In het vierde deel van de Gladiator-serie arriveert Marcus samen met zijn vrienden in Griekenland, vastbesloten om zijn moeder te vinden. Marcus is uitzinnig van vreugde als hij ontdekt waar ze vastgehouden wordt. Maar voordat hij haar in zijn armen kan sluiten, moet hij nog heel wat gevaarlijke situaties trotseren. Het wordt hem letterlijk en figuurlijk heet onder de voeten. Zal hij zijn grote geheim verborgen weten te houden?

(source: Bol.com)

From Publishers Weekly

British writer Scarrow (Under the Eagle) offers a second action novel set in ancient Rome, focusing on a key battle in Britain during the Roman invasion led by Claudius in 43 A.D., then turning to an attempt to assassinate Claudius. The first half of the book follows the adventures of Centurion Macro and his eager young subordinate, Optio Cato (both of whom played prominent roles in the first book), as the Romans try to outmaneuver the forces of Caratacus, king of the Celtic tribes of Britain, in a series of skirmishes along the Thames. The battle scenes are lifeless and generic despite the nonstop action, mostly because Scarrow offers little in the way of character development (most of the combatants are military stereotypes) or period detail (the contemporary colloquialisms offer some unintentional levity: "Just make sure you get some proper bloody swimming lessons," Macro chides Cato). The assassination conspiracy that takes up the second half of the book is far more interesting. Macro and Cato must get to the bottom of a plot involving fellow soldier Vitellius, a Carthaginian surgeon and Flavia Lavinia, a former romantic interest of Cato's. Scarrow deftly negotiates this tricky, labyrinthian story line, but his writing style remains pedestrian. Cato and Marco are one-dimensional, albeit fitfully amusing, protagonists. Scarrow will need to elaborate their personalities considerably if they're to carry the sequel that Scarrow foreshadows in this book's rather predictable conclusion.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Fresh from their triumphs in Under the Eagle (2001), battle-scarred Centurion Lucius Cornelius Macro and his seemingly unlikely protege, former slave Quintus Licinius Cato, embark upon another mission brimming with intrigue, adventure, and betrayal. Part of the Roman expeditionary force assigned by Emperor Claudius to conquer Britain, Macro and Cato must overcome more than their British enemies in order to prevail. Vastly outnumbered by the Britons, the four legions of Roman troops invading the British Isles rely more on experience, cunning, and superior military strategy than strength in numbers. When the emperor arrives on Britain's shores to bask in the victory of his army, Macro and Cato must expose a treasonous plot and foil an assassination attempt on his life. Scarrow manages to summon up in this exhilarating tale all the glory and the gore that characterized life in the Roman legions. Outstanding military history from a relatively new master of the genre. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

SUMMARY: It's AD 44, and as Vespasian and the Second Legion forge ahead in their campaign to seize the southwest, Macro and newly appointed centurion Cato are ordered by Vespasian to provide Verica, aged ruler of the Atrebates, with an army. They must train his tribal levies into a force that can protect him, enforce his rule, and take on the increasingly ambitious raids that the enemy is launching.But in this fourth installment of Simon Scarrow's epic series, open revolt is brewing. Despite the Atrebates' official allegiance to Rome, many are wary of the legions and want to resist the Roman invaders. Macro and Cato must first win the loyalty of the disgruntled levies before tackling the enemy. But can they succeed while surviving a deadly plot to destroy both them and their comrades serving with the eagles? In the midst of this highly volatile situation, Macro and Cato face the greatest test in their army careers. Theirs is a brazen tale of military adventure, political intrigue, and heroism, as only they stand between the destiny of Rome and bloody defeat.

SUMMARY: "Perfect for Cornwell addicts who will relish its historical detail and fast-paced action. Storming stuff!"---"The Good Book Guide "(UK) "The mighty Roman army faces Britain's defiant tribes in the series's powerful fifth book" It is late summer AD 44, and the battle-weary Roman legions are in their second year of campaigning against the British tribes. The troop'' commander, General Plautius, is under considerable pressure from the emperor to crush the natives once and for all. Centurions Macro and Cato are with the crack Second Legion under the precarious leadership of Centurion Maximus, and it's their task to hold a ford across the river Tamesis when the natives are forced into a trap. But Maximus's nerve breaks at the critical point, allowing the enemy leader and his men to escape. Outraged by this failure, General Plautius orders the decimation of Macro and Cato's unit. Their choice: die, or escape to become fugitives pursued by soldiers of their own ruthless army. Hiding from their former comrades, as well as the Britons, Cato's small band of fugitives has only one chance to redeem itself before its soldiers are hunted down, like animals. British Praise for "The Eagle's Prey": "Scarrow's legionary adventures have put guts back into historical writing. His great knowledge of the period is allied to a talent for taking you right into the thick of the action to share the blood, sweat, horror, and exhilaration of battle."---"The Northern Echo""Macro and Cato return in fighting form. A satisfying, bloodthirsty, bawdy romp. Perfect for Cornwell addicts who will relish its historical detail and fast-paced action. Storming stuff!"---"The Good Book Guide"

EDITORIAL REVIEW: *The arresting sixth novel in Simon Scarrow’s epic series of the Roman army* ** It is spring ad 45 in Rome, and Centurions Macro and Cato, dismissed from the Second Legion in Britain, are waiting for an investigation into their involvement in the death of a fellow officer. It is then that the imperial secretary, the devious Narcissus, makes them an offer they can’t refuse: to rescue an imperial agent who has been captured by pirates operating off the Illyrian coast. With him were scrolls vital to the safety of the emperor and the future of Rome. But Narcissus also sends Vitellius, an old enemy of the two centurions. The three officers set out from Ravenna with the imperial fleet but the pirates are forewarned and the Romans pay a heavy price. Outnumbered by the enemy, surrounded by rumors of treachery, and endangered by Vitellius’s desire to redeem himself, Centurions Macro and Cato must find the pirate base to avert a disaster that could destroy the emperor and the very core of Rome. “[A] rip-roaring, thoroughly entertaining tale of swashbuckling adventure from one of the most exciting writers of historical fiction.”---*Scottish Daily Record*

SUMMARY: Bestselling Simon Scarrow's brilliant adventure novels about the Roman army appear in B-format. Trouble is brewing in Syria, on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. With the troops in a deplorable state, centurions Macro and Cato are despatched to restore the competence of the cohort. But another challenge faces them as Bannus, a local tribesman, is brewing up trouble and preaching violent opposition to Rome. As the local revolt grows in scale, Macro and Cato must stamp out corruption in the cohort and restore it to fighting fitness to quash Bannus ndash; before the eastern provinces are lost to the Empire forever...

EDITORIAL REVIEW: A gripping new novel featuring Roman army officers Macro and Cato on their most dangerous mission yet. In the first century AD the Roman Empire faces a new threat from its long-standing enemy Parthia. Parthia is vying with Rome for control of Palmyra an officially neutral kingdom. Palmyras royal household is on the brink of open revolt, and so a task force under the command of experienced soldiers Macro and Cato is dispatched to defend its king and guard its borders. When Parthia hears of the Roman armys presence, it starts amassing its troops for war. Macro's cohort must march against the enemy, deep into treacherous territory. If Palmyra is not to fall into the clutches of Parthia, they will have to defeat superior numbers in a desperate siege. The quest for a lasting peace has never been more challenging, nor more critical for the future of the empire.

SUMMARY: The action-packed new novel featuring Roman army officers Macro and Cato fromSunday Timesbestselling author Simon Scarrow

Review

A thriller full of spectacular effects Guardian

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Liam O'Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026. But all three have been given a second chance - to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history ...In 1993 British computer hacker Adam Lewis finds his name in a coded manuscript that is almost one thousand years old. How did Adam's name get in there ...and why? Confronted by Adam in 2001, the TimeRiders travel back to Sherwood Forest in 1193 to discover the origins of the ancient message. But when a strange hooded man appears interested in the same thing, they begin to wonder what terrible threat this cryptic link from the past holds for the future...

Rome, 61 BCRECRUITED as a gladiator, young Marcus Cornelius Primus faces a new life of brutal training, governed by strict rules, as he learns the skills of an elite warrior.But Marcus cannot simply forget his past. His father lies murdered by soldiers and his mother has been kidnapped and forced into slavery. Marcus is determined to find his father's old commander, Pompeius the Great, to seek justice for his family and set his mother free.Yet, unbeknown to him, Marcus is hiding a life-threatening secret. And if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape . . .

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'The last book in the quartet cannot come quickly enough' -- Daily Mail

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