Die by the Blade
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Waters
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By:
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James Mace
About this listen
Thus Valour and Skill Have Their Reward
The year is 77 AD. On the frontier of the Roman Empire, a Dacian man named Verus is captured and enslaved during an imperial raid north of the Danube. He is sent to a rock quarry known as The Pit, as one among thousands of fresh slaves needed to mine marble for Emperor Vespasian's new amphitheater. Funded by spoils taken during the Siege of Jerusalem, the Emperor promises it will be the largest gladiatorial arena ever; his personal gift to the people of Rome. Requiring years of herculean labor and millions of cubic feet in stone, Vespasian's son, Titus, worries whether his father will live to see its completion.
After months of back-breaking suffering and toil, Verus is taken from The Pit to become a gladiator. Whether by chance or fate, he knows that only by making a pact with death will he have a chance at life. In a savage world of blood, sweat, sand, and steel, his very soul is forged, until he no longer remembers the man he once was. As the Flavian Amphitheatre nears completion, with the possibility of fighting before the Emperor himself, Verus swears to either win his cherished freedom, or ignominiously die by the blade.
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When Rome transgresses upon his father's domain that lays between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Pacorus, a prince of the Parthian Empire, is sent to exact revenge. After a string of victories, Pacorus and his men are captured in Cappadocia, clapped in chains, and sent to Italy to live out the rest of their days as slaves. But fate intervenes and Pacorus and his companions are saved from a living hell by a renegade gladiator named Spartacus. In gratitude, Pacorus agrees to help Spartacus build his army as Rome musters its legions to crush the slave uprising.
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Another view of the Spartacus War
- By Maui Diver on 08-08-18
By: Peter Darman
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The Last Sacrifice
- By: Hank Hanegraaff, Sigmund Brouwer
- Narrated by: Doug Lamoreux
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Helius, Nero's most trusted advisor, anticipates the death of his sworn enemy, the legendary warrior Gallus Sergius Vitas, scheduled to die a gruesome death in the arena. However, the badly beaten man who appears in the amphitheater is not who he seems. Rescued by a stranger and given a mysterious scroll, Vitas is told that he must decipher this letter to find the answers he needs. It is a letter that Helius is also determined to decipher and to keep hidden from Nero.
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interacting historical drama
- By Michael E. on 12-27-16
By: Hank Hanegraaff, and others
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Marching with Caesar
- Birth of the 10th Legion
- By: R.W. Peake
- Narrated by: Simon Burdett
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Titus Pullus, the hero of the 10th Legion and the Marching With Caesar series, tells his story from the very beginning of his life, starting with his relationship with his father, how his friendship with Vibius Domitius began, and how their burning ambition to join the Legions was helped by a veteran nicknamed Cyclops. Enlisting in the 10th Legion, raised in 61 B.C. by Gaius Julius Caesar, Birth of the 10th Legion recounts the first campaign ever conducted by Julius Caesar as a commander...
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Superb history and pulse pounding excitement.
- By William H. Harrington on 12-10-14
By: R.W. Peake
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The King’s Gambit
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes listeners back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike. So the garroting of a lowly ex-slave and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy.
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Great start to a series
- By P. Johnson on 09-21-17
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Battle of Kings
- By: M. K. Hume
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In the town of Segontium a wild storm washes a fugitive ashore. He brutally rapes the granddaughter of the ruler of the Deceangli tribe, leaving her to bear his son, Myrddion Merlinus (Merlin). Spurned as a demon seed, the child is raised by his grandmother and, as soon as he turns nine, he is apprenticed to a skilled alchemist who hones the boy’s remarkable gift of prophecy. Meanwhile, the High King of the Britons, Vortigern, is rebuilding the ancient fortress at Dinas Emrys.
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Underrated book author and narrator!
- By Zachary on 04-15-22
By: M. K. Hume
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Nights of the Witch
- War God, Book 1
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 22 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A young girl called Tozi stands at the bottom of a pyramid, waiting to be led to the top where her heart will be cut out.... Pepillo, a Spanish orphan who serves a sadistic Dominican friar, is aboard the Spanish fleet as it sails towards Mexico.... This is the epic story of the clash of two empires, two armies and two gods of war. Five hundred desperate adventurers are about to pit themselves against the most brutal armies of the ancient Americas, armies hundreds of thousands strong.
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engaging story.
- By Dennis Lewis on 12-14-16
By: Graham Hancock
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The Gates of Athens
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: George Blagden
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Evoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World - the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae - The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel.
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One of Iggulden’s best ever!
- By Bud R on 01-15-21
By: Conn Iggulden
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The Nectar of Angels
- The Arrowsmith Saga, Book 1
- By: Dane St. John
- Narrated by: R. D. Watson
- Length: 18 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In the chaos of 14th-century England and France, wine is the nectar of angels - a valuable commodity buttressing kingdoms and vaulting vast fortunes. A mysterious old archer named David Arrowsmith recounts his tale to an eager French chronicler, Jean Créton, when the latter learns that his mission to Scotland seems a failure. The burden of Arrowsmith's story rests with Créton, who suddenly finds himself writing about a seemingly cursed infant that barely escapes the grip of the Black Death in rural Wales when his family dies.
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Really? Where are the honest reviews?
- By julie on 03-26-14
By: Dane St. John
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Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione
- The Knights of Arrethtrae
- By: Chuck Black
- Narrated by: Andy Turvey, Dawn Marshall
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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As the Knights of the Prince await His triumphant return, they are steadfast in their mission to take His story into the kingdom and recruit as many as are willing. But when a new and dangerous threat is revealed, their mission is jeopardized. Sir Kendrick and his young charge, the impetuous Sir Duncan, are sent on a mission to discover the identity and origin of a secretive new order known as the Conquistero Knights.
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I'm shocked by the high reviews
- By auroragb on 07-15-14
By: Chuck Black
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Ascension
- The Trysmoon Saga, Book 1
- By: Brian K. Fuller
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Gen was a bard's apprentice, his nimble hands meant for the lute and his voice for a song. Then the half-mad and completely bored Shadan Khairn invaded Gen's village to winter there and start a war. He shoved a sword in Gen's hands and tormented his body, shaping a bard into a warrior to be killed for sport. As the days of torture pile up like the snow, Gen searches for death. But the day is at hand when the shattered shards of the world will knit together again, and the world's slain god will be reborn.
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Fantastic Epic Fantasy
- By Andrew Stone on 05-14-15
By: Brian K. Fuller
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The Great Game
- Praetorian, Book 1
- By: SJA Turney
- Narrated by: Piers Hampton
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Promoted to the elite Praetorian Guard in the thick of battle, a young legionary is thrust into a seedy world of imperial politics and corruption. Tasked with uncovering a plot against the newly crowned Emperor Commodus, his mission takes him from the cold Danubian border all the way to the heart of Rome, the villa of the Emperor’s scheming sister, and the great Colosseum. What seems a straightforward, if terrifying, assignment soon descends into Machiavellian treachery and peril as everything in which young Rufinus trusts and believes is called into question....
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COULDN'T KEEP MY INTEREST
- By peter on 12-05-18
By: SJA Turney
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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
What listeners say about Die by the Blade
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Keith LaDue
- 11-01-18
Second attempt to review this fine audiobook
I really am interested in this time period of history. I am fully aware that most history books are written by the winners. But the fiction about this time period is written from all sides. I believe I am still living under a Caesar now. With the wealth accumulated would have spent to wipe out the death by famine of Roman citizens. There would have been no need for the arena. Anyway, I highly recommend this book . Now for the obligatory: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
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- MR
- 11-12-18
Great story and action
having read another of Jame's books I was looking forward to listen to this one and I wasn't disappointed. The story of the main character was interesting,whilst the action quick and intense. The narration is done well with distinctive voices for the different characters. I really enjoy historic fiction such as this and I look forward to reading/listening to more of Jame's books in the future.
Please note that I was provided with a copy of this audiobook to provide a non-biased review.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-31-18
A Little Slower than I had hoped
While I appreciate all of the research that was done for this book, I rather felt that it bogged the story down a bit.
Jonathan Waters does an admirable job and was quite impressed with how well he handled the ancient Roman name.
I didn't love it...but didn't hate it either.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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- D. Sturgeon
- 12-03-20
Very cool story!
This is a very well written author's insight into the mind of a gladiator during the time of an ancient Roman monarchy. The narration is impeccable.
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- anne-v
- 07-06-21
EXCELLENT historical fiction based on fact
Classic, exciting gladiator story by James Mace of Verus and Priscus, two real gladiators who fought on the opening day of the 100 days of games in 81 AD, and whose incredible battle was memorialized by the writer Marcus Valerius.
This fabulous book covers a bit of history of the reign of Nero, the building of the amphitheatre,
the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, the siege of Jerusalem, the Roman conquerers, and fills in the blanks I had about where the labor and marble came from. Having toured the amphitheatre in Rome at the time the pandemic struck in March of 2020, this story was so real to me. The amphitheater itself is a breathtaking beast and this book really brings it to life.
Jonathan Waters is a WONDERFUL narrator, a true voice acting professional. His performance made this book one I couldn't put down. I was laying in bed at 2 a.m. listening to it because I couldn't shut it off.
I was provided this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.
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- Al
- 11-05-18
An enjoyable gladiatorial romp
I'm quite the fan of historical fiction, I love how it can breathe life and perspective into great characters and events that we know of, but will never really know. But that's not all historical fiction can do. An author such as James Mace can take an obscure and mostly irrelevant piece of history, and create an enjoyable tale with characters and events that are mostly lost in the sands of the time.
Mace tells the tale of Verus, a Dacian blacksmith who in 77 AD takes up arms to help his people fend off the advance of the Roman army into his territory. Fine warriors though the Dacians may have been, they were no match for the Roman army, a fighting force with hundreds of years of experience. Verus is first sent to a marble quarry, but after spending time there, he gets sent to become a gladiator, a slight improvement on his current state of affairs.
The bulk of the story tells of Verus' trials as a gladiator, and also his friend Prisus (audiobooks don't help with spelling), a Pict (never read a book with a Pict before, as far as I remember) who is the combatant all combatants want to be. Prisus is a likeable character. He's not the killer we expect from gladiator stories, and for the three years of the book, he mourns that he may never see his family again. Prisus on the other hand is a killer, but he's the kind of likeable hardass counterpoint to our hero. The Romans are suitably ghastly, but they add colour to the story when in there, as opposed boo-hiss panto villains. The historical facts and the knowledge of gladiatorial history rings true, although I'm no expert on this matter. The story never goes quite as you'd expect, which is great, and the combat scenes are nicely done.
The narrator does a good job, adding distinct voices to characters, while moving the pace effectively.
4-4.5/5 stars - looks like I"ll have to add James Mace to my ever growing list of must-read Historical Fiction authors.
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- Jeff and Sabrena
- 11-07-18
Engaging historical fiction
This is a good story. I might have wished for a bit more character development and description of life in Rome at the time. I do wonder about the accuracy of some of the aspects of this story, though.
Jonathan Waters delivers a very competent performance. He makes a reasonable effort at giving distinctive voices to the characters. I'm satisfied with his narration and the story.
NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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- KD
- 11-16-18
Cool Gladiator story
I feel like we don't have a lot of these types of stories. After watching Spartacus and finishing I've never been able to scratch tat itch. I train in mma as well which is somewhat like a modern gladiator. So you know the premise of a gladiators would interest me. I did enjoy the story more than I expect other people to do, so keep in mind if gladiator type stories are not your thing.
I highly recommend this for people who are really in to this type of story.
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- Jason Kyle
- 04-30-24
Most entertaining story from Mace so far!
There were elements of this story I predicted early on, and at least one big surprise later. Either way, this was one of James Maces’ most entertaining stories to date, and I’ve listened to almost all of his novels.
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- pjsvoice
- 12-14-18
Confusing cast of characters but great performance
Great performance by Jonathan Waters. I struggled to follow the characters. Much like Game Of Thrones many of the names started to run together. One character even IS the same name as a GOT one. Overall a good book with well rounded plot lines.
I was provided this book complimentary in exchange for an honest review
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