The Gladiator Isarna by Sara Pacher

"Sara Pacher's epic novel about the gladiator, Isarna brings us into the Celtic world during its occupation by Roman militia during the first century AD. As the daughter of Iceni nobility, Isarna is dedicated to the preservation of the integrity of herself and her people while growing up in the hidden backwoods of rural Briton. Things spiral out of control when she and her brother, Cian are captured on a sunny spring afternooon by Roman soldiers.

The love story...between the Roman Prefect, Valerius, and a teenage girl, whose very name Isarna means "strong metal" illuminates human passions in an atmosphere of desire and hostility that transcends politics as it embraces the limitations of time and place. Isarna escapes from Valerius only to be returned to him in Rome as a woman, as his slave and his lover. Sara Pacher's deep understanding of life and love come alive in her creation of the characters which complete this tale of unbelieveable human strength in the face of danger and captivity. Valerius, now the Urban Prefect of Rome, does all he can to protect and comfort the woman he loves, but when Isarna is thwarted by God and nature in her attempt to assasssinate his father, he can no longer contain his anger and feelings of betrayal.

Isarna's life is spared only to be trained as a gladiator, where her survival becomes as legendary, as was her father's fame before her. Although, "Where I go, death follows" is engraved on her weapons, Isarna's spirit will live forever.
Misunderstandings and duplicity lace the lives of Isarna and her lover Valerius. The intrigues of the Roman court in AD 78 undermine the course of events and love during the reign of Titus and on into the reign of Domitian in AD 79. Celtic myth, magic and culture persist through the centuries."

Anonymous Reviewer at Amazon.com

Sara Pacher's novel is somewhat similiar to "The Light Bearer" in its content and story line, going so far as to have red haired heroine; I would not say that Pacher has plagerised Donna Gillespie, as the Celtic Warrior Woman transplanted to the Roman Arena is pervasive theme throughout fictional works (including film) concerning the Gladiatrix.

"The Gladiator Isarna" stands up well on its own merits, however. It is a well-paced, entertaining novel with a likeable heroine and supporting characters. Pacher does not delve deeply into characterisation, but presents us with a straight forward, enjoyable adventure story.

The Gladiatorial action comes towards the end of the novel, and features Isarna as a bestiaria; I felt there could have been more arena-based situations, given the title of the novel. That said, the action is satisfying, if not overwhelming.

"The Gladiator Isarna" is certainly worth purchasing just for the subject matter alone. It is a print on demand book, available from www.amazon.co.uk in the UK, www.amazon.com in the US and www.amazon.de in Germany.