LoveReading4Kids Says
October 2024 Book of the Month
Return of the Champions brings Annelise Gray’s superb classical Rome-set series to its conclusion and with old friends and old enemies making a return, and final, dramatic chariot races, it’s everything readers could want.
Alongside Dido, now a successful trainer and breeder, though as a woman still not given the recognition she merits, there’s a new young protagonist. Damon is the son of Nicias, who fans will remember from previous books. He longs to be a charioteer but as slave to Lucius, young son of Empress Agrippina, his chances are slim.
Forced to flee the palace and Rome, he’s lucky to meet Parmenion, luckier still that the trainer of the Blues racing team agrees to help him escape to Africa, and that Dido agrees to take him in. This is catharsis for Dido, and when they travel to Rome to take part in races in the Circus Maximus, she at last has the chance to right old wrongs.
As ever, it’s thrilling reading, characters – human and horse – racing off the page, and the settings so convincing we can feel the sun, smell the crowds, hear the crack of the whips. Whether you love adventure stories, the ancient world, horses, or just really good writing, this series is for you.
Andrea Reece
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Circus Maximus: Return of the Champion 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?
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781803281117 |
| Publication date: |
12th September 2024 |
| Author: |
Annelise Gray |
| Publisher: |
Head of Zeus |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
368 pages |
| Series: |
Circus Maximus |
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Annelise Gray Press Reviews
Praise for the series:
'"Rivals on the Track is as heart-poundingly thrilling as the races in its pages. I adored it. Buckle up for the ride of your life' - Lauren St John, author of The One Dollar Horse
'I loved this adventure – full of brilliant horses, and a determined heroine following her dreams against all the odds. Looking forward to discovering what's in store for them next" - Pippa Funnell, MBE, three-time Equestrian Olympic medalist.
About Annelise Gray
Debut children's author Annelise Gray was born in Bermuda and moved to the UK as a child. She grew up riding horses and dreaming of becoming a writer. Circus Maximus is partly inspired by her long-held dream of seeing a female jockey win the Grand National, an outcome which exists only in the pages of fiction. After gaining a PhD in Classics from Cambridge, she worked as a researcher for authors and TV companies. She's previously published a history of the women of the Roman Empire and a crime novel set in the Roman Republic. Annelise lives with her husband in Dorset where she teaches Latin.
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