I Am Spartapuss by Robin Price

March 2005, Mogzilla

192 pages, Paperback

Review copy

Children's, historical 

Roman spa, Roman forum, gladiators, some mild cases of blood, lots of humour, a curse writer, imperial antics, lots and lots of cats 

Summary from Mogzilla 

Spartapuss' diary tells of how a Kiton slave became a prisoner, the prisoner became a gladiator. But will the gladiator become history?

Rome AD 36. The mighty Feline Empire rules the world. A ginger cat is comfortable managing Rome’s finest Bath and Spa complex. But Fortune has other plans for him. There’s a nasty incident in the Vomitarium. He’s arrested and imprisoned by Catligula, the Emperor’s heir and favourite. Released into a school for gladiators, our Fraidipuss hero must fight and win his freedom in the Arena - before his opponents make mouse-meat of him.

Nayuleska's thoughts

History made fun is always good in my books. As both a fan of ancient history and a lover/keeper/provider of one very spoilt cat, this book looked a gripping read. It was. I smiled most of the time while I read it. This is Spartapuss's diary. His voice is hilarious. I loved how every single part of the book was converted into the cat world. The way names of places and people were adapted was clever. I felt a little nauseas at the vomitarium, but it plays a key role in the book. Spartapuss was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but his friends do all they can to save him. The cats he meets while in prison aren't all they appear to be. There is actually a point why he becomes an arena raker - it's not a waste of time. Once I knew what the point was, I accurately guessed what his endless raking ended up doing for him. There is a lot of historical accuracy and I believe this series makes history more accessible to readers, and encourage them to learn more about ancient Rome. I want to hear more about all of Spartapuss's friends and enemies, they may be cats but I can relate to their lives. Apart from having curses written by an curse maker who has terrible spelling. 

Final conclusion

The cats' version of ancient history is hilarious. This book brings history to life, weaving historical facts in to a wonderfully invented cat world. Looking forward to more in this series.

Be sure to check out the other books in the series: Catligula, Die Clawdius, Boudicat, Cleocatra's Kushion (to be reviewed shortly).