The Eagle's Prey

Eagles of the Empire #5

by Simon Scarrow

Bestselling Simon Scarrow's brilliant adventure novels about the Roman army appear in B-format.It is late summer 44 AD and the battle-weary Roman legions are in their second year of campaigning against the British tribes. The troops' commander, General Plautius, is under considerable pressure from the emperor to crush the natives once and for all. Centurions Macro and Cato are with the crack Second Legion under the precarious leadership of Centurion Maximus and it's their task to hold a ford across the river Tamesis when the natives are forced into a trap. But Maximus's nerve breaks at the critical point, allowing the enemy leader, Caratacus, and his men to escape. Outraged by this failure, General Plautius orders the decimation of the unit. Their die, or escape to become a fugitive pursued by soldiers of their own ruthless army. Hiding from their former comrades, as well as the Britons, Cato's small band of fugitives have only one chance to redeem themselves before they are hunted down like animals...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Roman, War, Adventure, Military Fiction

480 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2004

About the author

Simon 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.

Reviews

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maximius...really?
This drama is pumping me up.

Cato and Caratacus are great.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2005, and its the 5th volume of the wonderful "Eagle" series.

Set in the year AD 44, and the Romans in their second year of campaigning against the Briton tribes.

Under pressure from the Emperor, General Plautius must deliver and fast in crushing the natives.

Centurions Cato and Macro of the 2nd Legion, under the leadership of Senior Centurion Maximus, must hold a ford across the river Tamesis, but at the last moment Maximus cracks and Caratacus and his men are able to escape.

Furious by this failure by Maximus and his unit, they are given a choice, death or becoming fugitives and being pursued by their own comrades of the rest of the Roman army.

The cunning Cato will lead their small unit of fugitives into hiding from the Britons as well as from the ruthless Roman pursuers, and in the end he will Cato and Macro will have to fight hard to win this challenge and save themselves from disgrace.

What is to follow is a captivating and thrilling Roman adventure, in which Cato and Macro will show that they are capable and determined Roman soldiers, and in this story they will turn the tables against their own leadership of General Plautius.

Highly recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this amazing series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Brilliant Eagle's Prey"!

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

just brillant, once i started to read it i could not put it down. a good entertaining adventure with great battle scenes

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Bordeando el subgénero de la “aventura histórica”.-

Género. Novela histórica.

Lo que nos cuenta. Tras algo más de un año desde que Claudio decidió invadir y conquistar Britania para la Antigua Roma, los avances romanos no son todo lo rápidos que se esperaba debido a la enconada resistencia de los habitantes a ser romanizados con facilidad. Para destruir las fuerzas de uno de los líderes locales más activos, Carataco, se prepara una trampa en la que los centuriones Cato y Macro tendrán un papel importante, pero las cosas no salen como estaban previstas. Quinto libro de la serie de Quinto Licino Cato.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Joel Håland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another proper page turner of an adventure in the historical fiction series that I've come to like quite a lot.
The action is gruesome and the plot somewhat simple but put together it makes for a very enjoyable read.
This book was no exception and kept going in a familiar fashion but with new challenges thrown in front of the characters .

[C.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series. It’s written well with unique storylines and artful character development. On audio, Jonathan Keeble’s narration is perfection for this writing style. Looking forward to the next.

[Anja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Mayank Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book in the series yet, we are still in Briton but the challenges and situations faced by our two protagonists are very different. We still have the great strategic battles, realistic combat, political intrigue and funny dialogues but what I really loved about the book was the character development for both Cato & Marco, unexpected and so satisfying.

After reading Wikipedia on the Roman invasion of Briton, I realized the book is perfect mixture of historical facts and creative embellishment, the timeline, battle style, strategy, senior commanders and kings name are historically accurate, the adventure and the one on one fight are realistic and not mystically heroic. Only the two main protagonist Cato & Marco who are front line soldier are made up for enriching the plot and reading experience.

[Christy Lené · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable series. Simon Scarrow is adept in character development and this series may be a best representation of that talent. Each character is memorable and unique in their own way which isn’t often the case when there are many. For instance, the two leads couldn’t be more opposite. Their character defines their decisions and this is skillfully portrayed in each and every book thus far. The story has a nice pace with unique storylines and indelible characters, making it easy for this reader to become invested. The writing isn’t too deep but it works. Looking forward to the next.. etc. etc. etc.

[Richard Caniglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Yet

I didn't think I'd like this book, but it was the best, yet. Reason? Not just action, but great character development. Not overdone, but more sophisticated than in the first four books. In those, Cato was a scared, if bright, kid that got more than his fair share of attention. The other characters were just props. In this book, Macro got another dimension and so did several other characters. Not maudlin. Interesting. Action was still there aplenty.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know a books good when your finishing it at 1am.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really intriguing and fascinating look into Roman military justice mixed in with the usual battles and adventures of Marco and Cato.

Possibly the best book of the series so far.

[Chejo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Así como Roma no se hizo en un día, los legionarios también tuvieron su evolución. Parte de su exito (buena parte diría) era su disciplina antes las circunstancias, más cuando las cosas salían mal.

Este libro nos lo recuerda a cada rato por las pericias vividas por Cato a pesar de su buen trabajo es castigado por las decisiones de sus superiores, claro que estos tampoco salen ilesos de esto ya que todos deben responder ante alguien. Si no fuera por este sistema militar Roma no hubiera sido lo que fue, lo que es me atrevería a decir ya que su legado sigue vivo. El texto es bastante ameno y en este nos sumerge más en la personalidad de Cato, que ya no puede dejar de pensar como soldado, también debe pensar como sobreviviente y como enemigo, estando más expuesto a conocer a los mismos.
Así como saber que se tienen que hacer cosas que talves uno no tiene previsto, pero al final es uno o los demás.

Aunque es bueno leer sobre Britania y la "conquista" por parte del emperador Claudio, será bueno ver qué nos depara al fin salir de la isla y digo "nos" ya que es una saga que te envuelve.

[Phillip Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the main villain in the book to be Macro and Cato's commander Maximus who if had the first name gluteus would describe him perfectly. This douchebag disobeys orders, fucks things up, and blames his failings on his soldiers. Maximus sends these men he betrays to disgrace and are forced to kill their comrades to make an example of them. I liked the narrative of the story but Maximus needed a far brutal end to his miserable life. Macro and Cato were willing to risk their lives for the safety of their friends and were the moral counterparts to the self serving Maximus.

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book in the series so far! If I could rate it 6 stars I would! It had so many exciting layers to the plot and it was really well written :)

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Femte boken levererar SVEK. Jag är såld, Simon Scarrow, ta mina pengar!

Moral, lojalitet och vänskap sätts på test. Caratacus karaktär fördjupas och man får inblick i hans motiv och drivkrafter. Ont ställs mot gott. Vilka är egentligen "de goda"? Ord ställs mot ord. Rank mot lydnad. Politikens inverkan i soldatlivet är en röd tråd genom hela serien. Välskrivna strider och actionfyllda scener varvas med fortsatt stark karaktärsutveckling.

[Bloody · Rating 1 out of 5]

'The Eagle's Prey' is my first Simon Scarrow novel, and I'm afraid it will be my last. In fact, had it not been given to me as a gift I probably wouldn't have finished it, and that is a rare thing for me.

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, from Steven Pressfield and Bernard Cornwell to Robert Low and Tim Severin, but I've found that whenever I venture beyond these authors to try and find something new, I end up disappointed. Granted, 'The Eagle's Prey' is probably not the best place to step into Scarrow's series, since it's some five or six books after the first, but this novel (much like Conn Iggulden's 'Wolf Of The Plains') left me with no desire to complete the series.

My main issue with this book is the writing. It is absolutely amateurish. It reads like fan fiction in places, and Scarrow distinguishes himself as a master of telling instead of showing. The plodding, basic prose had me convinced I was reading a YA novel until I encountered some swearing, which jolted me back to the painful fact that this was written for adults. The plotting, on the other hand was reasonably accomplished, even if you can see every 'twist' coming a mile away.

Dialogue is similarly rubbish. It's cliched, anachronistic and downright cringe-worthy most of the time. I appreciate some modern terms in my historical fiction, especially swearing, but some of the things Scarrow throws in here are ridiculous. One of the most irritating examples that springs to mind is the frequent use of "what's up?" when Roman soldiers are addressing each other.

Characterisation is pathetic to say the least. The protagonists, centurions Macro and Cato, are as bland and uninteresting as they come. The former does very little of anything and has no depth whatsoever, while Cato just comes across as an obnoxious little prat. Flick through the book again and take note of how many times Cato roars "shut up!" at just about anyone who tries to ask a reasonable question, even his (supposed) friends. The baddies too, particularly Maximius, are hilarious caricatures of mustache twirling pantomime villainy who seem to have little or no reason behind the ridiculous things they do.

Finally, and perhaps most damningly for a novel of this kind, I had serious issues with the historicity of the book. I have never encountered a blander, less nuanced and detailed portrayal of the ancient world. The blurb on my copy quoted much praise for the author's supposed eye for detail - but this extends solely to the layout of a Roman legion. That's it. The Britons are not fleshed out to any degree whatsoever. They are given a few brief descriptions (lifted, it seems to me, entirely from 'De Bello Gallico'), and are referred to throughout the novel as 'Celts' who speak 'Celtic', despite the fact that the Romans did not refer to them as such. All we get as far as the natives are concerned are the same old Victorian stereotypes like mustaches and woad (which is not a very likely candidate for tattoo ink).

Indeed, the term 'Celtic' is now viewed as erroneous when referring to the British Isles. No imagination is spent trying to conjure up an ancient Britain of any depth or interest. Now, I'm not a big fan of Manda Scott's 'Boudica' novels, but at least she did an admirable job of trying to create an imaginative vision of what life in ancient Britain might have been like - even if it was a lesbian-feminist-horse lover's fantasy and ripped off Gaelic culture to a huge degree. Her Romans too were far more detailed and convincing - proving that at least she had an interest in BOTH sides of her conflict.

Simon Scarrow has failed utterly to bring the past to life here, in my opinion. I realise that his interests lie with the Roman legions, and that his novels are supposed to be written from the point of view of hard-bitten Roman soldiers, but if the people and cultures they interact with are cardboard cutouts, then what's the point?

Dreadful stuff.

[Brentman99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next volume in the Eagle series of novels that I just finished reading is The Eagle's Prey.

Our main characters, Cato and Macro, prepare with the rest of the Roman army in Britain to crush Caratacus's barbarian army once and for all. However, due to the poor decisions of a cohort commander, things don't go as planned and someone has to take the blame.

Narcissus, sent by Claudius to goad his general to end the war, steps in and takes matters out of the general and Vespasian's hands by ordering decimation of the Sixth Century of the Third Cohort. Thus, one in ten men will be killed by their comrades for not measuring up during the battle.

I won't spoil things, but I have to say that this plot was one of the most interesting I've read in a while because you can't help but wonder how things will turn out. I like think that the end result is never in doubt (there are, of course, more books in the series) but it is entertaining in how it all plays out.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and it is an entertaining leisure read. I recommend it if you are interested in Roman history and warfare as it seems quite detailed for someone who has never fought in a cohort.

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still in Britain with Cato and Marco, still fighting Caratacus. Things go wrong for them in this one as Maximius, their tit of a second centurion makes a right cock up of a battle and lets Caratacus escape out of the Roman army's grasp. However it's Cato and some of his men that end up taking the blame. Due to be beaten to death by the rest of the men, Marco helps him escaspe and they flee to the marshes only to be captured by Caratacus. This is where we get to see a human side to Caratacus as in the rest of the books he has just been a faceless enemy, not for long though as it's soon back to battle. And a chance for Cato to redeem himself in the eyes of the army. I liked this book more than the others so far, it wasn't so battle heavy as the last ones and we also have a chance to see Cato and Marco apart. Good addition to the series.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic battle scenes and tactics!!! Author's idea of a Roman 'court martial' most interesting!! Had to keep reading all at one go to find out how one of the protagonists finally escapes decimation. Nice segue setting up background of the next book in the series.

[Marianne Grahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her ble det for mange slagscener og blod i begynnelsen til at jeg orket mer. Har likt de tidligere bøkene om Macro og Cato som er legionærer i den romerske hæren, men de har inneholdt mer person- og miljøskildring.

[La librairie de Charron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allez, on retourne dans l'univers des légions romaines avec Macro, Cato et Vespasien. Pour une dernière fois, Macro et Cato vont devoir faire face à un évènement aussi terrible que son nom : la décimation.

La lutte continue toujours dans ce dernier tome mais cela sent la fin et surtout, la fatigue. Malgré cela, le général Plautius met encore plus la pression sur Vespasien et ses troupes pour finir cette campagne. Malheureusement, quasi aucune nouvelle conquête ou victoire significative et décisive n'a vraiment été faite.

Bref, l'armée romaine arrive à cerner Caratacos, tout semble aller mieux et Plautius met la pression à Vespasien pour en finir le plus vite ; il a également des doutes sur Vespasien. Malheureusement, alors qu'une victoire finale semble se dessiner, le centurion Maximius fait le con (autant au sens littéral qu'au sens propre) et fait foiré la mission. Pour la peine, le général fait appel à une ancienne et horrible tradition : la décimation. Ce qui suit est encore pire : La cohorte dont fait parti Maximius, Macro et Cato est choisie et Cato saisit une pierre blanche ... Vespasien ressent la honte, avec Macro et Cato. Macro, voyant tout cela, va commettre un acte pour que Cato s'en sorte et ainsi, peut-être que le jeune centurion pourra se racheter avec l'avancée de Caratacos.

En conclusion, ce fut une bonne fin pour cette saga, un peu surpris mais dans un bon sens et aussi un peu surpris dans le sens où je m'attendais à une bonne fin mais une alternative à celle proposée. C'est vrai que c'est la première fois que l'on voit le spectre et l'horreur de la décimation dans ce tome. Pour ceux et celles qui ne savent pas encore, une décimation est le fait que la cohorte ou l'armée qui subit la décimation, un homme sur dix est tué par des neuf autres camarades à l'aide de bâtons (et oui c'est une mort très lente) pour que chacun des neuf hommes ressentent la honte d'avoir tué leur camarade et pour qu'ils apprennent à avoir plus peur de leur commandant que de l'ennemi. Celui qui tirait une pierre blanche était le malheureux qui devait être tapé par ses camarades.

Bref, dans l'ensemble, la saga en fut une excellente, avec le troisième tome qui me semble être le meilleur de la série, bien que les autres tomes le soient également mais voilà, j'ai une petite préférence pour le troisième tome. Cela fait un petit pincement de ne plus revoir Macro et Cato mais que voulez-vous ? Les meilleures choses sont souvent les plus « courtes ». On s'attache assez vite à certains personnages pendant qu'on en déteste, chaque tome ayant son propre personnage (ou ses propres personnages) à détester. Une excellente conclusion à cette saga.

[Kaoyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realmente puedo afirmar que me declaro oficialmente fan de Simon Scarrow y de su protagonista Cato.

En este volumen si ha habido especialmente descripciones que ha narrado las batallas entre britanos y romanos , está narrado de una manera que te imaginas y es como si vieras la batalla en directo con tus propios ojos como si fueras un espectador . También en este volumen junto al tercero es donde por el momento he visto mucha crueldad por parte de ambos bandos , pero en este especialmente por el bando romano .

Cuando pasa determinadas cosas como le ha pasado a Cato es cuando se ve como que quien sufre y sobrevive se endurece y afronta mejor la vida y las batallas . Personalmente me ha encantado por fin que aquí hayamos podido ver y conocer un poco a Carataco en persona , por momentos sientes simpatía por este personaje que aunque al principio lo veas demasiado orgulloso y arrogante tiene su motivos ya que él solo quiere proteger y defender a su pueblo para liberarlo del opresor romano.

En este tomo al igual que a lo largo de toda la serie siento como Macro es de mis personajes favoritos masculinos de todos los libros que he leído ya que es un personaje con sus sombras pero también tiene sus luces y tiene límites como soldado porque como dice él mismo : Un soldado no mata a mujeres y niños , y mucho menos cuando son inocentes . Además es un personaje con el que a veces con las cosas que suelta te echas unas pequeñas risas .

Y sin duda he odiado profundamente al centurión jefe de Macro y Cato , Maximio , que fue anteriormente de la Guardia Pretoriana , porque es un personaje que muestra hasta donde puede llegar la crueldad humana y como no sientes casi nada porque después de matar a sangre fría a tantas personas que más te da si son unas cuantas más . Pues eso sucede con este , que no tiene ninguna compasión o piedad en matar a quien sea . Además de que se cree mejor que Macro , ¿ como va a ser mejor uno que fue pretoriano que solo se dedican a matar a sangre fría a quien sea que uno que sabe mejor de estrategia y del territorio como Macro ? .

En este tomo me ha decepcionado profundamente el general Plautio pero de verdad mientras que Vespasiano me sigue pareciendo mucho mejor comandante y general que los demás , porque comparte muchas de las experiencias que pasan hombres de rango menor y sabe lo que sienten.

No sentí nada de pena por la muerte de un determinado personaje.

En resumen con este tomo he sentido muchos sentimientos pero sobre todo odio y desprecio hacia ciertos personajes y además eso de la obediencia ciega a tu superior no me gusta nada ya que no puedes replicarle y pensar algo mejor o puedes acabar muerto por desobedecer .

Para finalizar esto no es spoiler , es que lo dice el mismo título , el final del libro acaba con Cato abandonando Britania y te deja con ganas de saber que sucederá después .

Le doy de nota un 10 .

[Aida Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚La quinta entrega de la serie del águila sigue con un gran nivel!.

Nos encontramos a un Cato que sigue sorprendiendo y creciendo como personaje y a un Macro que no defrauda con su fuerza y sus valores.

📚La intriga está servida y no solo con la lucha de intereses propia del Imperio romano .

📍En este caso el escenario sigue siendo a Britania .

➕Añadimos a las luchas y la intriga : un fugitivo de la justicia militar y un oficial que se niega q obedecer una orden...

⁉️¿Será este el fin del temido celta Carataco?.

📚Scarrow nos muestra entre batallas lo cotidiano de la vida de un campamento romano,estrategias militares...Me quedo con la clase:sobre los reyes clientes y la brutalidad de la diezma.Entre estas páginas siempre se aprende,algo tendrá que ver que el autor haya sido profesor de historia 😜

📌”Había algo casi milagroso en la manera en que casi 30000 hombres podían construir algo de las proporciones de una pequeña ciudad en tan poco tiempo,y luego desmantelarlo y ponerse en marcha antes de que el sol hubiera empezado siquiera a calentar la tierra.”

[Penny Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 5th book in The Eagles of Empire series that I've read, and I've enjoyed every one of them.
Fast-paced, with believably flawed characters, and filled with lots of interesting historical details, Scarrow's stories have drawn me into a period of history that never really appealed before. Yes, I know the language is modern and rather coarse, but it fits the characters of hard-bitten soldiers who are fighting for their lives in the service of Rome. I admit that I sometimes skim over the gory bits (I know that fighting hand to hand, by its nature, must have been gory and brutal) but that hasn't stopped me reading. The plots have been intricate, not only with battles but also political shenanigans. It's also good to see the development of the two main characters, Macro and Cato, and the changes in their relationship with each other. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series and seeing where else in the Roman empire Scarrow takes his two centurians.

[Bruno Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilhante mais uma vez este autor. Na campanha da Britânia o general Pláucio dá ordens para se guardar 3 vaus do Tamisa, para se poder descobrir donde virá o exército de Carátaco mas depende do seu exército o encarrular para a batalha final . Num dos vaus Macro e Cato são encurralados pelo exército de Carátaco com um centurião chefe incompetente , Máximo, e o general procura atribuir culpados ao fracasso desta operação. E o melhor que o o legado Vespasiano consegue é desterrar a terceira coorte durante seis meses e selecionar para dizimação um grupo de homens aleatoriamente escolhidos para serem mortos publicamente pelos seus amigos . Cato vem a ser um dos escolhidos para esse massacre e Macro tem de tentar ajudar o seu amigo. Este volume é brilhante e um verdadeiro thriller do princípio ao fim . Adorei

[Shoggothey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Powrót do Macro i Katona do ich przygód w Brytanii.

Kontynuowanie chaotycznych bitew i podjazdów przeciwko Karatakusowi trwa w najlepsze, oddziały Macro i Katona stoją przed niemożliwym do wykonania zadaniem (klasyka) i zawodzą. Cały oddział ma zostać zdziesiątkowany, a pechowcom wybranym poprzez losowanie pozostaje ucieczka albo bierne czekanie na śmieć.

Książka bardzo ciekawa, jak wszysykie tego autora, ale pod koniec czułem już przesyt całą tą Brytanią, cały czas ten sam klimat, bitwy z tymi samymi wrogami, te same intrygi. Sprawę ratują jak zwykle Macro i Katon, nie da się ich nie lubić.

Prawdopodobnie w przyszłych tomach do Brytanii wrócimy, co można wywnioskować po ostatnim rozdziale, ale mam nadzieję, że nie będzie to aż tak długa podróż jak do tej pory. Polecam!

[Taveri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The protagonists, the Romans, don't come across well in this novel. They are revealed to be deceitful, cruel and greedy. The antagonists, the Celts, fair better and i sided with their resisting invasion. It is an interesting perspective the author provides. The story tackles the messiness of the Roman practice of decimation and the politics behind such decisions.

There is another unique provision provided in this fifth of the series and that is the use of a time jump (unless i missed it being used in the earlier volumes of the series): first an event is described from one perspective, then later from another's but further back in time. Unfortunately it didn't advance the story and could have simply been told linearly like the rest of the book.

[Clay Kallam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first couple books in this series -- and given its length, it may get better -- but after reading "The Eagle's Prey," I'm off the bus.

The story of Roman legionnaires in first century Britain bogged down (literally) in Simon Scarrow's excessive reliance on hairbreadth escapes, brushes with death (that the protagonists always dodge) and long, long battle sequences.

Obviously a lot of people liked this book, and the ones that follow, but for me, they are focused too much on battle, blood and suffering and ignore other possible narrative arcs that would add enough texture and substance to keep me reading.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"Trust me, I'm a centurion."

Book five in this deliciously exciting tale of the two friends, Cato and Macro, centurions in the invading Roman army in Britain, 44 AD. And this time it gets really seriously as their unit is faced with decimation after failing to capture Caratacus. Amazingly, the books just seem to keep getting better, performed by the exception voice actor Jonathan Keeble who seems to have a different voice voice for every character.
For anyone who enjoys historically based tales of Ancient Rome, absolutely unmissable.