Customer Reviews

Under the Eagle: A Tale of Military Adventure and Reckless Heroism With the Roman Legions

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This book is a cross between comic book action and a mystery. Simon Scarrow demonstrated his knowledge of the Roman legion from start to finish, and I felt educated in that regard when I finished. Nonetheless, the action and dialogue to a degree had a "comic book" feel about them. That's okay and it made for fast, light reading, but the prose was far short and less satisfying than one might find in other books in the genre. Scarrow builds a mystery filled with political intrigue around his historical focus. This book is not about the Roman conquest of Britain; don't be misled. The actual crossing occurs late in the book and the real action prior to that event (and a good piece of action)occurs early in the novel in Germany. Throughout the book, I reminisced to younger days when I read "Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos" and "Sgt. Rock and Easy Company" comics. I can still enjoy them, but I was looking for more with this book.

If you are looking for a fast read with good action when it happens combined with an overlay of mystery and political intrigue, you can enjoy this book. If you are looking for the depth of a "Tides of War," you won't find it here.

This book is a ripping yarn, firmly in the tradition of Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe" novels, set around the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD. I found the story gripped me, held my interest to the end and left me wanting more. The action was well-paced and the central characters were well-drawn. On the down side, some of the minor characters were a bit 2 dimensional (and, on the historical-accuracy front, I'm not sure the Belgae of southeast Britain rode "shod" horses). Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book and look forward to the further adventures of Cato, Macro and the rest!

In 42 AD Claudius is Emperor, the Germans have been mostly subdued and Rome has the isle of Britain set as the next territory to be aquired. It has been nearly a century since Julius Caesar made his unsuccessful foray to subdue the Britons, and Claudius needs this success to assure his rule. Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasian, as Augusta and legate of the Second Legion, is to play a major role in the conquering of this new province.

Simon Scarrow does a wonderful job bringing history to life through the exploits of new recruit and optio Quintus Licinius Cato--and his centurion, Lucius Cornelius Macro. These two fictional characters weave a credible story by their interaction with fictionalized versions of Vitellius, Vespasian and his wife Flavia, and Narcissus--freedman, secretary and confidant of the Emperor Claudius.

I look forward to reading further novels by this author as they make their way into American publication, and highly recommend this work of fiction for anyone with interest in this part of history. You might also enjoy the "Roma Sub Rosa" series by Steven Saylor and the "SPQR" series by John Maddox Roberts.

One of the big problems in following any series is waiting for the author to get the next novel out. Having read Vagabond I was at a bit of a loose end until I picked up Scarrow's first novel, having browsed these reviews. I'll be honest, while most people are very flattering the negative reviews did put me off a bit, but being something of a Roman nut I thought I'd give it a go. Lucky I did. Scarrow is a first rate writer who can describe a scene as if you were there yourself. Especially when he moves into action sequences where no-one I have ever read can beat him. The characters are wonderfully rounded and play off each other very well; the dialogue flows like the real thing and does not feel stilted in any way. At first, I'll admit to being a little shocked by the graphic use of language and harshness of Roman army life, but then again the heroes are soldiers, not preachers and the immediacy of their language is a real tonic.
One particular aspect that I found impressive, was Scarrow's grasp of the position of the army on the political scene. They were not just there to fight the enemy, the legions decided who would be emperor, and the emperors knew it. Thus the intrigue of the sub-plot fleshes out the representation of life in the Roman army and made this a first rate page-turner.
I'm already reading the second book, The Eagle's Conquest, and I have so say it is even better than this novel; and that, my friends is no small achievement. I have to wonder about the complaints by other reviewers. Scarrow is not out to win a Pulitzer (or whatever they have in the UK). He is writing action adventure, and he does it 'bloody' well. Frankly I'd rather read this kind of book than any of the posturing 'literary' garbage that imposes itself on you from the shelves of bookstores. So ignore the gripes of some of the other reviewers and treat yourself to the huge pleasure of a wonderful new series of novels.

I'm not sure what some of the previous reviewers were looking for in this book, but clearly some people missed the point - this is a novel, and one written by an English scholar who specializes in Roman History as it pertains to his homeland, Great Britain. As such it is fiction, and does not pretend to use latin phrases ad nauseam! The story is a page turner and I simply could not put it down until I had finished the entire book! Having finished, I could not wait months for the next volume to become available in the USA, so I had a copy shipped from Amazon-UK. If you are interested in Rome and enjoy historical fiction, what are you waiting for?? The battle sequences alone are worth the price of the book, and they get better in the next two volumes.

Simon Scarrow's first public offering possesses the same charm that Marilyn Todd's did. Whilst not in the same class as a Saylor or McCullough, it nevertheless possesses that necessary opening requirement to ensure the author's subsequent work is read - it's gripping.
Having just finished McCullough's `The October Horse' the differences in writing techniques are vast, but understandably so. Yet, from the opening prologue's race across the British beach, where treasure is left, (as Caesar hurriedly leaves) to `present day's' arrival of Cato on the Rhine Frontier bearing letters of introduction from Claudius, the opening chapters set the scenes remarkably well. From the start, Scarrow's ability to draw a set is excellent (although his two-dimensional depiction of Bestius as the parade ground centurion leaping straight from boot camp is a trifle painful) and saves some fairly wooden opening characterisation.
So, sufficiently gripping to keep the pages turning.
What evolves is a fast page-turner as we follow the illiterate centurion, Macro, (though he gains literacy through the novel) and ex-imperial slave optio, Cato, headlong into the Germanic Forest under Vitellius' command and into a waiting trap. One major skirmish and grass crown later we follow the Augusta II eastwards towards the Channel crossing. The arrival of Claudius' freedman, Narcissus (and Macro and Cato's subsequent secret journey with him) introduces a sense of mystery to the novel as both an imperial secret agent and traitor is hinted at within the camp. It is interesting that Scarrow chooses to reveal both sides fairly quickly to the reader and it perhaps loses its sense of intrigue a bit early, but the manoeuvrings of Flavia and Narcissus with Vespasian's somewhat unsubtle and unconcerned attitude does provide interest. Literary requirements dictate Cato has a love affair with Flavia's slave, Lavinia, but it is portrayed somewhat clumsily.
We end as we began, perhaps fittingly, with a marsh, a wagon and a buried treasure in Britain. The climatic battle between the II Augusta and Togodumnus mixed in with Vitellius' intrigue brings it all to a heady conclusion and Scarrow provides excellent perception of the political reality of the failing Julian imperial family and statesmanship in the final denouement between Vespasian and Vitellius all of which neatly concludes the story.
Scarrow's ability to keep the pace moving and take the reader right into the heart of the action to the point of being alongside our erstwhile hero more than makes up for the technical flaws in the novel. Characterisation may be weak, plot certainly isn't, scene setting is excellent and, strangely enough, historical accuracy doesn't really matter. I confess wincing somewhat at the legionaries' vernacular, the crudity lifted straight out of the modern day stereotype and Scarrow's style is somewhat screenplay in effort, but nonetheless it was exciting.... to the point that the easy purist targets in any historical fiction novel weren't worth making at the end of it.
So, characterisation needs some work and subsequent novels will no doubt provide that, but it possesses plot, pace, a gripping edge and Cato and Macro become likeable characters. All of which ensure I will reach for the next instalment. I suspect it will only get better and better.

The details of daily life in the Legions give "Under the Eagle" a fascinating backdrop to a dull story involving boring characters. These utterly flat, two dimensional people are built around stock military adventure novel stereotypes as old as the Legions themselves, like the geeky upper class new recruit, the menacing bully, and the crusty veteran. The "comic book" analogy of a previous reviewer is accurate - the narrative tells exactly what all of the characters are thinking through a clumsy omniscient point of view, instead of showing it through their actions. The awkward dialog they blurt out, laced with an anachronistic modern British flavor, keeps the plot moving without developing any depth of characterization. The thin plot involves the Legion commander looking for a political conspirator in his officer corps, far more than it involves the invasion of Britain. Lots of armchair Roman historians seem to love that an author has sent an adventure series in this time period so much that they revel in Scarrow's thorough historical accuracy but overlook his sloppy prose. "Under the Eagle" is a fun read, but a quick and ultimately empty one.

I wish I had found this book and author years ago when it first came out. You'll love the two main characters, Macro and Cato, soldiers in the Roman legion, and their adventures together as they campaign in Germany and Britain. Simon Scarrow stunningly brings Roman military life to life without the tediousness of history books, and makes you laugh and cry and grip your (mental) gladius through some of the most gripping battle scenes I've ever read. On the basis of this read, I bought the rest of the books in the series and love every single one of them.

As a teenager I devoured historical military action novels, like the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell and the Napoleonic naval fiction of Alexander Kent and Dudley Pope. They had action, they had flair and they harked back to the cinema age of good old fashioned daring do and spectacle.

"Under the Eagle" does not quite reach the height of its potential, mostly because it is obviously the first in a series of novels. Its action is rather episodic and this detracts from the over-all story Scarrow is trying to set up. It would have been better to have begun the series with a story that could be writ large as the novels appear. Instead, what we have is a stuttering start that has one action set piece that dominates the first two thirds of the novel and a political sub-plot that sits a little awkwardly. The aim of the major set piece is apparent, drawing out the personalities and abilities of the main characters, Cato and Macro. However, it simply takes too long and the story begins to lose impetus.

Despite these criticisms, I did actually enjoy this novel. It was a good exciting read, and Scarrow has a tremendous talent at describing classical battle with grit and genuine excitement. The workings of a Roman Legion are nicely done, as the reader is not overwhelmed with information and the characters are well presented.

Another advantage to this novel is the fact that it has been written in modern vernacular. This makes it feel contemporary, but also more real. The Roman soldiers speak as soldiers, and not having them speak in quasi-Latin is a good move by the author.

Obviously Scarrow hopes Macro and Cato will march alongside Sharpe and Harper, Aubrey and Maturin et al in the ranks of literary military duos, but at this stage it is too early to say if these two will reach such lofty company.

The book jacket contains a testimonial from Bernard Cornwell to the effect that he regards the "Eagle" author Scarrow as competition -- not likely. The most important characteristic of a work of historical fiction (to me) is that the characters are believable. Here, sorry to say, the characters are not plumbed beneath the surface at all, and therefore are not believable. Cato is simply a mass of contradictions -- he is presented as soft, almost effeminate -- yet he is "feral" in battle. He goes through long, tough training -- yet even in Britain he gets tired marching. People can change, and people can rise above themselves, it's not uncommon -- but the book gives no indication of any such development, of muscles hardening, of language becoming rougher, of martial skills developing, of a "thicker skin" developing. Even in Britain others are still referring to him as a "boy" or "lad," yet he is skilled enough to survive more than one hand-to-hand encounter with tough, older, more experienced warriors. It is clear even in Britain that the troops do not respect him as a leader, yet at times he magically transforms himself from his wimpy persona and becomes a drill sergeant. These contradictions and lack of development are sloppy writing.
The second most important thing in a historical novel is that the use of language is believable for the period. To refer again to Cornwell, both his Sharpe and Archer novels employ completely believable dialogue for the periods they portray. Another (although extreme) example is Hanta Yo, in which the author claims to have had the original novel translated into a Sioux dialect and then translated back into English, to make it sound more authentic. That is outstanding, and it works well. In "Eagle" the dialogue to me sounds like an academic's portrayal of how he thinks soldiers express themselves -- or, say, Pee Wee Herman attempting locker room speech. Again, it is just not believable. Also, the language used is sprinkled just enough with contemporary British jargon to make one wonder just what century you are in.
In any event, the action was decent, but the overall effect was disappointing.