Simon Scarrow

Simon Scarrow
Born (1962-10-03) 3 October 1962
near Lagos, Nigeria
Occupation Novelist
Genre Historical fiction
Notable works Eagle series, Revolution series
Spouse None
Children 2 sons
Relatives Alex Scarrow
Website
www.scarrow.co.uk

Simon Scarrow (born 3 October 1962) is a UK-based author, born in Nigeria and now based in Norfolk. Simon completed a master's degree at the University of East Anglia[1] 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. As of June 2016, there are 14 books in the series; the latest, Invictus, is due to be published in November 2016.[2]

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 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 began publishing a new series in 2011 titled Gladiator.

Books

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".[3] Scarrow cites the inspiration for his 'earthy' characters as being from his time in the Officer Training Corps.[4]

Eagle series

The Eagle 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 teen years, 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.

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.

  1. Under the Eagle (2000)
  2. The Eagle's Conquest (2001)
  3. When the Eagle Hunts (2002)
  4. The Eagle and the Wolves (2003)
  5. The Eagle's Prey (2004)
  6. The Eagle's Prophecy (2005)
  7. The Eagle in the Sand (2006)
  8. Centurion (2007)
  9. The Gladiator (2009)[5]
  10. The Legion (2010)[6]
    • Blood Debt (2009, short story)
  11. Praetorian (2011)
  12. The Blood Crows (2013)[2]
  13. Brothers in Blood (2014)[2]
  14. Britannia (2015)[2]
  15. Invictus (2016)[2]

Revolution series

The Revolution Series centres upon 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.

  1. Young Bloods (2006)
  2. The Generals (2007)
  3. Fire and Sword (2009)
  4. The Fields of Death (2010)

Gladiator series

This series is aimed at the young adult audience, unlike his Eagle series.

  1. Gladiator: Fight for Freedom (2011)
  2. Gladiator: Street Fighter (2012)
  3. Gladiator: Son of Spartacus (2013)
  4. Gladiator: Vengeance (2014)

Roman Arena series (with T. J. Andrews)

Also acts as something of a prequel to the Eagle series as it features an earlier appearance of both characters Macro and Narcissus.
  1. Arena (2013)
    1. Barbarian (2012)
    2. Challenger (2012)
    3. First Sword (2013)
    4. Revenge (2013)
    5. Champion (2013)
n.b. these novellas were available as e-books prior to publication of the full title.

Invader series (with T. J. Andrews)

  1. Invader (2016)
    1. Death Beach (2014)
    2. Blood Enemy (2014)
    3. Invader: Dark Blade (2014)
    4. Imperial Agent (2015)
    5. Sacrifice (2015)
n.b. these novellas were available as e-books prior to publication of the full title.

Stand-alone novels

The following are books which are either stand-alone novels or have yet to be confirmed as parts of a series.

  1. The Sword and the Scimitar (2012) -- covers the Great Siege of Malta
  1. Hearts of Stone (2015) -- covers WWII period Greek island of Lefkas

Writer in Residence

In November 2006, Simon Scarrow was accepted to fill the post of Writer in Residence at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, a position he said he was "honoured to accept".[7] Simon will visit the school on a regular basis to hold creative writing sessions for students as well as judge the annual Scarrow Award for Fiction.

Family

Simon Scarrow's brother, Alex Scarrow, is also an author of numerous novels. Scott Scarrow is a compliance officer for a South London local authority.

References

  1. ↑ "Alumni S - U". Uea.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Scarrow Home Page - Eagle Series". Scarrow.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Wander (26 March 2015). "Interview with Simon Scarrow". Edinburgh Book Review. Edinburgh. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Gladiator". Scarrow.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "List of Simon's Books". Scarrow.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2009.
  6. ↑ "10th book forum page". Scarrowe.forumco.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "The Langton News (December 2006) Page 18, Paragraph 1, Line 11". Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010.
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