The Eagle's Conquest : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: An improvement over the first novel
Review: This is a definite improvement over Scarrow's first volume in this series. The characters seem more themselves and are able to grow a bit. They still seem a bit stock-type, and are still kind of predictable. Still, they are now infused with a bit more humanity. The fight scenes are written tighter, and are more vivid and engrossing. But some of the characters are as cardboard as ever. Vitellius is your standard evil genius, Flavia is transparent as a scheming Roman matron, and Claudius is just over-the-top silly. Vespasian's character is better developed, but it just makes the other officers less readable by comparison. The plot is still predictable, yet well-paced and entertaining. Cato's questioning of Roman policies and attitudes is a nice PC element, but is very out of place, and only jars the reader out of the setting. On the other hand, Macro's stangnation as a character is getting very tedious. Yes, he serves as a good mirror of Roman army society, but as a major character he should have more of a function. On the whole, Scarrow seems to have gotten more comfortable with his created personae but struggles with new ones. The plot is less stodgy and formulaic, but still not up to the standard of, say, Robert Graves or even Colleen McCullough. Still acting in seemingly un-Roman ways, but still a very fun read, and I look forward to picking up the next volume.

Rating:
Summary: The conquest of Britain seen through a Roman's eyes
Review: This is a sequel to Scarrow's first book, Under the Eagle, and is every bit as good as its antecedent. Both provide us with a series of interesting, new twists. Few novels have been written of Ancient Rome that do not feature christians, the triumph of christianity, or the excesses of Latin civilization. This is one of the few that has none of that. It follows the career of a slave who was once in the Emperor's service and who so pleased that worthy that he was freed and sent into the Roman army in a position of responsibility (highly unusual for a recruit). The legion to which he's assigned is destined to invade and conquer Britain and I, being of British extraction, surprisingly find myself cheering for the efforts of the legions.

There is one important inaccuracy (I believe) that should perhaps be challenged. Claudius was the emperor during the conquest of Britain and that is accurate enough. However, he is portrayed as a bumbling dolt which, according to my old Ancient History professor at UCLA, he was not. Suetonius wrote of him as such, as did many of his contemporaries, but that was evidently because of physical disabilities and a speech impediment that made him appear retarded. Apparently those physical flaws masked a real ability for organization. Civil war abounded in republican Rome and had it remained a republic, many historians feel it would have collapsed shortly after Caligula's death. Claudius was the one who pulled that republic out of the hands of self-seeking senators made them responsible for their acts, and established a firm government administration as well as a standard of succession to supreme power. It was Claudius, not Augustus, who made Rome into the Empire that survived for another 300 years. But I digress.

Scarrow has given us a slightly watered-down, but exciting, view of life within the legions, and has filled his adventure with historical facts and some speculations that are nothing short of fascinating.

I cannot recommend this book too highly.

Rating:
Summary: The conquest of Britain seen through a Roman's eyes
Review: This is a sequel to Scarrow's first book, Under the Eagle, and is every bit as good as its antecedent. Both provide us with a series of interesting, new twists. Few novels have been written of Ancient Rome that do not feature christians, the triumph of christianity, or the excesses of Latin civilization. This is one of the few that has none of that. It follows the career of a slave who was once in the Emperor's service and who so pleased that worthy that he was freed and sent into the Roman army in a position of responsibility (highly unusual for a recruit). The legion to which he's assigned is destined to invade and conquer Britain and I, being of British extraction, surprisingly find myself cheering for the efforts of the legions.

There is one important inaccuracy (I believe) that should perhaps be challenged. Claudius was the emperor during the conquest of Britain and that is accurate enough. However, he is portrayed as a bumbling dolt which, according to my old Ancient History professor at UCLA, he was not. Suetonius wrote of him as such, as did many of his contemporaries, but that was evidently because of physical disabilities and a speech impediment that made him appear retarded. Apparently those physical flaws masked a real ability for organization. Civil war abounded in republican Rome and had it remained a republic, many historians feel it would have collapsed shortly after Caligula's death. Claudius was the one who pulled that republic out of the hands of self-seeking senators made them responsible for their acts, and established a firm government administration as well as a standard of succession to supreme power. It was Claudius, not Augustus, who made Rome into the Empire that survived for another 300 years. But I digress.

Scarrow has given us a slightly watered-down, but exciting, view of life within the legions, and has filled his adventure with historical facts and some speculations that are nothing short of fascinating.

I cannot recommend this book too highly.