Russell Whitfield Books

The third adventure in the visceral female gladiator trilogy that began with Gladiatrix—Lysandra is back, and she's going to war! In the dirt of the Flavian Amphitheatre, known to history as the Coliseum, lies the bloodied body of Spartan priestess Lysandra—cut down by Rome's adored Gladiatrix Prima, the beautiful and deadly Illeana, the Midnight Falcon. At the edge of the underworld, the goddess Athene offers Lysandra's spirit a stark choice: reside eternally amid the fields of Elysium, or return to a life that is full of pain and sorrow—but will secure Lysandra a glorious place in legend for generations to come. Meanwhile, the legions prepare to embark for the Dacian frontier as the Emperor Domitian seeks revenge for Rome's worst defeat for almost a century. With them is the former tribune Gaius Minervius Valerian, anxious to wipe away the disgrace of being the sole survivor of his own command, annihilated by a swarm of savage warrior horsewomen. And now it seems that Lysandra's destiny also lies to the east, as well as the prospect of a final and bloody reckoning with an old and hated adversary.

The second adventure in the visceral female gladiator trilogy that began with Gladiatrix , featuring an unforgettable heroine Four years have passed since Lysandra's epic but inconclusive battle with her hated rival Sorena in the arena of Halicarnassus, after which both combatants were granted their freedom. Now Sorena leads a vicious troop of horsewomen. Into her hands falls the young tribune Gaius Minervius Valerian, and she ponders whether to deal him a slow and painful death, or release him to journey back to Rome in shame as the sole survivor of the empire's most humiliating defeat for half a millennium. Meanwhile, Lysandra has become accustomed to easy living and suffered an insidious addiction to alcohol that, together with her unabated hubris, is sapping both her self esteem and friendships. But now the Emperor Domitian has called for a command performance at Rome's newly built Flavian Amphitheatre. Lysandra is invited to fight Rome's adored Gladiatrix Prima, the beautiful and deadly fighter known as Aesalon Nocturna, the Midnight Falcon. Her record is  30 bouts; 30 wins—no draws or losses. Lysandra has to face up to all that she is and all that she must become as all roads lead to Rome.

The Ancient Roman public's hunger for gladiatorial combat has never been greater. The Emperor Domitian's passion for novelty and variety in the arena has given rise to a very different kind of the Gladiatrix.Sole survivor of a shipwreck off the coast of Asia Minor, Lysandra finds herself the property of Lucius Balbus, owner of the foremost Ludus for female gladiators in the Eastern Empire. Lysandra, a member of an ancient Spartan sect of warrior priestesses, refuses to accept her new status as a slave. Forced to fight for survival, her deadly combat skills win the adoration of the crowds, the respect of Balbus.But Lysandra's Spartan pride also earns her powerful Sorina, Gladiatrix Prima and leader of the Barbarian faction, and the sadistic Numidian trainer, Nastasen. When plans are laid for the ultimate combat spectacle to honor the visit of the emperor's powerful new emissary, Lysandra must face her greatest and deadliest trial.This is a thrilling first novel that combines fascinating historical detail with blistering action.