Circus Maximus: Return of the Champion - an Ancient Roman adventure

By Author / Illustrator

Annelise Gray

Genre

Historical Fiction

Age range(s)

Publisher

Zephyr Books

ISBN

9781803281117

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

12-09-2024

Synopsis

The conclusion of the Circus Maximus series set in Ancient Rome full of fabulous horses, thrilling adventures and an unforgettable heroine called Dido.

When her beloved horse Porcellus sires a new foal, Dido hopes he will be the missing piece in her quest to train the greatest team ever seen at the Circus Maximus. But grief and a desire for revenge are clouding her judgement.

Then her old friend Parmenion asks her to shelter the runaway son of her bitterest rival and help him fulfil his dream of becoming a charioteer. Can Dido and the boy, Damon, help each other find a way out of darkness? And who will claim the right to be known as the sport's ultimate champion in one last battle for racing glory?

An Ancient Roman Adventure series: Circus Maximus: Race to the Death (book 1); Circus Maximus: Rivals on the Track (book 2); Circus Maximus: Rider of the Storm (book 3); Circus Maximus: Return of the Champion (book 4)

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Reviews

In Circus Maximus: Return of the Champion, Dido is back in her fourth and final adventure in this action-packed historical series. Dido is living in North Africa, training horses and keeping her head down. A slave boy from Rome, Damon, is thrown into her path, with their deities strangely entwined. Has Damon got what it takes to be a charioteer?

When I read the first Circus Maximus book, I would not consider myself a person interested in horses. What I do enjoy, though, is a good historical novel. Annalise Grey creates the horse scenes so well in these books that I was hooked from book one and was now excited to read this latest installment. I did wonder if the last breathtaking book could be topped without Caligula, but the new historical figures are just as intriguing. I was particularly shocked to realise who one of them was after reading the notes at the back.

I think the blend of real history and real people into a fictional story is what makes these books so good. The detail and facts draw the reader back in time. I went to Rome last year and looking at the ruins of Circus Maximus I could easily imagine the chariot racing thanks to all I had learnt. I for one, will miss Dido, and her horses!

368 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher