On the other hand, Cato is just a teenager, who previously grew up as a slave in the Imperial Palace. At the start of the series, he joins as Macro’s Optio in the Eagles. The first book of the series is set in 42 A.D. Throughout the series, author Simon Scarrow has shared the experiences of Macro and Cato. Scarrow, Simon (2021). Honour of Rome. [S.l.]: HEADLINE BOOK PUBLISHING. ISBN 978-1-4722-5849-6. OCLC 1223069098.

That's not all that has changed: Cato is no longer the scared young man he had been in the first entries; Macro no longer the seasoned Centurion. Now, Macro is retired from active service whilst Cato - who now has a family of his own - has risen in rank above that that Macro ever reached but is still firm friends with the latter.This book serves as an introduction to series of books focused around the exploits of legionary Marco, a grizzled and gruff mentor to soon-to-be seventeen year old Quintus Licinius Cato, a freed slave who has been sent to Germany, as an army recruit by Emperor Claudius ( of "I Claudius" fame), to satisfy a debt to Cato's father on his death bed. Cato has no interest in becoming a soldier, and has been trained to be an academic at the imperial court. Military life is not what he wants, nor does he think he can adapt well enough to survive, let alone advance through the complicated ranks within the highly-structured Roman military organization. The year is 42AD - what a boring opening! Never start off with dates, it'll kill interest faster than you can speak!

In Camulodunum Macro will meet other veterans under the leadership of Magistrate Ramirus, and they will have a severe battle against the Trinovantes tribe, where they are left to their own devices by a coward of a procurator called, Decianus Catus, and where they have to fight for their lives to reach their stronghold again, while not much later on Cato will make his appearance in Camulodunum with his son, Julius, and his woman, Claudia Acte, the supposed dead ex-mistress of Emperor Nero, and right from the start Cato is making plans to set things right for Macro and his family in Londinium. Claudius: Emperor of Rome, portrayed in The Eagle's Conquest and Praetorian as a forgetful, half-witted buffoon.Let's talk about Under The Eagle by Simon Scarrow. It's good, in a sort of balls-to-the-wall way. Having read this before, I knew what to expect. Blood, betrayal, lots of swearing and gladius slashing fun. With any historical novel, there's a fine line between historical accuracy and story-telling. Conn Iggulden, as much as I respect him for taking on Caesar is a fine example of bad story-telling set against historical accuracy (which in part is well researched). Simon Scarrow doesn't pretend to be 'historical accurate', yes it is accurate in the sense of being set within the reign of Claudius-I've-The-Mind-Of-A-Child-And-The-Eating-Habit-Of-A-Ox. Yes it is accurate given the timeline, the invasion of Britain was what solidified Claudius's Emperor-ship - without it, he would have been history (ironic). Boudica’s rebellion is described in a lot of books but I think this one that describe is it could have been. It was gory, violent, sometime very cruel insurrection, a sort of guerrilla that nearly defeated Rome. The writing takes you to very heart of the book, the narrative is so descriptive, you can imagine yourself there, you get a terrific sense of place and feel for the locations, the period comes alive, you can sense and breathe in the atmosphere, it’s like going round the Jorvik centre taking in the sights and sounds So happy Cato and Macro weren’t apart for long. I whizzed through the first half of the book with the anticipation of Cato’s arrival. It was nice to see Macro operate on his own, as he has been overshadowed by Cato for quite a long time. Unfortunately he doesn’t actually achieve much until Cato does arrive which was annoying and hope Scarrow gives Macro the competence and attention he deserves.