The Eagle's Prey: A Novel of the Roman Army [Paperback]

Simon Scarrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 22, 2008

The mighty Roman army faces Britain’s de?ant tribes in this epic fifth novel of Simon Scarrow’s acclaimed series

It is late summer a.d. 44 and the battle-weary Roman legions are in their second year of campaigning against the British tribes. The troops' commander, General Plautius, is under considerable pressure from the emperor to crush the natives once and for all. Centurions Macro and Cato are with the crack Second Legion under the precarious leadership of Centurion Maximus and it is their task to hold a ford across the river Tamesis when the natives are forced into a trap.

But Maximus’s nerve breaks at the critical point, allowing the enemy leader, Caratacus, and his men to escape. Outraged by this failure, General Plautius orders the annihilation of the unit. Their choice: die or escape to become fugitives pursued by soldiers of their own ruthless army. Hiding from their former comrades, as well as the Britons, Cato’s small band of fugitives have only one chance to redeem themselves before they are hunted down like animals.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Rome consolidates its control over Britain in A.D. 44, the legions prepare to lure the remaining defiant tribes into a trap to crush their resistance; the Emperor Claudius is anxious for the new colony to be pacified; and his commander in Britain, Plautius, is clearly feeling the imperial heat to Romanize "those bog-hopping barbarian bastards." When thousands of the native warriors slip through the trap into the nearby marshes, one Second Legion unit is blamed for the lapse: that of the young and impressionable Cato and the crafty veteran Macro, returning for the fifth installment in Scarrow's series of Eagle-titled military historicals. The intrigue and treachery that follow condemn Cato to death and get Macro relieved of his command. Redemption requires the two to deliver the rebel commander, Caratacus, to their superiors. Scarrow's combat is brutal and sanguinary; his imperial politics are almost as sharp. The pace throughout, whether in debating tactics or deploying slings and arrows, is fast, building to a satisfyingly high pitch. Scarrow hits his stride with this fluid post-Caligula bloodbath. In a one-two swing of the blade, his appealing odd couple's next appearance is set for this December. (Nov. 4)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A satisfying, bloodthirsty, bawdy romp. Perfect for Cornwell addicts who will relish its historical detail and fast-paced action. Storming stuff!”
---The Good Book Guide

“Scarrow’s combat is brutal and sanguinary; his imperial politics are almost as sharp. Fast paced, building to a satisfyingly high pitch . . . Scarrow hits his stride with this fluid post-Caligula bloodbath.”
---Publishers Weekly

“Scarrow’s legionary adventures have put guts back into historical writing. His great knowledge of the period is allied to a talent for taking you right into the thick of the action to share the blood, sweat, horror, and exhilaration of battle.”
---The Northern Echo (UK)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312374798
• ISBN-13: 978-0312374792
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarrow delights as always, March 14, 2006

By 

Lori "MagistraK" (Fredericksburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eagle's Prey (Roman Legion 5) (Paperback)

Scarrow's characters ring true, as do his on and off duty activities. I'd read these to my Latin classes, except his legionaries talk like legionaries. Nevertheless, they are on my recommended list for students, and anyone interested in the Roman army. Cliched as it sounds, this is most assuredly a page-turner I didn't want to put down.

42 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Another sharp installment, August 13, 2004

By 

ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eagle's Prey (Roman Legion 5) (Hardcover)

Scarrow's fifth Macro and Cato installment, `The Eagle's Prey' shows a maturity in his writing that has not been in evidence in the previous four. It is also a trifle less formulaic as Macro and Cato decide to take a stance outside the usual regimented legion lifestyle and this allows their characters to flourish. In this latest installment we find General Plautius preparing to force the British army, led by Caratacus, King of the Catuvellaunians, into a trap at the Third Tamesis ford. The third cohort of Vespasian's II Augusta is commanded to get to and hold the ford in case the Britons move to cross it before the trap can be sprung. Sounds simple.
The third cohort has a new ex-praetorian, Chief Centurion, Maximius who is insecure and condescending to Cato, seeing polots and conspiracies whererever he turns. The other five centurions, Antonius, Tullius, Felix, Macro, and Cato are pitted against each other as his style of leadership forments a growing anger.
Fairly immediately the tone for the entire novel is set as Maximius diverts from his goal to reach the ford to hund down a band of Britons who have sacked the Batavian Fort (commanded by Maximius' friend) and the resultant debacle means Macro and his century fighting a heroic mid stream battle against the entire British army as the rest of the cohort arrive too late to prevent Caratacus escaping. A clear failure on Maximius part to do as ordered. As Maximius blames everyone else other than himself and with the reappearance of Narcissus, Claudis' freedman, means that only decimation of the third cohort will suffice.
Cato draws a black pebble and is sentenced to death. What ensues is a political struggle as Vespasian roundly refuses to condemn the men, drawing Plautius' wrath and Macro and Figulus (Cato's optio) take mattes into their own hands by helping them escape into the marshes.
What follows is a test of Cato's leadership as he leads a slowly reducing number of men into the marshes that Caratacus is hiding in to scavenge and get captured by the Britons. In the meantime Maximius, Macro and the rest of the third cohort are ordered into the valley around the marsh to brutalise the framers in order to draw Caratacus out. The remainder is an enjoyable romp through first century Britain as Cato and and Macro survive their ordeals, capture Caratacus and manage to get away with Cato's death sentence and Marco gross insubordination until we reach a climatic moment in the series as they are feted in the success and end up on a British port with Vespasian to head back to Rome.
The series has reached a turning point with Scarrow ready to chance his two heroes in more unfamilar surroundings (as he indicates in the Author's Note) and it'll be fascinating to see what comes next in the adventures. What is blatantly clear however, is that this Norwich Unversity lecturer must keep writing these novels, even if it is detrimental to the time he spends lecturing...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Roman Legion Historical Fiction!!!!!!!!, April 14, 2008

By 

C. Higgins (Syracuse, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Eagle's Prey: A Novel of the Roman Army (Hardcover)

Once again Scarrow pleases!!. Marco and Cato almost seem part of the family now that I have blasted through the first 5 books. Scarrow almost puts you in a time machine and...poof... You are now part of the secnd legion chasing the Druids and blue faced Britons led by Caraticus.