Simon Scarrow

‘Under the Eagle’ is my first Simon Scarrow book and I knew before the halfway point it wouldn’t be my last.

If you like dull moments, don’t expect to find any here. This is a Roman adventure, full of action and drama, along with a little humour and a touch of romance.

Although it’s fast paced, it’s not all hell and no notion. The plot is solid and is engaging from start to end.

The characters are vivid. Cato, the main ‘star’, is my favourite. He’s believable and relatable. show more He’s a seventeen-year-old thrown into the Roman army with no clue what he’s doing. Worse still, his letter of recommendation results in him being given a position of responsibility as an optio, which is a centurion’s second-in-command. Earning the respect on the soldiers beneath his rank is no easy task.

The different ranks take some getting used to if, like me, your knowledge of Roman times is sparse.

Reading other reviews, I see the biggest criticism of ‘Under the Eagle’ is the language. More specifically, the use of modern English slang. My feelings on language in historical fiction is that it should be contemporary but without using modernisms like, for example, ‘It’s a corker.’

That said, the main thing is consistency. I've read historical novels where in one scene a character says something like, ‘Keep it in your trousers,’ while in another scene someone else says, ‘Whence came he thus?’ Mr Scarrow is consistent and never slips in an archaic term.

While I admit I would’ve preferred the language to not incorporate modern slang, the characters and third-person narration are engaging enough for this not to make me feel like I’m reading a story set during any period other than the first century AD.

Perhaps with me being an Englishman makes the slang words and phrases more palatable. I admit, it did annoy me when, in another historical novel, the author of that book used the odd Americanism – ‘ass’ and ‘butt’, for example – so I can understand why any non-English reader – and certainly non-British – would be distracted by the slang terms.

So, while the slang words and phrases didn’t bother me, three other elements did distract me at times. One being a trait that keeps cropping up in books I’ve read this year by different authors, namely this sort of thing: ‘more loudly’, ‘more quietly’, instead of the more concise ‘louder’ and ‘quieter’. Don’t use two words if one will do.

Adverbs: they ‘tell’, not ‘show’, and a fair few appear in this wonderful story, but not too many to spoil it.

The two points above are minor criticisms. The one big gripe I have is the overuse of ‘then’ to state what happens next. This novel is riddled with ‘thens’, at times making the third-person narrative sound like a child’s voice. It’s most frequent during the exciting actions scenes, and I found it distracting to the point that (whilst listening to this on an audio) I started predicting that the narrator would say ‘then’ in the next sentence. ‘Then’ is easy to cut when editing, and it’s not hard to drop it altogether. It ends up being a filler word, notably when using it to start a sentence. The reader knows whatever’s happening is taking place after what’s just happened, so no need to put, ‘Then he …’ and such like.

In most cases, I'll deduct a star if a book is riddled with ‘thens’ or swamped with adverbs. As someone who appreciates good writing style, these things drive me to distraction. Yet, as mentioned, ‘Under the Eagle’ is such a great story it overrode these niggling points, and I’d feel I was doing Simon Scarrow an injustice by rating this anything other than 5 stars.

It’s easier to go on and on criticising a book than it is to praise it over and over, and I’ve doubtless not expressed how impressed I am with ‘Under the Eagle’ to the extent it deserves, so, in a nutshell, I’ll state this: it’s one heck of a great read. show less

"Under The Eagle" is first class entertainment if you're in the mood for historical military fiction.

Simon Scarrow does an excellent job in generating an insider's view of life in a Roman Legion. It feels real and immediate, even if it also sometimes feels like British Squaddies kitted-out with shields and short swords.

This a simple but exciting tale, told at just the right pace, in clear, straight forward language. The kind of language you might imagine the Legionaries themselves using.

We show more see the Legion from the point of view of the fictional Macro, a life-long legionary, recently promoted to Centurion; Cato, a young, well-educated, slave from the Imperial Palace, raised with to appreciate poetry and plays and now sent to Legion as a condition of being granted his freedom; and through the eyes of three real-life characters, Vespasian, the Legate commanding the Second Legion, his wife Flavia and Vitellius a Tribune under Vespasian's command. The book is set in AD43, when Claudius was planning the invasion of Britain, twenty-six years before both Vitellius and Vespasian would be declared Emperor in "The Year Of The Four Emperors".

We see the Legion in action as a garrison in Germany and follow it as it becomes part of the invasion force and presses on to meet the Britons. Along the way, Cato learns to become an Optio (second in command to the Centurion, roughly equivalent to a Lieutenant) a rank he does not have the experience for, and we have the fun of learning alongside him.

In addition to real historical events, the plot is driven by a political intrigue, centred around a chest of treasure, the Julius Caesar was forced to abandon as he retreated from Britain a hundred years earlier. It is brought to life by battle scenes that are vivid, physical, blood-soaked and just frequent enough to keep up the tension.

This is a fine start to a march through a particularly turbulent period of Roman history. David Thorpe's narration is easy on the ear, turning the inside of my head into a cinema screen and letting me sit back and enjoy the fun.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this series. I'll reach for it whenever I need a relaxing entertainment, spiced with military action and little political intrigue. show less

‘The Eagle in the Sand’ gripped me from start to finish. This is a Roman adventure set in Judea, full of action and drama, along with a little humour. If you like dull moments, don’t expect to find any here. The exciting plot is solid and is engaging from start to end.

The main characters from the previous books, Cato and Macro, endure more hardships and dangers.

The characters exclusive to this novel start to develop something familiar about them as the story progresses. Their names show more are not as we know them today, but it becomes obvious who they represent without the author needing to spell it out. They’re not portrayed as history has documented them, so their story is really alternate history, but they are vivid nevertheless, fitting well into the narrative.

The language is contemporary, which makes the narrative flow better than if the author had used archaic turns of phrase. He also uses modern English slang, which some readers won’t like, but at least it’s consistent. I’ve read historical novels where in one scene a character says something like, ‘Keep it in your trousers,’ while in another scene someone else says, ‘Whence came he thus?’

While I admit I would’ve preferred the language to not incorporate modern slang, the characters and third-person narration are engaging enough for this not to make me feel like I’m reading a story set during any period other than the first century AD.

Perhaps my being an Englishman makes the slang words and phrases more palatable. I admit, it did annoy me when, in another historical novel, the author of that book used the odd Americanism – ‘ass’ and ‘butt’, for example – so I can understand why any non-English reader – and certainly non-British – would be distracted by the slang terms.

So, while the slang words and phrases didn’t bother me, three other elements did distract me at times. One being a trait that keeps cropping up in books I’ve read this year by different authors, namely this sort of thing: ‘more loudly’, ‘more closely’, instead of the concise ‘louder’ and ‘closer’. Don’t use two words if one will do.

Adverbs: they ‘tell’, not ‘show’, and should be cut or replaced with a strong verb wherever possible.

The two points above are minor criticisms. The one big gripe I have is the overuse of ‘then’ to state what happens next. This novel is riddled with ‘thens’, at times making the third-person narrative sound like a child’s voice. ‘Then’ is easy to cut when editing, and it’s not hard to drop it altogether. It ends up being a filler word, notably when using it to start a sentence. The reader knows whatever’s happening is taking place after what’s just happened, so no need to put, ‘Then he …’ and such like.

In most cases, I deduct a star if a book is riddled with ‘thens’ or swamped with adverbs. As someone who appreciates good writing style, these things drive me to distraction. Yet, as mentioned, ‘The Eagle in the Desert’ is such a cracking story it overrode these niggling points.

It’s easier to go on and on criticising a book than it is to praise it over and over, and I’ve doubtless not expressed how impressed I am with this enthralling story to the extent it deserves, so, in a nutshell, I’ll state this: it’s one heck of a great read. show less

Simon Scarrow’s Eagle of the Empire series is a superb read on at least 2 levels. The battle scenes are very realistic, and give the reader a sense of the hardships and dangers faced by foot soldiers, the legionaries, the backbone of the Roman army. Soldering was a 25 year posting, and if by some miracle you survived then peaceful retirement was your reward. Equally Scarrow’s books offer a fantastic insight into the mindset behind the Roman empire. Their ability to organise, to build, to show more construct, to invent, and their unswerving belief in the Romanization of the rest of the known world bringing education and peace to the masses, taxation and servitude in exchange for citizenship…”Civis Romanus sum” the ticket to a better world.

A Cato and Macro novel, and our 2 heroes are with the second legion as they attempt to push North their goal Camulodunum ( Colchester) Blocking their path is tribal chief Caratacus, his fanatical followers, all bound together by their hate of the Romans……”Vespasian felt a grudging respect for the Britons’ leader, Caratacus, chief of the Catuvellauni. That man had more tricks up his sleeve yet, and the Roman army of General Aulus Plautius had better treat the enemy with more respect than had been the case so far”......Yet amongst all this carnage and bloodshed Scarrow introduces at intervals some light descriptive humour…….”One particular warrior had proved extremely aggravating for the Roman artillery crews. He was a huge man, with a winged helmet over his blond hair and he stood naked at the water’s edge, shouting abuse at the Roman warships as he defiantly waved a double-headed axe. Every so often he would turn round and thrust his backside towards the enemy, defying them to do their worst”......

We cannot help but applaud at times the ingenuity of the invaders, their masterful fighting skills and in particular the “testudo” in literal translation, the tortoise…the best chance of Legionaries surviving a frontal assault was by quickly forming a wall and roof of protecting shields. As the campaign proceeds Emperor Claudius departs Rome to lead the final assault against Caratacus. Claudius is splendidly portrayed as a weak narcissist, his stammer only adding to his pitiful image. What better way for such an important leader to make a spectacular entrance atop a mighty elephant….”The elephant driver halted the Emperor’s beast and urged it down with a set sequence of kicks and orders. The front knees gracefully buckled and the Emperor, still waving nonchalantly to his cheering troops, was almost pitched out of his throne and only avoided the indignity by throwing himself backward and grabbing the arms. Even so the imperial wreath was dislodged. It bounced down the flank of the elephant and would have landed on the ground had not Narcissus leaped forward and fielded with a neat one-handed catch. The beast lowered its rear and the Emperor pulled a hidden lever to release the side of the throne, which folded out to provide a nicely angled series of steps down to the ground”......

This is wonderful storytelling with treachery and death a constant companion. The limited known facts of the period are woven into the narrative expertly complimented with some intuitive historical observations…..”They are just men, Cato. Ordinary men with all their vices and virtues. But where other men live their lives with death as a side issue, we live ours with death as a constant companion. We have to accept death”.......”To fighting men on campaign, any opportunity to rest represented a luxury to be savoured, and the men of the Second Legion dozed happily in the sunlight”........”.....Julius Caesar, Hannibal, Alexander, Xerxes or any of them...It’s men like that who make wars not the rest of us. We’re too busy worrying about the next crop, how to guarantee the town’s water supplies, whether our wives are being faithful, whether our children will survive into adulthood. That’s what concerns the small people all over the empire. War does not serve our ends. We’re forced into it”......
Insightful, thrilling, well written, and oh so highly recommended! show less