This was another awesome novel from Scarrow, who has once again produced an exciting and fast-paced historical fiction read that perfectly envisions the landscape of Roman-occupied England. The Honour of Rome is a great read, and I loved the cool combination of historical and crime fiction elements throughout it. I ended up reading this book in only a few short days and loved every second of it. This tale starts off in full action in January AD 59, with Macro and his wife, Petronella, arriving in Londinium, to join Macro's mother, Portia, at the Dog and Deer inn. Meanwhile, Cato was charged with accompanying Emperor Nero's mistress Claudia Acte into exile on Sardinia, with the bulk of the novel then following Cato, the burgeoning romance between him and Claudia and events on that island.

I found this funny because we have a weakling in the White House (sorry, I should have said the Capitoline), a plague, and civil unrest (AntiFa's ancestors). As Cato's new associate/spy Apollonius asked Cato: "How far can a good man succeed in a corrupt world? I'd like to know the answer to that." The story is well know and I won't repeat it here for feel of spoiling it for the reader. Needless to say, both Cato and Macro are involved in some of their deadliest challenges yet. Optio Marcus Metellus Crispus - Optio of the Tenth legion, he is put to death for murdering an auxiliaryMacro has retired to Britain with his wife, Petronella, to enjoy a peaceful life together farming their patch of veteran's land and assisting his mother in the inn she and he together owned in Londinium. Cato was also heading for Britain, having had to leave Rome swiftly and secretly to protect Claudia, Nero's ex lover. Together again, they face more blood and battling than any retired veteran might reasonably expect. There is also an interesting parallel .story of a Roman column invading Mona (Anglesea) with the intention of destroying the last of the remaining Druids. The story doesn’t let up all the way through as something is always happening leaving you feeling the urgency of the situation. AD 60 and Macro and Cato are enjoying a bit of peace in Camulodunum with their families. Macro has now retired and is serving as the Senior Magistrate while Prefect Cato is still in the army but not on active duty. But their peace doesn’t last long. Governor Suetonius is making an attempt to finally conquer Britannia by defeating the Ordovices and the druids on the Isle of Mona and he wants Cato to assist him. In these times of Covid is there a better way to forget all that nonsense than immersing yourself in a good book? In the case of Simon Scarrow's latest, it's a visit from our old friends Macro and Cato - and what can be more fun than that?

The series has also lost the 'Eagle' that was always included somewhere in the earlier titles ( Under the Eagle, The Eagle's Conquest, The Eagle and the Wolves etc), with that word last used in the title in entry # 7 ( The Eagle in the Sand). At the beginning of the book you'll find two well-drawn maps of South-East Britannia and of Londinium in AD 59, as well as a Chain of Command, and not to forget a Cast List, with figures featuring in this great tale. Simon Scarrow". Headline Publishing Group, home of bestselling fiction and non-fiction books and ebooks. 28 January 2019 . Retrieved 4 January 2020. In the first novel, he is only seventeen years of age, tall and gawky, and so weak-looking that many of the officers, including Macro, place bets on how long it will be before he quits, or is killed. The Emperor grants Cato an immediate commission as a Centurion, but because of his age, Vespasian makes him an optio as a compromise, which causes the officers and his fellow recruits to resent him further. He is however, extremely determined and proves the officers wrong throughout the series. Cato attains the rank of Centurion at the end of When the Eagle Hunts and during the events of Centurion, he is promoted to acting prefect of the Second Illyrian. Halfway through The Gladiator Cato is promoted to the rank of tribune for his mission to Egypt, temporarily outranking Macro, but at the end of the book he is awarded a temporary rank of prefect. In The Legion Cato joins a legion in Egypt and receives a temporary promotion to Senior Tribune.

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I want to read the rest of the series because this book can be read as a stand alone but I want to learn more about these characters. Thanks to the failure of their recent campaign on the eastern frontier they face a hostile reception at the imperial court. Their reputations and future are at stake. n.b. these novellas were available as e-books prior to publication of the full title. Pirata series (with T. J. Andrews) [ edit ] Macro has been close friends with Cato since Cato saved his life in the first book. This bond deepens when Macro confesses that he is illiterate and asks Cato's help in learning to read, and so maintain his position as an officer.