Bestiarius ~ Paperback ~ Mayo Purnell

222 A.D. ... The Roman Empire is decaying, and the spectacles in the Colosseum are the Roman mob's only emotional outlet. Though their thirst for the sadistic and perverse has mounted through the years, there is still one man whose feats of strength and skill in the Arena have made him a hero to the people. Caius Marius Mannix is the 'Bestiarius, ' a type of gladiator who fights animals in the Colosseum. A veteran performer, he fights without hesitation and with a brutal technique which, combined with his often dazzling feats of skill, has made him an institution to the mob. But the current Emperor, a nineteen year-old who has proclaimed himself a god, is jealous of, and threatened by, the adulation Mannix receives. Unknown to him, his mother keeps a dark secret about the Bestiarius. A secret which, if it becomes known, will topple their regime and plunge the Empire into civil war. And when her son finds out her secret, Mannix will be in for the hardest fight for survival of his life. Bestiarius is an adaptation of a true story set in a factual period of Rome's history with real historical characters. It contains lavish descriptions of Ancient Rome and extremely graphic and accurate descriptions of what actually took place inside the Colosseum.Author BiographyMayo Purnell is a writer, painter and sculptor with over twenty years of experience of the city of Rome, its history, art and architecture. He divides his time between Rome and Dallas. 'Bestiarius' and 'Roman Animal Trapper' are part of a series of forthcoming novels, one of which concerns a veteran NFL linebacker who has a concussion in a game and has a flashback to the Roman Colosseum.