Death to the Emperor: The thrilling new Eagles of the Empire novel - Macro and Cato return!

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Although now officially an army veteran living in the Roman colony of Camulodunum (Colchester), as Macro remarks to his wife, Petronella, ‘You can take the man out of the army, but never the army out of the man’. Meanwhile, Cato has been sent northwest to harry and conquer once and for all the Druids and their followers. The boys are back in Britain, its AD60 and they are in Camulodunum (Colchester) with Macro in semi-retirement and Cato keeping his head down in the quiet backwater of Britain.

This is really part 1 of a 2 part telling of the Boudicca Uprising, largely using a 2 perspective narrative with Cato on Anglesey/Mona and the suppression of the Druids and Ordovicians by Suetonius, while Macro is largely in Camulodonum with the other veterans, reaping the whirlwind of Roman officials' "mishandling" of Boudicca and the Iceni. I appreciated the historical notes and I am glad I was able to read this story, discover this intriguing series, and learn something new. Macro and Cato are now in Britannia, with Cato living in hiding and Macro having retired from the legions to live in the Roman city of Camulodunum. For much of the book, though, they find themselves apart, each wishing they had the other beside them for support and advice, and because of their complementary skills. The story is full throttle and whilst there are a lot of characters and locations to keep track of, as a reader you are in safe hands with Scarrow’s expertly constructed, atmospheric and gripping novel.

Macro seems settled and is hoping to enjoy his retirement in Britannia with his wife Petronella whilst Cato goes off to put an end to the Druid uprising for good. This is Roman empire military fiction, starting with the second invasion of Britain, and continuing with subsequent adventures in every corner of the empire. I enjoyed this as it wasn't too graphic, some of the battle scenes in other books in the series have been too long and drawn out. While Macro deals with rising local tensions, Cato is pulled into the campaign to wipe the remaining resistance out on Mona (Anglesea).

Centurion Macro is now enjoying a comfortable retirement in the colonia of Camulodunum, while his old friend Cato is assigned a new command as the Governor of Britain, Suetonius Paulinus, plans a military campaign to destroy the Druid stronghold on the island of Mona (present-day Anglesey in Wales). You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. So the friends spend much of this apart but obviously as we would expect, trouble quickly finds them.The first half of the book follows this and the eventual start of the rebellion by Boudicca and Macro as senior centurion at Colchester has to deal with the fallout. I found the book was like wading through treacle, the background to the eventual rebellion could have been covered in one chapter but instead rolled on for quite a few. It was a fascinating read as Boudica’s rebellion is a fascinating topic as it’s also one that changes according to the personal point of view of the reader: feminist ante litteram, nationalist or simply someone who rebelled against the power of the Romans.

It’s the year AD60 and both protagonists are once again in Britannia, tasked in maintaining Rome’s tenuous hold of the province. A stunning and unforgettable story of warfare, courage and sacrifice as brave men face an enemy with nothing to lose . Macro and Cato - the bravest and the best of the Roman Empire's military forces - face the fierce tribes of Britannia and a dangerous new enemy: Boudica. As with all the books in the series this revolves around the adventures of our old friends Macro and Cato plus assorted other characters.

I’ve always appreciated how the morality of the Roman invasion has been discussed over this series and how Macro and Cato genuinely see Rome as a guiding light of civilisation. Death to the Emperor is a captivating book full of heroism and sacrifice that brings Boudica and the Iceni vividly to life. The author provides sufficient detail about previous events to help make sense of things but not too much that you feel you’ve learned everything there is to know. With thanks to Sophie Ransom, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book. Really hope Petronella, Claudia and Lucius make it out fine, and hopefully Macro can reunite with Petronella, I'd prefer both of them dying rather that one dying and the other trying to come to terms with it, the fates of Macro and Petronella should be the same.

The other half of the book is Cato heading a cohort and helping Governor Suetonius Paulinus destroy the druids on Mona.I was fascinated to read about Boudica and Britannia and to follow Roman Commanders Centurion Cato and Prefect Macro. The two sides became a heaving mass of helmets, crests, blades, spears, swords and axes, amid sprays of crimson and a cacophany of weapns clashing and thudding home on shields and limbs’. I have been a fan of Simon Scarrows Eagle of the Empire series since 2017 when I discovered the books in my local library. I have to admit that this is the first book I read in this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it as Cato, Macro, Petronilla and the characters are fleshed out and relatable even if they’re act and think like you expect someone did 2 thousand years ago.