The Honour of Rome (Eagles of the Empire 19)

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This is the twentieth book in the Eagles of the Empire Series, and as usual an excellent read. Full of great characters and with a real sense of life in the Roman Empire. Macro needs a plan to deal with these thugs. If only he could talk to his old friend Cato as he would come up with a plan to deal with the rabble. This was another awesome novel from Scarrow, who has once again produced an exciting and fast-paced historical fiction read that perfectly envisions the landscape of Roman-occupied England. The Honour of Rome is a great read, and I loved the cool combination of historical and crime fiction elements throughout it. I ended up reading this book in only a few short days and loved every second of it. In Camulodunum Macro will meet other veterans under the leadership of Magistrate Ramirus, and they will have a severe battle against the Trinovantes tribe, where they are left to their own devices by a coward of a procurator called, Decianus Catus, and where they have to fight for their lives to reach their stronghold again, while not much later on Cato will make his appearance in Camulodunum with his son, Julius, and his woman, Claudia Acte, the supposed dead ex-mistress of Emperor Nero, and right from the start Cato is making plans to set things right for Macro and his family in Londinium. Enter Cato - won't get into how he winds up in Britain - don't want to spoil the surprise - and you have all the ingredients for a Macro/Cato adventure. Just the two of them? No. It seems there are a number of retired legionaries in the ancient Roman equivalent of a retirement village and they aren't ready to quite give up either and fade peacefully into the night. Eventually, you have the obligatory battle scenes, but it's nothing like legions fighting off the barbarians and the like. Add in the help of a native British tribe and it's still kind of tame. So if you're expecting a lot of blood and guts, you won't find it - there is some but its minor in comparison to earlier adventures.

Early on Macro encounters members of a gang that are terrorising London business owners and demanding protection money. Macro, of course, is not one to leave the gang alone and gets himself badly beaten up for his troubles. In the end, Macro finds himself battling on several fronts - against not one, but two gangs, against the Roman authorities who seem to turn a blind eye, while also being dragged into a dispute with the Trinovante tribe. So happy Cato and Macro weren’t apart for long. I whizzed through the first half of the book with the anticipation of Cato’s arrival. It was nice to see Macro operate on his own, as he has been overshadowed by Cato for quite a long time. Unfortunately he doesn’t actually achieve much until Cato does arrive which was annoying and hope Scarrow gives Macro the competence and attention he deserves. Sometimes fate is destiny though as, not long after suffering a beating for not paying up, the former soldier gets his wish and Cato comes looking for refuge to this part of the empire. For readers of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Ben Kane - unputdownable fiction from an author who knows the Roman world like no other. As the streets run red with blood, the army’s heroes face an enemy as merciless and cunning as any barbarian tribe. The honour of Rome is in their hands …In these times of Covid is there a better way to forget all that nonsense than immersing yourself in a good book? In the case of Simon Scarrow's latest, it's a visit from our old friends Macro and Cato - and what can be more fun than that? In the 1st century AD, the Roman army guarded the vast Empire against aggressive and ruthless enemies on all fronts. In Simon Scarrow’s stunning new novel, a feared and familiar enemy threatens the peace – and the lives of untold brave men. Not least Cato and Macro, veterans of countless battlefields. Whatever the cost, no territory must be lost. The Honour of Rome (Eagle #20) by Simon Scarrow – eBook Details Things have changes since then, however - Macro is now retired from the legions, whereas Cato (originally Macro's optio) now outranks him and now has a family of his own to look after.

A riveting story about dealing with London’s gangs, although does seem to jump around a bit with a slightly unnecessary jaunt for Macro with the veterans. What was also great about this book is finally the scene has been setup for Boudica’s revolt, which has been one of the key things to look forward to for me ever since her introduction in book three (along with reuniting with Vespasian, future clashes with Vitellius, the hope of seeing Figulus again, and the obvious year of the four emperors). This tale starts off in full action in January AD 59, with Macro and his wife, Petronella, arriving in Londinium, to join Macro's mother, Portia, at the Dog and Deer inn. Like all in this series, there is a fair amount of action and derring-do and although Macro (and Cato) find themselves in unfamiliar circumstances, in most respects this is familiar territory - a dangerous situation, overwhelming odds, lots of action and a high body count. Macro has retired to Britain with his wife, Petronella, to enjoy a peaceful life together farming their patch of veteran's land and assisting his mother in the inn she and he together owned in Londinium. Cato was also heading for Britain, having had to leave Rome swiftly and secretly to protect Claudia, Nero's ex lover. Together again, they face more blood and battling than any retired veteran might reasonably expect.AD 59. BRITANNIA. TENSION IS SIMMERING. DANGER LIES ROUND EVERY CORNER FOR ROME'S BRAVE SOLDIERS ... A stunning novel of courage, camaraderie and deadly enemies from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Centurion and The Emperor’s Exile. The audiobook was narrated by Jonathan Keeble. His performance was superb, flowing with the action be it military or more personal, investing emotion where needed and generally carrying the reader through the trials and tribulations of 'peaceful' retirement. And, of course, every protagonist is given a personal, unique voice (with, delightfully, the spy, Appolonius, sounding very much like Julian Clarey). For readers of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Ben Kane – unputdownable fiction from an author who knows the Roman world like no other. Entry #20 in Simon Scarrow's Macro and Cato series, which means there's been approximately one entry per year.