bad as his other books were good - the plot plods along a linear timeline from one uninteresting turn of events to another, stumbling over laughable cliches and repetitive character reactions, made all the worse by the histrionic reading of David Thorpe. I won't go on, because enough is said. All I can say is, stick to writing on your own Simon, because it seems the other bloke just dragged you down on this one.
Would you ever listen to anything by Simon Scarrow and T. J. Andrews again?
One more chance to Simon Scarrow, but definitely never T.J. Andrews.
What didn’t you like about David Thorpe’s performance?
Disliked it intensely. Histrionic, badly interpreted and misphrased.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Boredom and mirth
Any additional comments?
Nope.
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5 people found this helpful