HEADLINE Under the Eagle (Eagles of the Empire 1)

After a while the characters take on a life of their own. A real slice of Roman life from the seedy intrigue at the top, to the long suffering centurion and his men at the bottom. All against the backdrop of an incredibly organised Roman Legion, strangely modern in feel, I suppose owing to the fact that it has been much imitated.

BRIEF STORY DETAILS - SLIGHT SPOILERSWritten in 2000, the first of Simon Scarrow's books, it is set in 42 AD, when Quintus Licinius Cato arrived in Germany, a new recruit to the tough Second Legion. He is quickly promoted to second-in-command to Macro, the fearless, experienced centurion.SAFE READING _ NO SPOILERSIn his first book, we meet Cato and Macro and they encounter each other. I was fortunate as this was my first Scarrow, allowing me to read them in order. I have since read all the Eagle series, followed the careers of Cato and Macro with great interest and eagerly await the already pre-ordered "Praetorian".Not the heights of Literature (nor pretending to be), but well-written nevertheless, the series is filled with his great depth of knowledge, enthusiasm for and interest in the Romans.Cunningly peopled with all the names from our history lessons - Vespasian, Cladius, Caratacus, Boudica - and the Roman campaigns to extend the Empire but centred on two Roman soldiers who become unlikely close friends, Macro and Cato, their careers and friendship carries the stories along. Following them closely allows the intimate details of human life to be in the forefront while the everyday lives of Roman soldiers and the political intrigues of the Roman Empire provide the backdrop.Despite the occasional feeling of déjà vu (which the soldiers must have felt too), if readers have an interest in all things Roman, this is a very enjoyable, interesting and educational series.

Good Start

Going in, you should be aware that this is this book is not a soaring literary masterpiece, it's unashamedly pulpy, action-orientated, thoroughly enjoyable military historical fiction. As an early attempt (by this author) at the genre it does have the cliche, flimsy plot devices and one-dimensional female characters you might expect.That said, it really is a good example of something we went without for years - an addictive page-turner about Roman legionaries on the ground. Dialogue wasn't bad, I engaged with the characters, I was keen to see where the story arc (there's only really one) went and the pulpiness is well executed pulpiness. This book was disastrous for my deadlines, I read it in two evening sessions which went into the small hours.On to the historical aspects - the author does take liberties with historical accuracy here and there, but this comes across as intentional use of dramatic license. I did find myself disagreeing on some points with Mr Scarrow, but these were on matters of *interpretation* of history, not unforgivable holes in the factual fibre of the book.On that note, if you're a history nerd, you'll notice one outrageously shaky thing that happens to Cato(I won't spoil it for you) after a battle, and despite the fact that it doesn't massively impact the book, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr Scarrow was deeply conscious of it, even now - it really does jump out at you a little. That said, Cato's life is dotted with unlikely events, and I suppose that's a good thing for the reader.There are a number of reasons I think this book and this author get mentioned in the same breath as Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels. There are the obvious parallels in the genre, the way it is executed, the profile of the characters and their relationship, and the fairly monolithic story arcs that are mostly a vehicle for all-the-stuff-you-know-you're-going-to-get-out-of-this-sort-of-book. That's OK though, because it's all rather well done, and works.The most Cornwell-like aspect of the book is that every now and then a deeply contrived excuse for a treatise on the detail of some sword or military formation (or a tie-in with some real historical events happens), and you can kind of see it coming. Just like Cornwell's books, though, it doesn't actually hurt the experience. If anything, I think it's a little lighter when Scarrow does it.I would say, don't expect it to shatter the boundaries of modern literature, but if this sort of fiction is your thing at all, read this book, it's highly enjoyable.

Entertaining and easy read. I'm a big fan of the Simon Scarrow's books.