He is best known for his Eagles of the Empire series of Roman military fiction set in the territories of the Roman Empire, covering the second invasion of Britain and the subsequent prolonged campaign undertaken by the rump of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. As of March 2023, there are 22 books in the series; the latest, "Rebellion", was published in 2023.[2]
He has also written another series, Revolution, focusing on Wellington and Napoleon, the first title of which, Young Bloods, was published in 2006. The second volume, The Generals, was published on 31 May 2007 and the third volume, Fire and Sword, in January 2009. The fourth and final novel of the series was published in June 2010 and is called The Fields of Death. He began publishing a new series in 2011, entitled Gladiator.
In 2021, Scarrow authored an immersive audiovisual walking tour for the Roman Colosseum entitled Blood and Sand on the BARDEUM mobile app.[3]
Books
The last fifteen of Scarrow's novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers.[citation needed] His works have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold several million copies.[citation needed] He has been awarded two prizes for his fiction and counts the King of Jordan as one of his fans.[citation needed]
Asked by the Edinburgh Book Review about the inspiration behind his interest in the Roman era, Scarrow said, "Firstly, great Latin teachers – Gordon Rodway and then Reg Nash, who inspired a love of the language and more enduringly a fascination with Roman history and culture. Secondly, when I was growing up in the seventies swords and sandals epics seemed to be on the TV regularly. Not to mention the brilliant I, Claudius".[4]
Scarrow cites the inspiration for his 'earthy' characters as being from his time in the Officer Training Corps.[5]
Eagles of the Empire series
The Eagles of the Empire series centres upon two main protagonists, Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro, who are both Roman soldiers. Macro, a veteran with nearly 15 years' service (at the start of the first novel) in the Roman Army, has recently been appointed to the Centurionate. Cato is in his teens, grew up in the Imperial Palace as a slave, and at the start of the series joins the Eagles as Macro's Optio. The first book starts in 42 AD. The books cover the experiences of the two soldiers, initially as experienced centurion and new optio, in battles in Germania and the invasion of Britain by Claudius as part of the Legio II Augusta. The 6th book, The Eagle's Prophecy, has them serving as part of the Imperial Navy east of Italy. The 7th and 8th put them in Rome's eastern provinces as agents of the Emperor's secretary Tiberius Claudius Narcissus. The 9th sees them shipwrecked on the island of Crete, fighting against a full-scale uprising. The 11th is set in Rome with the leads hoping to save the emperor from the shady Liberators. The Blood Crows is set once again in Britannia. The two protagonists are faced with defeating tribal rebels.
The two characters Cato and Macro were also used in one book of the TimeRiders series: Gates of Rome. They served as supporting characters when the three protagonists travel back to ancient Rome. Scarrow allowed his brother Alex to make use of the characters in his novel.
In 2007 the publisher announced the intention to cease using the word "Eagle" in the title of books in this series, starting with Centurion. The change was apparently because the publisher wanted to attract more new readers to the series.
Simon lives in Norfolk with his wife, Louise, and their dog, ‘BB’ (named after BB Glazer, the ferocious agent in the TV series Frasier). Besides writing, Simon gives talks on history and writing at festivals. His leisure interests include skiing and scuba diving.[10]
