Simon Scarrow - The Eagle in the Sand

Simon Scarrow teaches at a leading Sixth Form College. He has in the past run a Roman History programme taking parties of students to a number of ruins and museums across Britain. Having enjoyed the novels of Forester, Cornwell and O'Brian, and fired by the knowledge gleaned from his exploration of Roman sites, he decided to write what he wanted to read - a military page-turner set during the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD.

I have to say the bookcover tells you exactly what this book is about. I had a chocie of three books to start reading when I went away recently and read the first page of each to see if any grabbed me. None did but this was more readable than the others. I can see why he has a big following but you either enjoy reading these books or you don’t, just like the Sharp (Bernard Cornwall fans) books – they wouldn’t appeal to me but he has a huge fan club. I would say this book is like Sharp but set in ancient Rome.

The Eagle in the Sand is set in the Roman province of Judaea, some years after The crucifixion. The land is torn by civil strife and savage terrorist attacks. Centurions Macro and Cato are sent out to Syria, on a secret mission for their previous nemesis Narcissus, to find out why there is so much trouble and ill feeling towards the Romans. At the market just outside the city gate they experience their first sight of violence as the group of assassins attacked the Roman tax collectors (hmm, tax collectors, squeezing money out of the people – who couldn’t feel sympathy for ‘em…?). Cato & Macro defended the Romans killing a couple of the assassins.
However, the assassins were part of the followers of Jehoshua, run by Bannus, a local tribesman, who is stirring up trouble & preaching violent opposition to Rome. The local revolt is growing in numbers and strength and Rome’s long standing enemy, Parthia, is poised to join the rebels.
Macro & Cato discover corruption, inaptitude and hostility - and that is within their very own Roman ranks !! the corruption is causing the local people to join these rebels. Macro & Cato must stamp out this corruption and restore the men to fighting fitness to quash this revolt before the eastern provinces are lost to the Empire.
I've read that authors Like Simon Scarrow are: Conn Iggulden, Iain Gale, William Napier, so I passed this book onto a Conn Iggulden fan to see what they thought of it......Watch this space!
by Showhost