Eagle Series

The Eagle Series is a military fiction series written by Simon Scarrow. The books describe the lives of two soldiers in the Roman army- Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro. The first 5 books in the series are set in Roman Britain, between the years AD 42 and 44. The Eagle's Prophecy starts in Ancient Rome in AD 45, and The Eagle in the Sand is set in Judea. Centurion is set in Palmyra, The Gladiator, is set on Crete with, The Legion, being set in Egypt. The latest book Praetorian is set in Rome. The 12th book "[the blood crows]" is set in "[Britain]"

The Eagle Series centres on two main characters, who are both Roman soldiers. Macro, a veteran with nearly 16 years service with the Eagles has recently been appointed to the Centurionate. Cato is a young lad who grew up in the Imperial Palace, and at the start of the series joins the Eagles as Macro's Optio. Starting in AD 42, the books cover the experiences of the two soldiers, their experience of the wars on the Rhine, the invasion of Britain by Claudius as part of the Legio II Augusta, a mission in Judea as agents of the Emperor's secretary Tiberius Claudius Narcissus, an attempted invasion of Palmyra by Parthia, a slave revolt and natural disaster on Crete, the wars in Egypt, and with the latest book many attempts on Claudius life. In the next book, The Blood Crows, Macro and Cato will be going back to Britain.

The publisher has ceased using the word "Eagle" in the title of books in this series from Centurion. The move is believed to be because the publisher wanted to attract more new readers to the series.

Novels

There are 11 books in the series as well as the short story 'Blood Debt'. The 12th book appears to be on its way.

1. Under the Eagle (2000)
2. The Eagle's Conquest (2001)
3. When the Eagle Hunts (2002)
4. The Eagle and the Wolves (2003)
5. The Eagle's Prey (2004)
6. The Eagle's Prophecy (2005)
7. The Eagle in the Sand (2006)
8. Centurion (2008)
9. The Gladiator (2009)
10. The Legion (2010)
    • Blood Debt (2009, short story)
11. Praetorian (2011)
12. The Blood Crows (2013)

Main characters

Lucius Cornelius Macro:

He is the epitome of a good soldier. He is dependable in a fight and does not question any orders given to him by a senior officer (except those given to him by Vitellius, for personal reasons). In Under the Eagle he is the centurion of the Sixth Century, of the Fourth Cohort, of the Second Legion. By the time of The Eagle in the Sand he has risen to become the prefect in charge of Fort Bushir in Judea. By the end of Under the Eagle, he is close friends with Cato.

Quintus Licinius Cato:

When we first meet Cato in Under the Eagle, he is a very tall, weak looking boy from the Imperial Palace, who has been made to join the army as part of the terms of gaining his freedom. As he seems to be too weak to be in the army, many of the officers including Macro, place bets on how long it will be before he quits, or is killed. He is promoted to the rank of optio immediately (on orders from the Emperor) which causes the officers, and his fellow recruits to resent him further. He is however, extremely determined and proves the officers wrong throughout the series. Macro is extremely intrigued by Cato. He attains the rank of Centurion at the end of the book When the Eagle Hunts. During the events of Centurion, he is promoted to acting prefect of the Second Illyrian. Half-way through The Gladiator Cato is promoted to the rank of tribune for his mission to Egypt, temporarily outranking Macro, but at the end of book he is confirmed in the rank of prefect. In The Legion Cato joins a legion along with Macro. Both men receive temporary promotions, with Cato being promoted to the rank of Acting Senior Tribune, and Macro being promoted to Primus Pilus(He is names as "First Spear Centurion", however the literal meaning of Primus Pilus is First Line Centurion). In a short encounter with a senior surgeon, Cato is mistaken for a "More Junior Officer", this proves that Cato's age is still a concern among other ranks. In Praetorian Cato and Macro go undercover to foil a plot by The Liberators as ordinary Praetorian Gaurdsmen.

Julia:

Julia first appears in Centurion trapped in the citadel with the senator who is her father. She survives and becomes Cato's lover and agrees to marry him at the end of Centurion. She also appears with her father in The Gladiator when they are shipwrecked on Crete and is Captured by Ajax but escapes him at the end of the book.

Lavinia:

She appears in the first two books and is the lover of both Cato and Vitellius. She is a slave-girl who is owned by Flavia, Vespasian's wife. In the Eagle's Conquest she betrays Cato and unwittingly helps Vitellius try to assassinate the Emperor. However when the plot fails Vitellius kills both her and the assassin to cover himself.

Flavius Vespasian:

Vespasian is the Legate of the Second Legion and Marco and Cato's commander in the first five book's during the invasion of Britain. Vespasian also appears in The Eagle's Prophecy as the Prefect of the naval fleet. Vespasian is often fighting in the front line with his men but is consistently at edge with his tribune Vitellius who threatens him with the knowledge that Vespasian's wife Flavia is a member of the Liberators who want to overthrow the Emperor.

Vitellius:

An imperial spy with disturbing ambition who attempts to assassinate the emperor during The Eagle's Conquest and steal Caesar's pay chest in Under the Eagle but is thwarted by Macro and Cato both times. In The Eagle's Prophecy he is the Prefect of the naval fleet but is replaced by Vespasian who leaves him to die at one point. However Vitellius survives with Claudius and Narcissus unaware of his crimes against the empire.

Ajax:

First appears in The Eagle's Prophecy as the son of the Greek pirate leader Telemachus. He is captured by Macro and Cato and gives them and Vespasian the hiding place of the pirates and is used as a bargaining counter to make Telemachus surrender and hand over the Sybbilline Scrolls to Vespasian. His father is crucified and he is sold into slavery. He becomes a professional gladiator, in Secutor style. However he returns leading the slave revolt in The Gladiator and captures Macro and Julia but is defeated by Cato and his troops but escapes at the end of the book. He returns in The Legion to further defy Cato and Macro by joining forces with the Nubians among other things, but in the end dies by the hands of a hungry crocodile.

References