Hell of heroes
The collection includes 21 stories by various authors. Old veterans and young adepts faced the subject. The main theme is gladiatorial fights, although the writers have treated the subject differently.
Anthologies are always a collection of better and worse stories. Every story is different. Some texts will remain in memory, others will disappear immediately after reading.
It would seem that gladiators are a song of the distant past. However, here the topic was treated as a starting point to the deepest corners of the darkness. Diversity is always an advantage, because everyone can find something for themselves. Fans of sci-fi, dystopia (overwhelming number of stories), amateurs of the worlds of magic and sword, there is even one modern “raisin”. We will find out what a man is capable of doing to another man. Gladiators fight for survival, but also for power, freedom, wealth, fame, sometimes for fun. They are not always the main characters of a given text. Or heroines, because women also have their representation here. And also androids, hybrids, animals … In general, the authors give us to understand that a human will always need entertainment, and the more bloody it is, the better, because we gradually get used to everything.
21 stories, 21 worlds
The opening story of this collection is “All for One” by Tomasz Kołodziejczyk. It begins with the provocative words “Boredom. Boredom. Boredom”. Still, it is not boring. The main character is not a gladiator, but a Hunter, chasing the Corrupted (shortening people’s lives by a few weeks). There is something of the Witcher hunting monsters in it. There are fewer and fewer beasts, but a few more will be found. In fact, the hero seems to care more about the act of hunting. Because don’t people shorten their lives by irresponsible behavior? Efficient workshop and rich imagination of the author make the story read quickly, and the ending gives hope for its continuation.
The rules of the game are clean. Viewers pay for the ticket, gladiators repay them with their blood. Magdalena Kozak wrote a short story in the singular, rare second person. “Last shot of fear” emphasizes the value of being here and now. Even if it means an arena where you might die soon. What if gladiators changed places with spectators?
Magdalena Ratajczak “The Arena belongs to you “. I didn’t like the main character, Karen. Unfortunately, she does not like the uncertain random killer, where her only advantage is beauty. It is not known how by some miracle he wins all the fights. But until … The idea of the story reminded me of the old Schwarzenegger movie “The Runner” – prisoners take part in a game where freedom is at stake.
Bartek Biedrzycki has a gift for light writing. “Stulti et circenses” introduces us to the post-apo world. But take it easy, we’re not going to get depressed. The language is swift, the action is lively, the protagonist comments on the terrible reality with irony and humor (what a relief!). Tough but soft-hearted prose. There is even a romantic thread. Cool and quick to read story, accurate like a bullet from a rifle of a Ukrainian soldier. I believe that the text would benefit if the ending was more developed. It goes to my top 7 of this anthology.
EuGeniusz Dębski’s “Olympics of Shame” captivates with epic descriptions of fights, and sentences cut like well-sharpened steel. Snip, snip. Bah, bah. The militant Gesquena, locked up with her brother in the Penitentiary, kicks enemies without a trace of breathlessness. Two for one is not a problem for her, but you can’t win with the system …
Andrzej Pilipiuk , the favorite author of many readers, made a short story with a simple title – “Gladiator” . It doesn’t take us to any strange times. We are here and now, in a typically Polish, dilapidated early spring. But in a moment we are flying to sunny Italy, where excavations are underway in the former gladiator arena. From the first sentence, we know that an interesting adventure begins, although there will be no epic fights here. Unfortunately, I feel unsatisfied. It seems that a lot more could be learned from this idea.
Michał Śmielak in “The Last” sketches the landscape after the battle. Spartacus is dead, his companions are hanging on their crosses. The Roman Labienus saves the life of one of the gladiators. What are his plans for him?
Michał Gołkowski “Sol Invictus” begins classically. Forged sandals, an oil lamp, an armor and a helmet … Suddenly, the centurion pulls out a foil sheet from behind his coat. Then, with a trembling heart, he enters the lion’s cave, i.e. the lair of Michael the Archangel. It gets more and more interesting …
Wojciech Kowalski “Champion” I add to the top 7 of this collection. A short text (you will surely remember it) and a unique approach to the subject. Gladiators here are intelligent cockroaches, which in addition think (and in a literary language). I will not write more, read for yourself.
Marcin Podlewski – “Colosseum Inferno”. As the title suggests, we have a real hell here. Robots with the appearance of ghostly girls, the living dead in various forms, the contaminated earth … The heavens theoretically lost to the powers of hell. An ordinary, average and familiar-sounding Adam Mrowiak tries to cope with this terrible reality. Nevertheless, there is a lot of hope in this story. I congratulate the author on his ingenuity and include in my top 7.
Janusz Płonka – “Amulet” . Viewers feel the same as a gladiator, and the fights are broadcast on different planets in the universe. Our broken-hearted hero called Captain gets an offer he can’t refuse. He will fight where the rules do not apply. But he has his own plan …
Arkady Saulski in “The Greatest Hero” shows us an alternative world from the perspective of a teenage slave named Alva cleaning the gladiatorial arena after the fights. The dismembered corpses do not impress him, because he dreams of being a warrior himself. Though it is almost impossible, one day his wish will come true … Will it change his life?
Jarosław Grzedowicz “Murmillo from the End of the World”. Who is murmillo? This is a gladiator in a helmet with a crest on his head. Where is the end of the world? Far. For example, in antiquity. This is where time travelers land. In this text, know the class of a good writer. We can learn a lot about the times of real gladiators, Grzedowicz has a good knowledge of the realities and vocabulary of that world. We also have a puzzle to solve – where has the young temponaut gone? In addition, I appreciate the good psychology of characters and reflection on antiquity. Top 7, definitely.
“The Factory” by Aleksandra Staniewska is the story of a young slave Ra’Shrani, who receives an indispensable gift – the freedom and power to manage a Fighting Circle. Is there a bottom line behind this? And one more thing behind him? The story unfolds in an interesting way, only to fall flat at the end.
Michał Stanisław Śmietana – “The Last Romans”. It’s nice to read Polish names for a change. The story takes place in Vienna and Krakow. Edmund Lichnowski, the called fencer, together with his friends (and a friend) takes part in the Grand Tournament, in which, for some reason, the nobility are cut into slices only for the glory of their brotherhood. They hack each other, and the next day they fight again as if nothing had happened. A bit unlikely.
Krzysztof Abramowski with the story “O Lance Andromeda” goes to the top 7. The story tells about Estvan Atomic Strike, the champion of the arena. The fights take place in special suits that are linked to the combatants’ neurons, and the performance is assessed by artificial intelligence – Coordination, Reputation and Adoration. At the same time, a plan to escape to another world is developing, its author is another gladiator. Will the main character decide to try to change his life?
Maja Lidia Kossakowska – “On the orders of Caesar”. Here’s an interesting murder mystery set in the cold world of the Rift. Lockhett hates this darkness and cold temperature, but well… the job has to be done. And it was in the Arena of Olympus that the crime took place. Someone finished off the fighting androids, and the patrons associated with them. How to catch a degenerate android? You should hire a sorcerer, of course… My top 7.
By the title it may seem like we are going back into the past, but no. “Gniezno as beautiful as today” by Hubert Olkowski takes us to a city in Lechia that we do not know. The main character, Ulryk, is a strange mix, partly mechanical man who feels like a lonely freak. He wants to live a real life, have friends, but there aren’t many like him. One day the gladiator Mściwój disappears and his slaves lie dead. Ulryk decides to solve this mystery, we sharpen our teeth for more adventures and… unfortunately, disappointment.
Wojciech Okrutny is a cruelly inventive writer, and Cybernezis is great.
The ending is grim and surprising, and the story makes it into my top 7 of this anthology. We have a world in which people hardly ever see each other face to face (you can say that the writer’s vision is starting to come true now …). You live virtually, anyone can enter the head of, say, a gladiator and experience adventures in the arena with him. Of course, everything is passed through safe filters. Margaret Guynard wants to destroy this world. Will the test-tube man created for entertainment help her?
Alicja Janusz “On the beaten earth”. Here, finally, we have a break from machines, cyborgs, holograms and the terrible future that awaits humanity. For a change, we find ourselves in a somewhat less terrible past, where bards, lute players and żerczyny reign. Rębajłów and mercenaries. There are also magically gifted people there. Maybe there are even too many characters for a short story. The young noblewoman Nasława decides to organize a magic tournament. It is attended by Badylar, who is endowed with great power. What are the real intentions of the hostess?
Michał Puchalski’s story “Hymn to the Feather Serpent” , as the only one in the collection, takes place just before Hernán Cortés’ expedition. The Mexics defeat the inhabitants of Tlaxcala. Their ruler becomes a prisoner, and then selected to fight on the Stone of Warriors. Although the story itself is quite simple, you can see that the author made an effort to learn about the world of beliefs of the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica.
It’s worth it or not
The Anthology of Gladiators ”is over 750 pages of dense text, in addition in a small format that makes reading difficult (you have to wrestle with the book to open it wide enough). Nevertheless, the content defends itself (gladius). Of course, reading the descriptions of bloody fights, flying limbs and splitting heads can make us feel a bit tired of the topic. But it is worth reading the whole thing, because each subsequent story is a surprise. This anthology is like a box of chocolates, sometimes you will find your favorite nut and sometimes the hated rum. Will it be sweet or dry? Or maybe quite indigestible? Here, all “chocolates” are at least digestible. Applause for Fabryka Słów for giving “freshmen” a chance. Some of their stories are really great, so I advise you to remember the names.
