AUGUST 2015 - AudioFile
MacLeod Andrews gives an exciting historical fantasy adventure a thrilling narration. Nic is a slave in the Roman mines, but when he finds an ancient bulla that once belonged to Caesar, he finds himself filled with magic from the gods. Soon he’s in the middle of the fight for control of Rome. With excellent voices and pacing, Andrews's narration creates suspense throughout the novel. The story ends with a cliff-hanger that leaves listeners wanting more. The audiobook also includes a bonus scene. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
12/01/2014
In vivid first-person narrative, Nielsen (the Ascendance Trilogy) sketches a slave’s-eye view of the Roman Empire. Five years of hard labor in the mines haven’t quelled Nic’s will to survive. Neither naïve nor a fool, his main weakness is lack of experience. Thus his story is as much about his education in the deviousness of human behavior as it is about Nic’s magical fate. Dropped down a mine shaft to search for a possible buried trove, Nic emerges with a griffin, a scar, and a golden bulla, a magical amulet that once belonged to Julius Caesar. Freedom is within reach, but Nic won’t abandon his younger sister. Instead, he and the griffin are turned over to Rome, where Nic becomes a pawn of schemers struggling to control the city—or destroy it. Set during the reign of Tacitus, the story is true to the political and social culture of the time without committing too closely to its political history. This maximizes Nielsen’s scope for creating page-turning twists while evoking a milieu that retains its appeal for history buffs. Ages 10–14. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Praise for the Ascendance Trilogy
A NEW YORK TIMES Notable Children's Book
A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best" Children's Book
A Cybils Award Winner
"A page-turner." --THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"Sage proves to be a compelling character whose sharp mind and shrewd self-possession will make readers eager to follow him into a sequel." --WALL STREET JOURNAL
"A swashbuckling origin story . . . chock-full of alluring details for adventure-loving boys." --LOS ANGELES TIMES
"An impressive, promising story." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review
"A fast-paced and thrilling read with twists and turns that never let up." --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
"Gripping." --KIRKUS
"Should appeal to fans of . . . Suzanne Collins. . . . A sure-fire mix of adventure, mystery, and suspense." --THE HORN BOOK
School Library Journal
12/01/2014
Gr 6–9—A fantastical alternate history set in ancient Rome. Nicolas Calva and his sister are slaves in the mines outside of Rome. When Nic is forced to retrieve treasure from Julius Caesar's cave, he assumes he is going to his death. But inside the cave he finds a bulla, a magical amulet thought to have given Caesar great power, and takes it for himself. Suddenly, Nic is the most wanted fugitive in Rome. The emperor and a powerful general are after the amulet and they will kill Nic to get it. His only help is Aurelia, a plebian girl who is searching for her own family. With no one to trust and nowhere to hide, the protagonist must decide how he is going to save his sister and get out with his life. He doesn't want the bulla or the responsibility of the magic it contains, but if the magical object gets into the wrong hands, Rome will be at war and Nic will be at the center of it all. Fans of Nielsen's "Ascendance" trilogy (Scholastic) will be clamoring for this new series. This genre mash-up of history, fantasy, and action/adventure is fast-paced and explores themes such as class struggles, familial ties, and the immorality of slavery. Readers will have lots to digest as they quickly flip through the pages to see how Nic will escape his enemies to become a free man.—Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ
AUGUST 2015 - AudioFile
MacLeod Andrews gives an exciting historical fantasy adventure a thrilling narration. Nic is a slave in the Roman mines, but when he finds an ancient bulla that once belonged to Caesar, he finds himself filled with magic from the gods. Soon he’s in the middle of the fight for control of Rome. With excellent voices and pacing, Andrews's narration creates suspense throughout the novel. The story ends with a cliff-hanger that leaves listeners wanting more. The audiobook also includes a bonus scene. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-11-04
Compelled by an ambitious general to retrieve an amulet from Julius Caesar's treasure, long hidden in a mine outside Rome, Nic—a slave with attitude—more than succeeds, upending his life and escalating conflict among the power brokers of imperial Rome.Caesar's bulla (a good-luck amulet given to boys in wealthy families), a gift from his ancestress the goddess Venus, is especially powerful. So is the terrifying but beautiful griffin guarding it, whom Nic names Caela. The two escape the cave only to be recaptured and sent to Rome as players in the city's brutal blood sports. With the bulla's help, they survive the games—barely. Caela's wounded, and Nic flees into the sewers, where he must beg for help from the girl he's angered. There's more to Nic than meets the eye—effervescent, hot-tempered, irreverent and funny, he's a bracing antidote to jaded teen heroes commenting ironically from the sidelines. Getting out of, then right back into, tight situations without losing sight of his goal—reuniting with his enslaved sister—Nic seizes each day with gusto, knowing his future will be short unless he can evade the power brokers—senators, Praetors, general, emperor—determined to make him their pawn. The fast-paced, ingenious plot, charismatic hero and highly diverse cast of characters—including the ancient, eternal city itself—make this series opener a captivating joy ride. (Historical fantasy. 10-14)
