Simon Scarrow
Encyclopedia
Simon Scarrow is a UK-based author, born in Nigeria
and now based in Norfolk
. He completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia
after working at the Inland Revenue
, and then went into teaching
as a lecturer, firstly at East Norfolk Sixth Form College
, then at City College Norwich
.
He is best known for his Eagle 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
. To date there are ten books in the series, with the 10th released recently in November 2010, The Legion
. The next book in the series will be called Praetorian and is planned for 2011.
He has also written another series, Revolution
, focusing on Wellington
and Napoleon
, whose first title, Young Bloods
, was published in 2006. The second volume, The Generals
, was released on the 31 May 2007 and the third volume Fire and Sword
was released in January 2009. The fourth and final novel of the series was released in Jun 2010 and is called The Fields of Death
. He has now started writing a new series titled Gladiator: The fight for freedom.
centres around 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) within the Roman Army , has recently been appointed to the Centurionate. Cato is in his teen years, who 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 puts 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.
Scarrow cites the inspiration for his 'earthy' characters as being from his time in the Officer Training Corps.
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.
It has been announced that an independent studio is to make 2x1 hour episodes of all the Eagle novels from Under the Eagle through to The Eagle in the Sand.
centres around the lives of Napoleon Bonaparte and Arthur Wellesley
, later the Duke of Wellington. The first book in the quartet starts in 1769, and follows the two young men through their youth and onto their military careers.
, a position he said he was "honoured to accept". Simon will visit the school on a regular basis to hold creative writing sessions for students as well as judging the annual Scarrow Award for Fiction.
, is also an author of numerous novels.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and now based in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. He completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
after working at the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
, and then went into teaching
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
as a lecturer, firstly at East Norfolk Sixth Form College
East Norfolk Sixth Form College
East Norfolk Sixth Form College is a sixth form college in Gorleston, Norfolk.Opened in 1982 it uses the building of the former Alderman Leach Secondary Modern school. The college offers over 60 different courses including A levels and a number of other pathways in further education...
, then at City College Norwich
City College Norwich
City College Norwich is a college of further and higher education which is located on Ipswich Road, in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The college has a second site at St Andrews House in Norwich city centre, which is also home to the National Skills Academy for Financial Services. Founded in 1891,...
.
He is best known for his Eagle Series
Eagle Series
The Eagle Series is a military fiction series written by Simon Scarrow. The books describe the lives of two soldiers in the Roman army- Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro. The first 5 books in the series are set in Roman Britain, between the years AD 42 and 44. The Eagle's Prophecy...
of Roman Military fiction set in the territories of the Roman Empire, covering the second invasion of Britain
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
and the subsequent prolonged campaign undertaken by the rump of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
. To date there are ten books in the series, with the 10th released recently in November 2010, The Legion
The Legion (novel)
The Legion is a 2010 novel by Simon Scarrow, the tenth book in the Eagle series, where we see the return of Macro and Cato, this time trouble is brewing in Egypt. At the start Macro and Cato are continuing their search for the rebel leader Ajax who has now retreated to Egypt...
. The next book in the series will be called Praetorian and is planned for 2011.
He has also written another series, Revolution
The Revolution Quartet
The Revolution Quartet is a historical fiction series of novels by Simon Scarrow set in primarily the time of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars...
, focusing on Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
and Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, whose first title, Young Bloods
Young Bloods
Young Bloods is the first volume in Simon Scarrow's Revolution quartet, which narrates mostly in alternate chapters, the story of a young Anglo-Irish nobleman Arthur Wesley and the Corsican cadet Naboleone Buonaparte.-Plot:...
, was published in 2006. The second volume, The Generals
The Generals (novel)
The Generals is the second volume in Simon Scarrow's Revolution quartet, which narrates mostly in alternate chapters, tells the story of Sir Arthur Wellesley and the Corsican Brigadier Napoleon Bonaparte .-Plot:In the turbulent aftermath of the French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte is accused of...
, was released on the 31 May 2007 and the third volume Fire and Sword
Fire and Sword (novel)
Fire and Sword is the third book in Simon Scarrow's The Revolution Quartet series, which tells the story of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars from the point of view of Arthur Wesley , and Napoleon Bonaparte....
was released in January 2009. The fourth and final novel of the series was released in Jun 2010 and is called The Fields of Death
The Fields of Death
The Fields of Death is the fourth and final book in Simon Scarrow's The Revolution Quartet series, which tells the story of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars from the point of view of Sir Arthur Wellesley and Napoleon Bonaparte.-Plot:The book covers the time period between April 1809,...
. He has now started writing a new series titled Gladiator: The fight for freedom.
The Eagle Series
The Eagle SeriesEagle Series
The Eagle Series is a military fiction series written by Simon Scarrow. The books describe the lives of two soldiers in the Roman army- Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro. The first 5 books in the series are set in Roman Britain, between the years AD 42 and 44. The Eagle's Prophecy...
centres around two main protagonists; Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro, who are both Roman soldiers
Legionary
The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Legionaries had to be Roman citizens under the age of 45. They enlisted in a legion for twenty-five years of service, a change from the early practice of enlisting only for a campaign...
. Macro, a veteran with nearly 15 years service (at the start of the first novel) within the Roman Army , has recently been appointed to the Centurionate. Cato is in his teen years, who 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
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
. The books cover the experiences of the two soldiers, initially as experienced centurion
Centurion
A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army .Centurion may also refer to:-Military:* Centurion tank, British battle tank* HMS Centurion, name of several ships and a shore base of the British Royal Navy...
and new optio
Optio
An optio , sometimes anglicized option , was a soldier in the Roman army who held a position similar to that of an executive officer in modern armies...
, in battles in Germania and the invasion of Britain by Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
as part of the Legio II Augusta
Legio II Augusta
Legio secunda Augusta , was a Roman legion, levied by Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus in 43 BC, and still operative in Britannia in the 4th century...
. The 6th book The Eagle's Prophecy
The Eagle's Prophecy
The Eagle's Prophecy is a 2005 novel by Simon Scarrow, the sixth book in the Eagle Series, It is spring 45 AD and Centurions Macro and Cato, dismissed from the Second Legion in Britain, are returned to Rome following the events of the Eagle's Prey...
has them serving as part of the Imperial Navy east of Italy. The 7th and 8th puts them in Rome's eastern provinces as agents of the Emperor's secretary Tiberius Claudius Narcissus
Tiberius Claudius Narcissus
Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was one of the freedmen who formed the core of the imperial court under the Roman emperor Claudius. He is described as praepositus ab epistulis ....
. The 9th sees them shipwrecked on the Island of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, fighting against a full-scale uprising.
Scarrow cites the inspiration for his 'earthy' characters as being from his time in the Officer Training Corps.
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.
It has been announced that an independent studio is to make 2x1 hour episodes of all the Eagle novels from Under the Eagle through to The Eagle in the Sand.
- Under the EagleUnder the EagleUnder the Eagle is the first book in the Eagle Series, by Simon Scarrow and is his début novel.It starts on the Rhine Frontier in 42, and centres on Macro, a newly appointed Centurion, and his new second-in-command, Quintus Lucinius Cato.- Germania :...
(2000) - The Eagle's ConquestThe Eagle's ConquestThe Eagle's Conquest is a 2001 novel by Simon Scarrow, about the Roman invasion of Britain in 42 AD. It is the second book in the Eagle Series-Plot summary:...
(2001) - When the Eagle HuntsWhen the Eagle HuntsWhen the Eagle Hunts is a 2002 novel by Simon Scarrow, set in 44 AD during the Roman invasion of Britain. It is the third book in the Eagle Series.-Plot summary:...
(2002) - The Eagle and the WolvesThe Eagle and the WolvesThe Eagle and The Wolves is a 2003 novel by Simon Scarrow, the fourth book in the Eagle Series where main characters Macro and Cato command two cohorts of soldiers made up of warriors and nobles from the Atrabatan kingdom...
(2003) - The Eagle's PreyThe Eagle's PreyThe Eagle's Prey is a the fifth book in the Eagle Series, by Simon Scarrow.-Synopsis:This novel is set in AD 44 during the Roman invasion of Britain....
(2004) - The Eagle's ProphecyThe Eagle's ProphecyThe Eagle's Prophecy is a 2005 novel by Simon Scarrow, the sixth book in the Eagle Series, It is spring 45 AD and Centurions Macro and Cato, dismissed from the Second Legion in Britain, are returned to Rome following the events of the Eagle's Prey...
(2005) - The Eagle in the SandThe Eagle in the SandThe Eagle in the Sand is a novel written by Simon Scarrow, published by Headline Book Publishing in 2006. Its the seventh book in the Eagle series, starting with Macro and Cato's transfer to the eastern provinces of Rome.-Summary:...
(2006) - Centurion (2007)
- The GladiatorThe Gladiator (Simon Scarrow)The Gladiator is a 2009 novel by Simon Scarrow, the ninth book in the Eagle series, where we see the return of Macro and Cato, this time up against a ruthless gladiator in the Island of Crete after their ship is damaged by a tidal wave on their way to Rome...
(August 2009) - The LegionThe Legion (novel)The Legion is a 2010 novel by Simon Scarrow, the tenth book in the Eagle series, where we see the return of Macro and Cato, this time trouble is brewing in Egypt. At the start Macro and Cato are continuing their search for the rebel leader Ajax who has now retreated to Egypt...
(November 2010) - Praetorian (November 2011)
Revolution
The Revolution SeriesThe Revolution Quartet
The Revolution Quartet is a historical fiction series of novels by Simon Scarrow set in primarily the time of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars...
centres around the lives of Napoleon Bonaparte and Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, later the Duke of Wellington. The first book in the quartet starts in 1769, and follows the two young men through their youth and onto their military careers.
- Young BloodsYoung BloodsYoung Bloods is the first volume in Simon Scarrow's Revolution quartet, which narrates mostly in alternate chapters, the story of a young Anglo-Irish nobleman Arthur Wesley and the Corsican cadet Naboleone Buonaparte.-Plot:...
(2006) - The GeneralsThe Generals (novel)The Generals is the second volume in Simon Scarrow's Revolution quartet, which narrates mostly in alternate chapters, tells the story of Sir Arthur Wellesley and the Corsican Brigadier Napoleon Bonaparte .-Plot:In the turbulent aftermath of the French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte is accused of...
(2007) - Fire and SwordFire and Sword (novel)Fire and Sword is the third book in Simon Scarrow's The Revolution Quartet series, which tells the story of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars from the point of view of Arthur Wesley , and Napoleon Bonaparte....
(2009) - The Fields of DeathThe Fields of DeathThe Fields of Death is the fourth and final book in Simon Scarrow's The Revolution Quartet series, which tells the story of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars from the point of view of Sir Arthur Wellesley and Napoleon Bonaparte.-Plot:The book covers the time period between April 1809,...
(24 Jun 2010)
Gladiator
This series is aimed at the "young adult" audience unlike his "Roman" series.- Gladiator: Fight for FreedomGladiator: Fight for FreedomGladiator: Fight for Freedom is the first book in the Gladiator Series, by Simon Scarrow and is his first book for young adults.It tells the story of Marcus Cornelius Primus who is enslaved and becomes a gladiator.- Synopsis :...
(2011) - Gladiator: Street Fighter (Feb 2012)
Writer in Residence
In November 2006,Simon Scarrow was accepted to fill the post of Writer in Residence at Simon Langton Grammar School for BoysSimon Langton Grammar School for Boys
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys is a selective boys school of over 1000 pupils and staff, located in the outskirts of Canterbury, Kent. It holds both Foundation and Grammar school status and has 'specialist college' status in science....
, a position he said he was "honoured to accept". Simon will visit the school on a regular basis to hold creative writing sessions for students as well as judging the annual Scarrow Award for Fiction.
Family
In addition to his own writing, Simon Scarrow's brother, Alex ScarrowAlex Scarrow
Alex Scarrow is a British author, whose books include A Thousand Suns, Last Light, Afterlight, October Skies, and the young adult science fiction series TimeRiders.-Early life:...
, is also an author of numerous novels.