While we normally think about gladiators as muscular men fighting in arenas, historically women were also forced to fight as entertainment in the Roman empire. Jamie Ogle’s Daughter of the Rebellion imagines one such woman.
When Adel, part of the Visigoth tribe, is captured during a battle with the Roman army, she is sold to a gladiator school in Rome. There, she meets Felix, who is against the violence and helps the fighters as he can. As Adel’s fame grows, so does the war between the Romans and the Visigoths, heading toward a deadly showdown.
Throughout the novel, Jamie’s characters wrestle with their faith and how their decisions are impacted by their beliefs. In this story, like many of her other ancient-historical novels, Jamie includes a real-life person from early church history to come alongside the characters.
See which early church persona is not only included in this novel but who also inspired this story and read how Jamie wove themes of faith, trust, and surrender into the novel.
If you like what you read, get access to the entire first chapter of Daughter of the Rebellion. Or find your own copy in softcover, e-book, or audiobook at a retailer near you.
How did you come up with the idea for Daughter of the Rebellion? Was there a particular moment or experience in your life that inspired you to write this book?
Oddly enough, I’d never heard of St. Telemachus before (despite growing up on Adventures in Odyssey—I somehow missed that episode). So, when the time came to pitch new story ideas to my publisher, one story was chosen and I was asked what else I had to go with it.
I spent the next couple of days in prayer asking God for the story He wanted me to write. That week, during our homeschool co-op lunch hour, another mom swooped into the chair across the table from me (completely unaware of my story hunt) and said, “Okay, so you have got to hear the story of Telemachus! It’s amazing!” I knew as soon as she said gladiators that this was the story I was supposed to tell.
What special messages, themes, or symbols are included in Daughter of the Rebellion? Why are they important to you and to the book’s overall story?
There are a lot of themes and symbols woven throughout, but the one I see most strongly is the one of trust and surrender to God. Adel and Felix both have things they want, things they’re striving for to the point where they end up compromising their beliefs and convictions to get them. They end up in more trouble than they can get out of on their own, and they both have to come to a point of surrendering those desires to God and allowing Him to fill them in His time and in His way. While we may not be facing a gladiator arena, trusting and surrendering our lives to God is something we’re called to do every day as Christians. It’s something God was teaching me in the discovering of this story and over and again during the writing process.
Does a particular scene stand out in your mind as very memorable? If so, briefly explain what happens and why it resonates so much with you.
There’s a tiny moment in the story, that most might skim over, where one of Adel’s enemies does something horrific to gain the love of the crowd, yet we discover later that this person paid for that decision with their life. Instead of elation an enemy has been defeated, it’s a moment of sobering compassion. A moment where we see the devastating embodiment of “gaining the world and losing your soul.” And it should be devastating. Because every human life, regardless of ideology or geographical boundary is made in the image of God and is a soul Jesus died to save. Ezekiel 18:23 reminds us that God does not delight in the death of the wicked, but desires all to repent.
Was there a specific Scripture that inspired this story or that guided you while you were writing it?
The story opens with the end of II Timothy 4:6, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” There is such urgency in Paul’s instructions to Timothy in this entire chapter (and book), such imagery of athletes and soldiers. It drew me to consider what it looks like to fight a good fight as a Christian, how to live, endure, and finish well, and how to keep the faith through it all. These questions were constantly humming in my ears as I wrote.
Daughter of the Rebellion by Jamie Ogle
Rome, AD 403. As a loyal daughter of the Visigoth tribe, Adelgard followed her father to war, hoping to win back her family’s approval. But after a clash with the Roman army, Adel is captured and sold to a gladiator school. Now she is the most famous gladiatrix in Rome, determined to keep the fickle love of the crowd and never again rely on anyone but herself for her own security. But beneath the fame lies a darkness and pain that holds her captive.
Felix despises Rome’s fascination with violence. But after returning from medical training to discover his father missing and his family desperate, he had little choice but to accept a position at the gladiator school managed by his uncle. He finds a kindred spirit in Adel and does what he can to preserve the humanity of the rebel fighters, but when he receives orders that further compromise his beliefs, he arrives at a crossroads.
Then Telemachus, a Christian leader, approaches Felix with an urgent message: if the Visigoth captives are not released, their army will invade Rome. Despite the risk, the emperor is bent on proving his power through a stunning, deadly day of gladiatorial games. As Telemachus seeks to save the Visigoth fighters, Felix and Adel join forces in a desperate rebellion that may define not only their own lives but also the course of history.
Jamie Ogle is a predawn writer, homeschool mom by day, and a reader by night. Inspired by her fascination with the storied history of faith, she writes historical fiction infused with hope, adventure, and courageous rebels. A Minnesota native, she now lives in Iowa with her husband and their three children, and she can usually be found gardening, beekeeping, and tromping through the woods. Learn more about Jamie at jamieogle.com.