THE BLOOD OF ROME

By Simon Scarrow

Synopsis

It is AD 55. As trouble brews on the eastern fringes of the Roman Empire, Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro must prepare for war... The wily Parthian Empire has invaded Armenia, a frontier territory claimed by Rome, ousting King Rhadamistus. The king is ambitious and ruthless, but he is vital to Rome's strategic interests. General Corbulo must restore him to power, while also readying the troops for war with the powerful Parthian Empire. Corbulo orders new arrivals Cato and Macro, and their elite cohort of Praetorian Guards, to carry out the task. Marching into unmapped and unfamiliar terrain to restore an unpopular king is a perilous mission. Allies cannot be trusted and foes lurk on all sides. The bravery and skill of the Roman army will be tested to the limit...

Sample Player

Narrator	Jonathan Keeble
Length	13hrs 22mins
Catalogue No.	20515
Publisher	Headline; 2018

Other audiobooks by Simon Scarrow

BLACKOUT

Berlin, December 1939. As Germany goes to war, the Nazis tighten their terrifying grip. Paranoia in the capital is intensified by a rigidly enforced blackout that plunges the city into oppressive darkness every night, as the bleak winter sun sets. When a young woman is found brutally murdered, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is under immense pressure to solve the case, swiftly. Treated with suspicion by his superiors for his failure to join the Nazi Party, Schenke walks a perilous line - for disloyalty is a death sentence. As the investigation takes him closer to the sinister heart of the regime, Schenke realises there is danger everywhere - and the warring factions of the Reich can be as deadly as a killer stalking the streets...

THE BLOOD CROWS

Britannia, AD 51. For nearly a decade, the Roman Empire has fought to assert its hold over Britannia. But relentless opposition from native tribes led by the fanatical King Caratacus threatens to destroy everything. Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro are dispatched from Rome to aid the campaign. Placed in command of an outpost in the remote western mountains, they face a challenge even more deadly than the unremitting attacks of barbarian forces. For they must wrench control of the fort from Centurion Quertus, a man who wages a savage personal war and inspires a loyalty in his men above their bond with Rome. With dangerous enemies on both sides, Cato and Macro face the fight of their lives to bring peace to the most perilous frontier in Europe.

BRITANNIA

Roman Britain, AD 52. The western tribes, inspired by the Druids' hatred of the Romans, prepare to make a stand. But can they match the discipline and courage of the legionaries? Wounded during a skirmish, Centurion Macro remains behind in charge of the fort as Prefect Cato leads an invasion deep into the hills. Cato's mission: to cement Rome's triumph over the natives by crushing the Druid stronghold. But with winter drawing in, the terrain is barely passable through icy rain and snowstorms. When Macro's patrols report that the natives in the vicinity of the garrison are thinning out, a terrible suspicion takes shape in the battle-scarred soldier's mind. Has the acting Governor, Legate Quintatus, underestimated the enemy, his military judgement undermined by ambition? If there is a sophisticated and deadly plan afoot, it's Cato and his men who will pay the price.

BROTHERS IN BLOOD

The Roman Empire's conquest of Britannia is under threat from within. A messenger on the streets of Rome has been intercepted and tortured, revealing a plot to sabotage the Roman army's campaign against Caratacus, commander of Britannia's native tribes. A treacherous agent's mission is to open a second front of attack against them and eliminate the two Roman soldiers who could stand in the way. Unwarned, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro are with the Roman army pursuing Caratacus and his men through the mountains of Britannia. Defeating Caratacus seems within their grasp. But the plot against the two heroes threatens not only their military goals but also their lives.

CENTURION

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. Palmyra's 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 army's 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.

DAY OF THE CAESARS

AD 55. The Emperor Claudius is dead. Nero rules. His half-brother Britannicus has also laid claim to the throne. A bloody power struggle is underway. All Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro want is a simple army life, fighting with their brave and loyal men. But Cato has caught the eye of rival factions determined to get him on their side. To survive, Cato must play a cunning game, and enlist the help of the one man in the Empire he can trust: Macro. As the rebel force grows, legionaries and Praetorian Guards are moved like chess pieces by powerful and shadowy figures. A political game has created the ultimate military challenge. Can civil war be averted? The future of the empire is in Cato's hands...

DEAD OF NIGHT

Berlin, 1941. After Germany's invasion of Poland, the world is holding its breath and hoping for peace. At home, the Nazi Party's hold on power is absolute. One freezing night, an SS doctor and his wife return from an evening mingling with their fellow Nazis at the concert hall. By the time the sun rises, the doctor will be lying lifeless in a pool of blood. Was it murder or suicide? Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is told that under no circumstances should he investigate. The doctor's widow, however, is convinced her husband was the target of a hit. Compelled to dig deeper, Schenke learns of the mysterious death of a child. The cases seem unconnected, but soon chilling links begin to emerge that point to a terrifying secret...

DEATH TO THE EMPEROR

It is AD 60. The hard-won province of Britannia is a thorn in the side of the Roman Empire, its tribes swift to anger, and relentless in their bloody harassment of the Roman military. Far from being a peaceful northern enclave, Britannia is a seething mass of bitter rebels and unlikely alliances against the common enemy. Corruption amongst greedy officials diverts resources from the locals who need them. For the military, it's a never-ending fight to maintain a fragile peace. Now it's time to quell the most dangerous enemy tribes. Two of Rome's finest commanders - Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro - are charged with a mission as deadly as any they have faced in their long careers. Can they win the day, or could this be the last battle?

THE EAGLE AND THE WOLVES

It's AD 44. Macro and newly appointed centurion Cato are ordered to provide Verica, ruler of the Atrebatans, with an army. But despite the Atrebatans' official allegiance to Rome, open revolt is brewing, for many want to resist the Roman invaders. Macro and Cato must win the loyalty of the disgruntled levies, and they face the greatest test of their army careers as only they stand between the destiny of Rome and bloody defeat...

THE EAGLE IN THE SAND

AD 46. Roman centurions Cato and Macro have been posted to Judaea to restore the loyalty of the officers. But Bannus, a local tribesman, is brewing up trouble amongst the religious followers of Jehoshua and preaching violent opposition to Rome. As the revolt grows in scale, Macro and Cato must stamp out corruption in the cohort before the eastern provinces are lost to the Empire forever.

THE EAGLE'S PREY

Britannia, AD 44. The time has come to claim Britain for the Empire. Centurions Cato and Macro are preparing for the final battle. The British savages will surely stand no chance against the might of the unstoppable Roman army. But veteran Macro is having doubts about the promised ease of their success. Will they be victorious - or will the battle cost more than they could ever imagine?

THE EAGLE'S PROPHECY

Centurions Macro and Cato, dismissed from the Second Legion in Britain, are trapped in Rome. But then the imperial secretary, the devious Narcissus, makes them an offer they can't refuse - to recover from pirates a set of scrolls that hold secrets vital to the future of the Roman Empire. Rome will do anything to get them back...

THE EMPEROR'S EXILE

Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro, hardened veterans of the Roman army, have faced the Empire's enemies from Britannia to Parthia, from Hispania to Judea. Now once again they are on a mission that will imperil their lives and those of all who serve with them. Loyal to the last to their comrades in battle, fearless in the face of the most brutal or barbaric opponents, they are the finest men the Emperor can call on in the service of Rome.

THE FIELDS OF DEATH

1809. Viscount Wellington and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte have made their mark as military commanders. Lifelong enemies, they both believe their armies are strong enough to destroy any rival. But in war victory can never be certain. With Napoleon's power waning, the newly titled Duke of Wellington is perfectly placed to crush the tyrant. But his enemy refuses to surrender, and so the two giants must face a final reckoning on the bloody battlefield of Waterloo....

FIRE AND SWORD

1804. After defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar, Napoleon Bonaparte wins victory against Austria at Austerlitz. But he is yet to triumph over his most hated enemy: Great Britain. Arthur Wellesley throws himself into the British campaign in Europe, in a series of triumphant battles in Portugal and Spain. His victories suggest that Napoleon's progress is not inexorable: freedom can be restored... Book 3 of the Wellington and Napoleon series.

THE GENERALS

In the turbulent aftermath of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte stands accused of treachery and corruption. But he must restore order in France and find victory over England. Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington is determined to end France's domination of Europe. Both Wellesley and Napoleon intend to win - whatever the cost. Who will ultimately succeed? Book 2 of the Wellington and Napoleon series.

THE GLADIATOR

AD 48. Roman Centurions Cato and Macro are returning to Rome from a harrowing campaign, but are shipwrecked when an earthquake strikes the island of Crete. Struggling ashore they discover panic, devastation and a slave revolt. Led by a gladiator called Ajax, the slaves are driven by a bloodthirsty desire for revenge. Taking control of the local garrison, Cato and Macro must save the province, before the rebellion can threaten the Empire itself...

GLADIATOR: FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

Rome, 61 BC. Recruited 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 . . .

THE HONOUR OF ROME

AD 58. Fifteen years after Rome's invasion of Britannia, centurion Marco is back. The island is settled now, bustling with commerce. Macro's goal is to help run his mother's Londinium inn, and exploit his land grant. He's prepared for the dismal weather and the barbaric ways of the people. But far worse dangers threaten all his plans. A gang led by an ex-legionary rules the city, demanding protection money and terrorising those who won't pay up. The Roman official in charge has turned a blind eye. Macro has to act. He needs the back-up of the finest soldier he knows: Prefect Cato. But Cato is in distant Rome. Or is he? As the streets run red with blood, the army's heroes face an enemy as merciless and cunning as any barbarian tribe. The honour of Rome is in their hands ...

INVICTUS

It is AD 54. The soldiers of the Roman army patrol a growing empire from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, from the Atlantic to the banks of the Nile. Rome brutally enforces its rule, and its legions are the most efficient and aggressive fighting force in the world. Two battle-scarred veterans of this army, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, have survived years of campaigning in Britannia and have been recalled to Rome. Their time in the teeming, dangerously political city is short, and soon they are travelling with the Praetorian Guard to Spain, a restless colony where simmering tension in the face of Roman rule is aggravated by bitter rivalry amongst the natives. The challenges that face two old friends and their comrades in arms are unlike any they have seen before - in a land that declares itself unconquerable.

PRAETORIAN

AD 51. Legionaries Cato and Macro have forged a bond that has survived war, rebellion and torture. Yet nothing has prepared them for a daunting mission on the deadliest battlefield of all: the bloody streets of Rome. Traitors are threatening to plunge the Empire into bloody chaos and no one can be trusted. The Emperor has ordered Cato and Macro to go on a deadly mission, working undercover to root out the traitors before Rome tears itself apart. As the true scale of the corruption dawns, they realise they are facing terrifying odds. Two men against many, in a desperate race to save not only the Empire, but each other...

REBELLION

Two heroes of the Roman army - Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro, now battle-scarred veterans, tough and resilient - lead their best men into the midst of an enemy both fearless and resourceful. Far from Rome in cold, rainy, unwelcoming Britannia, the soldiers need all their training to stand strong and undaunted as constant attacks challenge morale. And a leader like no other sends fear through the ranks: Boudica.

REVENGE OF ROME

AD 61. Britannia is divided. The rebel horde has been defeated. But the leader, Boudica, and her remaining warriors are still at large. With them is the eagle standard of the Ninth Legion, taken in ambush, flaunted as proof that Rome can yet be beaten. The toll has been heavy, with countless men lost, and major towns in ruins. The bodies of the dead are strewn across the streets. And for Centurion Macro, there is the scarring knowledge that his mother perished in the attack on Londinium. As Macro's heart burns for revenge, he and his comrade-in-arms Prefect Cato are tasked with hunting down the remnants of the enemy army. There can be no peace until the queen is captured or killed. And Roman honour will only be restored when the eagle standard has been recovered.

TRAITORS OF ROME

AD 56. Battle-hardened veterans of the Roman army Tribune Cato and Centurion Macro are garrisoned at the eastern border, aware that their movements are constantly monitored by spies from dangerous, mysterious Parthia. But the enemy within could be the deadliest threat to the Legion... and the Empire. There's a traitor in the ranks. Rome shows no mercy to those who betray their comrades, and the Empire. But first the guilty man must be discovered. Cato and Macro are in a race against time to expose the truth, while the powerful enemy over the border waits to exploit any weaknesses in the Legion. The traitor must die...

YOUNG BLOODS

Arthur Wesley (the future Duke of Wellington) was born and bred to be a leader. The red-coated British officer heads for battle against the French Republic, to restore the fallen monarchy. As the two mighty Empires embark on a bloody duel, Wesley and Napolean Bonaparte prepare to face a sworn enemy, unaware that the fate of Europe will one day lie in their hands... Book 1 of the Wellington and Napoleon series.