Simon Scarrow‘s Eagles of the Empire is one of the longest-running Roman military series in print. It follows two soldiers, the veteran Centurion Macro and the young recruit Cato, from the invasion of Britain under Claudius to the dangerous Rome of Nero.
The first novel appeared in 2000 and the twenty-fifth arrives in November 2026. This guide lists every book in order, with a spoiler-free summary of each, advice on where to start, and the series to read next.
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Quick Series Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Author | Simon Scarrow |
| Number of books | 24 published, with book 25 due November 5, 2026 |
| First book | Under the Eagle (2000) |
| Latest book | Tyrant of Rome (2025) |
| Next book | The Sword of Rome (November 2026) |
| Setting | The Roman Empire, AD 42 to the early 60s |
| Genre | Historical military fiction |
| Main characters | Lucius Cornelius Macro and Quintus Licinius Cato |
| Also known as | The Eagle Series (United States editions) |
Eagles of the Empire Books in Publication Order
Publication order is the right order for this series. The story runs forward in time from book to book, and the ranks, friendships and enemies of the two heroes carry over from one novel to the next.
The summaries below stay with the premise of each book. They do not reveal endings.
1. Under the Eagle (2000)
Setting: Germania and southern Britannia, AD 42 to 43
Quintus Licinius Cato arrives in Germany as a new recruit to the Second Legion. He is bookish, young, and resented by the other recruits, because his imperial connections have earned him a rank above them. He becomes second-in-command to Macro, a fearless and battle-scarred centurion.
Then the legion learns that its next campaign will take it to Britain. After the long march west, Cato and Macro are given a special mission that draws them into a conspiracy against the Emperor himself.
2. The Eagle’s Conquest (2001)
Setting: South-east Britannia, AD 43
Macro lands on British soil with the invasion force of Emperor Claudius. He and his young optio, Cato, fight a series of bloody skirmishes as the outnumbered Roman army tries to find and defeat the enemy before it grows too strong.
The Britons are not the only threat. A secret organisation opposed to the Emperor is betraying the invaders, and rumours of an assassination plot spread just as Claudius himself is due to arrive.
3. When the Eagle Hunts (2002)
Setting: South-west Britannia, AD 43 to 44
Camulodunum has fallen and the Emperor has gone back to Rome. The Second Legion is resting when news arrives that the ship carrying General Plautius’s family has been wrecked off the south coast.
His wife and children are in the hands of a dark sect of Druids, who demand the return of their own prisoners within a month. Macro and Cato are sent to find the hostages before time runs out.
4. The Eagle and the Wolves (2003)
Setting: Southern Britannia, AD 44
Vespasian and the Second Legion are pushing into the south-west. Macro and the newly appointed centurion Cato are ordered to give Verica, the aged ruler of the Atrebates, an army of his own by training his tribal levies.
The Atrebates are officially allies of Rome, but many of them distrust the legions and revolt is brewing. The two centurions must win the loyalty of their recruits while surviving a plot aimed at them and their comrades.
5. The Eagle’s Prey (2004)
Setting: Britannia, AD 44
It is the second year of the campaign against the British tribes, and the legions are under great pressure to finish the job. Macro and Cato’s cohort is ordered to hold a vital river crossing.
Their commander, Centurion Maximius, finds a massacred auxiliary outpost and leads the cohort on a revenge mission instead. The consequences fall on every man in the unit, Cato and Macro included.
6. The Eagle’s Prophecy (2005)
Setting: Rome, Ravenna and the Adriatic Sea, AD 45
Macro and Cato are in Rome, dismissed from the Second Legion and waiting for an investigation into the death of a fellow officer. The imperial secretary Narcissus makes them an offer they cannot refuse.
An imperial agent has been captured by pirates on the Illyrian coast, along with scrolls vital to the Emperor’s safety. The two centurions sail from Ravenna with the fleet, and with their old enemy Vitellius. This is the first book set away from Britain.
7. The Eagle in the Sand (2006)
Setting: Judaea, AD 46
Also published as The Zealot.
Trouble is brewing on the eastern frontier of the Empire. Macro and Cato are sent to a cohort in a deplorable state, with orders to stamp out its corruption and make it fit to fight again.
At the same time a local tribesman named Bannus is preaching violent opposition to Rome, and his revolt is growing. The centurions have to rebuild the cohort fast enough to face him.
8. Centurion (2007)
Setting: Syria and Palmyra, AD 46
Parthia is competing with Rome for control of Palmyra, an officially neutral kingdom whose royal household is on the brink of open revolt. A task force under Macro and Cato is sent to defend its king and guard its borders.
When Parthia hears that Roman troops are there, it starts gathering its own army. Macro’s cohort must march deep into dangerous territory and face superior numbers in a desperate siege.
9. The Gladiator (2009)
Setting: Crete, AD 48 to 49
Macro and Cato are sailing home from the Parthian campaign when a tidal wave almost sinks their ship. They reach the port of Matala in Crete and find a ruined town. An earthquake has struck the island and killed thousands.
In the chaos, the island’s slaves begin to revolt. With many of the garrison dead or wounded, the governor calls on the two officers to stop the rebellion before it sweeps Rome from the island.
10. The Legion (2010)
Setting: Egypt, AD 49
The rebel gladiator Ajax and his men are posing as Roman soldiers and attacking naval bases, merchant ships and villages in Egypt. Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro are ordered to track him down before the trouble spreads.
They join forces with a legion stationed in Egypt and hope to destroy their enemy on the battlefield. The gladiator has other ideas.
11. Praetorian (2011)
Setting: Ostia and Rome, AD 51
Emperor Claudius is in danger. Traitors have infiltrated the Praetorian Guard, the unit that is supposed to protect him.
Narcissus summons Macro and Cato to Rome, gives them new identities and places them undercover in the Guard. Each test of loyalty brings them closer to the plot, and closer to being found out. This is the series as a conspiracy thriller, set in the capital itself.
12. The Blood Crows (2013)
Setting: Britannia (modern Wales), AD 51
Rome has spent nearly ten years fighting to strengthen its hold on Britannia, and the tribes led by the warrior Caratacus threaten to undo all of it. Governor Ostorius summons Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro to Londinium.
Their task is to lead a newly formed cavalry cohort into the heart of the mountains and break the resistance. Caratacus has ambitious plans of his own, and there is disorder inside their own ranks.
13. Brothers in Blood (2014)
Setting: Britannia (modern Wales), AD 51
A messenger is intercepted on the streets of Rome, and what he reveals is a plot to sabotage the campaign against Caratacus. A treacherous agent has been sent to open a second front and to remove the two soldiers who might stand in the way.
Cato and Macro know nothing of it. They are with the army, chasing Caratacus through the mountains, and victory seems close.
14. Britannia (2015)
Setting: Britannia (modern north Wales), AD 52
The western tribes are preparing to make a stand. A wounded Macro stays behind in charge of the fort while Cato leads an advance deep into the hills, with orders to crush the Druid stronghold as winter closes in.
Then Macro’s patrols report that the natives around the garrison are thinning out, and a terrible suspicion forms. If the acting governor has underestimated the enemy, Cato’s column will pay for it. The novel was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize.
15. Invictus (2016)
Setting: Rome and Hispania, AD 54
After years of campaigning in Britannia, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro are recalled to Rome. Their stay in the political heat of the city is short.
Soon they are travelling with the Praetorian Guard to Spain, a restless province where resentment of Roman rule is sharpened by bitter rivalry among the natives. It is a land that calls itself unconquerable.
16. Day of the Caesars (2017)
Setting: Rome, AD 54
The Emperor Claudius is dead and Nero rules. His half-brother Britannicus has also laid claim to the throne, and a bloody power struggle is under way.
Cato and Macro want a simple army life, but Cato has caught the eye of rival factions who each want him on their side. To survive he has to play a cunning game, with the help of the one man he trusts.
17. The Blood of Rome (2018)
Setting: Armenia and the eastern frontier, AD 55
Parthia has invaded Roman-ruled Armenia and driven out King Rhadamistus, a ruthless man who is nevertheless loyal to Rome. General Corbulo must restore him while preparing his own troops for war.
Corbulo welcomes Cato and Macro, who know how to knock an undermanned unit into shape. But the king’s brutality towards those who ousted him sparks an uprising, and the enemy is watching from across the border.
18. Traitors of Rome (2019)
Setting: Syria and the eastern frontier, AD 56
Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro are garrisoned on the eastern border, where Parthian spies watch every move. The deadlier threat is closer to home.
There is a traitor in the ranks. Rome shows no mercy to men who betray their comrades, but first the guilty man has to be found, and the enemy over the border is waiting for any sign of weakness.
19. The Emperor’s Exile (2020)
Setting: Rome and Sardinia, AD 57
Cato and Macro return to Rome after a failed campaign in the east and find a hostile reception at court. Their reputations and their futures are at stake.
When Nero’s political enemies exploit his infatuation with his mistress, he reluctantly sends her into exile. Cato, isolated and unwelcome in Rome, is forced to escort her to Sardinia, a restless and simmering island.
20. The Honour of Rome (2021)
Setting: Britannia, AD 59
Fifteen years after the invasion, Macro is back in Britannia. The province is settled and busy with trade, and his plan is to help run his mother’s inn in Londinium and make use of his land grant.
Instead he finds a city ruled by a gang, led by a former legionary, that demands protection money and terrorises anyone who refuses. The official in charge looks the other way. Macro needs the best soldier he knows, and Cato is supposed to be in Rome.
21. Death to the Emperor (2022)
Setting: Britannia, AD 60
Rome’s hold on Britannia is fragile. Governor Suetonius Paulinus gathers a vast army for a campaign in the west, with Prefect Cato among its commanders, and leaves Macro behind in charge of the veteran reserves at Camulodunum.
The colony is poorly fortified and only a skeleton force remains. Then the king of the Iceni dies, his kingdom is marked for annexation, and his widow is Boudica.
22. Rebellion (2023)
Setting: Britannia, AD 60
The Boudican revolt is the greatest crisis Roman Britain ever faced, and this novel puts Cato and Macro in the middle of it. The two veterans lead their best men against an enemy that is both fearless and resourceful.
Far from Rome, under constant attack, the soldiers need all their training to hold their nerve. The leader facing them is unlike any they have fought before.
23. Revenge of Rome (2024)
Setting: Britannia, AD 61
The rebel horde has been beaten in battle, but Boudica and her remaining warriors are still at large. With them is the eagle standard of the Ninth Legion, taken in ambush and shown off as proof that Rome can be defeated.
Towns lie in ruins and the province is divided. Cato and Macro are ordered to hunt down what is left of the enemy army and bring back the eagle.
24. Tyrant of Rome (2025)
Setting: Rome, AD 62
Under Nero, Rome is sliding towards anarchy and conspiracy. The execution of 400 slaves has led to rioting, and the Emperor needs a strong soldier to keep control of his own capital.
He turns to Cato, who has been lying low since the British campaign, and makes him Prefect of the Urban Cohorts. Cato wants a proven officer beside him, and Macro is willing. The politics of Rome prove as dangerous as any battlefield.
Upcoming Book
25. The Sword of Rome (November 2026)
Setting: The northern coast of the Euxine Sea (the Black Sea)
The twenty-fifth novel is due on November 5, 2026. Twenty years have passed since the raw recruit Cato first faced Centurion Macro on the training ground.
Nero’s leading general, Corbulo, picks the pair for a dangerous mission more than a thousand miles from Rome. On the northern shore of the Euxine Sea, a city faces massacre as the Scythians push back against Nero’s ambitions.
Chronological Order vs Publication Order
There is no difference between the two. Eagles of the Empire was written in chronological order, and each novel picks up after the one before it.
The story begins in AD 42 and has reached AD 62 by book 24. Start with book 1 and read forward.
Related Roman Fiction by Simon Scarrow
Scarrow has also written shorter Roman fiction with T. J. Andrews. These titles sit outside the numbered series, and none of them is needed to follow the main story.
- Roman Arena, first published in five parts in 2012 and 2013
- Invader, five novellas from 2014 and 2015, collected in one volume in 2016
- Pirata, five novellas collected in one volume in 2019
- Warrior, a series that began in 2022
The full list, with his Napoleonic and Second World War novels, is on the Simon Scarrow author page.
About the Eagles of the Empire Series
The series follows two officers of the Roman army. Macro is a veteran who has only recently been promoted to centurion when the story opens. He is dependable in a fight and has little time for anything else.
Cato is his opposite. He grew up in the imperial palace, the son of a freedman in the Emperor’s service, and joins the legion as a tall, thin, well-read teenager. The other officers place bets on how long he will last.
The friendship that grows between them is the heart of the series. Over twenty years of story both men change, and their careers rise and fall with the favour of generals, imperial secretaries and emperors.
The settings change constantly. The books move from Britain to the Adriatic, Judaea, Palmyra, Crete, Egypt, Rome, Spain, Armenia and Sardinia, then back to Britain for the Boudican revolt.
What Makes Eagles of the Empire Special
- Two leads who complement each other. Macro is the practical soldier and Cato the thinker, and the contrast keeps working because both keep developing.
- Real history as the frame. The invasion of Britain, the capture of Caratacus, the death of Claudius, the wars with Parthia and the Boudican revolt all drive the plots.
- Historical figures in supporting roles. Vespasian and Vitellius appear early in their careers, long before their rivalry for the throne.
- Variety. Battlefield campaigns alternate with sieges, naval pursuits, undercover missions and political thrillers.
- A long, steady run. A new novel has arrived in most years since 2000.
Where to Start with Eagles of the Empire
New readers: start with Under the Eagle. It introduces both leads and sets up the invasion of Britain, which fills the next four books.
If you want a particular kind of story:
- Legions in the field: The Eagle’s Conquest (book 2) or Centurion (book 8)
- Conspiracy in Rome: Praetorian (book 11) or Day of the Caesars (book 16)
- The Boudican revolt: Death to the Emperor (book 21), followed by books 22 and 23
- The eastern frontier: The Eagle in the Sand (book 7) or The Blood of Rome (book 17)
Can You Start Partway Through?
Each novel has its own mission and its own ending, so a later book can be followed without the earlier ones. You will miss the history between the characters, though, and later books refer to earlier events.
If 24 novels feel like too many, read the first five as a complete Britain arc. Then decide whether to carry on.
About the Author
Simon Scarrow was born near Lagos, Nigeria, in 1962. He took a master’s degree at the University of East Anglia, then worked as a lecturer, first at East Norfolk Sixth Form College and later at City College Norwich. He lives in Norfolk.
He has credited his Latin teachers, and the sword and sandal epics on television in his childhood, for his interest in Rome. He has also said that his earthy characters draw on his time in the Officer Training Corps. His official website carries news of each new book.
Beyond Macro and Cato, Scarrow wrote a quartet about Wellington and Napoleon that begins with Young Bloods (2006). His crime series set in wartime Berlin begins with Blackout (2021). His standalone novels include The Sword and the Scimitar (2012), set during the 1565 Siege of Malta.
For all of his books in order, see the complete Simon Scarrow guide.
Historical Context: Rome Under Claudius and Nero
The series opens in the reign of Claudius, who ruled from AD 41 to 54. His great military project was the invasion of Britain in AD 43, and the first five novels follow the Second Legion through its opening campaigns.
The conquest was slow. The British leader Caratacus resisted for years in the west before his defeat in AD 51, which is the background to books 12 and 13. The Druid stronghold on the island of Mona stands behind book 14.
Nero succeeded Claudius in AD 54 and ruled until AD 68. The middle of the series moves to the long contest with Parthia over Armenia, where the general Corbulo commanded Rome’s armies.
Then comes the Boudican revolt of AD 60 to 61, when the Iceni and their allies destroyed Camulodunum, Londinium and Verulamium before their defeat. Books 21 to 23 cover it.
Macro and Cato are invented, and so are their missions. The campaigns, emperors and generals around them are real. For more fiction set in this period, see our guides to the best Ancient Rome historical fiction and the ancient world.
Similar Series You’ll Love
Sharpe by Bernard Cornwell
The closest match in historical fiction. Richard Sharpe is a soldier who rises from the ranks through a long war, and the novels pair battlefield action with a loyal friendship at the centre. Start with Sharpe’s Tiger.
Eagles of Rome by Ben Kane
A trilogy about the disaster in the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 and Rome’s campaigns of revenge. It is shorter and darker than Scarrow’s series and just as soaked in legionary life. Start with Eagles at War, and see the Ben Kane author page for his other Roman novels.
Empire by Anthony Riches
A young Roman takes a new name and hides in an auxiliary unit on Hadrian’s Wall in the second century, during the reign of Commodus. Then a rebel army comes down from the north. Start with Wounds of Honour.
Emperor by Conn Iggulden
Iggulden’s series follows Julius Caesar from boyhood, a century before Macro and Cato. It takes more liberties with the record and has the same pace. Start with The Gates of Rome. His Nero Trilogy tells the story of Nero’s rise and reign.
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
Saxons against Danes in ninth-century England, told by one warrior over a long series. Readers who like following a soldier across decades will feel at home. Start with The Last Kingdom.
Raven by Giles Kristian
A Viking trilogy about a young man taken in by a Norse war band. It shares Scarrow’s interest in the bonds between fighting men. Start with Raven: Blood Eye.
For more, see our lists of the best military historical fiction and the best historical fiction series.
Adaptations
No film or television version of Eagles of the Empire has reached the screen.
In 2019 Scarrow said that a television series was in development with a Hollywood studio, and compared the idea to Band of Brothers set among the Roman legions. No series has been released.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Eagles of the Empire books are there?
There are 24 published novels, from Under the Eagle (2000) to Tyrant of Rome (2025). The twenty-fifth, The Sword of Rome, is due on November 5, 2026.
What is the correct order to read Eagles of the Empire?
Read the books in publication order, starting with Under the Eagle. The series was written in chronological order, so publication order and story order are the same.
What is Eagles of the Empire about?
It follows two Roman army officers, the veteran Macro and the younger Cato, from AD 42 onwards. The story begins with the invasion of Britain under Claudius and continues into the reign of Nero, with campaigns across the Empire.
Do I need to read the books in order?
It is strongly recommended. Each novel has its own mission, but the ranks, friendships and enemies of the two leads carry over from book to book, and later novels refer to earlier events.
Is Eagles of the Empire historically accurate?
The frame is real. The invasion of Britain, the campaigns against Caratacus, the wars with Parthia and the Boudican revolt all happened, and figures such as Vespasian, Narcissus, Corbulo and Nero appear. Macro, Cato and their individual missions are fiction.
Why is it called the Eagle Series in the United States?
The first seven novels all have the word Eagle in the title, and American editions were published as the Eagle Series. From book 8, Centurion, the titles dropped the pattern. The series is now usually called Eagles of the Empire.
Are The Eagle in the Sand and The Zealot the same book?
Yes. The Zealot is an alternative title for book 7, The Eagle in the Sand. You only need one of them.
How long does it take to read the whole series?
Each book is a full-length novel. At one book a week, the 24 published novels take about six months. Many readers go faster, because the books are quick to read and each one leads into the next.
Is the series suitable for younger readers?
It is written for adults. The books contain frequent battlefield violence and deal with slavery, executions and the brutality of Roman rule. Scarrow has written a separate series, Gladiator, for younger readers.
Is Eagles of the Empire finished?
No. The Sword of Rome, the twenty-fifth novel, is published in November 2026. The story has reached the early 60s AD, in the reign of Nero.
Has Eagles of the Empire been made into a TV series or film?
No adaptation has been released. In 2019 Simon Scarrow said a television series was in development with a Hollywood studio, but nothing has reached the screen.
Are the books available as ebooks and audiobooks?
Yes. The series is published in print, ebook and audiobook editions.
What should I read after Eagles of the Empire?
Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels are the closest match in spirit. For more Roman soldiers, try Ben Kane’s Eagles of Rome trilogy, Anthony Riches’s Empire series or Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series.
Conclusion
Eagles of the Empire rewards the time it asks for. Few series offer this many books about the same two characters, and the friendship between Macro and Cato gives the battles and conspiracies their weight.
The early Britain novels are fast, clear and easy to enter. The later ones, set in Nero’s Rome and in the Britain of Boudica, are darker and more ambitious.
Start with Under the Eagle. If it works for you, there are 23 more novels waiting, and a twenty-fifth on the way.