The Defiant
The Defiant
I turned and addressed those women directly, and the fishergirl translated my words into Greek as I spoke. “Thalestris bartered Sorcha’s life,” I said, “for the lives of the young women warriors that she swore an oath to protect and train. Without a second thought she abandoned us to the cruelties of a man who would feed on our strengths and our souls like a leech. She did that. Knowingly.” I shook my head sadly. “My sisters are to me as yours are to you,” I said. “And I would grieve for the loss of any one of them bitterly. But I ask you this: Is one life – taken unwillingly and at the behest of a male oppressor – worth the lives of so many kindred spirits?”
The murmuring among the younger Amazons grew.
The older ones exchanged glances.
“My sister told me what your Queen Penthesilea once said,” I continued, remembering clear as day the words Sorcha had recited to me when I’d stood beside her looking at the stone carving of the legendary queen and her warriors, “’Not in strength are we inferior to men’ . . .” I took a step forward, pleading my case directly to the younger girls: “‘the same our eyes, our limbs the same; one common light we see, one air we breathe. What then denied to us have the gods on man bestowed?’” I looked from face to face. “Help me prove the truth of her words. Help me see that we are not only the equal of men, we are better.”
Areto turned then and, in the softest of voices, said, “Lay down your weapons. We will not carry this battle any further today.”
Fallon and her gladiator sisters find themselves in a vicious fight with their rival academy, the Ludus Amazona. The future of the Ludus Achillea is at stake, and sadly the school is lost to Pontius Aquila despite the best efforts of the gladiatrices. Fallon and a few lucky ones are able to flee in the ensuing chaos, but many of the gladiatrices are not so lucky and remain captive. Fallon travels to Corsica in hopes of freeing her sister Sorcha and enlisting the help of Amazon warriors in order to return to the Ludus Achillea and triumph once and for all over Pontius Aquila. She vows that she will let nothing stop her from eventually regaining the school and freeing her sisters.
The Defiant is the second book of the “Valiant” trilogy, the first being The Valiant, and Lesley Livingston again spotlights Fallon as the main character of the novel. She is brave, intelligent, determined and strong, both mentally and physically. An adept warrior, Fallon is also conscious of her role as a conscientious leader who must do her best to both encourage and protect her warrior sisters. Fallon is capable of reacting impetuously and making mistakes, but she learns from them and constantly strives to move on and do better. Throughout the novel, she grows and develops, particularly in learning whom she can trust. Many people surround her and offer help and advice, but this can be simply a cover for betrayal, and Fallon must know the difference if she is to survive and complete her quest of retaking the ludus that she and her sister Sorcha worked so hard to develop.
There is a large cast of gladiatrices within the novel, and within this supporting cast are both supporters and enemies of Fallon. As well, there is a romantic interest which continues from the first book as Fallon and Cai become closer and more interdependent. Cleopatra makes a couple of brief appearances in the book, and there are mentions of Julius Caesar as well.
The setting of ancient Rome is an interesting one, and readers will get a sense of Roman culture and civilization from the novel. Adventure, drama and romance all are set within this intriguing background, and young adult readers will absorb some history even as they enjoy the action. Livingston also weaves bits of Roman mythology into the book with characters such as Kassandra and Charon and references to the River Styx.
While combat and adventure are mainstays of the plot, the idea of sisterhood is a major theme of The Defiant. Like all families, the members of the ludus do not always get along, and so there is infighting and discord among the women. However, when it is necessary, they work well as a team, and most put the good of the community ahead of their personal ambitions. Evidently, there is archeological proof that female gladiators existed along with their male counterparts. The feminist ideals of both the gladiatrices and the Amazon warriors who join forces with them are a strong influence in the novel.
Within this volume, there is less action that in The Valiant, the first book, and fewer one-on-one battle scenes taking place in the arena. However, there is action of a different sort as readers gradually understand the politics of Rome and the corruption behind an insatiable need for power. Readers also learn more about a mysterious cult, the Sons of Dis, who play an important, yet treacherous, role behind the scenes of the political arena.
It should be pointed out that the characters and events hinge on what happened in the first book, and so the two should be read in sequence. The Defiant does not work as well as a stand-alone novel. That said, young adult readers who want adventure centered on brave and intelligent women, with a touch of fantasy and history included, will undoubtedly enjoy this novel.
Ann Ketcheson, a retired secondary school teacher-librarian and teacher of English and French, lives in Ottawa, Ontario.