Eagles of the Empire Books in Order: How to read Simon Scarrow’s series?

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The Eagles of the Empire is a Roman military book series set in the territories of the Roman Empire, covering the second invasion of Britain and the subsequent prolonged campaign undertaken by the rump of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Like the TV Show Rome, this series written by Simon Scarrow follows two main protagonists, Quintus Licinius Cato, and Lucius Cornelius Macro, who are both Roman soldiers. The first grew up in the Imperial Palace as a slave and joined the Eagles at the beginning of the series. The second is a veteran of nearly 15 years of service in the Roman Army.

How to read the Eagles of the Empire Series in Order?

Every book in the Eagles of the Empire series works as a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one novel to the other.

1. Under the Eagle – It is the year 42 AD, and Centurion Macro, battle-scarred and fearless, is in the heart of Germany with the Second Legion. Cato, a recruit and the newly appointed second-in-command to Macro, will have more to prove than most. In a bloody skirmish with local tribes, Cato gets his first chance to prove that he’s more than a callow, privileged youth. As their next campaign takes them to a land of unparalleled barbarity – Britain – a special mission unfolds, thrusting Cato and Macro headlong into a conspiracy that threatens to topple the Emperor himself.
2. The Eagle’s Conquest – When Centurion Macro and his young subordinate, Optio Cato arrive on the shores of Britain to take part in Emperor Claudius’ invasion in AD 43, Macro knows the desperately outnumbered Roman army will be facing one of the toughest campaigns ever. Meanwhile, a sinister organization is secretly betraying the brave men of the legions. When assassination rumors coincide with the Emperor’s arrival, the soldiers realize they are up against a force more ruthless than the Britons.
3. When the Eagle Hunts – In the bitter winter of A.D. 44, the Roman troops in Britain are impatiently awaiting the arrival of spring so that the campaign to conquer the island can be renewed. But the native Britons are growing more cunning in their resistance. When the most brutal of the native tribesmen, the Druids of the Dark Moon, capture the shipwrecked wife and children of General Plautius, quick action is called for. Centurion Macro and his optio, Cato, find themselves slipping out of camp in the dead of night to reach the General’s family before they are sacrificed to the Druids’ dark gods.

4. The Eagle and the Wolves – it’s A.D. 44 and Vespasian and the Roman Army’s Second Legion are forging ahead in their campaign to seize the southwest. Centurion Macro and the newly appointed Centurion Cato are ordered by Vespasian to provide Verica, the aged ruler of the Atrebates, with an army. They must train his tribal levies into a force that can protect him, enforce his rule, and take on the increasingly ambitious raids that the enemy is launching. But open revolt is brewing.
5. The Eagle’s Prey – 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.
6. The Eagle’s Prophecy – It is spring A.D. 45 in Rome, and Centurions Macro and Cato, dismissed from the Second Legion in Britain, are waiting for an investigation into their involvement in the death of a fellow officer. It is then that the imperial secretary, the devious Narcissus, makes them an offer they can’t refuse: to rescue an imperial agent who has been captured by pirates operating off the Illyrian coast. With him were scrolls vital to the safety of the emperor and the future of Rome.

7. The Eagle in the Sand– in AD 46. Roman centurions Cato and Macro have been posted to Judaea for a ‘hearts and minds’ operation. The Empire needed to win over the locals after some of their religious figures had started revolts. Not only are these small villages causing trouble, but there are also thousands of Parthians eager to fight Rome. With the threat of suicide attacks and even all-out war, Cato and Macro have their peace-keeping work cut out…
8. Centurion – AD 46. Roman army officers Cato and Macro have survived many dangerous missions together. They look out for one another. They’re faithful to their Emperor. And from their men, they demand bravery and ruthless efficiency. With the news that Rome’s old enemy, Parthia, is poised to unleash its might against the border kingdom of Palmyra, Cato and Macro must embark on a desperate quest to protect the Empire.
9. The Gladiator – While centurions Macro and Cato are returning to Rome from a harrowing campaign against the Parthians, their transport ship is almost capsized by a tidal wave. They barely make it to the port of Matala in Crete where they are stunned to find a devastated town. An earthquake has struck the island, destroying its cities and killing thousands. In the chaotic aftermath, large bands of the island’s slaves begin to revolt. With many of the island’s troops either killed or wounded during the earthquake, the governor of the province calls on Macro and Cato for help.

10. The Legion – When the actions of a rebel gladiator in Egypt threaten the stability of the Roman Empire, Prefect Cato, and Centurion Macro know he must be stopped. The locals are holding the Romans responsible for the attacks and Ajax’s crew have been making along the coast and now Egypt is dangerously volatile. Tasked with tracking and defeating the renegade, Cato and Macro are soon hot on Ajax’s trail, determined to destroy the enemy.
11. Praetorian – The city of Rome in AD 50 is a dangerous place. Treachery lurks on every corner, and a shadowy Republican movement, ‘the Liberators’, has spread its tentacles wide. It is feared that the heart of the latest plot lies in the ranks of the Praetorian Guard. Uncertain of whom he can trust, the Imperial Secretary Narcissus summons to Rome Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro. Tasked with infiltrating the Guard, Cato and Macro face a daunting test to win the trust of their fellow soldiers.
12. The Blood Crows – Britannia, AD 51. For nearly a decade, the Roman Empire has fought to assert its hold over Britannia. But relentless opposition from native tribes led by the fanatical King Caratacus threatens to destroy everything. Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro are dispatched from Rome to aid the campaign. Placed in command of an outpost in the remote western mountains. But first, they must wrench control of the fort from Centurion Quertus, a man who wages a savage personal war and inspires a loyalty in his men above their bond with Rome.

13. Brothers in Blood – The Roman Empire’s conquest of Britannia is under threat from within. Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro must uncover a traitor to prevent unthinkable defeat. A messenger on the streets of Rome has been intercepted and tortured, revealing a plot to sabotage the Roman army’s campaign against Caratacus. Unwarned, Cato and Macro are with the Roman army pursuing Caratacus and his men through the mountains of Britannia. Defeating Caratacus finally seems within their grasp.
14. Britannia – Roman Britain, AD 52. The western tribes prepare to make a stand. But can they match the discipline and courage of the legionaries? Wounded Centurion Macro remains behind in charge of the fort as Prefect Cato leads an invasion deep into the hills. Cato’s mission: to cement Rome’s triumph over the natives by crushing the Druid stronghold. But with winter drawing in, the terrain is barely passable through icy rain and snowstorms.
15. Invictus – It is AD 54. Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, have survived years of campaigning in Britannia and have been recalled to Rome. Their time in the teeming, dangerously political city is short, and soon they are traveling with the Praetorian Guard to Spain, a restless colony where simmering tension in the face of Roman rule is aggravated by bitter rivalry amongst the natives. The challenges that face two old friends and their comrades in arms are unlike any they have seen before…

16. Day of the Caesars – The Emperor Claudius is dead. Nero rules. His half-brother Britannicus has also laid claim to the throne. A bloody power struggle is underway. All Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro want is a simple army life, fighting with their brave and loyal men. But Cato has caught the eye of rival factions determined to get him on their side. To survive, Cato must play a cunning game, and enlist the help of the one man in the Empire he can trust: Macro.
17. The Blood of Rome – The wily Parthian Empire has invaded Roman-ruled Armenia, ousting King Rhadamistus. The King is ambitious and ruthless, but he is loyal to Rome. General Corbulo must restore him to power, while also readying the troops for war with the powerful Parthian Empire. Corbulo welcomes new arrivals Cato and Macro, experienced soldiers who know how to knock into shape an undermanned unit of men ill-equipped for conflict. It’s a dangerous game to restore a deposed king.
18. Traitors of Rome – AD 56. Battle-hardened veterans of the Roman army Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro are garrisoned at the eastern border, aware that their movements are constantly monitored by spies from dangerous, mysterious Parthia. But the enemy within could be the deadliest threat to the Legion … and the Empire. There’s a traitor in the ranks. Rome shows no mercy to those who betray their comrades, and the Empire

19. The Emperor’s Exile – Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro, hardened veterans of the Roman army, have faced the Empire’s enemies from Britannia to Parthia, from Hispania to Judea. Now once again they are on a mission that will imperil their lives and those of all who serve with them. Loyal to the last to their comrades in battle, fearless in the face of the most brutal or barbaric opponents, they are the finest men the Emperor can call on in the service of Rome.
20. The Honour of Rome – Fifteen years after Rome’s invasion of Britannia, centurion Marco is back. The island is settled now, bustling with commerce. Macro’s goal is to help run his mother’s Londinium inn, and exploit his land grant. He’s prepared for the dismal weather and the barbaric ways of the people. But far worse dangers threaten all his plans. A gang led by an ex-legionary rule the city, demanding protection money and terrorizing those who won’t pay up. The Roman official in charge has turned a blind eye. Macro has to act. He needs the backup of the finest soldier he knows: Prefect Cato. But Cato is in distant Rome. Or is he?
21. Death to the Emperor – AD 60. Britannia. The Roman Empire’s hold on the province is fragile. The tribes implacably opposed to Rome have grown cunning in their attacks on the legions. Even amongst those who have sworn loyalty, dissent simmers. In distant Rome, Nero is blind to the danger. As hostilities create mayhem in the west, Governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus gathers a vast army to quell the trouble, with Prefect Cato in command. A hero of countless battles, Cato wants his loyal comrade Centurion Macro by his side.

22. Rebellion – AD 60. Britannia is in turmoil. The rebel leader Boudica has tasted victory, against a force of tough veterans in Camulodunum. Alerted to the rapidly spreading uprising, Governor Suetonius leads his army towards endangered Londinium with a mounted escort, led by Prefect Cato. Soon it’s terrifyingly clear that Britannia is slipping into chaos and panic, with ever more tribal warriors swelling Boudica’s ranks. And Cato and Suetonius are grimly aware that little preparation has been made to withstand a full-scale rebellion.

If you like that series, you might be into the Saxon stories by Bernard Cornwell. And if you like our article about the Eagles of the Empire series in order, don’t forget to bookmark it!