The Far Arena

Released from the Arctic ice after two millennia, a former Roman gladiator must contend with his haunted memories while trying to make sense of a strange new world While conducting exploration in the frozen Arctic, Texan Lew McCardle, a geologist working for the Houghton Oil company, discovers something remarkable: a body encased in the ice. More remarkable still, the skills of Russian researcher Semyon Petrovitch bring the man miraculously back to life. This strange visitor from the distant past has an amazing story to tell. Translated from his native Latin by Nordic nun Olava, Lucius Aurelius Eugenianus reveals that in the era of Domitian he was a champion in the Roman Coliseum, a gladiator known far and wide as the greatest of all time. But now the warrior Eugeni must readjust to this new world, with its bizarre customs, hidden traps, and geopolitical and moral complexities, as he struggles to come to terms with painful memories of loves and glories lost, the bloodthirsty politics and heartbreaking betrayals that ultimately led him to this time and place. An ingenious amalgam of science fiction, fantasy, and history, Richard Ben Sapir’s The Far Arena is a breathtaking work of literary invention, at once thrilling, poignant, and thought-provoking. A classic tale of strange destiny and miraculous reawakening populated by a rich cast of unforgettable characters, past and present, that will live long in the reader’s memory.