Tag: Eagles of the Empire Series

Waiting on Wednesday – Tyrant of Rome by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday1 Comment

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this latest Waiting on Wednesday post, I highlight an exceptional upcoming novel that will probably be one of my favourite historical fiction books of 2025, Tyrant of Rome by Simon Scarrow.

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Readers of this blog will know that I am a massive fan of historical fiction author Simon Scarrow, who has been producing epic and compelling historical fiction novels for 25 years.  His books cover a range of interesting topics and settings, although his current body of work involves his long-running Eagles of the Empire series, as well as his Inspector Horst Schenke thriller novels set in wartime Berlin.  Scarrow has already had a successful 2025, releasing his third Inspector Horst Schenke novel, A Death in Berlin, which proved to be an outstanding read.  However, Scarrow fans are in for another treat as he has an awesome Roman historical fiction read coming out in a few months’ time.

This new book, Tyrant of Rome, will be part of the author’s Eagles of the Empire series, which follows two veteran Roman officers, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, as they fight their way through the various battlefields and political intrigues of ancient Rome.  Running since 2000, the Eagles of the Empire books are still going strong, and I love the author’s interesting historical insights and ability to imagine elaborate historical battles.  I have had the great pleasure of reading all the Eagles of the Empire books over the years, and I currently have reviews for several published on my blog, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome, Death to the Emperor, Rebellion and Revenge of Rome.  Unsurprisingly, any new Eagles of the Empire novels are very high up my to-read list, and as such Tyrant of Rome is one of my most anticipated books coming out in the second half of 2025.

Set for release in November of this year, Tyrant of Rome will be the 24th book in the Eagles of the Empire series and will take the protagonists onto a whole new battlefield when Emperor Nero forces the two to take control of law and order in ancient Rome.

Plot Synopsis:

AD 63. Under the reckless and tumultuous leadership of Emperor Nero, Rome is descending into near-anarchy and conspiracy. The brutal execution of 400 slaves has led to rioting and discontent. Only the strongest soldier could maintain control. And so Nero turns to Prefect Cato to help save his reign from collapse.

Cato has been lying low after a heroic campaign to quash the Boudica uprising. Now he is called upon to serve again. As the new Prefect of the Urban Cohorts in Rome, Cato needs a loyal and proven officer by his side. Centurion Macro is willing to step up.

War and rebellion hold few fears for these seasoned veterans. But the politics and intrigue of Rome make every day as perilous as the battlefield. And the fate of both men, and of the empire, lie in the hands of the most volatile emperor of the age. Death awaits anyone who dares to defy Nero.

Cato and Macro will need to call on all their experience, native cunning and bottomless courage to survive in this epic new adventure of Roman military heroism.

I love this very interesting plot idea for Tyrant of Rome, and I feel it is going to result in a particularly epic new entry in the Eagles of the Empire series.  A book filled with intrigues, politics and general unrest in Rome is going to be a very cool change of pace following the Britannia and Boudica focussed last couple of books, and I am looking forward to seeing a whole different story for this next entry.  While Cato and Macro have been deployed to Rome before, this was mainly as Praetorian Guards in the palace, so having them take on a more citizen-focused role in the Urban Cohorts should be an excellent new story arc for them.  Throw in the unpredictable element that is Nero, and I have a feeling that Tyrant of Rome is going to be a particularly chaotic novel that will hit a lot of fun ancient history notes.

On top of the excellent story ideas featured above, I am also exceedingly curious to see how the various character-focussed storylines surrounding the protagonists are going to unfold now that the characters are back in Rome.  I imagine that all the main characters, especially Macro are going to be emotionally scarred from the dark events of the last few books, and I am hoping that Scarrow will dive into this a bit in Tyrant of Rome.  At the same time, Macro is going to have to deal with the new dynamic of having a daughter, especially one with such a dangerous heritage and whose hatred for all Romans is likely to cause problems.  Cato’s life is also likely to be quite problematic as he is currently harbouring Nero’s former mistress, Claudia, whose death they faked a few books ago.  I am extremely curious to see how Scarrow will address all these ongoing threads in Tyrant of Rome, and it should add some excellent dramatic spice to an already intrigue laden novel.

Cards on the table, there is practically nothing that is going to stop me getting my hands on Tyrant of Rome later this year, especially after the years and years of fun I have had with the Eagles of the Empire series.  However, I am particularly taken with the plot synopsis above, and based on this epic description, I am extremely confident that Tyrant of Rome is going to be one of Scarrow’s more awesome novels.  Likely to be one of my very favourite historical fiction novels of 2025 no matter what, I am so damn excited for Tyrant of Rome and November cannot come soon enough.

Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction5 Comments

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 12 November 2024)

Series: Eagles of the Empire – Book 23 

Length: 411 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The action continues in one of my favourite Roman historical fiction series with the outstanding and captivating read, Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow.

I have long extolled the ability of Simon Scarrow, who is one of the top current authors of historical fiction, as well as a personal favourite writer of mine.  I have had a blast reading and reviewing many Scarrow books over the years, including his Berlin Wartime Thriller series (see my reviews for Blackout and Dead of Night), as well as several great standalone reads.  However, his main body of work is the exceptional Eagles of the Empire series.  One of the premier Roman historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books follow two elite Roman officers as they fight their way across multiple wars, provinces and battlefields.  I have been a fan of this series from the beginning, and the books within it have been a key part of my yearly review schedule, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion.  As such, the latest book in the series, Revenge of Rome, has been a highly anticipated read for me, and I have been very keen to get my hands on it.  The 23rd novel in the series, Revenge of Rome, follows on immediately after the events of Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, which covered the main events of Boudica’s uprising, and deal with the deadly aftermath of this massive conflict.

Britannia, 61 AD.  Following the final stand of the Roman army that broke the massive rebel horde, the uprising against Rome has ended but there is still no peace in Britannia.  Boudica, the warrior queen who sparked the rebellion, has escaped and still holds the eagle standard of the defeated Ninth Legion.  With the eagle in hand, Boudica and her Iceni tribe are living proof that Rome can be beaten and while she survives the flames of rebellion continue to smoulder.

Desperate to hunt Boudica down and make her pay for her crimes, Rome assigns two veterans to end the threat she poses, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro.  Survivors of countless battles and campaigns Cato and Macro are the perfect soldiers to take down Boudica, especially as they share a long history with her.  Determined to do their duty, even with their conflicted feelings, Cato and Macro lead their troops into the lands of the Iceni to either capture or kill Boudica.

However, Boudica is no easy prey to capture.  Despite her defeat, she still has many skilled warriors fighting under her banner, each of whom holds great hatred for the Romans.  Worse, the war has made Boudica both cruel and cunning, and she soon engages in a brutal war of attrition, determined to break the Romans before they can overwhelm her.  To succeed, Cato and Macro will need all their cunning, grit and experience to finally bring Boudica down.  But can even these wily Roman officers contend with the wrath of an entire nation and their vengeful queen, or will Britannia rise once more to destroy the Roman invaders?

Revenge of Rome was another excellent and exciting entry in the Eagles of the Empire series that proved to be an absolute blast to get through.  A very intense, character driven read that focuses on an interesting period of Roman history, Revenge of Rome was an outstanding book that really drew me in.

Scarrow did an amazing job continuing the intense story from the last two books, and I frankly feel that this has been some of his best writing in years.  Starting off with a cool alternate look at the main battle from Rebellion, Revenge of Rome primarily explores the events immediately following the massive uprising and the destruction wrought on the Roman settlements.  Once again following Cato and Macro as they are given an impossible task, Scarrow presents a back-to-basics narrative as the two officers train up a new regiment (from the Second Legion, which was a nice callback to the first few books), to lead it into combat against the rebelling tribes.  The first half of the book follows Cato’s initial strategy of diplomacy and scouting, as he tries to figure out how to defeat Boudica with limited troops.  At the same time, Boudica works to reignite her rebellion, causing chaos amongst the other tribes and scoring some early victories.  This proves to be an intriguing first half of the book, especially as it nicely sets up the rest of the narrative, while also examining the aftermath of the rebellion, and the initial attempts of the Romans to regain control.

While the first half of Revenge of Rome was exciting, the best action occurs in the second half as Cato and Macro lead their troops against the Iceni and attempt to find their hideout.  There are some great small-scale conflicts the further we get along and Scarrow did an effective job showcasing Boudica as a truly dangerous foe.  Everything nicely leads up to the final battle, where the protagonists discover the Iceni’s fortress in the swamps (thanks to an excellent plot line about Cato trying to win back the hearts and minds of the locals) and engage in a deadly siege.  The action flies thick and fast here, and there are some awesome fight sequences as both sides initiate some clever tactics.  I really got caught up in the final battles and flew through the last 100 pages or so which detailed the siege.  While there is a natural focus on the brutal combat, Scarrow also provided some powerful character moments which helped to make Revenge of Rome even more intense and moving.  Scarrow ends everything on a final, if hopeful, note and it looks like the Eagles of the Empire series will be entering a new phase.  It will be interesting to see where Scarrow goes next, and I look forward to seeing how a certain new character is worked into the plot.

Scarrow always utilises a great and consistent style with the Eagle of the Empire books, which allows for some fantastic and exciting stories.  Revenge of Rome is no different, as we are presented with a compelling tale that sees the Romans taking on the local tribes of Britannia in a deadly game of cat and mouse.  I felt that Scarrow did a great job amping up the character emotions in Revenge of Rome, especially as we get some great alternate views of the main antagonist, Boudica, and her vengeful crusade.  The resulting carnage is well-written and intense, and Scarrow is very effective at portraying historical combat through his writing.  I really love the detail in which Scarrow showcases both the Romans and the Britannia tribes, and the compelling action sequences make for some brilliant reading.  The historical period featured within Revenge of Rome also proved to be very interesting, as Scarrow dives into the aftermath of Boudica’s rebellion and the state of Britannia at the time.  I really appreciated this fascinating focus; especially as most historical fiction authors tend to only portray the main rebellion and leave it at that.  I felt that Scarrow also did an outstanding job capturing the emotions of both the Roman soldiers and the surviving tribes throughout the book, and it was really intriguing to see some of the politics and logistics involved in the aftermath of the deadly occurrences of the previous novels.  Like most books in the series, Revenge of Rome can easily be read as a standalone novel, as Scarrow writes an inclusive narrative that cycles back to key events of previous books when necessary.  However, to get the full emotional impact of Revenge of Rome I would recommend first reading the prior two novels, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, as their stories are extremely well linked.  However, even if you only read Revenge of Rome, you are in for a great historical adventure with some intriguing features.

I also felt that Revenge of Rome had some very strong character work in it as Scarrow brings back his classic protagonists alongside a few intriguing additions.  After 23 books, Cato and Macro are still the same characters we’ve come to know and love, although Scarrow does find ways to keep them fresh.  While Cato is his usual tactical and empathetic self, especially when it comes to finding ways to defeat the enemy, Macro is in his full-on non-commissioned officer mode, serving as the hard-boiled soldier’s soldier.  Thanks to some over-the-top drill sergeant scenes, Macro quickly steals focus, and he is the more entertaining of the two protagonists.  Scarrow also throws in some especially emotional sequences for Macro, as he deals with the continued conflict against his former love interest, Boudica, his guilt for the damage she caused, and the secrets she revealed to him in the previous novel.  One of these secrets comes to fruition nicely in the final part of the book, and it will be interesting to see how the evolves going forward.

Aside from Cato and Macro, there is a great array of additional interesting characters scattered throughout the novel who have their moment to shine.  This includes multiple Roman figures, many of whom previously appeared in previous novels.  Of these, I particularly enjoyed Scarrow’s portrayal of a young Tribune Agricola.  Agricola, a real historical figure destined to become a famous general, is shown here as a brash young officer eager for command.  His ongoing storyline of learning the ropes under Cato and Macro proves to be a lot of fun, and I liked the inference that Agricola’s later success can be attributed to the harsh early tutorage of the protagonists.  However, out of the all the supporting characters, I felt that Scarrow did his best work with Boudica.  Boudica, who has appeared in several earlier Eagles of the Empire books, has one of her best outings in Revenge of Rome.  Despite losing in Rebellion, Boudica is still a determined revolutionary, turned vengeful from the Romans treatment of her and her daughters.  As such, she is unrecognisable compared to her previous appearances as an ally to Cato and Macro, and she proves to be one of their most dangerous enemies.  I felt that Scarrow really captured her revenge-darkened heart in Revenge of Rome, and there are some great scenes where she continues to take her war up another notch.  It was honestly really moving to see her in this final showdown against the protagonists, and I appreciated how effectively Scarrow focused on this iconic historical figure in this latest book.

Simon Scarrow once again deeply impressed me with an Eagles of the Empire novel as Revenge of Rome was another captivating and exciting novel, loaded with awesome historical action.  An excellent addition to the series that provides an outstanding wrap-up of one of Scarrow’s best storylines, Revenge of Rome comes very highly recommended, and I look forward to seeing where the author takes the series next.  In the meantime, we have A Death of Berlin to look forward to from Scarrow early next year, which should be another dark and complex Berlin Wartime Thriller.

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Top Ten Tuesday – Ten Favourite Books From Ten Series

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List3 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week, Top Ten Tuesday participants are tasked with choosing ten separate series and then listing their favourite book from that series.  This was a rather interesting topic that really got me thinking.  No matter how outstanding a series is, there is always at least one book that stands just that little bit above the rest, and I was curious to see how a list along those lines would turn out.

To come up with this list, I ran through some of my top novel and comic book series to try and work out what the most glaring examples of my favourite entries were.  I tried to limit my choices to longer series rather than trilogies, and I also went for series that I’m mostly up to date with, rather than those I’ve only made a little bit of progress on.  Despite these limitations, I ended up with a huge range of potential entries and I had to spend a bit of time culling down my initial list.  I’m pretty happy with how the final version of this post came out, as there are some excellent books featured within.  I do note that some of the series I mention below are recurring features in my other Top Ten Tuesday lists, but as they’re my favourites, that’s hardly too surprising.  So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

The Gray Man – Gray Man series by Mark Greaney

An impressive debut that still stands up as the best book in this top spy thriller series.

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Necropolis – Warhammer 40,000: Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett

Featuring an epic siege and deadly action, Necropolis is a particularly bright spot in an exceptional Warhammer series.

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The Grove of the Caesars – Flavia Albia series by Lindsey Davis

There are so many great mysteries contained in this Roman historical fiction series, however, my favourite is The Grove of the Caesars, which contains a particularly dark story.

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Thrawn – Star Wars: Thrawn series by Timothy Zahn

An amazing read reintroducing one of the best characters in the Star Wars canon.  Thrawn is so much fun, and it serves as the best book in the new Thrawn trilogy, as well as Zahn’s other Thrawn related novels in the new Star Wars extended universe.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Guards! Guards! – Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Unsurprisingly considering the name of this blog, I’m starting this list off with a Discworld novel.  Written by the late great Terry Pratchett, the Discworld books remain one of my top series, and I cannot emphasise how outstanding these novels are.  While there are many, many great books in this series, if I had to pick an absolute favourite it will probably be Guards! Guards!.  Not only is this Pratchett at his very best, expertly combining a compelling mystery with hilarious fantasy elements, but it also sets up my favourite Discworld sub-series and introduces so many popular characters.  A truly exceptional read and the best book to check out if you want to become addicted to the Discworld.

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The Third Day, The Frost – Tomorrow series by John Marsden

Another formative book series for me is the Tomorrow series by John Marsden.  An iconic Australian young adult series, the Tomorrow books follow a group of teenagers attempting to survive a brutal invasion of Australia.  I honestly love every novel in this series, as Marsden produces an intense narrative that is well spaced out amongst all seven books.  However, I always felt that the best Tomorrow entry was the third book, The Third Day, The Frost.  Following the characters as they embark on their most ambitious mission yet, The Third Day, The Frost, is the darkest entry in the series, and it forces the protagonists to fully grasp the horrors of war.  A masterpiece of emotion, sacrifice and heartbreak, The Third Day, The Frost, lives eternal in my mind for very good reason.

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The Archer’s Quest – Green Arrow (2001) by Brad Meltzer

I have a lot of love for DC comics released around the turn of the century, but to my mind one of the best series that came out around then was the 2001 Green Arrow series.  Bringing back the original Green Arrow after his explosive death, this new series contains some amazing comics focussed on the Emerald Archer, with several outstanding creative leads exploring him in a new light.  While I personally think every arc of this series is exceptional, my favourite is the third volume, The Archer’s Quest.  Written by Brad Meltzer, The Archer’s Quest sees Green Arrow go back to his road-trip roots to recover multiple artifacts from his past.  While on the surface this sounds like a simple narrative, Meltzer turns it into a deep personal journey, that really captures the complex history of Green Arrow in comics.  I love how moving this comic gets at times, and Meltzer layers in the feels to keep the reader emotionally invested in the story.  One of the best comics I have ever read.

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Code Zero – Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry

Fans of this blog will know that I have a lot of love for Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, which are some of the best science fiction thrillers out there.  Following a damaged agent charged with protecting the world from unusual and technologically impossible threats, all the Joe Ledger books are addictive, and I love the complex stories, intriguing antagonists, and over-the-top action.  There were several entries I could have mentioned here, but to my mind the best was probably the sixth book, Code Zero.  Not only does it have a great story on its own, but it features one of the more intriguing villains who brings back multiple prior cases to mess with the protagonists.  An amazing thriller that really showcased just how intense and intricate a Joe Ledger novel could be.

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Magician – The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist

I have mentioned many times how awesome Raymond E. Feist’s epic Riftwar Cycle is, and I have literally just started reading the next book in this series, A Darkness Returns.  There were several books I considered featuring as my favourite, including the Empire trilogy, but in the end, I went with the original book Magician.  A classic piece of fantasy fiction that perfectly sets up Feist’s iconic worlds, Magician is so damn amazing, and it still stands up to this day.

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The Eagle’s Conquest – Eagles of the Empire series by Simon Scarrow

Few series have impacted me over the years as much as Simon Scarrow’s exciting Eagles of the Empire series.  One of the very best Roman historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books feature some great stories and classic action as the protagonists journey across multiple Roman battlefields.  While there are multiple outstanding books in this series, my favourite is the second book, The Eagle’s Conquest.  Not only does it perfectly continue some of the great storylines set up in the first novel, but it also takes some dark turns that shake the protagonist and make sure the reader knows that tragedy is always ready to strike.  Without The Eagle’s Conquest, I’m not sure I would have become a life-long fan of Scarrow, and it proved to be an exceptional second entry in this series.

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Changes – Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher

I doubt anyone who has followed my blog in recent years will be surprised that I am featuring the Dresden Files series on this list.  As one of the very best urban fantasy series, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher feature some elaborate and complex storylines, all following Butcher’s rebellious, but heroic, wizard protagonist, and I have deeply enjoyed binge reading all 17 books in the series.  Choosing a favourite Dresden Files book proved to be particularly hard, as there were several epic entries I could have gone with, including Skin Game and Battle Ground.  However, in the end I had to go with the 12th book in the series, Changes.  Not only is Changes a particularly groundbreaking entry that fundamentally alters the trajectory of the series, but it also contains several dark twists that will shock you to your core.  An exceptional read that shows author Jim Butcher at his very best.

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Seasons – Usagi Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai

Another series that I had to feature here were the Usagi Yojimbo comics by Stan Sakai.  I have long loved the adventures of the rabbit samurai, and every volume is a masterpiece in its own way.  While I honestly would rate all the Usagi Yojimbo volumes a full five-stars, if I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Seasons.  Loaded with a ton of memorable adventures, Seasons shows how diverse the Usagi Yojimbo stories can be, while also setting up several impressive future adventures and characters.  I also have a lot of nostalgic love for Seasons, as a chance encounter with one of its stories introduced the Usagi Yojimbo world to me.  As such, Seasons is a very worthy addition to this list, and one that showcases Sakai’s skill as both an artist and a writer.

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Homeland – The Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore

It proved very easy to put forth Homeland as my favourite book in R. A. Salvatore’s The Legend of Drizzt extended series.  Homeland starts off a prequel sub-trilogy that seeks to provide valuable background to the life of Salvatore’s most iconic protagonist Drizzt Do’urden.  Set in the underground city of the drow, Homeland expertly explores the early life of Drizzt and shows the events that led to him turning his back on his evil race.  Easily one of the best things Salvatore ever wrote, Homeland is an amazing book I have re-read multiple times.

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The Last Devil to Die – Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman

The final book in this list is part of the amazing new Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.  A clever, funny and sweet crime fiction series that follows four retirees who solve murders in their spare time, the Thursday Murder Club books are quite exceptional, and I have loved every single one of them so far.  While both The Thursday Murder Club and The Bullet That Missed are outstanding entries, if I had to choose a favourite it would be the latest entry, The Last Devil to Die.  The fourth book in the series, The Last Devil to Die has one of the most emotionally charged stories behind it, especially as Osman chooses to end several tragic plot points in incredible fashion.  I cannot emphasise just how good this book is, and it remains my favourite in the series so far.

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Well that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, I have had an awesome time diving into some of my favourite series and choosing the best entry, and it produced a pretty cool collection of books.  I hope you find the above entries interesting, and I would strongly recommend them, and the series they are associated with, to anyone looking for a new obsession.

Waiting on Wednesday – Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an awesome upcoming historical fiction novel from one of my favourite authors with Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow.

Revenge of Rome Cover

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Readers of this blog will no doubt be very familiar with my constant praise of Simon Scarrow and his exceptional historical fiction novels.  An author who I have been a massive fan of for a very long time, Scarrow has written some amazing and varied pieces of historical fiction over the years, and I have made a real effort to read them all.  His most iconic books are part of his long-running Eagles of the Empire series, which follow two veteran Roman soldiers through every major battlefield and conflict of their historical period.  I have had a wonderful time with this series over the years, and readers can find reviews for several of the more recent entries, such as The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, on this blog.

While The Eagles of the Empire series is always very good, Scarrow has been on a particularly strong roll lately as he portrays the events of Boudica’s rebellion in exquisite and heartbreaking detail, covering all the evils done by both sides during the conflict.  With his protagonists firmly in the middle of the action, books like Death to the Emperor and Rebellion have been some of the best entries in the series, and I loved the compelling and powerful narrative that Scarrow wove around these iconic events.  However, the story of the rebellion and Boudica still isn’t over, and Scarrow looks to bring it to an intense end with the next novel in the series, Revenge of Rome.

Revenge of Rome will be the 23rd book in the Eagles of the Empire series and will be set in the immediate aftermath of the big climatic battle that shattered Boudica’s army.  This upcoming book will see protagonists Cato and Macro forced to chase after Boudica to get Rome’s revenge for the destruction the rebelling Britons wrought.

Plot Synopsis:

ROME AND BOUDICA. A DUEL TO THE DEATH.

AD 61. Britannia is divided.

The rebel horde has been defeated. But the leader, Boudica, and her remaining warriors are still at large. With them is the eagle standard of the Ninth Legion, taken in ambush, flaunted as proof that Rome can yet be beaten.

The embers of rebellion are still glowing . . .

The toll has been heavy, with countless men lost, and major towns in ruins. The bodies of the dead are strewn across the streets. And for Centurion Macro, there is the scarring knowledge that his mother perished in the attack on Londinium.

As Macro’s heart burns for revenge, he and his comrade-in-arms Prefect Cato are tasked with hunting down the remnants of the enemy army. There can be no peace until the queen is captured or killed. And Roman honour will only be restored when the eagle standard has been recovered.

I have been very much looking forward to this new Eagles of the Empire book ever since I read the last gripping page of the preceding novel Rebellion, especially as Scarrow left several powerful storylines unfinished.  It looks like many of these plot points are going to be resolved in Revenge of Rome, as Cato and Macro try to hunt down Boudica and either capture or kill her.  I love the idea of this story concept for the new book, especially as it likely to result in a lot of epic moments.  Not only will be get some more intense action as the remaining Roman units attempt to bring the remaining rebels to heel, but it also looks like we are going to get a powerful look at the traumatic aftermath of the destruction caused by the latest conflict.

This will no doubt lead to some dark and captivating character moments, especially for the character of Macro, who lost his mother, friends and hope of a quiet retirement due to the rebellion he unintentionally helped start.  I cannot wait to see how Macro’s character arc unfolds in Revenge of Rome, especially as Scarrow has built up so many different connections to Boudica in recent books.  I have no doubt the inevitable confrontation between Macro and Boudica is going to be something extremely dramatic, as there is plenty of enmity and guilt on both sides, and it will be very interesting to see how certain issues between the two are decided.  I think that these character elements will make Revenge of Rome one of the most emotionally charged novels in the entire Eagles of the Empire series and I cannot wait to see it all unfold.

Revenge of Rome was always going to be very high on my to-read list, as this any Scarrow novel is an instant get more me.  However, I am very invested in seeing how the current Eagles of the Empire storyline continues in Revenge of Rome, especially some of the compelling character elements that Scarrow has been cleverly building up in the last couple of books.  Sure to feature a ton of conflict, personal trauma, and dramatic interactions, Revenge of Rome is going to be an awesome read, and it is already one of my most anticipated novels for the second half of 2024.

Rebellion by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction8 Comments

Rebellion Cover

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 14 November 2023)

Series: Eagles of the Empire – Book 22

Length: 398 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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One of my favourite historical fiction authors of all time, Simon Scarrow, returns with another epic adventure that places his long-running Roman protagonists right in the middle of the deadliest fight imaginable with Rebellion.

I have made no secret of the fact that I am a massive fan of Simon Scarrow, especially when it comes to his main Roman historical fiction series.  While I have deeply enjoyed Scarrow’s books set in other periods, such as his awesome Berlin Wartime thrillers Blackout and Dead of Night, it is Scarrow’s Eagles of the Empire series that I come back to every time.  Following two veteran Roman officers who manage to find themselves sent to every battlefield imaginable, the Eagles of the Empire books have dominated the historical fiction market for over 20 years, and I have had such an incredible time reading every entry in this series.  Eagles of the Empire has been a staple series for this blog ever since I started The Unseen Library, and I have reviewed multiple entries, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome and Death to the Emperor.  Due to how much fun I have with these fantastic historical adventures, I always make time to read the latest Eagles of Empire book each year, and I finally managed to read the late 2023 entry, Rebellion.  The 22nd book in the series, Rebellion was an exceptional and bloody read that places Scarrow’s protagonists in their most dangerous battle yet.

AD 60, Britannia.  The Roman province of Britannia is in utter turmoil as the queen of the Iceni tribe, Boudica, leads her people in total rebellion after suffering the greed and cruelty of Rome too long.  Despite the best efforts of retired centurion Macro, Boudica’s growing force of Britons managed to destroy the veteran’s colony of Camulodunum, and now her army is emboldened to take back the entire province in a bloody spree of vengeance.

Campaigning on the other side of the province, Governor Suetonius desperately attempts to lead his army back to Londinium as soon as word reaches him about the uprising.  Forced to move ahead with a smaller force, led by Prefect Cato, Suetonius hopes to rally the rest of the troops in Britannia to make time for his army to arrive.  However, Suetonius is unprepared for the savagery of the desperate rebels and the incompetence of the officers he left behind, and he soon finds himself hopeless outnumbered.

As the Roman forces attempt to salvage the situation, Cato finds himself lost without his longtime comrade Macro beside him.  Convinced that Macro died at Camulodunum, Cato is determined to avenge his friend no matter the cost.  But Macro’s fate is far more complicated than the Roman’s realise, as he has been taken prisoner and is trapped in Boudica’s camp where everyone wants him dead.  As the Roman host desperately makes their final stand against the rebelling tribes, can these two grizzled soldiers survive this bloody battle, or has their luck finally run out?

Scarrow once again presents a fast-paced and powerful piece of historical fiction that proves impossible to put down.  Focusing on a particularly fascinating and iconic piece of history, Rebellion is an outstanding novel that once again thrusts Scarrow’s beloved protagonists right into the middle of the carnage.

The author had to achieve a lot in Rebellion, especially after the epic cliffhanger the prior novel, Death to the Emperor, left us on.  The events leading up to Boudica’s rebellion have been in play since the author’s very first book, and it was only a matter of time before Scarrow showcased it in this series.  Death to the Emperor did a really good job setting the rebellion in motion, and Scarrow needed to majorly capitalise on that in this latest novel.  Luckily, he was more than up to the task, presenting a captivating story that covers the key events of the rebellion.

After starting with a fun and bloody introduction that helps to highlight just how much trouble the Romans are in, Rebellion swiftly returns to the protagonists.  The first part of the book is told primarily from Cato’s perspective, as he accompanies the Roman general and a small force back to the imperilled capital in a desperate march.  This sets up a lot of the later narrative, especially as you get a sense of how out of position the Romans are and how desperate events have become.  Rebellion’s plot got even more interesting when the story spent several chapters focussing on Macro.  Now, I never for a second believed that Macro had been killed in the previous book, so I do not consider it a spoiler to mention that he was a major part of Rebellion.  His scenes were easily the highlight of the first half of Rebellion, especially as he endured being a prisoner of the rebelling tribes and his former lover, Boudica.  These scenes are so tense and emotionally charged, as Macro is forced to watch his comrades be butchered all around him, while also learning some surprising secrets.  Despite the horrors he witnesses, Macro still manages to be a bullish and utterly frustrating figure for his captors, and I loved seeing the various ways he tries to fight back.  Naturally, these two separate storylines converge as the book continues, although things only get darker once Cato and Macro are back together.

The second half of Rebellion is so damn fast-paced, exciting and intense that I honestly read the whole thing in a single night.  Everything about this second half is very impressive, as the characters go through hell time and again.  Much of this involves an extended chase sequence as the Romans are forced to flee the advancing wrath of Boudica.  The sheer desperation, despair and sacrifice involved in many of these scenes is extremely moving, and Scarrow did not sugarcoat just how brutal and bloody things got at the hands of the rebelling Britons.  The continued perspective spilt between Cato and Macro during these sequences works great, and Scarrow really captures just how fraught the situation is.

While I loved this long chase sequence and the brawls involved with it, the main highlight of Rebellion was always going to be the final battle between the Romans and Boudica.  Scarrow takes his time setting up this battle, which really heightens the anticipation, as the characters make their preparations and reflect on the fight to come.  The conclusive battle was everything you would hope it to be, and Scarrow showcases the epic confrontation, one of the bloodiest in Roman British history, in fantastic detail.  The action is intense, fast and shocking, and you are constantly on the edge of your seat waiting to see how events would unfold and whether the protagonists would survive.  Everything comes to a powerful and desperate finish, and readers will be thrilled by how this entire novel comes together.

As with most books in Scarrow’s Eagles of the Empire series, Rebellion can be read as a fun standalone novel, although in this case reading one or two of the previous entries might be beneficial.  This is because most of the storylines from the last few books have involved the events that led to Boudica’s revolt, and it was great to see it finally see this ongoing arc finally come to fruition.  At the very least, I would advise people to read the prior novel, Death to the Emperor, before getting into Rebellion.  Death to the Emperor was one of Scarrow’s best recent book in the series, and it ends with the battle for Camulodunum and a cliffhanger regarding Macro.  The two books form a powerful pairing, and I strongly believe that the impact of Rebellion was enhanced by reading the events of Death to the Emperor first.  However, if you choose to dive into Rebellion as a standalone, you will still be in for a good time because Scarrow ensures that the plot is very accessible and easy to follow for new readers.  This proves to be an awesome Eagles of the Empire book as a result, and I look forward to the next entry in the series, especially after some of the cool revelations that came out in this impressive novel.

I loved the historical aspects of Rebellion as Scarrow does an amazing job of exploring the events of Boudica’s revolt in detail.  As I mentioned above, the set-up for the revolt was handled flawlessly in Death to the Emperor, and Scarrow did a great job following it up with the main event here in this sequel.  Many of the key aspects of this conflict, including the sacking of Londinium, the forced march of the Roman army, and the general panic of the citizens in Britannia are shown in impressive detail, and Scarrow does a great job of setting the scene and showing just how close the Romans were to defeat.  The author does not pull any punches when it comes to how bad things got, and the inhuman actions both sides committed really raised the stakes of the book.  Scarrow also does an outstanding job of filling in historical details that were not effectively covered by the surviving sources.  For example, I liked his take on the destruction of the Ninth Legion at the start of the book, which was reminiscent of the Teutoburg Forest massacre.  Scarrow further enhances the story by providing an intriguing potential viewpoint on both sides of the revolt.  Interactions between Cato, Macro, and several different Briton characters really highlight how both sides thought they were in the right, and the differing views around the conflicts amped up the emotions of the story.  However, it was his fantastic depiction of the final battle that I particularly enjoyed.  Despite its fame, reliable details about this battle are scarce and I think that Scarrow presented a very reasonable depiction, showing the tactics the desperate Romans likely used.  This battle really came to life thanks to Scarrow’s outstanding storytelling, and you can just envision the fight between the tightly formed Roman legionaries and the massed hordes of Britons.  All this historical detail was just superb, and I loved how authentic and brutal it helped to make Rebellion.

In addition to the amazing and compelling historical elements, Rebellion also featured some moving character work.  The plot of Rebellion featured an interesting combination of long-running protagonists, real-life historical figures, and new characters introduced for this book.  I think this cool combination of characters worked extremely well, and it helped to tell an amazing and complex story.  Naturally, most of this focus goes towards the characters of Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, who we have had so many adventures with over the years.  Cato is again showcased as the young but tough veteran campaigner and tactician, and I liked his intriguing storylines in Rebellion as he was involved in all the major battles and conversations.  While I am not sure that every key idea for Rome’s victory needed to come from Cato, it did allow him to serve a vital role in Rebellion, providing the reader with the best overview of Rome’s tactics and strategies during the war.

Due to Cato’s role as the leader, much of the more emotionally charged character work was left to the usually impassive and unflappable Macro.  Macro actually goes through a lot in Rebellion, as after losing several friends in Death to the Emperor, he is captured by the Britons.  Despite his steely resolve and fighting spirit, this imprisonment leaves its mark on Macro, especially when as he learns some disturbing secrets.  Macro also bears a certain amount of guilt in Rebellion, as he feels responsible for Boudica’s uprising, and he worries about all the deaths he seems to have caused.  I love this moving and powerful look at Macro, and it was great that Scarrow can still give him some additional depth this far into the series.  Throw in compelling and intriguing looks at the two opposing leaders of this war, Boudica and Roman Governor Suetonius, as well as some other great characters, many of whom do not survive the entire book, and Rebellion proved to be an exception novel that expertly showcased its amazing cast.

Simon Scarrow once again wows me with his outstanding Roman historical fiction novel, Rebellion.  This latest exceptional Eagles of the Empire book was everything I hoped it would be as Scarrow expertly places his protagonists in bloody heart of Boudica’s revolt.  Loaded with action, intriguing historical detail, and fantastic emotionally charged character moments, Rebellion had me hooked from the very beginning, and I loved every second I spent reading it.

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Top Ten Tuesday – Favourite Books/Series Set in the Roman Empire

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, List5 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was a Thanksgiving themed list that required participants to list the reasons why they are thankful for books.  While this is an interesting topic, I decided against contributing to it, instead I’m skipping ahead to next week’s topic to free up December for my usual end-of-year lists.  As such, my topic for this week involves listing my favourite books set in a specific setting of my choosing, whether that be a country, state, outer space or something else.  This open-ended list left me with quite a few opportunities for potential topics, but I decided to go back to my historical fiction roots and instead focus on books set in the Roman Empire.

I have mentioned before that when I started reviewing books I focussed completely on historical fiction, which was a favourite genre of mine.  While I have expanded my horizons to other genres since then, historical fiction still has a very special place in my heart, and I always like to highlight it on this blog when I get a chance.  As such, I thought I would give this latest list a historical fiction theme and look at books set in the most popular historical fiction setting, the ancient Roman Empire.

Due to the rich history, intriguing people, multiple wars, and iconic nature of ancient Rome, so many historical fiction novels and series are set during this period.  While most of these books are military fiction, there are a ton other stories that can be told during this period, especially as there are so many detailed records about the various Roman Emperors and their reigns.  I have a great deal of love for the Roman Empire in fiction and nearly every major historical fiction author has written a Roman series at some point in their career.  As such, I can think of no better setting to focus this list on than the Roman Empire and its many different battles, plots and unique figures.

To feature on this list, a book needed to be set in some period of Roman history, whether it be the rise of city, the early wars, the height of Empire or its eventual decline.  I decided to allow whole series to be featured as a single entry on this list as this honestly saves me having to choose my favourite novel from some particularly long series.  While I had quite a few good options to feature here, I was eventually able to whittle my list down to ten books/series, with a few honourable mentions thrown in as well.  Each of the below entries are very much worth checking out if you want some fiction set in the Roman Empire, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

The Return by Harry Sidebottom

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A dark and gritty standalone novel set shortly after the Roman conquest of Greece, which sees a traumatised former soldier return home only to find himself a suspect in a series of brutal murders.

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Hannibal/The Forgotten Legion series by Ben Kane

Enemy of Rome Cover

Ben Kane has written several great Roman series over the years, and while I have one on the main list, I had to also highlight two of his other series here, including his awesome depiction Hannibal’s battles with Rome in Hannibal and the gripping read about Roman soldiers trapped in the East with The Forgotten Legion.

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The Siege by Nick Brown

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The fun first book in Brown’s Agent of Rome series that sees a young intelligence agent lead the defence of an isolated fort and its disparate soldiers.  High recommended.

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Top Ten List:

Eagles of the Empire series by Simon Scarrow

Death to the Emperor Cover

This list has to start with one of my all-time favourite historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books by Simon Scarrow.  Probably the gold standard of Roman historical fiction, the Eagles of the Empire is a great long-running series that really drew me into the genre when I started reading it years ago.  Currently made up of 21 novels (with the 22nd due to drop any day now), the Eagles of the Empire books follow two Roman officers who bounce from deadly warzone to warzone, trying to survive.  Filled with elaborate battles, great characters, and a cool focus on some of Rome’s most memorable campaigns, the Eagles of the Empire books are so much fun and I cannot recommend them enough (check out my reviews for The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome and Death to the Emperor).

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Flavia Albia series by Lindsey Davis

Desperate Undertaking Cover 2

While most Roman series focus on wars and historical figures, one of the best is a fun murder mystery series with the Flavia Albia books by Lindsey Davis.  A sequel to Davis’ original Falco novels (a series I still need to check out), the Flavia Albia books follow a skilled investigator as she tries to solve a series of elaborate crimes and murders while also balancing her hectic personal life.  I have so much love for this series, especially as Davis always seems to get the perfect blend of humour, mystery, and dark intensity into her fantastic narratives.  Some of my favourites in the series include Pandora’s Boy, The Grove of the Caesars (one of my favourite books of 2020), and Desperate Undertaking (one of my favourite books of 2022), and Davis is at her best when she creates particularly elaborate murders and large comedic set pieces.  A must-read series for all fans of Roman historical fiction, especially those looking for something other than wars and politics.

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Vespasian series by Robert Fabbri

Emperor of Rome Cover

Many Roman historical fiction authors choose to centre their books around great figures of history, but few of biographic novels are as entertaining or bold as the Vespasian series by Robert Fabbri.  Focussing on the life of future Roman Emperor Vespasian, Fabbri works to combines the official record of Vespasian’s life with additional adventures that place the character in the middle of the most significant events of the era.  Thanks to Fabbri’s choice to bring every salacious and insane bit of history from the period to life, you get to see the outrageous emperors who preceded Vespasian in all the bloody glory as the protagonist tries to survive the tumultuous wars and politics leading to his ascension.  Deeply entertaining, compelling, and highly shocking, the Vespasian series (check out my reviews for Rome’s Sacred Flame and Emperor of Rome), are well worth checking out.

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Eagles of Rome series by Ben Kane

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As I mentioned above, there are several great Roman historical series written by Ben Kane, but my personal favourite is the Eagles of Rome series.  Set around the infamous massacre of three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest, the first book, Eagles at War, perfectly covers the massacre, while the sequels, Hunting the Eagle and Eagles in the Storm shows the attempts by the Roman characters to get revenge years later.  Eagles at War really sets the tone for this excellent and dark series and I loved this fantastic and brutal portrayal of such an infamous event.

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Warrior of Rome series by Harry Sidebottom

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One of my absolute favourite Roman historical series is the amazing Warrior of Rome books by Harry Sidebottom.  One of the first series I ever had the pleasure of reviewing, the Warrior of Rome novels follow the intriguing character of Ballista, a German hostage turned Roman nobleman who serves as a general and siege expert in the army.  The first book, Fire in the East, saw Ballista take command of a doomed city in one of my favourite siege books, while the sequels show his attempts to save his friend the emperor from threats outside and within with some amazing reads.  This series has remained very fresh and fun over the years, especially the last three novels which have featured an intriguing range of storylines, often laced with compelling thriller elements, such as the 24-inspired The Last Hour, the intense survival novel The Burning Road, and the behind-enemy-lines novel, Falling Sky.  I have a lot of love for this outstanding series and Sidebottom continuously shows himself to be one of the very best authors of Roman historical fiction.

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Commodus by Simon Turney

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A fascinating and addictive read that followed one of the most intriguing Roman Emperors, the infamous and beloved Commodus.  Turney does a wonderful job of showcasing this complex figure in all his glory, strength and insanity, and you really get a feel for both his nobility and his struggles.  One of the most moving and compelling Roman fiction novels I have had the pleasure of reading, this is an outstanding book.

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Empire series by Anthony Riches

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Another Roman historical series I got into years ago is the Empire series by Anthony Riches, which is a classic and impressive collection of books that dive into the comradery of a dedicated regiment.  Starting with Wounds of Honour, this series primarily follows a political fugitive fighting in the legions under an assumed name in several deadly conflicts.  I deeply enjoyed the first several books in the series, and I recently got back into it when I read the fun novel River of Gold.  An awesome and exciting series that proves very easy to read whenever I want a new historical adventure.

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The Throne of Caesar by Steven Saylor

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Another excellent Roman detective series is the Roma Sub Rosa books by Steven Saylor which follow the long running character Gordianus the Finder.  I have only had the pleasure of reading one of Saylor’s Roma Sub Rosa books, The Throne of Caesar, but I really loved it.  Set just before the Ides of March, The Throne of Caesar sees Gordianus investigate the conspiracy against Julius Caesar in a clever narrative that gets even more intense the closer the protagonist gets to the assassination.  A brilliant read that I am really glad I got the chance to check out.

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The Sword of Attila by Michael Curtis Ford

The Sword of Attila Cover

Another great standalone Roman fiction book I had to highlight on this list was the invigorating and compelling read, The Sword of Attila by Michael Curtis Ford.  The Sword of Attila is a gripping novel that focussed on two figures from history, Attila the Hun and the Roman general who beat him, Flavius Aetius.  Set towards the end of the Roman Empire, The Sword of the Attila did an excellent job of examining the lives of both fascinating historical figures and the connections they shared.  One of the better character-driven Roman historical fiction novels I have had the pleasure of reading, I deeply enjoyed learning about both these intriguing legends.

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Emperor series by Conn Iggulden

The Gates of Rome Cover

The final series I want to feature on this list is one of the best with the Emperor series by iconic historical fiction author Conn Iggulden.  An awesome retelling of the entire life of Julius Caesar, Iggulden imagines all the triumphs and tragedies of this illustrious leader and portrays them in a captivating and intelligent way for the reader.  A deeply impressive series that proves very hard to put down, the Emperor books are some of the best Roman historical fiction novels out there and are a must read for fans of the genre.

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Well that’s my latest list.  As you can see, there are a range of awesome and compelling novels and series set in the Roman Empire that are very much worth checking out.  I am such a huge fun of this setting and all the above books and series come highly recommended.  Let me know in the comments below what your favourite books set in ancient Rome are, as well as some of your favourite settings.

Waiting on Wednesday – Rebellion by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out an upcoming entry in one of my favourite long-running series, with Rebellion, the next Eagles of the Empire book by Simon Scarrow.

Rebellion Cover

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I’m in a real historical fiction mood at the moment, so this seems like the perfect time to look at the next upcoming book from one of my favourite authors, Simon Scarrow.  One of the most prolific current authors in the historical fiction genre, Scarrow has been producing exceptional novels for over 20 years and I have long been a fan of his outstanding dives into some of the darkest and most violent periods of history.  It’s already been a good year for Scarrow fans, as he released his compelling thriller set in Nazi German, Dead of Night, which I deeply enjoyed.  However, Scarrow still has more planned for 2023 as he is continuing his amazing Eagles of the Empire series.

The Eagles of the Empire books are one of the best ancient Roman series I have had the pleasure of reading, especially as it thrusts the reader into the heart of several of the most iconic Roman campaigns in history.  Following two grizzled soldiers, Prefect Cato and Centurion Marco as they travel from one bloody battlefield to the next, this series has been a real treat from the very start.  I have had a great time reading every book in this series, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome and Death to the Emperor, and all of them have been pretty epic and really fun reads.

As such, I am always excited for that time of the year when Scarrow drops his next Eagles of the Empire book, and that time is nearly now with the next entry, Rebellion, coming out in November 2023.  The 22nd novel in the series, Rebellion will follow on in the immediate aftermath of Death to the Emperor, which saw the start of Boudica’s rebellion and the destruction of the protagonist’s home at Camulodunum.  Death to the Emperor was one of the stronger recent entries in the series, and I loved how the author left it on a cliffhanger with Marco presumed dead at the hands of the vengeful Boudica.  As such, Rebellion should start of very strong and I cannot wait to see how this one turns out.

Plot Summary:

AD 60. Britannia is in turmoil. The rebel leader Boudica has tasted victory, against a force of tough veterans in Camulodunum.

Alerted to the rapidly spreading uprising, Governor Suetonius leads his army towards endangered Londinium with a mounted escort, led by Prefect Cato. Soon it’s terrifyingly clear that Britannia is slipping into chaos and panic, with ever more tribal warriors swelling Boudica’s ranks. And Cato and Suetonius are grimly aware that little preparation has been made to withstand a full-scale rebellion.

In Londinium there is devastating news. Centurion Macro is amongst those unaccounted for after the massacre at Camulodunum. Has Cato’s comrade and friend made his last stand?

Facing disaster, Cato prepares his next move. Dare he hope that Macro – battle-scarred and fearless – has escaped the bloodthirsty rebels? For there is only one man Cato trusts by his side as he faces the military campaign of his life. And the future of the Empire in Britannia hangs in the balance.

Based on the description above, it looks like Rebellion is going to be a pretty damn epic read.  The long-awaited focus on Boudica’s rebellion was always going to be awesome and Scarrow exceeded my expectations with the start in Death to the Emperor.  As such, I cannot wait to see how this new novel turns out, especially as there still some big battles to come.  If Scarrow keeps up his usual form, it won’t take long for the carnage to begin and I am very excited to see what emerges.  I am also very keen to find out the fate of Marco after the last book.  While I am not as worried as the author wants me to be, I am still a tad apprehensive, especially as Scarrow did go on a bit of a killing spree in the previous book, so perhaps I’ll be surprised here.

Honestly, due to my very long history with this series and Scarrow’s outstanding writing, there is no way I won’t be getting a copy of Rebellion later this year and I already know I am going to love it.  This series has been nothing by awesome for me over the years, and this upcoming book looks set to continue this trend.  I cannot wait to see how Rebellion turns out, especially as Scarrow did some outstanding set up in the previous book, and this is easily one of the novels I am most excited about in the second half of 2023.

Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction11 Comments

Death to the Emperor Cover

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 15 November 2022)

Series: Eagles of the Empire – Book 21

Length: 466 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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One of the world’s best historical fiction authors, Simon Scarrow, returns with another epic instalment in his brilliant long-running Eagles of the Empire Roman history series, Death to the Emperor.

I have made no secret of my deep appreciation for the works of Simon Scarrow, who is easily one of my favourite historical fiction authors.  A talented and compelling author, Scarrow has written several great series and standalone reads that cover historical subjects such as the Napolenic wars, World War II and even a cool historical crime fiction novel, Blackout.  However, his most substantial body of work is his Eagles of the Empire series, which is one of the best historical fiction series I have had the pleasure of reading.  Set during the reigns of some of Rome’s most infamous emperors, Eagles of the Emperor follow two Roman soldiers, Prefect Cato and Centurion Marco, who have fought on multiple battlefields across the empire.  I have had a wonderful time reading this series over the years, and it features some outstanding books, including the last four novels, The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile and The Honour of Rome.  Naturally I started reading the latest book in the series (the 21st book overall), Death to the Emperor, pretty much as soon as I got it, and boy did that prove to be a smart decision.

60 AD, Britannia.  After years fighting side by side together, Prefect Cato and Centurion Marco are back in Britannia, the land they helped conquer at the start of their partnership.  Since their first time there, their lives have been transformed in ways they could have never believed.  While Marco is retired, serving a senior administrative role amongst the other retired veterans in Britannia, Cato is hiding out on the island, attempting to avoid Nero’s wrath for rescuing the Emperor’s former mistress from exile.  Determined to make their new lives in Britannia work, Cato and Marco are once again thrust into danger as tensions escalate throughout the island.

While the usual malcontents and druids stir rebellion and conflict against the Romans, tensions are higher than ever, especially as rumours spread that Emperor Nero wishes to pull out of the savage province.  However, Nero is also determined to squeeze the island for every bit of wealth it has, and he dispatches a ruthless and dangerous procurator to do this.  Worried that this move may destabilise an already fragile Britannia, Cato and Marco attempt to help their ally, the recently widowed queen of the Iceni, Boudica, whose tribe has caught the eye of the Emperor and his Procurator.

However, soon duty separates the two old friends again, as Cato is conscripted by Britannia’s ambitious governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, in his latest campaign to destroy the druid stronghold at Mona.  Left alone, Marco can only watch as outrage and disrespect brings the Iceni to the brink of war with Rome, one that he and his forces cannot possibly defeat.  Soon, the fate of Britannia lays in hands of one woman, Boudica, who can bring peace to the lands.  However, when Boudica is pushed too far, will she declare war on Rome, its Emperor, and her old friends Cato and Marco?

Death to the Emperor was an outstanding and fantastic read that once again highlights Scarrow’s impressive ability as a historical fiction writer.  Continuing the long-running story of Cato and Marco, Scarrow expertly dives into a major historical event and brings it to life in a compelling way.  I had a wonderful time reading Death to the Emperor and I felt that it was one of Scarrow’s better novels in recent years.

I loved the incredible story that Scarrow wove around Death to the Emperor, especially as it provides the reader with an excellent blend of action, adventure, character development and a ton of historical detail.  Set shortly after the events of the last book, The Honour of Rome, Scarrow continues several threads from there, with Cato and Marco attempting to settle down in their old stomping ground of Britannia and find some peace.  However, the death of Boudica’s husband soon leads to chaos as the disgruntled locals start to push back against the increasing control and greed of Rome.  After a good introduction, which sets much of the scene for the rest of the book, the protagonists are split up, with Cato forced to accompany Governor Paulinus on his campaign to eradicate the druids, while Marco remains behind to attempt to keep the peace.  This results in a great split of storylines, and both of their exciting character arcs really paid off.  Cato’s story arc is a pretty typical Scarrow narrative, as Cato takes control of a new regiment and leads them into several battles as part of his campaign.  This results in several impressive action sequences, including a great and highly exciting extended siege sequence at the druid stronghold of Mona, which was one of the best battle scenes in the entire book.  At the same time, Marco bears witness to all the key events that lead up to Boudica’s rebellion, as the villainous Catus Decianus antagonises the tribes, despite Marco’s best efforts to stop him.  Marco’s storyline is a lot more intense and emotionally rich as the protagonist attempts to save all his friends against heavy odds.  However, despite his best efforts, Marco and his fellow veterans find themselves forced to fight Boudica’s army, which results in a pretty memorable ending.

I deeply enjoyed how this compelling narrative came together, and Scarrow was on excellent form as he provided the reader with everything they needed.  While the start of the book is a little slower, it sets the scene perfectly, before all the action and deadly developments ensue at a faster and more intense pace.  The author really built up the tension throughout the narrative, and you really knew that everything was going to go wrong, and boy did it.  The resulting battles, which includes several very fun sieges, were well worth the wait, and Scarrow did a wonderful job of showcasing all the carnage of these fights.  Separating the main characters created a much more complex and wider narrative, and I liked the excellent contrasts between the battles, as Cato’s successes with his forces are mirrored by Marco’s desperate fights with the small band of retired fighters under his command.  The intensity of the plot got even more pronounced as the narrative continued, and the reader really gets drawn in as a result.  I personally powered through the second half of the book in very short order as I wanted to see how everything would unfold.  The desperate and bloody conclusion to the narrative was pretty shocking, especially as there are some major series moments featured here.  The resulting cliff hanger finisher was just perfect, and you are left wanting more.  I am not entirely sure I’ll be able to wait a whole year to see how this series continues, but I am sure that the reader is for even more excitement and shocks when Scarrow brings out his next book.

One of things that really impressed me about Death to the Emperor was the level of historical detail that Scarrow put into it as he covers some of the early events of Boudica’s uprising.  The author does a remarkable job showcasing all the events that lead up to the rebellion, and he paints a compelling and unique picture around it.  Many events are discussed or shown in intriguing detail, including the general oppression of the local tribes, the attempts to embezzle money from the Iceni, the capture and humiliation of Boudica, and the disregard that Nero had for Britannia and his rumoured plans to abandon the province.  All these events, eventually lead up to the rebellion and it was fascinating to see them come about, especially through the eyes of a common soldier character like Marco.  The subsequent early battles of this rebellion, including the fight at Camulodunum, are very dark and brutal, and I deeply appreciated how Scarrow put his protagonists in the centre of these bloody conflicts, as they really raise up the intensity of the narrative.  At the same time, Scarrow also spends a good part of the book highlighting Governor Paulinus’s invasion of the druid stronghold of Mona.  This compelling campaign is often overshadowed by Boudica in history books, but it was an important part of the events at that time, especially as it left the rest of the province undermanned.  Scarrow covers this campaign extremely well through the book, especially as Cato is the officer usually at the front of the fighting, and it became quite a key part of the book.  I loved seeing this blend of historical events throughout Death to the Emperor, especially as Scarrow brings his usual flair for showcasing the Roman war machine throughout this book, highlighting the strategies and martial techniques of the Romans in exquisite detail.  I can’t wait to see the rest of Boudica’s rebellion in the next Eagles of the Empire book, as it is going to be epic.

Scarrow does another awesome job with the characters in Death to the Emperor, as he tells some intriguing character arcs that really helped to shape the narrative.  The primary focus as always is one of the series’ main protagonists, Prefect Cato and Centurion Marco.  Both have some intriguing character moments in this book which I had a great time with here.  Cato’s arc is pretty typical for much of the series, with the prefect forced back into combat, this time leading an auxiliary cohort on the campaign to Mona.  Cato’s arc is filled with a huge amount of action and intense battles as he fights from one end of Britain and back again.  It is always fun to see Cato in action, especially as he takes his units into some bloody battles, using a range of unique tactics to win.  While Cato is fun, the most intense character moments is focused on Macro, who remains behind and watches over the province while the army is gone.  Marco, who is mostly retired at this point, finds himself in a unique leadership position, and must work his force of reservists into a coherent force.  At the same time, he also finds himself greatly conflicted as he finds his loyalty to Rome tested due to his friendship with Boudica.  Forced to take military action against them, Marco tries to protect Boudica and her family, however, his orders and his slimy commander make that impossible, and he must decide whether he should continue to blindly follow Rome or do what is right.  His decision will have huge impacts on the story, and it places him in some dark situations.

Aside from Cato and Marco, who tend to be the primary point-of-view characters, Death to the Emperor has an awesome cast of supporting characters who really add a lot to the overall narrative.  This includes Boudica, who serves as Rome’s main antagonist in this arc of the series.  Boudica has actually been a friendly supporting character for many of her previous appearances, having formed a relationship with the two protagonists.  However, this book sees all that change as she is pushed too far, becoming the warrior queen we all know.  Scarrow handled her transformation from friend to deadly enemy extremely well, and it was fascinating to see her interact with Marco, especially as he keeps trying, but failing, to help her.  Aside from Boudica, I also liked seeing more of the fun supporting character, Apollonius.  Apollonius has been an interesting figure for the last few books, serving as Cato’s spy and advisor, and generally being a good secondary protagonist.  He has a very interesting time in Death to the Emperor as he remains behind to help Marco.  I loved seeing the continued relationship between the two, as Marco generally disapproves of Apollonius, and it was also quite intriguing to get some insights into why Apollonius chooses to stay and help Cato.  The final character I need to point out is Catus Decianus, the Roman Procurator who is generally considered responsible for Boudica’s rebellion.  Scarrow does an amazing job with Decianus, a real historical figure, and he turns him into a very despicable villain in Death to the Emperor.  The author paints him as an arrogant, greedy fellow, whose arrogance and general dislike of the Britannia locals, leads to the resulting war.  You really cannot help but hate Decianus, especially as he really is the main villain of this story.  These great characters, and more, turn out to be an amazing cast, and I had a wonderful time seeing the outstanding and dramatic narrative Scarrow wove around them.

Simon Scarrow continues to showcase why he is one of the best historical fiction authors in the world with the latest entry in his exceptional Eagles of the Empire series, Death to the Emperor.  Expertly showcasing the brutal events of Boudica’s rebellion with his long-running protagonists right in the middle, Scarrow tells a powerful and action-packed story that takes his characters into some dark direction.  Captivating, exciting and oh so bloody, Death to the Emperor will keep you relentlessly entertained and ensure you come back for more books in this epic series.  Highly recommended!

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Waiting on Wednesday – Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday I check out the next upcoming entry in one of my favourite historical series, Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow.

Death to the Emperor Cover

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Each year I am lucky enough to get my Roman fix with an awesome novel from one of the leading historical fiction authors Simon Scarrow.  Scarrow, who has written several great historical series and standalone novels in his career (for example the World War II thriller Blackout), is best known for his Eagles of the Empire series.  Set during some of the most turbulent years of Roman history, the Eagles of the Empire series follows Prefect Cato and Centurion Marco, two elite Roman veterans as they traverse Rome’s provinces, fighting its many enemies.  I have been a major fan of this series for years, having read all the current entries (check out my reviews for The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile and The Honour of Rome).  As such, I am always very excited when I find out about the next thrilling entry in the series, and it looks like I don’t have too much longer to wait.

The next book in the series will be the cool sounding Death to the Emperor, which is set for release in November.  The 21st entry in this long-running series, Death to the Emperor will continue storylines set up in recent novels after Cato and Marco returned once again to Britannia, the province they fought to capture in their first campaign together.  This time, the two veterans, both of whom are currently hiding out from Emperor Nero (Cato has secretly spirited away Nero’s former mistress and is hiding her), will be dragged into another deadly conflict against the tribes of Britannia.

For the synopsis below, it looks like Death to the Emperor might serve as a prelude to Boudica’s uprising, perhaps featuring the earliest salvos.  If that is the case than it will be interesting to see the war unfold from the protagonist’s eyes, especially as both Cato and Marco have a long history with Boudica.  No matter what, I already know I am going to have an amazing time with Death to the Emperor and it will no doubt be one of the more exciting and action-packed novels from the second half of 2022.

Synopsis:

 AD 60. Macro and Cato – two battle-scarred heroes of the Roman army – face tribal uprisings and battles to the death with unmatched courage in barbaric Britannia.

The hard-won province of Britannia is a thorn in the side of the Roman Empire, its tribes swift to anger, and relentless in their bloody harassment of the Roman military. Far from being a peaceful northern enclave, Britannia is a seething mass of bitter rebels and unlikely alliances against the common enemy. Corruption amongst greedy officials diverts resources from the locals who need them. For the military, it’s a never-ending fight to maintain a fragile peace.

Now it’s time to quell the most dangerous enemy tribes. Two of Rome’s finest commanders – Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro – are charged with a mission as deadly as any they have faced in their long careers. Can they win the day, or could this be the last battle?

A stunning and unforgettable story of warfare, courage and sacrifice as brave men face an enemy with nothing to lose . . .

The Honour of Rome by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction15 Comments

The Honour of Rome Cover

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 9 November 2021)

Series: Eagles of the Empire – Book 20

Length: 431 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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One of the best authors of Roman historical fiction, Simon Scarrow, returns with another exceptional adventure back in time with The Honour of Rome.

2021 has been a particularly good year for Simon Scarrow readers, as this acclaimed historical fiction author has released two fantastic novels.  The first of these, Blackout, was a clever historical murder mystery novel set in pre-war Nazi Germany, which contained a fantastic and impressive story.  While I deeply enjoyed Blackout, I was a little more excited for the next awesome entry in Scarrow’s long-running Eagles of the Empire series.  The Eagles of the Empire books follow two officers in the Roman army, Centurion Marco and Prefect Cato, as they fight in multiple battle fields across the Roman Empire.  I have been a major fan of this series for years and have had the pleasure of reading every prior entry in it, while also reviewing some of the latest entries, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome and The Emperor’s Exile.  As such, I was very excited when I received the latest entry in this series, The Honour of Rome, a couple of days ago, and instantly started reading it.  The Honour of Rome is the 20th novel in this series and takes its great protagonists on another intense adventure.

Britannia, 59 AD.  After retiring from the Roman Legions, former Centurion Marco has travelled back to Britannia 15 years after he helped conquer it.  Now a married man, Marco is hoping for a quiet life, enjoying the fruits of the successful inn in Londinium that he half-owns with his mother.  However, not everything is as calm as he hoped.  There are rumours about the tribes being restless once again, and the streets of Londinium are alive with criminal gangs.

Upon arriving at his mother’s inn, Marco discovers that she is being extorted for protection money by a ruthless gang.  Determined to stop this, Marco attempts to resist the gangsters, only to find himself outmatched and a potential pawn into the middle of a vicious gang war.  At the same time, Marco finds himself drawn into the defence of the colony, especially when one of the local tribes refuses to pay any more taxes.

After a bloody punitive raid with a group of veteran reserve soldiers, Marco returns to Londinium, only to face the consequences for his defiance.  Beaten and bloodied, Marco is unsure how to fight back until his old friend Cato appears.  Cato, who has left Rome without leave to hide Nero’s exiled mistress, is always willing to back Marco up in any sort of fight, and he has an ambitious plan to end the gang problem once and for all.  Will the team of Marco, Cato, and their veteran allies be enough to overcome the city’s vicious gangs, or have these proud war heroes finally met their match?

This was another awesome novel from Scarrow, who has once again produced an exciting and fast-paced historical fiction read that perfectly envisions the landscape of Roman-occupied England.  The Honour of Rome is a great read, and I loved the cool combination of historical and crime fiction elements throughout it.  I ended up reading this book in only a few short days and loved every second of it.

Scarrow has come up with another amazing and entertaining story for this compelling book, which takes his long-running protagonists on another intense and bloody adventure.  One of the things that I have always enjoyed about the Eagles of the Empire series is the range of different subgenres that can be blended with its historical fiction elements.  The Honour of Rome is a great example of this as Scarrow utilises a crime fiction based storyline that blends with the overarching historical elements extremely well.  The protagonist is swiftly drawn into a vicious confrontation with two warring gangs of criminals upon his arrival in Londinium, which proves to be an outstanding basis for the main storyline.  At the same time, he once again becomes involved in the Roman garrison’s ongoing conflicts with the local Britons.  This combination of crime and military elements is very effective throughout the novel, and I liked seeing the conflicts with both gangsters and rebellious natives.  This also allows Scarrow to bring in several solider characters into the main crime-fiction storyline as backup as the story progresses, and it was pretty fun to see a bunch of retired soldiers taking on the antagonists.  The author really sets up everything extremely well in this book, and there isn’t a moment of calm or quiet throughout the entire novel, as the protagonist gets involved in several intense and well-written fights and battle sequences.  I found the last third of the novel to be particularly exciting, especially as the protagonists attempt an ambitious and risky strategy.  This results in the predictable satisfying, if bloody, conclusion, and Scarrow has made sure to set up some cool new storylines that will no doubt be the basis for the next few books.  An enjoyable and action-packed thrill-ride from start to finish, I had a fantastic time reading this latest historical adventure.

One of the more interesting things about The Honour of Rome was the noticeable change in character focus that helped set it apart from the other Eagles of the Empire books, namely that it spent most of the narrative focusing on only one of the series’ protagonists.  This is not too surprising, especially as the previous book in the series, The Emperor’s Exile, focused on Cato to such a degree that I kind of assumed that Scarrow was planning to permanently retire Marco.  However, I’m pleased to say I was wrong about this, as two-thirds of this latest book is exclusively told from Marco’s perspective.  I had a great time following Marco in this novel, and it is always a lot of fun to see the gruff and hard-headed Centurion in action.  There are some great moments surrounding Marco in this novel, from being out of his depth when it comes to combating criminals rather than enemy soldiers, to his great camaraderie with the fellow veterans in the colony.  You also have to love the fun interactions that occur around him as he finds himself stuck between his strong-willed wife and his equally strong-willed mother.  This ended up being a really good Marco novel, and I deeply enjoyed it.  Of course, Cato does show up towards the end of the book, and the novel is soon back to its typical dynamic, with Cato taking tactical lead.  There are also some interesting long-term storylines surrounding Cato, especially as he has fled from Rome with the Emperor’s exiled mistress.  It was great to see this team in action once again, especially as they enact another madcap scheme, and I had another fun time following them.

I also rather enjoyed the cool historical setting featured within this great novel, as the protagonists once again return to Britannia.  Historical Britannia is a well-utilised setting in the Eagles of the Empire books, having been the location of several of the earlier novels, including the first five entries in the series.  It made me a little nostalgic to see this damp and gloomy setting once again, especially as it proves to be just as chaotic and violent as ever.  This book makes full use of its clever move from the more traditional battlefields of Britannia to the city of Londinium, and I loved the inclusion of a crime-ridden, early London, especially as Scarrow tries his best to show it in all its dark and rapidly expanding glory.  I also enjoyed the inclusion of the veterans’ colony that was a major secondary setting for much of the book.  It proved to be fascinating to follow these characters who have chosen to settle in this harsh country and spending time conquering it, and I liked their inclusion in the novel.  It was pretty cool to see these retired soldiers in reserve taking on enemies, both on a proper battlefield and against the criminal element, and I thought it was a fun and compelling inclusion to the story.  I also appreciated that, after several books, we finally get a continuation of the Boudica storylines that were set up in some of the earlier novels.  Scarrow is also clearly setting up Boudica’s rebellion for later in the series, and I cannot wait to see how our protagonists, with their established history with Boudica and her people, will fit into it.

With this awesome 20th entry in his amazing Eagles of the Empire series, Simon Scarrow continues to highlight why he is one of the absolute best authors of historical fiction in the world today.  The Honour of Rome has a brilliant and compelling story that perfectly blends historical and crime fiction elements together into one thrilling tale.  I had a wonderful time reading this great book, and I deeply appreciated the way in which Scarrow continues the adventures of his compelling characters by once again returning them to the familiar setting of occupied Britannia.  The Honour of Rome is another highly recommended historical read, and I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series.

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