Spartacus: Blood and Sand

The story begins with an unnamed Thracian’s involvement in the war against the Getae in Roman auxiliary under the command of the legatus, Claudius Glaber. Glaber, persuaded by his wife Ilithyia to seek greater glory, instead decides to confront the forces of Mithradates. The Thracian, feeling betrayed, leads a mutiny against Glaber, and returns to find his village destroyed. The Thracian and his wife Sura are captured by Glaber the next day; the Thracian is condemned to die in the gladiator arena for his crime, while Sura is condemned to slavery. However, he manages to kill the four gladiators appointed to kill him, and Senator Albinius commutes the prisoner's punishment to slavery. Since the prisoner's true name is unknown, Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of a ludus in Capua suggests to name him "Spartacus", because he fought like the ferocious Thracian king of that name.

Seeing the Thracian's skill and popularity with the crowd, Batiatus purchases him for training. Spartacus joins Batiatus’ ludus under the tutelage of Doctore, a former gladiator and fellow slave. He is befriended by Varro, a Roman who sold himself into slavery in order to pay his debts and support his family. However, he is harassed by more senior gladiators, notably Crixus, an undefeated Gaul, and Barca, a Carthaginian. Soon, Spartacus learns that Sura was sold to a Syrian slave trader. Batiatus, who has been unable to control Spartacus during his first days of training, discovers the instrument of his taming, and persuades Spartacus to fight for his and Sura's freedom.

Spartacus becomes very successful and is named the "Champion of Capua". Batiatus arranges the purchase of Sura, but she is delivered mortally wounded; her murder was ordered by Batiatus to keep Spartacus loyal and focused. Spartacus casts off his history as a Thracian, and forgets his dream of freedom, becoming content with life as champion. The turning point is when he is forced to kill his only friend in the ludus, Varro, when Ilithyia seduces the editor of an exhibition match in order to hurt Spartacus. While suffering from his wound in this match, he has fever dreams that lead him to discover Batiatus arranged Sura's death. Knowing that it is all or nothing when it comes to resistance of his enslavement, he resolves to "kill them all" and lead a revolt against the ruling house he once fought for.