Lucia

By: Steven A. McKay

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

At eight years old, Lucia is torn from the life she knew. Her village burned to the ground and parents murdered by Romans, she is kidnapped, sold and shipped abroad to the Villa Tempestatis in Britannia to serve the young Roman army officer Castus.

Faced with a bleak future of decades of servitude to her master, as well as sadistic brutality at the hands of his slave and manageress, Paltucca, she finds herself fixated by one thought alone. Fuelled by hatred and a belief that the gods saved her for a reason, she vows to never taste freedom until she gets her revenge.  

As she and her fellow slaves are exploited mercilessly by the master and his 'noble' friends - and brutally punished for even the smallest misdemeanours - Lucia’s longing for vengeance only grows stronger. Despite warnings from her loyal friend, Sennianus, that her hatred won’t bring her happiness, she continues to plot the downfall of Castus and Paltucca.  

When Paltucca performs an unforgivable act, cruelly destroying a chance of happiness for Lucia, the manageress seals her own fate and unwittingly becomes her own undoing. But what will become of Castus? Risen within the ranks and trusted by the master, Lucia must decide whether or not to exploit her power and risk everything to fulfil her lifelong desire.

©2019 Steven A. McKay (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Sedate story of a slave's life

When I purchased this book, I thought it would have an exciting story of revenge. It turned out to be a sedate story of the life of a female slave in a Roman's household in Britain. She wants revenge, but the revenge peters out at the end of the novel. It was well written, but boring.

Lucia - Quest For Freedom

Steven A McKay captures, pun intended, a young Germanic girl in the first century Anno Domini by a Roman Tribune who takes her away to his villa in Britannia.
The story is detailed concerning the lives of slaves under Roman reality and is perfectly narrated.
The story is emotionally riveting following young Lucia as she endures the life of a slave, as she grows older, and plots her revenge on those that hurt and oppress her and her fellow slaves.
The tale is dark at times and the author does not hold back taking the Listener through the harsh existence, and empathetic feelings, for the multiple characters brought to life and death.
I feel the story would make an excellent movie or drama series.
There is a word that is used in the world that people throughout time universally hold on to, and all of Steven A McKay’ stories have it as a foundation, HOPE!

Great Story!

this book was a surprise, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it. The story is unbelievably beautiful and off course with Imogen Church narrating it comes vividly to life as you listen more intensely from chapter to chapter. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Hell hath no fury like a slave woman scorned...

They say revenge is best served cold but this is something else. Spanning the life of Germanic girl Lucia taken to Briton when she was but a child and put to work for her Roman master. Learning to obey and please through gritted teeth, as well as avoiding the dangers of a life where you can be flogged, maimed or killed unexpectedly just on a whim. Her journey into womanhood and progression through a life whilst harbouring her ultimate desire for complete revenge when the time is right. This is the Shawshank Redemption of revenge stories.

The narrator, Imogen Church, is superb and lifted the great story and dialogue and really did the prose justice. Perfectly capturing the heartache, camaraderie and fragility of slave life and her telling of a couple of tragedies in particular is emotional and moving. After the Wolf Lord books and the Druid, McKay changes gear and slips easily into a different world and commands it from the start. No wonder Audible picked it - it’s a seriously recommended listen.

A compelling 5* story from McKay.

Lucia is a slaves tale told from the very beginning when she is brutally taken from her family and those she loved left for dead.

Quickly Lucia learns her new place in life but struggles with the horrible Paltucca.. an evil manageress who never seems to be happy with the work no matter the standard.

Her master Castus is an enigma or sorts at first.. as a Roman officer he’s not always at home but when he is the wine and food flows.. some of his guests are less than delightful and their urges quite abhorrent.

Castus shows himself to be a good master at times ensuring the youngest slaves aren’t unduly harmed but as time goes on he himself changes…his own deprived tastes come to the fore and Lucia feels the brunt of his affections for a time.

While Lucia learns to deal with her masters demands she proves to be a good slave.. she’s part of a family. Of course she hates those who oppress her and she swears one day to get vengeance on all those who have wronged her.

As time goes on some important events happen to Lucia and her fellow slaves..the most important is her saving the estate from thieves. It’s a catalyst which sees Lucia’s fortunes change.

To say Lucia is a tough read is an understatement… don’t get me wrong.. this tale is gripping and it’s tough to put down.. what I mean is it’s harrowing… real heart wrenching.. to see someone downtrodden..treated like they don’t matter.. it’s hard to imagine a time when slaves were common place. The hardships these people suffer arent easy to forget.

Along the way we see friendships forged..and tested. Sennianus wants nothing more than to live an easy life with Lucia but she’s broken…Senni stands by her but struggles at times to accept the situation.

Regalis is the biggest character for me and plays a pivotal part.. he’s a slave but also has the job of delivering punishments on behalf of Paltucca…the thing is everyone likes the man.. he’s as honest as they come and is just doing as commanded by his master.. there’s no malice in his actions.

Sosthenes, while not very well liked he knows his place. There’s a moment your feelings for him change as you see the man in a different light.
Dentatus, a horrible creature of a man who will do anything if it sees him in the good books of the manageress.

The point I hope I’ve made clear is that this story is not just of Lucia.. yes the main focus is on her life but there’s so much more going on.. each member of the cast play their part and stay with you… they each have their own motivations and you can’t help but feel for them all. Some find it easier to adapt to their new lives than others but under everything they are humans..and their lives are worth more..

Lucia is an Audible book only and the narrator Imogen Church did superbly at making me commit to Lucia with everything I had. I like audio but can get distracted easily..Imogen Church commands your attention.. her tone perfect for each character.. emphasis just when you’d expect.

A compelling 5* story from McKay, an author who continues to amaze me with his writing.

Hmmmmmmmm

I cant help but feel annoyed by the way this book panned out. Not to give too much away, but too much was left unsaid, undone, and I searched for book two....sure that there would be a sequel to answer all those questions. No such luck. It ended abruptly and left me irritated!
The characters however are well described and the actual storyline is good. Theres a lot that could have been delved into deeper though. Lucias thoughts about the actual night Paltucca made the decision she did that ruined her life..... the storyline totally bypassed what actually happened from the female side its bizzare. I cant say too much without spoilers. Uts just all a but unsatisfactory and I feel like ive listened to half a book

Laborious narration ruined this for me.

I don't actually know how this book ended because for the first time ever, since becoming a member of Audible, I gave up on a book. The narration is so slow and laborious it drove me mad, I just wanted to wind up the narrator to make her read at a normal speed. On top of this, the voices of the characters were very badly done. As much as I wanted to know what happened to this slave girl, I could not persevere to the end and will buy the actual book and read it instead. The first Audible book I've returned and all because of the bad narration. Don't bother!

A great book

A great tale about a young girl taken as a slave and her life growing to maturity in a Roman villa

Good book spoilt by over-narration

Having read the description of this book, I bought it immediately without checking the narrator or listening to a sample. My mistake!
A potentially good book was spoilt by over-narration. Imogen Church reads in an exaggerated manner far more suited to children’s books, and her narration style doesn’t suit the tone/theme of the story. Despite enjoying the story, I couldn’t persevere beyond the first few chapters and returned the book. I’ll try and find the Kindle version to finish it.

Excellent

A good story, well narrated by imogen Church. Very unusual to have a female slave as the lead character. A stroke of genius. Great plot the story kept you interested all of the time. Unexpected ending. I especially like the part of the novel when the master of the house became a Christian. Things did change tor the better. However luccia used this to her advantage. Great novel, it would highly recommend this novel if you like historical fiction. The novel does not disappoint.

Really great listen!

You really feel for the characters and get a good idea of what they are going through each character is well described

Revenge before freedom

Another brilliant piece of exciting literature and craftsmanship from the Author Steven A Mckay ( forest lord series ) Lucia has great characters who you love or hate? The author has done some serious research into life in Roman Britain, and what life may have been like for a slave.. its a great book enhanced by the narration of Imogen church

a great and unique tale that is never predictable, tells the story of a young girl age eight whos life is turned upsidedown when the Romans slaughter her family and she is captured. and so begins her life of servitude, cruelty, and abuse for a roman master in Britannia.
she vows to have her revenge before she tastes freedom
does she get it , well you will have to read it to find out

Don’t waste your time

Poor story and over the top narration. Not really a story just a series of events.