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Eagles of the Empire #15
Segraren
The gripping new Roman adventure in the EAGLES OF THE EMPIRE series, featuring Cato and Macro, from No.1 Sunday Times bestselling Simon Scarrow, author of BRITANNIA and BROTHERS IN BLOOD. Not to be missed by readers of Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell.
414 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 17, 2016
245 people are currently reading
1268 people want to read
About the author
Simon Scarrow
166 books2,186 followersSimon Scarrow is a UK-based author, born in Nigeria, and now living in Norfolk. He completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia, and, after working at the Inland Revenue, went into teaching as a lecturer at City College, Norwich.
He is best known for his "Eagle" series. This is Roman empire military fiction, starting with the second invasion of Britain, and continuing with subsequent adventures in every corner of the empire. The stories are told through the eyes of two centurions, Macro and Cato. To date there are eighteen books in the series.
Scarrow has also written a series of four novels on the Napoleonic wars, focusing on the lives of Wellington and Napoleon.
He is best known for his "Eagle" series. This is Roman empire military fiction, starting with the second invasion of Britain, and continuing with subsequent adventures in every corner of the empire. The stories are told through the eyes of two centurions, Macro and Cato. To date there are eighteen books in the series.
Scarrow has also written a series of four novels on the Napoleonic wars, focusing on the lives of Wellington and Napoleon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
January 3, 2017
It's a sad day when I feel I can only give a Simon Scarrow novel three stars - especially one that involves Macro and Cato. The more so when, in general, the story is as good as anything else the author has created for this series.
The plus side first then. This is a tautly written and well-paced adventure that puts a new spin on a perenial problem for the two protagonists. There is the battle in front of them and the shadow war for the control of the Imperium. Each combines to create a situation fraught with peril, treachery and deception. To say that Macro and Cato's return to Rome is less than happy would be a supreme understatement - especially for Cato. More on that later.
Having briefed an obviously weakening Claudius on the debacle in Britannia, they are given a new posting. Their old enemy Vitellius is given command of the Praetorian Guard relief force sent to put down an uprising in Spain. When he asks for Macro and Cato to be appointed to his command, you know it's not for the good of their health/career progression. And so it proves. Cato and Macro realise too late that the wily Vitellius is playing a much wider, deeper and more dangerous game than they had given him credit for. It will take every drop of their immense skill, courage and professionalism if they are to survive.
Now for the downside and the reason for a three star rating for what ought to be a sound five star read. Put simply, Cato is not firing on all cylinders for much of the book and it is the author's poor handling of the reason why that drags the story down. I don't object to Scarrow writing Julia Sempronia out of the story, but I do take issue with the way in which he's done so. The problem starts with the manner in which Cato is informed of her death - not by a letter from her father but in passing from a complete stranger. This jarred for me at the time, but I hoped that it was a piece of nasty Pallas-inspired disinformation. Later on I wondered if Julia had been embroiled in the struggle for power in Rome and had therefore to fake her death if she was to survive.
The truth is revealed in the first few chapters of 'Invictus' and for me, it just didn't ring true. The sensible, loyal and loving Julia is replaced by an unfaithful, selfish, profligate fool. This doesn't simply write Julia out of the series, it destroys her. It also makes her astute senator father into either an idiot or someone who condoned her infidelity. (Her affair with Tribune Christus does not seem to have been a secret one). Either way, Sempronius comes out of it pretty poorly.
It's entirely possible that a senator's daughter might come to regret marrying the son of a freedman - especially if he then disappeared on campaign and left her alone in Rome to play the role of an army wife. One could see the initial attraction cooling as the months went by, leaving her increasingly open to temptation. If Scarrow had added more foreshadowing to the story (for example the letters from Julia become progressively less affectionate and finally cease), it would have made things much more believable. Her death could then have been communicated to Cato by Sempronius. After all, what kind of decent father-in-law fails to let his daughter's husband know she's dead? Even when Cato meets Sempronius on hs return to Rome, this takes place off-page and is only briefly alluded to.
So, in summary, this leaves the book like one of those precious vases with a crack in it. You didn't notice it at first but when you do it's not something you can easily forget.
The plus side first then. This is a tautly written and well-paced adventure that puts a new spin on a perenial problem for the two protagonists. There is the battle in front of them and the shadow war for the control of the Imperium. Each combines to create a situation fraught with peril, treachery and deception. To say that Macro and Cato's return to Rome is less than happy would be a supreme understatement - especially for Cato. More on that later.
Having briefed an obviously weakening Claudius on the debacle in Britannia, they are given a new posting. Their old enemy Vitellius is given command of the Praetorian Guard relief force sent to put down an uprising in Spain. When he asks for Macro and Cato to be appointed to his command, you know it's not for the good of their health/career progression. And so it proves. Cato and Macro realise too late that the wily Vitellius is playing a much wider, deeper and more dangerous game than they had given him credit for. It will take every drop of their immense skill, courage and professionalism if they are to survive.
Now for the downside and the reason for a three star rating for what ought to be a sound five star read. Put simply, Cato is not firing on all cylinders for much of the book and it is the author's poor handling of the reason why that drags the story down. I don't object to Scarrow writing Julia Sempronia out of the story, but I do take issue with the way in which he's done so. The problem starts with the manner in which Cato is informed of her death - not by a letter from her father but in passing from a complete stranger. This jarred for me at the time, but I hoped that it was a piece of nasty Pallas-inspired disinformation. Later on I wondered if Julia had been embroiled in the struggle for power in Rome and had therefore to fake her death if she was to survive.
The truth is revealed in the first few chapters of 'Invictus' and for me, it just didn't ring true. The sensible, loyal and loving Julia is replaced by an unfaithful, selfish, profligate fool. This doesn't simply write Julia out of the series, it destroys her. It also makes her astute senator father into either an idiot or someone who condoned her infidelity. (Her affair with Tribune Christus does not seem to have been a secret one). Either way, Sempronius comes out of it pretty poorly.
It's entirely possible that a senator's daughter might come to regret marrying the son of a freedman - especially if he then disappeared on campaign and left her alone in Rome to play the role of an army wife. One could see the initial attraction cooling as the months went by, leaving her increasingly open to temptation. If Scarrow had added more foreshadowing to the story (for example the letters from Julia become progressively less affectionate and finally cease), it would have made things much more believable. Her death could then have been communicated to Cato by Sempronius. After all, what kind of decent father-in-law fails to let his daughter's husband know she's dead? Even when Cato meets Sempronius on hs return to Rome, this takes place off-page and is only briefly alluded to.
So, in summary, this leaves the book like one of those precious vases with a crack in it. You didn't notice it at first but when you do it's not something you can easily forget.
September 4, 2022
Back to the era of Ancient Rome with the irrepressible duo of Macro & Cato!
The prologue finds us in Hispania (modern day Basque region) in a village on the outskirts of a mine complex & it’s not long before those pesky Romans are upsetting the locals, however it doesn’t end well for them as they succeed in pushing the local populous to open rebellion when they try to execute their chief. That’ll do that…..
Que Macro & Cato!
After a quick visit to Rome that is, where Cato meets his son for the first time, before giving his report to the ailing Emperor Claudius on the situation in Britannia. The pair get to meet Narcissus, as expected, reacquainting themselves with his nefarious ways although he plays the “deeply misunderstood” card to explain away his skulduggery, it was all for ROME he bemoans. The jostling for power between Nero & Britannicus is reaching it’s summit before our duo are whisked away to Hispania to put down the rebellion which is more to their fare than matters of state & politicking.
And the rest of the story is about the campaign against the rebels which revolves around good honest legionary work even though the cohort Cato leads is made up of the praetorian guards.
Not much more to tell as read the rest of this one during recuperation & so not kept notes as normal….
3.5 stars, enjoyable romp, ideal for what I needed right now & always enjoy Cato & macro even if Cato has grown into a bit of a misery as he’s aged.
The prologue finds us in Hispania (modern day Basque region) in a village on the outskirts of a mine complex & it’s not long before those pesky Romans are upsetting the locals, however it doesn’t end well for them as they succeed in pushing the local populous to open rebellion when they try to execute their chief. That’ll do that…..
Que Macro & Cato!
After a quick visit to Rome that is, where Cato meets his son for the first time, before giving his report to the ailing Emperor Claudius on the situation in Britannia. The pair get to meet Narcissus, as expected, reacquainting themselves with his nefarious ways although he plays the “deeply misunderstood” card to explain away his skulduggery, it was all for ROME he bemoans. The jostling for power between Nero & Britannicus is reaching it’s summit before our duo are whisked away to Hispania to put down the rebellion which is more to their fare than matters of state & politicking.
And the rest of the story is about the campaign against the rebels which revolves around good honest legionary work even though the cohort Cato leads is made up of the praetorian guards.
Not much more to tell as read the rest of this one during recuperation & so not kept notes as normal….
3.5 stars, enjoyable romp, ideal for what I needed right now & always enjoy Cato & macro even if Cato has grown into a bit of a misery as he’s aged.
January 3, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Quite possibly my favourite of the series to date. I'm so sorry to have finished it. 4.5 stars.
July 28, 2017
This is the only series where I have to read every book as soon as released. I could literally spend all day reading about Cato and Macro. I like the historical accuracy as well as the fabulous page turning adventures. Can't wait for the next one!
January 6, 2018
4.5 stars
Best Cato and Macro in a while. Great plot, good prose, terrific pacing, good local colour, interesting mining camp, spies and traitors, good plot twist at the end. I saw one plot twist coming, but that’s okay! The start was a bit clichéd, but it get going well once they are in Spain.
I love the detail and colour that Scarrow brings to his tales of the Roman Army in the first century!
Notes and quotes:
5.0% ... a bit clichéd so far.
12.0% ....
"‘We get what fate deals out to us, lad. And we have no choice about how we handle it.’
Cato smiled. ‘What’s this? Philosophy?’
‘Experience, lad. Much better.’"
31.0% ... Sorry. No. I simply don't believe how easily Cato believes the worst about [loved person]...
69.0%
".... Truly, Macro thought, the most effective weapons in Rome’s arsenal were the picks and shovels wielded by her soldiers."
Best Cato and Macro in a while. Great plot, good prose, terrific pacing, good local colour, interesting mining camp, spies and traitors, good plot twist at the end. I saw one plot twist coming, but that’s okay! The start was a bit clichéd, but it get going well once they are in Spain.
I love the detail and colour that Scarrow brings to his tales of the Roman Army in the first century!
Notes and quotes:
5.0% ... a bit clichéd so far.
12.0% ....
"‘We get what fate deals out to us, lad. And we have no choice about how we handle it.’
Cato smiled. ‘What’s this? Philosophy?’
‘Experience, lad. Much better.’"
31.0% ... Sorry. No. I simply don't believe how easily Cato believes the worst about [loved person]...
69.0%
".... Truly, Macro thought, the most effective weapons in Rome’s arsenal were the picks and shovels wielded by her soldiers."
December 17, 2016
**SPOILER WARNING: PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK**
Simon Scarrow's latest book in the series, Invictus being the 15th, you would expect that the series might be dwindling a bit...loosing its edge, but oh no! Whilst there are some negatives I do have (I'll get onto them later) I do think that this is still a well-written book.
Fresh off their campaign in Britain, as we saw in Britannia, Macro and Cato return home to find themselves thrust into a politically charged environment: Emperor Claudius is fading and there is the heir apparent Nero waiting in the wings. I find that Simon leans too heavily on the Cato/Julia situation and doesn't really answer the question as to to the 'who' but, more or less, leaves it opened ended -- maybe to resurface in a later book, perhaps? (At least, to my eyes, I didn't see the answer...)
With Cato being forced into debt, at the hands of his late wife Julia (again there's the angle), there is only option for our heroes: to go on yet another campaign. Although unsuspectingly they are sent off to Spain, in Roman times called Hispania.
Even before they set off for Spain, an interesting bit of the book is where Caractus - the most powerful leader of the tribes of Britain - is spared from execution which is instigated by Cato. It's really interesting to me because you would expect with having to really fight against the Tribes and Druids, and even Britain's terrible weather, that the Romans would have a less apathetic view towards Caractus.
After that is where the main action begins. Here a large portion of the book is taken up by the action. Simon's prowess for explaining the detail and the action, to me, is always second-to-none and whilst I enjoyed the to-and-fro of the campaign, I knew that Cato and Macro would eventually come out on top. And they do.
On their way back home, stopping off in the port of Ostia, they quickly learn that Claudius died (the barwoman replying with "who knows?" as to how he actually died -- remember that Rome had an apt way of dealing with Emperors they didn't like...) and Nero has taken power. They also learn that Narcissus is dead (I would've like some better closure to this...rather than it just being 'oh okay, he's dead, moving on...') and that what awaits them in Rome, they both summarise, will be 'interesting'.
I can overlook some of the negatives but I wish that the Cato/Julia situation would've been shorter or, at least, more condensed. The twist at the end is quite interesting -- the missing bullion, why Vitellius chose them in the first place, all that -- is done in a clever way as it is all answered. It'll be really interesting to see where the next book goes as our heroes could find themselves in a spot of bother with Nero being in power.
A really good read. 4/5
Simon Scarrow's latest book in the series, Invictus being the 15th, you would expect that the series might be dwindling a bit...loosing its edge, but oh no! Whilst there are some negatives I do have (I'll get onto them later) I do think that this is still a well-written book.
Fresh off their campaign in Britain, as we saw in Britannia, Macro and Cato return home to find themselves thrust into a politically charged environment: Emperor Claudius is fading and there is the heir apparent Nero waiting in the wings. I find that Simon leans too heavily on the Cato/Julia situation and doesn't really answer the question as to to the 'who' but, more or less, leaves it opened ended -- maybe to resurface in a later book, perhaps? (At least, to my eyes, I didn't see the answer...)
With Cato being forced into debt, at the hands of his late wife Julia (again there's the angle), there is only option for our heroes: to go on yet another campaign. Although unsuspectingly they are sent off to Spain, in Roman times called Hispania.
Even before they set off for Spain, an interesting bit of the book is where Caractus - the most powerful leader of the tribes of Britain - is spared from execution which is instigated by Cato. It's really interesting to me because you would expect with having to really fight against the Tribes and Druids, and even Britain's terrible weather, that the Romans would have a less apathetic view towards Caractus.
After that is where the main action begins. Here a large portion of the book is taken up by the action. Simon's prowess for explaining the detail and the action, to me, is always second-to-none and whilst I enjoyed the to-and-fro of the campaign, I knew that Cato and Macro would eventually come out on top. And they do.
On their way back home, stopping off in the port of Ostia, they quickly learn that Claudius died (the barwoman replying with "who knows?" as to how he actually died -- remember that Rome had an apt way of dealing with Emperors they didn't like...) and Nero has taken power. They also learn that Narcissus is dead (I would've like some better closure to this...rather than it just being 'oh okay, he's dead, moving on...') and that what awaits them in Rome, they both summarise, will be 'interesting'.
I can overlook some of the negatives but I wish that the Cato/Julia situation would've been shorter or, at least, more condensed. The twist at the end is quite interesting -- the missing bullion, why Vitellius chose them in the first place, all that -- is done in a clever way as it is all answered. It'll be really interesting to see where the next book goes as our heroes could find themselves in a spot of bother with Nero being in power.
A really good read. 4/5
March 27, 2024
4.5 stars
July 19, 2018
Mais uma história bem contada. Emoção, aventura, tudo o que é necessário para aprimorar a nossa imaginação sobre uma realidade impossível de imaginar. Obrigado, Simon.
February 9, 2017
Politics and the Military establishment has been feeding off each other since ancient times and this book shows the dark side of the Roman empire with its depredations of the mob mentality,political assasination,deceptive scheming and cold hearted greed for power.Humans are shown to be capable to lose their soul and sacrifice all meaning in the pursuit of ultimate power.Macro and Cato shows how true friendship can become the brightest silver lining among the darkest clouds of greed,lust and power. Slavery and its evils are depicted in the book. Rome was once built on the foundations of democracy and the light of reason as seen in the book was snuffed out by the overwhelming imperial emperors.A good book and makes it enjoyable for a history buff.
August 21, 2025
Trudging through this series like a legionary on a 30km route march am I right haha
June 16, 2018
Una aventura más, y con esta ya van 15, de nuestros legionarios favoritos, Cato y Macro.
Después de tanto tiempo por fin llegan a Hispania, a las tierras astures, donde tendrán que enfrentarse al levantamiento de un cacique local que amenaza con provocar una crisis de consecuencias imprevisibles con riesgo de desestabilizar todo el imperio.
Como podéis imaginar, si he leído esta novela es porque ya cayeron todas las anteriores, y continuar leyendo una saga después de tantos libros solo puede significar una cosa: Me encanta. Así que cuando termino un nuevo título de sus libro siempre me hago la misma pregunta. ¿Realmente es tan bueno o me está influyendo la opinión de la saga en su conjunto?
En esta ocasión no tengo ninguna duda de la respuesta: está genial.
La historia comienza con la llegada de Cato y Macro a Roma después de todas las vicisitudes que tuvieron que afrontar en Britania. La situación que les espera allí es sumamente peligrosa para los protagonistas. Intrigas políticas, conspiraciones, y un secreto que afecta a la familia de Cato que pronto será descubierto. Todo ello los coloca en una posición de vulnerabilidad. Lejos del campo de combate, las puñaladas pueden llegar por cualquier sitio.
Una vez que avanza la historia descubrimos el próximo destino de los compañeros: el norte de Hispania, en las tierras de los astures. Allí, en inferioridad numérica como suele ser habitual a lo largo de toda la saga, tendrán que enfrentarse a un nuevo enemigo para intentar salvaguardar la paz en el imperio.
Scarrow tiene una forma peculiar de narrar, o al menos a mí me pasa algo curioso con sus libros, y es que me da la sensación de que no está pasando nada, cuando está pasando todo en realidad. Tensión, violencia, maniobras, combates… A lo largo de las páginas de sus novelas nos describe como pocos el terror de la guerra y el lado más humano de la misma: el compañerismo, la amistad, la disciplina o el heroísmo; a través de pequeños detalles que se van entremezclando para componer una visión muy realista de lo que pudo haber sido una batalla en la antigüedad.
Al final, te das cuenta de que has ido devorando las páginas casi sin darte cuenta y solo cuando echas la vista atrás eres consciente de todo lo que ha pasado.
Por supuesto aunque Cato es el protagonista principal y con el que más empatizamos por su humanidad, mi personaje favorito es Macro. Testarudo, cabezón, disciplinado… en su vida solo hay blancos o negros, amigos o enemigos. Todo lo demás son complicaciones. Y en un entorno tan violento como el de la época, en la mayoría de las ocasiones suele estar acertado.
Conclusión:
Si te planteas leer esta novela, seguro que ya conoces de qué va la saga. Y si has llegado hasta aquí, sin duda te la recomiendo. Es más de lo mismo, pero precisamente por eso mola tanto.
Valoración personal: 5/5.
Después de tanto tiempo por fin llegan a Hispania, a las tierras astures, donde tendrán que enfrentarse al levantamiento de un cacique local que amenaza con provocar una crisis de consecuencias imprevisibles con riesgo de desestabilizar todo el imperio.
Como podéis imaginar, si he leído esta novela es porque ya cayeron todas las anteriores, y continuar leyendo una saga después de tantos libros solo puede significar una cosa: Me encanta. Así que cuando termino un nuevo título de sus libro siempre me hago la misma pregunta. ¿Realmente es tan bueno o me está influyendo la opinión de la saga en su conjunto?
En esta ocasión no tengo ninguna duda de la respuesta: está genial.
La historia comienza con la llegada de Cato y Macro a Roma después de todas las vicisitudes que tuvieron que afrontar en Britania. La situación que les espera allí es sumamente peligrosa para los protagonistas. Intrigas políticas, conspiraciones, y un secreto que afecta a la familia de Cato que pronto será descubierto. Todo ello los coloca en una posición de vulnerabilidad. Lejos del campo de combate, las puñaladas pueden llegar por cualquier sitio.
Una vez que avanza la historia descubrimos el próximo destino de los compañeros: el norte de Hispania, en las tierras de los astures. Allí, en inferioridad numérica como suele ser habitual a lo largo de toda la saga, tendrán que enfrentarse a un nuevo enemigo para intentar salvaguardar la paz en el imperio.
Scarrow tiene una forma peculiar de narrar, o al menos a mí me pasa algo curioso con sus libros, y es que me da la sensación de que no está pasando nada, cuando está pasando todo en realidad. Tensión, violencia, maniobras, combates… A lo largo de las páginas de sus novelas nos describe como pocos el terror de la guerra y el lado más humano de la misma: el compañerismo, la amistad, la disciplina o el heroísmo; a través de pequeños detalles que se van entremezclando para componer una visión muy realista de lo que pudo haber sido una batalla en la antigüedad.
Al final, te das cuenta de que has ido devorando las páginas casi sin darte cuenta y solo cuando echas la vista atrás eres consciente de todo lo que ha pasado.
Por supuesto aunque Cato es el protagonista principal y con el que más empatizamos por su humanidad, mi personaje favorito es Macro. Testarudo, cabezón, disciplinado… en su vida solo hay blancos o negros, amigos o enemigos. Todo lo demás son complicaciones. Y en un entorno tan violento como el de la época, en la mayoría de las ocasiones suele estar acertado.
Conclusión:
Si te planteas leer esta novela, seguro que ya conoces de qué va la saga. Y si has llegado hasta aquí, sin duda te la recomiendo. Es más de lo mismo, pero precisamente por eso mola tanto.
Valoración personal: 5/5.
August 8, 2018
A estas alturas poco se puede añadir a lo comentado sobre esta saga de libros. Tal vez, reseñar que Invictus es, probablemente, de los mejores de la misma. Scarrow no da signos de cansancio y nos regala una narración ajustada a los cánones, del género y de la propia historia de Cato y Macro. Una introducción rápida, unas pinceladas de situaciones personales y después acción, aventuras y diversión al estilo Scarrow.
En este caso la historia tiene lugar en Hispania, y ello le puede añadir un cierto interés al lector español, pero lo cierto es que las andanzas de los protagonistas no suelen tener mucha influencias locales. Es la legión romana contra sus enemigos locales, sean celtas, íberos o africanos. Con batallas, asedios y toda lo que uno espera de este tipo de libros.
Sencillo, ameno y fácil de leer. Si has llegado hasta este volumen es que te gustaban los anteriores. En ese caso disfrutarás de Invictus porque es uno de los mejor rematados de la saga....
En este caso la historia tiene lugar en Hispania, y ello le puede añadir un cierto interés al lector español, pero lo cierto es que las andanzas de los protagonistas no suelen tener mucha influencias locales. Es la legión romana contra sus enemigos locales, sean celtas, íberos o africanos. Con batallas, asedios y toda lo que uno espera de este tipo de libros.
Sencillo, ameno y fácil de leer. Si has llegado hasta este volumen es que te gustaban los anteriores. En ese caso disfrutarás de Invictus porque es uno de los mejor rematados de la saga....
June 20, 2017
Wow. Scarrow is a reliable author but this is certainly one of his better books. It's been a while since I read a good page-turner and I managed to read this in a couple of days. It has everything in a book for a historical fiction (and most fantasy fans). There is political intrigue, numerous hard-case villains, battles and a great plot. Set in Spain ad with a silver mine at risk there is the hallmarks of a good tale. Not only does Scarrow deliver but there is a twist to the plot and the underlying politics wins out.
Spoiler - Julia's betrayal was hard to accept but I sense a carry on on this tale in a follow up novel. I bet she's not the villain she is made out to be.
Spoiler - Julia's betrayal was hard to accept but I sense a carry on on this tale in a follow up novel. I bet she's not the villain she is made out to be.
August 11, 2021
This was just the book I needed after the previous philosophical tome. Easy reading, quick paced and enjoyable. I've been reading Scarrow's books for years now but I've fallen a bit behind. Once again as with all the Macro and Cato books the plot is interesting, if a little predictable and provides a vivid and balanced portrayal of Roman life and warfare. This time the focus of the book was in Spain although to be perfectly honest the descriptions could have been used for basically any province in the empire. However despite the different location the plot remains business as per usual. A military objective takes the forefront with shadowy political dealings in the background.
Although I greatly enjoyed reading this if I had to criticise anything it'd be the lack of surprises. The foreshadowing is very obvious and the main characters wear some pretty thick plot armour (although I'm not complaining). In addition I feel some of the background plot is a bit underdeveloped. Everything concerning Julia doesn't seem that believable and I keep waiting for a twist regarding this storyline. However, all in all a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next one!
Best quote: "What's this, philosophy?" "Experience lad, much better") (Seems especially fitting after what I just read)
Although I greatly enjoyed reading this if I had to criticise anything it'd be the lack of surprises. The foreshadowing is very obvious and the main characters wear some pretty thick plot armour (although I'm not complaining). In addition I feel some of the background plot is a bit underdeveloped. Everything concerning Julia doesn't seem that believable and I keep waiting for a twist regarding this storyline. However, all in all a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next one!
Best quote: "What's this, philosophy?" "Experience lad, much better") (Seems especially fitting after what I just read)
September 23, 2018
Since I was little, in my house there has always been a love for history, and also historical fiction. I regard this series as something pertaining my whole family. We take turns reading the adventures of Cato and Macro, and we comment avidly on their triumphs and misfortunes. Long story short, if you are new to the series, give it a go.
For us veterans, there has been the need of making something different with the characters, and while this book tries to do so I, as many fans, do not buy the turn a character makes nor I can't truly understand why this is needed. However, the core of the relationship of our two favourite roman soldiers is still there and the adventures now take us to my home country of (then) Hispania.
Solid read, solid fun. Give the series the shot it deserves
For us veterans, there has been the need of making something different with the characters, and while this book tries to do so I, as many fans, do not buy the turn a character makes nor I can't truly understand why this is needed. However, the core of the relationship of our two favourite roman soldiers is still there and the adventures now take us to my home country of (then) Hispania.
Solid read, solid fun. Give the series the shot it deserves
December 24, 2021
Un recupero, per completare la serie in progressione. Ma anche dopo averne letto (per errore) il seguito, questo testo di Scarrow conferma tutte le caratteristiche che hanno fatto di quest'autore sicuramente il miglior narratore di storie romane. Bello il breve trasferimento nella penisola iberica dei due nostri eroi Catone e Macrone, con una storia di assedio. Coem sempre una lettura che ti lega alla pagina senza lasciarti un attimo di respiro.
January 17, 2019
It's been quite a while since I've checked in with Cato and Macro, but this was a thoroughly enjoyable entry in the series.
November 11, 2019
Nothing happens for 311 pages, and then the last 30 pages everthing happens.
August 22, 2022
Appassionante rapisce dall' inizio alla fine
February 22, 2023
Another amazing Cato and macro novel. Plenty of moments of peril and interesting to see Catos character change… and maybe not for the better.
July 29, 2023
Another entertaining adventure for our Roman soldiers. The story was written a bit too simple and the some of characters made a bit of a dumb impression on me compared to previous entries in the series.
March 26, 2017
Weer in no time uit!
Natuurlijk is het verhaal voorspelbaar, maar ik vond the a team ook te gek!!
Natuurlijk is het verhaal voorspelbaar, maar ik vond the a team ook te gek!!
December 29, 2018
This gripping and excellent book by Simon Scarrow is the 15th volume of the still wonderful "Eagles of the Empire" (Cato & Macro) series.
The book contains a wonderful detailed account about the Praetorian Guard at the end of the book, while at the beginning you'll find two well-drawn maps of Hispania and the Imperial Mine at Argentium, as well as a Praetorian Guard Chain of Command, and finally an always exciting looking Cast List.
It's another excellent book with superb story-telling, and with a fantastic chorus of great characters, real or fictional, who all come vividly to life within this tale which is mainly featuring in Hispania.
The tale is now set, for the time has moved on somewhat after their adventures in Britannia, in the year AD 54, and our main characters, the cunning and intelligent Prefect Cato and his ferocious fighting friend 1st Centurion Macro, find themselves after a short spell in Rome mainly in Hispania where our main story will develop into a thrilling one.
The story itself is about the simmering unrest that is reaching boiling point in the Roman province of Hispania, and to quell that unrest a crack unit of the army's finest, supported by the Praetorian Guard, is sent there, along with them all naturally our heroes Cato and Macro.
On the one hand Cato and Macro have to face and are confronted with the hatred from the local populace, while on the other hand there's treachery and intrigue which will eventually bring down Emperor Claudius.
What will follow is an exciting and suspenseful tale in which Cato and Macro will find themselves in certain dangerous situations, but only through courage, good fortune and strategic brilliance will they survive this turmoil of political intrigue and assassination attempts.
Highly recommended, for this is an excellent Roman historical story and so in my opinion, "A Very Intriguing Roman Hispanic Tale"!
The book contains a wonderful detailed account about the Praetorian Guard at the end of the book, while at the beginning you'll find two well-drawn maps of Hispania and the Imperial Mine at Argentium, as well as a Praetorian Guard Chain of Command, and finally an always exciting looking Cast List.
It's another excellent book with superb story-telling, and with a fantastic chorus of great characters, real or fictional, who all come vividly to life within this tale which is mainly featuring in Hispania.
The tale is now set, for the time has moved on somewhat after their adventures in Britannia, in the year AD 54, and our main characters, the cunning and intelligent Prefect Cato and his ferocious fighting friend 1st Centurion Macro, find themselves after a short spell in Rome mainly in Hispania where our main story will develop into a thrilling one.
The story itself is about the simmering unrest that is reaching boiling point in the Roman province of Hispania, and to quell that unrest a crack unit of the army's finest, supported by the Praetorian Guard, is sent there, along with them all naturally our heroes Cato and Macro.
On the one hand Cato and Macro have to face and are confronted with the hatred from the local populace, while on the other hand there's treachery and intrigue which will eventually bring down Emperor Claudius.
What will follow is an exciting and suspenseful tale in which Cato and Macro will find themselves in certain dangerous situations, but only through courage, good fortune and strategic brilliance will they survive this turmoil of political intrigue and assassination attempts.
Highly recommended, for this is an excellent Roman historical story and so in my opinion, "A Very Intriguing Roman Hispanic Tale"!
November 19, 2016
Wow. I'm going to say that a huge portion of this book was very painful to read. Not because of the writing, no. The writing is superb, the story and plotting masterful, as always. But poor, poor Cato. Having followed his (and Macro's journey) since his days as an Optio and now, when, having through many trials gained the ranked of Prefect and has found the love of his life (some books back) - he now needs to cope with not just the tragic incident/news from the previous book, but something much, much worse. I feel for him. And I don't know why, but I'm getting the sense that there's still worse to come, in future books. Seriously, poor, poor Cato.
It's a testament to the masterful story-telling that have kept us readers hooked and following from Book 1 to now Book 15, and how Cato and Macro are not just two dimensional characters in a book but figures we can empathise with, and feel sad for. We've felt their joys and shared in their triumphs - in this book, we will share in Cato's despair and hurt. We can see subtle hints of him growing dark, in very small ways, and while we can't really blame him considering the circumstances - we hope for him, we want him to get to his triumph again.
Characterisation aside, the action scenes are masterfully told. You'll feel your heart rate speeding up as you read about each slash, each block, each stab.
I am looking forward to Book 16 with mixed feelings - I'll definitely buy it the moment it is available, but I fear for our heroes. I fear for Cato - like I said, I think the worse is to come. But I know we readers and fans of the Eagle series will still be there, cheering for him (and Macro) from across the pages of time and fiction.
It's a testament to the masterful story-telling that have kept us readers hooked and following from Book 1 to now Book 15, and how Cato and Macro are not just two dimensional characters in a book but figures we can empathise with, and feel sad for. We've felt their joys and shared in their triumphs - in this book, we will share in Cato's despair and hurt. We can see subtle hints of him growing dark, in very small ways, and while we can't really blame him considering the circumstances - we hope for him, we want him to get to his triumph again.
Characterisation aside, the action scenes are masterfully told. You'll feel your heart rate speeding up as you read about each slash, each block, each stab.
I am looking forward to Book 16 with mixed feelings - I'll definitely buy it the moment it is available, but I fear for our heroes. I fear for Cato - like I said, I think the worse is to come. But I know we readers and fans of the Eagle series will still be there, cheering for him (and Macro) from across the pages of time and fiction.
December 6, 2016
This is the first Simon Scarrow book I have read and though this is the latest in a series of books it can be read as a standalone and I did not feel as though I had lost out by not reading the others first.
This is a well written, well researched book that has some tough situations to deal with. Poor Cato finds out that not only had his beloved deceased wife been having an affair but the guy she was having the affair with is now among the men he has to lead. But along with the personal situation this is a fast paced adventure that puts Macro and Cato in some nail biting situations with some ingenious ways of getting out of them.
Now having popped my Simon Scarrow cherry and thoroughly enjoyed the book I will have to go and investigate his back catalogue.
This is a well written, well researched book that has some tough situations to deal with. Poor Cato finds out that not only had his beloved deceased wife been having an affair but the guy she was having the affair with is now among the men he has to lead. But along with the personal situation this is a fast paced adventure that puts Macro and Cato in some nail biting situations with some ingenious ways of getting out of them.
Now having popped my Simon Scarrow cherry and thoroughly enjoyed the book I will have to go and investigate his back catalogue.
August 2, 2017
I enjoyed some of the action sequences and the general idea behind this story, but it might be getting time to retire this series. I have some issues with the drastic and sudden change in their personalities and the personalities of the secondary characters. Especially when that change appears outside of the books. Additionally, a pet peeve of mine is when there are inconsistencies and errors in continuity. A slight problem now that the series has gone on for so long.
December 20, 2017
A good addition to this series with some interesting twists and returning characters from the early days of the Eagles books. I have 2 main faults though which make me wish I could give it 3.5 stars:
**spoilers**
1. For anyone who knows the history and chronology of the Roman emperors, they will know that Claudius's reign is about to come to a suspiciously abrupt end in this book. For me, this meant I knew right from the journey to Spain that this was the reason our main characters were selected for this mission - to get them out of the way during Aggripina's assassination of her husband. It didn't ruin the story, but did mean there was a feeling of this being a filler novel before the major events of Day of the Caesars and I did have moments of thinking 'this is good ... but can we get an update on events in Rome soon?'.
2. The general arc of the story and the ending to the major battle. I have said before that Simon Scarrow's Eagle novels have become a bit formulaic over the years - Cato and Macro are sent on a dangerous mission, become trapped and likely to die, then find a way to fight their way out. This was why I enjoyed the previous story in the series 'Britannia' much more than this one, as that story DIDN'T end with our heroes miraculously fighting their way out of a trap to a glorious victory.
The second part of this fault is with the way the major battle ends. Cato effectively floods the valley in which the rebel army is encamped, instantly drowning the majority. This just felt too neat and sudden for me. It almost felt like Scarrow became tired of writing and used the old 'suddenly a massive comet fell from the sky and destroyed everyone'.
However, this way of ending the battle did tie into Cato's character arc which is what makes me give this story 4 stars rather than 3. After 14 books of Cato always being the morally superior character, he is showing signs of taking a more pragmatic and potentially dark turn in this one. I hope this continues as it was the most interesting aspect of this story.
All in all, it is a solid addition to the Cato & Macro series, but I spent much of the story looking forward to the sequel 'Day of the Caesars'. Thankfully, I had already bought this and could continue straight on. If I had read 'Invictus' on release and had to wait for the next book, I probably would have had to give it 3 stars.
**spoilers**
1. For anyone who knows the history and chronology of the Roman emperors, they will know that Claudius's reign is about to come to a suspiciously abrupt end in this book. For me, this meant I knew right from the journey to Spain that this was the reason our main characters were selected for this mission - to get them out of the way during Aggripina's assassination of her husband. It didn't ruin the story, but did mean there was a feeling of this being a filler novel before the major events of Day of the Caesars and I did have moments of thinking 'this is good ... but can we get an update on events in Rome soon?'.
2. The general arc of the story and the ending to the major battle. I have said before that Simon Scarrow's Eagle novels have become a bit formulaic over the years - Cato and Macro are sent on a dangerous mission, become trapped and likely to die, then find a way to fight their way out. This was why I enjoyed the previous story in the series 'Britannia' much more than this one, as that story DIDN'T end with our heroes miraculously fighting their way out of a trap to a glorious victory.
The second part of this fault is with the way the major battle ends. Cato effectively floods the valley in which the rebel army is encamped, instantly drowning the majority. This just felt too neat and sudden for me. It almost felt like Scarrow became tired of writing and used the old 'suddenly a massive comet fell from the sky and destroyed everyone'.
However, this way of ending the battle did tie into Cato's character arc which is what makes me give this story 4 stars rather than 3. After 14 books of Cato always being the morally superior character, he is showing signs of taking a more pragmatic and potentially dark turn in this one. I hope this continues as it was the most interesting aspect of this story.
All in all, it is a solid addition to the Cato & Macro series, but I spent much of the story looking forward to the sequel 'Day of the Caesars'. Thankfully, I had already bought this and could continue straight on. If I had read 'Invictus' on release and had to wait for the next book, I probably would have had to give it 3 stars.
April 17, 2018
The plot thickens.
Another non stop fighting story with incompetent high command leaving our two heroes to pull victory out of disaster. Plot? Oh, if you must. Claudius is hanging on by a thread, Nero waiting in the wings and the rival puppet masters are pulling strings like mad. Creepy Vitellius is back in the scene. Remember him from the early books on Britannia? Our heroes are packed off from Rome to fight a rebel, save a silver mine. Since this is in the Iberian region our heroes are baking rather than freezing.. Now if you know a bit of history you can see the future re the emperor's so we will pretend we know no more than our heroes. A good story, well written as usual but hopefully the next story will be more intrigue than combat. There are only so many ways you can describe hacking someone to death. At times I found myself skipping bits because I had read them so often before. Axe shatters shield, sword thrusts forward, and so on. Starting to get a bit tedious. Now the intrigue, that is becoming more interesting. Our boys have proved they are the bravest and the best. We don't need convincing. In this story Cato at last meets his son and shock, horror, finds his dead wife was unfaithful and has put him in serious debt. Now maybe this is the way the author wants us to go but I am suspicious. I remember Julia and I don't buy it. Okay, if she suddenly turned into a completely different woman from the one we came to know, she might have taken a toy boy lover but she was a clever woman. I don't see her getting so massively into debt. So? Remember the schemers. Was she set up to demoralize or punish Cato? In this story he meets her alleged young lover on campaign. The young man looks alarmed but incredibly Cato never confronts him, never mentions the affair. I find that very unlikely. Is there a revelation to come? I hope so. I liked Julia. Plus, I want Macro to find a steady lady of his own. I worry about his health. With all these loose ends I am looking forward to the next story.
Another non stop fighting story with incompetent high command leaving our two heroes to pull victory out of disaster. Plot? Oh, if you must. Claudius is hanging on by a thread, Nero waiting in the wings and the rival puppet masters are pulling strings like mad. Creepy Vitellius is back in the scene. Remember him from the early books on Britannia? Our heroes are packed off from Rome to fight a rebel, save a silver mine. Since this is in the Iberian region our heroes are baking rather than freezing.. Now if you know a bit of history you can see the future re the emperor's so we will pretend we know no more than our heroes. A good story, well written as usual but hopefully the next story will be more intrigue than combat. There are only so many ways you can describe hacking someone to death. At times I found myself skipping bits because I had read them so often before. Axe shatters shield, sword thrusts forward, and so on. Starting to get a bit tedious. Now the intrigue, that is becoming more interesting. Our boys have proved they are the bravest and the best. We don't need convincing. In this story Cato at last meets his son and shock, horror, finds his dead wife was unfaithful and has put him in serious debt. Now maybe this is the way the author wants us to go but I am suspicious. I remember Julia and I don't buy it. Okay, if she suddenly turned into a completely different woman from the one we came to know, she might have taken a toy boy lover but she was a clever woman. I don't see her getting so massively into debt. So? Remember the schemers. Was she set up to demoralize or punish Cato? In this story he meets her alleged young lover on campaign. The young man looks alarmed but incredibly Cato never confronts him, never mentions the affair. I find that very unlikely. Is there a revelation to come? I hope so. I liked Julia. Plus, I want Macro to find a steady lady of his own. I worry about his health. With all these loose ends I am looking forward to the next story.
February 17, 2023
This is the 15th instalment of this amazing saga. With such a long lived series and with such beloved characters such as Cato and Macro it is very difficult for the author to eliminate or severely impair one of them. This happens to all long lived series and obviously it isn’t the author's fault. The pressure from fans and editor must be immense to keep the series alive and kicking. That means that although our beloved heroes will be sent in a very interesting mission (after the difficulties they faced in Britannia), with captivating secondary characters and fascinating plot, the reader knows very well that it is unlikely that Macro and Cato will be killed or seriously injured…they will probably be bruised, but probably they'll endure.
Although intellectually we know this, Scarrow is a master of his trade. He built a very interesting warfare/espionage adventure with moles, allies with hidden agendas and quite a few surprises and plot twists!
After returning to Rome expecting some scolding, they are surprisingly received as heroes and sent with the only available unit at hand to solve a potentially crisis situation – that unit is the famous/infamousPraetorian Guard. This leads to a very unique relationship between the well trained but inexperienced guards and the veteran officers.
Some issues could be improved; the motivator is solid, but the consequences are hugely exaggerated. There are also some anachronisms such as the old saying “the guard dies but does not surrender”, although it seems the author is blinking an eye to his fans of the series regarding Napoleonic Warfare. If it isn’t an Easter egg it shouldn’t be there.
Good maps that will be essential to understand the tactics and strategies used, very good cast of main and secondary characters. Strong and bloody story in Hispania.
The eagle continues to fly high in the sky.
Although intellectually we know this, Scarrow is a master of his trade. He built a very interesting warfare/espionage adventure with moles, allies with hidden agendas and quite a few surprises and plot twists!
After returning to Rome expecting some scolding, they are surprisingly received as heroes and sent with the only available unit at hand to solve a potentially crisis situation – that unit is the famous/infamousPraetorian Guard. This leads to a very unique relationship between the well trained but inexperienced guards and the veteran officers.
Some issues could be improved; the motivator is solid, but the consequences are hugely exaggerated. There are also some anachronisms such as the old saying “the guard dies but does not surrender”, although it seems the author is blinking an eye to his fans of the series regarding Napoleonic Warfare. If it isn’t an Easter egg it shouldn’t be there.
Good maps that will be essential to understand the tactics and strategies used, very good cast of main and secondary characters. Strong and bloody story in Hispania.
The eagle continues to fly high in the sky.
March 27, 2018
Il prefetto Catone e il centurione Macrone, di ritorno a Roma dopo anni trascorsi in Britannia, a combattere una dura guerra che i Celti non hanno alcuna intenzione di perdere, vogliono solo riposo e un po’ di pace.
Catone, da poco vedovo, desidera soltanto godersi il figlioletto che non ha mai conosciuto e Macrone ambisce a crogiolarsi per qualche tempo nel ruolo di eroe che il trionfo dell’imperatore Claudio per la campagna britannica gli ha conferito: dopotutto, non è forse lui il centurione che ha catturato il re Carataco dei Catavelluni?
Ma i due vecchi amici non hanno nemmeno il tempo di togliersi la polvere dai calzari che già l’imperatore Claudio li comanda altrove, precisamente in Spagna, nelle Asturie, dove il ribelle Iskerbeles sta seminando il caos, in quella provincia occupata ma mai conquistata del tutto.
Per Catone è l’occasione di allontanarsi dai demoni evocati dai segreti appena scoperti sulla giovane moglie; per Macrone… beh Macrone non ha bisogno di motivi particolari per andare volentieri in guerra.
Io adoro gli storici, quelli sull’antica Roma in particolare, e quest’ultima fatica di Scarrow, pur partendo un pochino in sofferenza, si riscatta alla grande appena i due protagonisti mettono piede in Spagna, perché lì cominciano i misteri da chiarire, gli imprevisti a cui far fronte, tra nemici vecchi e nuovi e fili tirati, nella pur lontana Roma, da uomini potenti e senza scrupoli.
Poiché questo è il quindicesimo capitolo di una saga che ho molto amato, devo dire di aver avuto un paio di volte il timore che l’autore volesse porvi fine con la dipartita dei nostri due simpatici protagonisti, soprattutto perché, in questo libro, si trovano in una situazione davvero drammatica.
Naturalmente, però, non vi svelerò nulla di più e starà a voi scoprire se ancora una volta Catone e Macrone riusciranno a tornare a Roma e se il giovane prefetto arriverà a far pace con il ricordo della moglie, per sé e per il piccolo Lucio che lei gli ha lasciato.
Dunque, buona lettura a tutti!!!
Buffy - per RFS
Catone, da poco vedovo, desidera soltanto godersi il figlioletto che non ha mai conosciuto e Macrone ambisce a crogiolarsi per qualche tempo nel ruolo di eroe che il trionfo dell’imperatore Claudio per la campagna britannica gli ha conferito: dopotutto, non è forse lui il centurione che ha catturato il re Carataco dei Catavelluni?
Ma i due vecchi amici non hanno nemmeno il tempo di togliersi la polvere dai calzari che già l’imperatore Claudio li comanda altrove, precisamente in Spagna, nelle Asturie, dove il ribelle Iskerbeles sta seminando il caos, in quella provincia occupata ma mai conquistata del tutto.
Per Catone è l’occasione di allontanarsi dai demoni evocati dai segreti appena scoperti sulla giovane moglie; per Macrone… beh Macrone non ha bisogno di motivi particolari per andare volentieri in guerra.
Io adoro gli storici, quelli sull’antica Roma in particolare, e quest’ultima fatica di Scarrow, pur partendo un pochino in sofferenza, si riscatta alla grande appena i due protagonisti mettono piede in Spagna, perché lì cominciano i misteri da chiarire, gli imprevisti a cui far fronte, tra nemici vecchi e nuovi e fili tirati, nella pur lontana Roma, da uomini potenti e senza scrupoli.
Poiché questo è il quindicesimo capitolo di una saga che ho molto amato, devo dire di aver avuto un paio di volte il timore che l’autore volesse porvi fine con la dipartita dei nostri due simpatici protagonisti, soprattutto perché, in questo libro, si trovano in una situazione davvero drammatica.
Naturalmente, però, non vi svelerò nulla di più e starà a voi scoprire se ancora una volta Catone e Macrone riusciranno a tornare a Roma e se il giovane prefetto arriverà a far pace con il ricordo della moglie, per sé e per il piccolo Lucio che lei gli ha lasciato.
Dunque, buona lettura a tutti!!!
Buffy - per RFS
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