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The Spartacus War (2009)

by Barry S. Strauss(Favorite Author)

3.75 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1416532056 (ISBN13: 9781416532057)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Simon & Schuster

review 1: This is an entertaining read. Given the few details we know about Spartacus the author has managed to give us a compelling story on the facts that we do know. The book not only covers Spartacus but also covers other aspects of Roman history that touches upon the Spartacus revolt. As an introduction to Spartacus this is excellent. Barry Strauss does not go into conjecture but merely sticks to the facts without making history boring. Great companion book if you like the movie or the Starz TV show and want to know fact from fiction
review 2: Ok, so Spartacus was a pretty important guy. He was a Thracian soldier who served in a Roman auxiliary unit, turned slave, turned gladiator, and escaped the clutches of his Roman captors. Pretty impressive so far!The very thin... moregs that make Spartacus so impressive are ironically the very things that make you question his character. The thing to remember in reading about these people and events is that this was a very turbulent time in history and next to impossible to survive in when under the thumb of evil despots. There are no good guys. These are desperate people who will do anything to achieve personal and cultural freedom from the oppressive Romans. The author sums this up on page 186 when he says, "Desperate men are easy to inspire but difficult to reassure....Spartacus suffered the common fate of revolutionaries: he lit a fire that he could not put out. He discovered as well that the very vigor that makes insurgent armies successful also makes them fragile. Rebel forces, built from scratch, are notoriously volatile and willful."Spartacus was an amazing leader that could impress, persuade, charm, and motivate both slave and freeman. However, his undoing came down to one thing: He didn't listen to his gut instinct at a very crucial moment in their exodus.There is some good historical and cultural takeaways that really help keep things in their context as well as shed light on other accounts that I have read in other books. It is also a good study in leadership.The only negative thing I would have to say is that so little is actually known about Spartacus that most things come down to mere speculation. It's educated and contextual speculation....but speculation, nonetheless. There is a lot of maybe's, perhaps, probably's, might have's, could have's, and possibly's. Sometimes I wondered why anybody should even write about him at all when so little was actually recorded during his time. But it simply can't be denied that he was real, he did rise up, he did make a big splash, and he still continues to inspire a revolutionary spirit in the bosom of men who are willing to die a noble death. less

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