Simon Scarrow's sixth installment of his "Eagle" story follows Centurions Macro and Cato during a transitional phase in the threaded storyline of this Sand and Sandals series. In the last book, "The Eagle's Prey", our heroes were banished from the war front in Britannia, where the majority of the...
“The Eagle's Prey” is Simon Scarrow's solid fifth volume in his "Eagle" series focused on roman military adventures in the early first century, AD. This is not the best of Scarrow's series, but it's an entertaining story of well-written action sequences held together by a reasonably solid, if not...
What strikes me most about this book, and to a certain extent the previous book in the series too, is just how different it is to the author's non-Roman period fiction.For someone who is routinely trotted out as one of the best authors of Roman fiction, it surprises me just how bland and un-engag...
Finally a book in the Eagle series that didn't feel like a huge waste of time reading.It has taken this far in to make me actually enjoy (slightly too strong a word) one and if I'm honest, if I hadn't been over-eager and bought all the books before having read any, I probably wouldn't have bother...
Trouble is brewing in Syria, on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. With the troops in a deplorable state, centurions Macro and Cato are despatched to restore the competence of the cohort. But another challenge faces them as Bannus, a local tribesman, is brewing up trouble and preaching vio...
"Simon Scarrow's Pulp Fiction-esque Roman adventure is a win for me and nil for the bores"Simon Scarrow use to be on the Goodreads author, but apparently after some embarrassing comments by a well known member he removed his account. After confirming this with the author, it rather made me think,...
The book The Generals by Simon Scarrow is an amazing non-fiction story about two brave, ambitious and fearless leaders; Napoleon and Wellington. This is the second book in the Revolution series and comes after young bloods.My favorite part in the book is Napoleon's campaign in Italy and how he wa...
A gripping new novel featuring Roman army officers Macro and Cato on their most dangerous mission yet. In the first century AD the Roman Empire faces a new threat from its long-standing enemy Parthia. Parthia is vying with Rome for control of Palmyra an officially neutral kingdom. Palmyra's royal...
Maximius was briefing the optios in charge of the day’s patrols. Each officer commanded twenty men and had a native assigned to them to act as a guide. Every one of them was a prisoner, iron collars chained to the belt of legionary guards. Since their children were being held hostage it was unlik...
He’d had no further opportunity to see Pompeius or to learn more about Decimus’s involvement in Caesar’s political circle. Marcus was sure his influence couldn’t be good, but he could no more prove that to his master than he could hope to escape and find his mother on his own. For now, he resigne...
Only shortly before, they had been quietly picking their way along a little-used path. Now fate had thrown them a slim chance to rescue the general's family and Cato felt the mad exhilarating terror of imminent action. Looking ahead he saw that the hill fort was now hidden behind the trees that r...
It rained frequently and the high passes over the hills were laden with snow and ice that slowed their pace. Most nights Thomas and Richard stopped in small villages, paying to sleep in barns when they could not find a room. Twice they had to sleep in the open, horses tethered to stunted trees wh...
Biting rainstorms lashed the foothills and frequently brought hail with them, battering the men of Caesar’s column as they made for the town of Mutina that would serve as their base. Cavalry patrolled further into the hills along the line of march, trying to gather intelligence on the location an...
Scores of ships were anchored in the Channel waiting for their turn at the jetty to unload their cargoes. Over a dozen vessels were tied up alongside, and hundreds of auxiliary troops were carrying sacks and amphorae from the deep holds of the broad-beamed cargo ships to stack them on carts for b...
Slewing to a halt at the rearmost century, Vitellius thrust an arm out, pointing down the slope to the village. 'Macro! Get your men back there at the double!' 'Sir?' Macro was momentarily startled by the order. His eyes followed the direction the tribune was pointing, and...
Above, an electric fan spun round on a low setting, barely stirring the air enough to offer him any comfort in the late morning heat which lay over the city like a stifling blanket. The walls were whitewashed and slightly stained where cupboards had once lined the room. The floor was wooden and s...
‘You better not have scrambled the bastard’s brains.’ Musa groaned and rolled his head to the side. He opened his eyes a crack and saw that he was in a stone cell, lit by the pale yellow glow of oil lamps. His head was pounding and the movement sent a wave of nausea sweeping through his guts. He ...
He sat up on the bed and winced at the light coming in through the window of the officers’ barracks. ‘Cato! Push that shutter to. The light’s killing me.’ Cato half closed the shutter and lowered the catch so that it would not swing open in the morning breeze coming off the sea. He returned to th...
Pavo had been awake most of the night, listening to the horrific sound of a new recruit enduring torturous initiation rituals in a nearby cell. His window overlooked the western side of the ludus, giving him the perfect view of the main entrance to the school. Four heavily armed guards manned the...
The training continued under the disciplined eyes of the legionary instructors, and even Cato was pleased with the improvement in the recruits’ drill technique and weapons handling. But he was also aware of a general pall of distraction and tension that hung over the native levies like a black cl...
‘Sweet Gods, spare us … Spare us.’ The sun had risen shortly before and a thin shaft of light had penetrated the gloom, illuminating the grim scene once again for those in the cold, stinking confines of the small space. It had been a miserable night for the three prisoners once they had been roug...