Blood and Fire is the second title in Gladiator School, a series of novels set in ancient Rome. A distinguished senator has gone into hiding after being accused of treachery, leaving his family to fend for themselves. His elder son Quintus has become a gladiator, while young Lucius works as a servant in the gladiator school. Lucius is convinced of his father's innocence - but how can he prove it? The gladiator troupe is sent to Pompeii to take part in the games. It's a lawless place, where knife-wielding thugs lurk in every alleway. But Lucius is befriended by Valens, the sponsor of the games, who offers to help him find his father. Meanwhile, strange rumblings and tremors are felt in the town, and a seer is warning that the 'end of days' is approaching. What can this portend? Can Quin survive his fights with the seasoned gladiators of Pompeii? And is Valens all he seems?