''Eagles of the Empire'' is a series of historical

military fiction Military fiction is a subgenre of science fiction or alternate history, focusing on military activities, such as war, battles, combat, fighting; or military life. Classes of military fiction Types of military fiction include: * War novels, ...

novels written by

Simon Scarrow Simon Scarrow (born 3 October 1962) is a British writer. Scarrow completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia after working at the Inland Revenue, and then went into teaching as a lecturer, firstly at East Norfolk Sixth Form ...

. The series began in July 2000 with the publication of ''Under the Eagle'', and as of October 24, 2024 there have been 23 novels released in the series, with the 24th novel due in October 23, 2025. ''Eagles of the Empire'' takes place within the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, beginning in

AD 42 AD 42 ( XLII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Largus (or, less frequently, year 795 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination AD 42 for this year h ...

during the reign of

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

. The books follow the lives of two officers in the

Imperial Roman army The Imperial Roman Army was the military land force of the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 476 AD, and the final incarnation in the long history of the Roman army. This period is sometimes split into the Principate (27 BC – 284 AD) and the Dominate ...

, Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro. The first book introduces Cato to the Roman army and then follows the development of the friendship and careers of the two soldiers. The series also features many historical figures and interweaves them into the fictional plots influenced by historical events. The characters Cato and Macro were additionally used in one book of the ''

TimeRiders ''TimeRiders'' is a series of Teen fiction, teen science fiction novels written by Alex Scarrow. The series consists of nine books and is published by Puffin Books. Summary The novels revolve around three teens who are recruited by an organ ...

'' series, ''Gates of Rome'' (2012), where they served as supporting characters when the three protagonists travel back to Ancient Rome. Scarrow allowed his brother

Alex Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people * Al ...

to make use of the characters in his own novel.

Locations

The first book, ''Under the Eagle'', concerns the induction of Cato, his transition from imperial slave to ''

optio In a Roman army an (, from , 'to choose', so-called because superior officers chose the ; : ) held a rank in a (century) similar to that of an executive officer. The main function of an was as an , the second-in-command of a century, alth ...

'' (junior officer) and the lifelong friendship he forges with

Centurion In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...

Macro. The following four books are set in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, between the years AD 42 and 44 - detailing the Roman subjugation of the province alongside court intrigue that often leaves the protagonists in receipt of contempt from the Roman political class. The sixth book, '' The Eagle's Prophecy'', opens with the two on

leave Leave may refer to: * Permission (disambiguation) ** Permitted absence from work *** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee *** Annual leave, allowance of time awa ...

in the city of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and detailed to carry out a pursuit of pirates operating in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. The seventh and eighth books, ''

The Eagle in the Sand ''The Eagle in the Sand'' is a novel written by Simon Scarrow, published by Headline Book Publishing in 2006 (and published in the US as ''The Zealot'' in 2014). It is the seventh book in the ''Eagles of the Empire ''Eagles of the Empire'' is ...

'' and ''

'', take place in the Roman Empire's eastern provinces,

Judaea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the prese ...

and

Palmyra Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...

respectively. While returning to Rome from Palmyra, the protagonists are shipwrecked on the island of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

in '' The Gladiator'', which leads to them being sent to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in the tenth novel, '' The Legion''. The eleventh novel, '' Praetorian'', is set in Rome, whilst the subsequent three books (''

The Blood Crows ''The Blood Crows'', published in 2013, is the twelfth volume of the ''Eagles of the Empire'' series by Simon Scarrow. It features the return of his main characters, Macro and Cato, to Brittania, after an absence of almost ten years. Cover d ...

'', '' Brothers in Blood'' and ''

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

'', all feature Macro and Cato's return to Britain. The series, in its entirety, documents Macro and Cato's attempts to live a soldier's simple life. However their effectiveness as soldiers and Cato's former connections to the Imperial Court make this difficult. Through association with Cato, Macro also finds himself the object of the upper classes' intrigue and struggles for supremacy. The series also features

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

and

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...

as supporting characters, during the formative years of their careers, and foreshadowing their future rivalry for the Imperial throne.

Novels

Main characters

Lucius Cornelius Macro

Macro, a veteran with 16 years service (as of the first novel's opening) has recently been appointed to the Centurionate. He is the epitome of a good soldier: dependable in a fight and does not question any orders given to him by a senior officer. In ''

Under the Eagle ''Under the Eagle'' is the first book in the ''Eagles of the Empire'' series, by Simon Scarrow and is his debut novel, introducing the characters of Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro. It was published in 2000. Plot summary Prol ...

'' he is the centurion of the Sixth Century, of the Fourth Cohort, of the Second Augustan Legion. By the time of ''

'' he has risen to become the acting prefect in charge of Fort Bushir in

. In '' The Legion'' Cato and Macro join a legion in Egypt, with Macro receiving a temporary promotion to

Primus pilus The ''primus pilus'' ( "first maniple of triarii") or ''primipilus'' was the senior centurion of the first cohort in a Roman legion, a formation of five double-strength centuries of 160 men each; he was a career soldier and advisor to the l ...

(senior

centurion In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...

). Macro has been close friends with Cato since Cato saved his life in the first book. This bond deepens when Macro confesses that he is illiterate and asks Cato's help in learning to read, and so maintain his position as an officer. Macro’s approximate age, based on his previous service, years traveling with Cato and his joining age as revealed in a short story at the end of Centurion (16 when he joined after killing a gang leader) is 48 at the time of the 20th book.

Quintus Licinius Cato

Cato is the son of an Imperial Freedman (former slave) in the direct service of

. Having been born a slave and the property of the state, he was given an opportunity by the Emperor as a favour to Cato's late father to enlist in the legions and be given his freedom. Cato has lived a relatively luxurious life as a slave within the Imperial palace in comparison with the rank and file of the legions, and after accepting the Emperor's offer he joins the Second Augustan as Macro's Optio. In the first novel, he is only sixteen years of age, tall and gawky, and so weak-looking that many of the officers, including Macro, place bets on how long it will be before he quits or is killed. The Emperor grants Cato an immediate commission as a

, but because of his age

makes him an ''

'' as a compromise, 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. Cato attains the rank of Centurion at the end of '' When the Eagle Hunts'' and during the events of ''

'' he is promoted to acting prefect of the Second Illyrian. Halfway through '' The Gladiator'' Cato is promoted to the rank of tribune for his mission to Egypt, temporarily outranking Macro, but at the end of the book he is awarded a temporary rank of prefect. In '' The Legion'' Cato joins a legion in Egypt and receives a temporary promotion to Senior Tribune. Because of his palace upbringing, Cato is well-read, often portrayed as more cerebral and forward-thinking than Macro. Macro is dismissive of this at first but eventually comes to respect Cato's talent for thinking ahead and seeing the big picture.

Julia Sempronia

First appears in ''

''. Daughter of Senator Sempronius, the Emperor's

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the court of

. Both Romans are trapped in the citadel while it is under siege by an army led by one of the King's rebellious sons. Refusing to be put aside as a "helpless woman," Julia helps to nurse the casualties in the citadel's makeshift

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile ...

. She meets Cato there, and becomes his lover and accepts his proposal of marriage. While traveling back to Rome, she and her father are shipwrecked on Crete with Macro and Cato, where she is captured by the rebel leader Ajax, but manages to escape. Cato eventually learns of her death from an undisclosed illness in ''

''. Cato learns of Julia's unfaithfulness upon his return to Rome in ''

Invictus "Invictus" is a short poem by the Victorian era British poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). Henley wrote it in 1875, and in 1888 he published it in his first volume of poems, ''Book of Verses'', in the section titled "Life and Death (Echoe ...

'', however in "Days of the Caesars" she is revealed to have been faithful by Domitia (Vespasian's wife), using her supposed infidelity as a cover to raise funds on behalf of

Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman Emperor Claudius and his third wife, Valeria Messalina. For a time, he was considered his father's heir, but t ...

. However, Tribune Cristus (the man she supposedly had an affair with), gives an ambiguous answer as to whether they had an affair or not, when Cato confronts him at the end of the book, before he commits suicide.

Lavinia

Lavinia 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.

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

Sibyl The sibyls were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece. The sibyls prophet, prophesied at holy sites. A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by Pausanias (geographer), PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he desc ...

line Scrolls to Vespasian. His father is crucified and Ajax is sold into slavery. He becomes a professional

Secutor A secutor (''pl.'' secutores) was a class of gladiator in ancient Rome. Thought to have originated around 50 AD, the secutor ("follower" or "chaser", from ''sequor'' "I follow, come or go after") was armed similarly to the '' murmillo'' gladia ...

gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

and is bought by a wealthy family on

, used both as a fighter and a

sex slave Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership right over one or more people with the intent of coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in sexual activities. This includes forced labor that results in sexual ...

by the household's wife. Freed when a massive earthquake devastates the island in ''The Gladiator'', he leads an army of other escaped slaves and captures Macro and Julia but is defeated by Cato and his troops. However, he escapes in the end and returns in ''The Legion'' to further defy Cato and Macro by joining forces with the Nubians. Escaping capture several times, he is finally cornered by Macro and Cato in an Egyptian marsh and devoured by a

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

Historical figures

Legate Legate may refer to: People * Bartholomew Legate (1575–1611), English martyr * Julie Anne Legate (born 1972), Canadian linguistics professor * William LeGate (born 1994), American entrepreneur Political and religious offices *Legatus, a hig ...

of the Second Legion and Macro and Cato's commander in the first five books during the

Roman conquest of Britain The Roman conquest of Britain was the Roman Empire's conquest of most of the island of Great Britain, Britain, which was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the ...

. 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 odds with his tribune Vitellius who threatens him with the knowledge that Vespasian's wife Flavia is a member of the dissident group who are conspiring to overthrow the Emperor. * Flavia Domitilla: Vespasian's wife, who, he is chagrined to learn, is a member of the "Liberators," a group of conspirators plotting Claudius's assassination; however in ''Day of the Caesars'', the conspirators have changed their target to

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

, hoping to allow Britannicus to succeed his father. She also reveals that Julia was faithful to Cato. She kills herself when the coup fails. *

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...

: Vespasian's son, who appears as an infant in the first two novels. *

: An imperial spy with disturbing ambition who attempts to steal Caesar's pay chest in ''

'' and assassinate the Emperor during '' The Eagle's Conquest'', 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 the Emperor and Narcissus unaware of his attempted treason. At the end of the novel, he has also seen a snippet from the

line prophecies captured from the pirates which convinces him that he is destined to become emperor. *

Narcissus Narcissus may refer to: Biology * ''Narcissus'' (plant), a genus containing daffodils and others People * Narcissus (mythology), Greek mythological character * Narcissus (wrestler) (2nd century), assassin of the Roman emperor Commodus * Tiberius ...

: Claudius's Chief Secretary and effectively

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the whole Empire. He recruits Macro and Cato for "special" tasks around the Empire, promising them rich rewards for success, but making it clear that their lives are of little value to him or the Empire. *

: Emperor of Rome, portrayed in ''The Eagle's Conquest'' and ''Praetorian'' as a forgetful, half-witted buffoon. *

Miriam Miriam (, lit. ‘rebellion’) is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Torah refers to her as "Miria ...

, mother of

Jehoshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Exodus and Numbers, and later succeeded Moses as leader of th ...

, a crucified pacifist; appears in ''The Eagle in the Sand'' *

Caratacus Caratacus was a 1st-century AD British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who resisted the Roman conquest of Britain. Before the Roman invasion, Caratacus is associated with the expansion of his tribe's territory. His apparent success led ...

: leader of the rebellious tribes of Britain. *

Boudicca Boudica or Boudicca (, from Brythonic * 'victory, win' + * 'having' suffix, i.e. 'Victorious Woman', known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as , ) was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed up ...

: a young British noblewoman, with whom Macro becomes smitten in the third novel, ''When the Eagle Hunts''. *

Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from AD 49 to 54, the fourth wife and niece of emperor Claudius, and the mother of Nero. Agrippina was one of the most prominent ...

: the Emperor's wife and mother of

; appears in ''Praetorian''; *

: Claudius's stepson; appears in ''Praetorian''; *

: Claudius's son; appears in ''Praetorian''; *

Sextus Afranius Burrus Sextus Afranius Burrus (born AD 1 in Vasio, Gallia Narbonensis; died AD 62) was a prefect of the Praetorian Guard and was, together with Seneca the Younger, an advisor to the Roman emperor Nero, making him a very powerful man in the early years ...

: Praetorian Centurion, later prefect; appears in ''Praetorian''; * Gaius Ofonius Tigellinus: appears in ''Praetorian''. * Marcus Antonius Pallas: appears in ''Praetorian''. *

Marcus Salvius Otho Otho ( ; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etruscan family, Oth ...

: appears in ''Brothers in Blood'' as a tribune

Publishing history

Overview

Books in the ''Eagles of the Empire'' series are first published in hardcover and are later rereleased as paperback editions by

Headline The headline is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th century when incre ...

publishers. In the US the first six books, the last being ''The Eagle's Prophecy'', were published by Thomas Dunne publishers ( Macmillan publishers) Since 2011 and the release of ''Praetorian'' each of the books has also been released as an audiobook. The series has also been translated into several other languages. The page totals given to the right are for the UK first edition, hardcovers.

Sales

As of 12 March 2018 Scarrow has sold more than 4 million copies of the books within ''Eagles of the Empire'' in English alone.

Cover illustrations

''Under the Eagle'', the first in the series, has had 5 different covers, the initial cover being used only for the 1st edition hardcover. It was then updated on release of the paperback edition. On release of the second novel, ''The Eagle's Conquest'', the third version of the cover was used. This remained until Scarrow started refraining from using 'Eagle' in the titles of the novels, with the first release after this being ''Centurion'' in 2008, resulting in another rebrand. The current branding was updated with the release of ''The Blood Crows'' in 2013.

Novel titles

The novels since ''Under the Eagle'' first being published have contained the word 'Eagle' in the title. However since the 8th book, ''Centurion'', the author has refrained from using 'Eagle'. The reason is unknown but some speculate that it has been done in effort to make the books accessible to a wider audience, and it also explains the change in cover illustrations.

Future novels

Scarrow has also stated that whilst initially he planned to write only around ten novels in the series this has since changed to 25. Scarrow also hinted at two potential endings for ''Eagles of the Empire''. One being Cato and Macro facing each other on opposite sides of a battle during the

Year of four Emperors A year is a unit of time based on how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. In scientific use, the tropical year (approximately 365 solar days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds) and the sidereal year (about 20 minutes longer) are more exa ...

AD 69 AD 69 (Roman numerals, LXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Roman consul, consulship of Galba and Titus Vinius, Vinius (or, less frequently, year 822 ''Ab urbe ...

resulting in the death of one of them. The other being their retirement in AD 69 in

Pompeii Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...

. This has significance due to the supporting and recurring characters through the series, Vespasian becoming Emperor at the end of that year.

References

{{Simon Scarrow Book series introduced in 2000 Novels set in ancient Rome Cultural depictions of Britannicus Headline Publishing Group books