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The characters are pretty good (or at least the two leads). Cato and Macro (what an odd choice of names) are both distinct and believable within the world they share. Macro's probably the least surprising: a grizzled illiterate NCO who just recently worked his way up from the ranks to reach centurion. But Cato's the exciting one: a recently-freed slave from the imperial palace with a sensitive personality and a lot of book smarts. This is his story and we get a lot of fun with it. AD 60. The Roman province of Britannia is in chaos. Boudica's warrior horde, emboldened by a surprise victory at Camulodunum, is gaining numbers from other tribes looking to overthrow their Roman overlords... and Londinium is their next target. Note: you can read this book as a stand-alone but I think it’s a sort of follow-up to Death to the Emperor, the previous novel in this long series.
They are first described as taking part in the battle in Germania and against the invasion of the Britishers by Claudius. In the later of the series, the two soldiers are described as serving in the Imperial Navy in the east of Italy. On the other hand, Cato is just a teenager, who previously grew up as a slave in the Imperial Palace. At the start of the series, he joins as Macro’s Optio in the Eagles. The first book of the series is set in 42 A.D. Throughout the series, author Simon Scarrow has shared the experiences of Macro and Cato. One of the protagonists Quintus Licinius Cato has just arrived as the new young recruit in the Second Legion, which is considered as the toughest Roman Army. Initially, he finds it difficult to adjust to the rigorous military life and he also has to face the disgust from his colleagues as he gets appointed at a higher rank because of his connection with the Imperial Palace. Y las pierde en los personajes, flojitos. Y en la ambientación, flojita. Y en que la vida en la legión romana es una pincelada simplota y las batallas tres cuartos de lo mismo. Pero entretiene.There is political plotting throughout with some of the fringe characters seeking ways to progress up the career ladder which leads to a major part of the final third of the book. Nothing is really resolved in this book which means I'm expecting some big things from this series and some of these issues to roll on.
Other than the Eagle Series, Simon has also written a few other notable novel series’ including the Revolution series, which is based on Napoleon and Wellington. Apart from the novel series’, Simon has also penned down a couple of standalone novels. Every year, Simon manages to publish at least one book based on the adult Roman and historical fiction novels. The house in which he lives in Norfolk is a 400 year old mansion which was built by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. In fact, the major portion of Norfolk was colonized by the Romans. I particularly liked the way Germany and Britain are shown through the eyes of a Roman soldier. We have Cato's point of view, which is a literate, non-military trained perspective, as well as Macro, a military veteran. Looking at the Brits and the German through the perspectives of this unlikely pair really rounded out the experience. This book is set during the years AD 60/61, with Cato at one end and Macro at the other end of Britannia. Governor Suetonius has been caught off guard by the strength of Boudica's force, and must now race to Londinium with a mounted escort led by Prefect Cato, fully aware that they have little hope of standing against a rebellion on this scale, even if the army following in their wake reaches the city in time. As Suetonius, Cato and their small escort fight their way across country, Cato's worries are increased by his concern for his family in Londinium - and his fears that his old friend Macro may have finally fought his last battle in Camulodunum. What lies in store for this troublesome outpost of the Empire?Let's talk about Under The Eagle by Simon Scarrow. It's good, in a sort of balls-to-the-wall way. Having read this before, I knew what to expect. Blood, betrayal, lots of swearing and gladius slashing fun. With any historical novel, there's a fine line between historical accuracy and story-telling. Conn Iggulden, as much as I respect him for taking on Caesar is a fine example of bad story-telling set against historical accuracy (which in part is well researched). Simon Scarrow doesn't pretend to be 'historical accurate', yes it is accurate in the sense of being set within the reign of Claudius-I've-The-Mind-Of-A-Child-And-The-Eating-Habit-Of-A-Ox. Yes it is accurate given the timeline, the invasion of Britain was what solidified Claudius's Emperor-ship - without it, he would have been history (ironic). As you might expect, the book is full of authentic detail about weaponry, military strategy, social and religious customs and much, much more. There are some terrific set pieces such as the assault on the island of Mona which involves not just a battle against a ferocious enemy but against the elements too. Battle scenes are brought thrillingly to life, putting the reader right in the heart of the action. ‘The two sides became a heaving mass of helmets, crests, blades, spears, swords and axes, amid sprays of crimson and a cacophany of weapns clashing and thudding home on shields and limbs’. It was a fascinating read as Boudica’s rebellion is a fascinating topic as it’s also one that changes according to the personal point of view of the reader: feminist ante litteram, nationalist or simply someone who rebelled against the power of the Romans. Macro and Cato are battle hardened, but have not had an active army life for some time. Whilst they are Romans, they have great respect for Boudica and also realise the power that she holds. When they are asked to stand against her and defend Rome against the rebellious Iceni, they realise the dangerous predicament that they have found themselves in. So I've been avoiding (intentionally or not) these books for a while now. It seems like everyone who's really excited about Roman military fiction just gushes over Scarrow's books. And that's why I've been a little nervous about them. Military fiction fanboys are a whole different breed from historical fiction ones.* At some level people who seek out military fiction expect to see an experience they can relate to. When centurions issue commands to their men they want to feel not "how interesting the way the Roman class structure coexists with army ranks" but "ah, I remember when my NCOs acted like that." And that is perhaps not an approach I find rewarding. Christian Cameron (one of the best writers of ancient military fiction) sums it up best: there's no such thing as military history. It's impossible to understand ancient warfare (or the warfare of any period) without understanding how it interacted with all other aspects of ancient life. Without a good grounding in the economic, political, administrative, cultural, and technological history of the past it is impossible to really depict ancient warfare. Which, as you might imagine, is where I find this book frustrating.
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