I love the old “sword and sandal” movies like ‘Demetrius and the Gladiators’ and any version of ‘The Last Days of Pompeii’, as well as more modern works like Starz’s ‘Spartacus’ series. So the idea of writing a scifi romance series involving futuristic gladiators fits right into my world view as an author.

And for those who wonder why my scifi gladiators wear what looks remarkably like ancient Roman uniforms – hey, it’s cool looking, it says ‘gladiator’ immediately and as a kid I imprinted on Demetrius’s dramatic, swirling red cape in that movie. I carefully established in the first book that the citizens of the galaxy Hinterlands have a romantic, inaccurate view of their own historical past and therefore the gladiatorial ‘industry’ relives the imagined glories of the old days, complete with ancient weapons…and red cloaks. There’s a lot of world building to my gladiatorial system, and readers have said it reminds them of various forms of highly organized professional sports in our time, among other influences. (I also did a lot of research on the actual Roman gladiators.)

BENET is the fourth book in the series (which can be read as standalones with mild spoilers for the earlier books). He first appears as a supporting character in book one KYDEN and I immediately fell in love with him and knew he was going to need his own book at some point, even if he is human, not a genetically engineered Badari. After all, Kyden names his gladiatorial enterprise the House of Badari so technically by being a part of the organization, Benet is a Badari Gladiator. It’s actually a major plot point in this book.

There is another actual Badari Warrior in the book, however, who Benet meets fairly early on and who decides to help him.

I’d always kind of intended for Benet to end up in the Outlier Empire, which is a remote interstellar nation I’ve made references to fairly often but only written about once before, in LADY OF THE STAR WIND.  There had to be a reason for him to go there, however, and it occured to me he could be kidnapped to take part in a big multisport Games.  The event he’s to participate in on behalf of his kidnapper has a couple of tributes from me to a favorite old science fiction movie from 1983, “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.” There’s a scene in the movie where the Female Main Character has to briefly work her way through a twisted mass of spiky metal and I took that idea and blew it wayyyyy up. She also has to go through a kind of obstacle course and at one point is balancing on a slippery pipe over acid with pendulums trying to knock her off. I have a similiar challenge for Benet, among a lot of others.

When it comes to romance for Benet, I was never quite sure who he’d end up with. (The FMC in book one has a younger sister, just sayin’. But she and Benet don’t fit at all.) Once I knew he was going to Outlier, the right fated mate for him popped into my head.

Ekatereen, the icy Outlier Empress, first appeared in LADY OF THE STAR WIND, which is the story of her granddaughter. This relationship and what happened to Alessandra (as far as anyone in Outlier knows)  is referred to briefly by several people in BENET and the FMC in BENET credits her now-missing friend Imperial Princess Alessandra with serving as her mentor and inspiration for the professional goals she’s achieved. You don’t have to have read Alessandra’s story to enjoy BENET or vice versa.

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BENET: BADARI GLADIATORS SERIES BOOK FOUR by Veronica Scott

Benet Arencollo was a top ranked gladiator in the Five Systems, second in command at the House of Badari and acclaimed celebrity. He had the world at his fingertips…until he was kidnapped and taken to the Outlier Empire to compete in the sinister Empress’s Games. The shady noble who ordered him taken believes he’s an actual genetically engineered Badari Warrior. As Benet participates in training for the deadly events to come, he looks for ways to escape but Outlier is like a black hole – no way out. The only redeeming aspects of his captivity are working with a mysterious Badari who serves the Empress and finding the one woman who could capture his heart.

Marushka Nichevsky is a child of privilege and the daughter of the man who kidnapped Benet. She wants to be a veterinarian but she’s engaged to a man she barely knows and thoroughly despises and will be his trophy wife. Benet is everything she ever dreamed of in a romantic partner but their love is doomed given her position in Outlier society and Benet’s place as a prisoner.

Can Benet keep up the pretense of being a true Badari? Will his friends at home be able to locate and rescue him? And will he and Marushka find a way to be together?

Author’s Note: This is the fourth book in the Badari Gladiators series and can be read as a standalone (mild spoilers for earlier books). There are two instances of domestic violence off the page, not involving Benet, although the aftermath is shown and he is present for that. A couple other incidents of violence.

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The excerpt:

Benet stopped and eyed the structure in front of him, letting out a whistle. “What in the seven hells is that mess? Looks like the duke dropped a freighter full of junkyard scrap here.” He could see the primary structure was an open geodesic dome but then the space within was full of complicated smaller structures interlaced in uneven patterns.

“You’ll see. First we’ll walk around it.” The Badari ushered Benet toward the structure, which resembled a demented version of a child’s jungle gym, but with spikes. The framework shuddered in the morning breeze and parts inside shifted visibly.

After he’d made a 360 degree circle around the thing, which was two stories high, Dmitri stopped. “You have to make your way through one like this at the games, without getting sliced up by the sharp edges. Time is important. The man who posts the fastest time on this and the obstacle course gets the most favorable position on the field of combat.”

“Climb through it?”

“I’ll show you.” Walking up to the nightmare installation, Dmitri grabbed two struts carefully and hauled himself up and inside the complicated maze of metal. Benet watched in disbelief as the huge man worked his way through the coils and stacks of razor-sharp extrusions, moving generally upward and toward the center. He and Marushka circled the maze again, accompanied by the dogs, to keep Dmitri in view until he leaped to the ground from about fifteen feet up on the opposite side. A few scratches on his arms were already closing.

“Okay I’m in awe,” Benet said. “But how in the name of the underworld demons did you do that? It all looks basically the same to me and it’s all deadly.”

“Once you’ve entered, you have to find the path, which does exist by the way. There’s one allowing you to proceed with the least amount of damage,” Dmitri replied, “This is an exact replica of the one which will be at the imperial games and I have the clues to the safe routes memorized. You must do this as well.”

“You’ve done this before?” Benet asked. “In competition?”

Dmitri rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the floor. Marushka said proudly, “He won the Games five times and the Empress ruled he couldn’t compete any longer. Dmitri is unbeatable.”

“I believe it.” Benet had no doubt. How could humans possibly hope to defeat a Badari in a contest like this?

“Ae you ready to try it?” the Badari asked.

Hells no. “Sure, show me the ropes.”

They walked to the front again and Dmitri explained how to enter the maze. Benet hauled himself up and paused in the tight safe space to check the area out. Nothing but sharp surfaces with maybe a few places he could contort himself and get through. If a man as big as Dmitri could get through relatively unscathed, he ought to be able to accomplish the feat. “Do guys die at these games of yours?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Every time,” was the unsurprising answer.

There’s also a box set of books 1-3, available wide: