With Varro dead, devastated Spartacus grapples with loss and the grave consequences of his festering, bone-deep laceration. However, as the games against the renowned Titan of Pompeii rapidly approach, Batiatus is at a crossroads. And with the bitter taste of rejection and humiliation still in his mouth, the humbled lanista plots revenge, eager to go to great lengths to see justice done and secure his political aspirations. Now, the rabid thirst for power and vengeance clouds judgment, and no one is safe from harm, patricians and plebeians alike. Will the feverish visions of the Bringer of Rain prove to be prophetic? Will the old wounds ever heal?
—Nick Riganas