Spartacus

By: Howard Fast

Narrated by: Julian Elfer

Spartacus, a fictionalization of a slave revolt in ancient Rome in 71 BC, is well known today because of the 1960 movie starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier. It was originally published in 1951 by Fast himself, after being turned down by every mainstream publisher of the day because of Fast's blacklisting for his Communist Party sympathies. The story of Spartacus, born a slave, trained as a gladiator, who led a slave revolt that was eventually put down by Crassus, was immensely popular and went on to sell millions of copies.

©1951 Howard Fast (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

That is fighting

“Go naked into the arena with a sword in hand and nothing else. Blood on the sand and you smell it as you walk in. The Trumpets are playing and the drums are beating and the sun is shinning down and the ladies are waving their lace handkerchiefs and they can’t keep their eyes off your parts hanging all naked in front of you, and they will all have thrills enough before the afternoon is done, but your own orgasm comes when your belly is sliced and you stand there crying while your guts pour out on the sand. That is fighting my commander.”

Audibles BEST

I love Audible but a lot of books are just fluff. This book is NOT FLUFF. The best writing. A timeless topic. Outstanding performance.

WoW that was the Best Audiobook Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved the movie, but this book was not about battles and very different than the movie. It is about the Human Condition and what we do with the brief time we have on Earth. It does very well with character development. You can see these people in your mind's eye. The narrator, the revealed thoughts, and the dialogue are extremely meaningful. It is a spiritual journey of the human condition without God. I thought the whole thing simply amazing and it is hard to put into words. It also is really about modern times and not the past, and our need for purpose and justification. This was the only flawless audiobook I have read because it had a deep meaning that goes to the heart of life and ideals that give life meaning.

Elegant historical fiction

A well written book with a well paced story read in an engaging manner. When I first read this book in college it hit me hard- for it brings to life ancient Rome in a novel way. The author, H. Fast, choose word-of-mouth reports for most of the story about Spartacus, giving the reader the sensation of finding out what transpired- after the fact- rather then in real-time. He clearly did much research into ancient Rome, because there is no shortage of historical facts and details of Roman life. It's not a secret that there is a Marxist undercurrent guiding the book; but this is done in a tasteful and unimposing manner and is contrasted with the decadence of Roman opulence. (Real fact: the author began writing/researching the book while in prison during the Red Scare of McCarthyism as explained in the prelude). The prose is flawless. The story engrossing. The narration vivid. It was one of those audio books that would make me sit in my car after getting home to finish a chapter or ignore neighbors (as politely as possible) while walking because it was so enjoyable.

Incredible Book!

I found this to be a valuable listen, very thought provoking and deep. Masterfully written, and beautifully narrated!

Good Read

Narrator does an excellent job. Effortless switch between Latin and English. Make the characters come alive especially Livonia and Spartacus.

Great listen

If you enjoy a british accent and a great story, this is your book! I listened intently and will again in the future.

Exceptional

This was a masterful book and just a wonderful production. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Absolutely gut wrenchingly magnificent.

So good I'm reading it now too. Profound, human, shocking, beautiful. Politically relevant. Spiritually inspiring. A masterpiece.

Not the movie, but better.

The movie is about a man while the book is about a conflict between opportunistic and self absorbed Rome vs a desire to be free and productive. Rome is rich and powerful but so decadent that the Roman’s are bored and appear to be adolescents or just childish. Spartacus is presented as a honorable man whose perspective and personal qualities make it clear why he was the leader. In this it is much better than the more famous movie.