Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 11 November 2025)
Series: Eagles of the Empire – Book 24
Length: 403 pages
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Prepare for more Roman era carnage as the always impressive Simon Scarrow continues his long-running Eagles of the Empire series with the epic and intriguing novel, Tyrant of Rome.
Long-time readers of this blog will know that I am a major fan of the exceptional Simon Scarrow, who is one of the top current authors of historical fiction, having written an outstanding array of historical novels over the years. I have had a blast with many of Scarrow’s works, including his Berlin Wartime Thriller series (see my reviews for Blackout, Dead of Night and A Death in Berlin). However, his main body of work remains his Eagles of the Empire series. One of the premier Roman historical fiction series, Eagles of the Empire follows 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, Rebellion and Revenge of Rome. As such, the latest book in the series, Tyrant of Rome, has been a highly anticipated read for me, and I have been very keen to get my hands on it. The 24th novel in the series, Tyrant of Rome, sees the protagonists forced to face a far more dangerous force than the recent rebellion of Boudica, politics and the howling mob of 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.
Tyrant of Rome was another incredible read from Scarrow, who presents another fun and deeply exciting historical tale, this time loaded with intrigue, schemes and some fascinating insights into ancient Roman society. An outstanding continuation of one of my favourite series, I powered through Tyrant of Rome in no time at all, while also deeply appreciating its narrative differences from the typical Eagle of the Empire novel.
Scarrow provides a very interesting narrative that partially takes the reader away from the Roman battlefield fans of the series are familiar with. Once again following the duo of Cato and Macro, this novel sees them secretly returned to Rome after surviving Boudica’s rebellion, attempting to avoid the attention of Nero. However, when the emperor discovers that he is back, Cato is once again forced to report for duty to keep his secrets hidden. Unexpectedly assigned to lead Rome’s Urban Cohorts, Cato attempts to impose his military order onto the corrupt and lax soldiers of Rome’s primary defence and urban control regiment. However, Cato’s appointment couldn’t come at a worse time, as Rome is in uproar over Nero’s recent decision to execute hundreds of innocent slaves. At the same time, Cato finds himself trapped at the whims of an increasingly unstable Nero and the dangerous people attempting to control the emperor for their own gain. Desperate for help, Cato calls Macro out of retirement and sets him up as the Urban Cohort’s new drill sergeant and Cato’s backup against its corrupt officers.
Scarrow quickly sets much of the above scene early on in Tyrant of Rome, and the resulting mixture of the protagonist’s usual martial activity is nicely balanced by their personal concerns, and their immersion in the deteriorating politics of Rome. As the protagonists attempt to navigate the city through several deadly events, Cato also finds himself caught up in the middle of a dark conspiracy to unseat Nero. Caught between these conspirators and those manipulating Nero, Cato is forced to choose a side, especially when the city explodes into mob violence focused on the palace. This results in an intense and extended battle sequence leading up to the finale of Tyrant of Rome, as the protagonists attempt to survive against deadly odds. This awesome battle serves to bring together several of the ongoing storylines in Tyrant of Rome, with the big dark conspiracy of the novel resulting in additional carnage. This leads to an interesting, if not surprising, conclusion, as the protagonists get their typical rewards, and Scarrow sets the board for more adventures to come for this long-running duo.
I felt that this latest outing from Scarrow was a strong entry in the Eagles of the Empire series, which played up its focus on politics, intrigue and notable historical events. One of the few novels of this series set in Rome, Tyrant of Rome really dove into the chaotic reign of Nero, as well as some of the key figures behind the throne, and it was fascinating to see the soldier protagonists attempting to survive amid the resulting backstabbing and manipulations of an unstable emperor. This is one of the more historically rich novels in this series, and Scarrow throws in some intriguing depictions of significant moments of Roman history, such as the Great Fire of Rome, and I really enjoyed his take on these events, as well as how the protagonists were inserted into them. There were also some excellent depictions of a range of major historical figures, including Nero and other prominent Romans during this reign. Scarrow has a lot of fun portraying Nero’s rule, as well as the role that several of these other figures, such as his wife and the heads of the Praetorian Guard, had during this turbulent period. This focus on history helped to up the dramatic stakes of the plot, and it, alongside the well-written political intrigue and plotting, worked well with the more typical storyline of Cato and Macro whipping Roman soldiers into shape and leading them into battle.
While Tyrant of Rome is the 24th entry in a long-running series, Scarrow has long ensured that his Eagles of the Empire novels are mostly standalone in nature, with only a few requiring readers to check out earlier entries. Tyrant of Rome in particular works well as an independent read, as it comes just after Scarrow wrapped up a major multi-book arc, and starts setting the series in a new direction in the later years of Nero’s reign and the lead-up to the Year of the Four Emperors. As such, it’s easy to drop into the series here, especially as Scarrow provides excellent recaps of the protagonist’s relationships and past adventures. Thanks to the author’s open writing style, readers with varying knowledge of either history, or the events of the previous Eagles of the Empire books, can easily read and appreciate the cool adventures and intrigues of the characters, although established fans are naturally going to get the most out of seeing Cato and Macro in action again.
Scarrow makes sure to treat these ongoing readers with some interesting movement on the series’ overarching narrative, especially as it starts to establish the protagonists as players in the oncoming civil wars, and you also get to see how these characters continue to develop after all these years. The weariness around Cato and Macro after their multiple adventures, including their last harrowing stint in Britannia, is well showcased by Scarrow. I particularly enjoyed seeing a far more cynical Cato as he attempted to navigate the politics of Rome, and it certainly was a far cry from the more innocent figure we saw at the start of the series. I personally enjoyed seeing the return of a key figure from Cato and Macro’s past, the future emperor Vespasian, and the complex interactions he had with Cato, were very enlightening.
Simon Scarrow continues to showcase why he is one of the very best modern authors of Roman historical fiction with the latest Eagles of the Empire novel, Tyrant of Rome. Combining captivating historical political intrigue with Scarrow’s typically impressive depiction of the Roman military, Tyrant of Rome was a distinctive and powerful entry in this long-running series, that comes very highly recommended. An epic and action-packed read, I honestly couldn’t get enough of Tyrant of Rome, and I really cannot wait to see how Scarrow continues this series going forward, especially as we have a new entry, The Sword of Rome, set for release later this year.
The Unseen Library 