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The Eagle's Conquest

by Simon Scarrow

Reviewed by Coral


The Roman army, outnumbered and wounded, continue their pursuit of Caratacus and his forces, hoping to crush the Briton chieftain once and for all. Macro, Cato and their troops are called upon to do the impossible facing impossible odds.

Meanwhile, Vitellius continues to work for his own advancement, while Vespasian is determined to learn whether his wife is conspiring with enemies of the Emperor.

I enjoyed this book.

I did think that the description of the battles tended to run overly long.

Some of the discussions between Macro, Cato and a character named Nisus felt out of place sometimes. Though I can see why Cato, being a former slave, would be willing to question Rome’s aims while Macro would be an ardent supporter of the Empire’s goals. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that none of their conversations felt like natural extensions of the characters in those moments but a reflection of what the author wanted to say.

I will suspend disbelief that Vespasian’s wife would care about the love life of a slave and former slave in the least bit.

Even though I don’t expect to see the main characters die (especially given where Vespasian ends up history wise) I do like that the story hands them setbacks and that things outside of battle haven’t been easy for them.

Grade: B