''The Eagle in the Sand'' is a novel written by

Simon Scarrow Simon Scarrow (born 3 October 1962) is a British author. Scarrow 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 C ...

, published by

Headline Book Publishing Headline Publishing Group is a British publishing brand and former company. It was founded in 1986 by Tim Hely Hutchinson. In 1993, Headline bought Hodder & Stoughton and the company became Hodder Headline Ltd. In 1999, Hodder Headline was acqu ...

in 2006 (and published in the US as ''The Zealot'' in 2014). It is the seventh book in the ''

Eagles of the Empire ''Eagles of the Empire'' is a series of historical military fiction novels written by Simon Scarrow. The series began in July 2000 with the publication of ''Under the Eagle'', and as of March 2022 there have been 20 novels released in the series ...

'' series, starting with Macro and Cato's transfer to the eastern provinces of Rome.

Summary

Trouble is brewing on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. The troops are in deplorable state, while the corrupt behaviour of their senior officers threatens to undermine the army's control of the region. To restore the competence of the men defending a vital fort, two experienced centurions are dispatched to Judea from Rome. On their arrival Macro and Cato discover that there is an even more serious problem to deal with. Bannus, a local tribesman, is brewing up rebellion amongst the followers of Jehoshua, who was crucified in Jerusalem some seventeen years earlier. Now Bannus is pushing the faction towards violent opposition to Rome. As the local revolt grows in scale, Rome's long-standing enemy Parthia is poised to invade. Macro and Cato must stamp out corruption in the cohort and restore it to fighting fitness to quash Bannus - before the eastern provinces are lost to the Empire for ever...

Characters

*Lucius Cornelius Macro (Centurion of the Second Illyrian) *Quintus Licinius Cato (Centurion of the Second Illyrian) *Scrofa (Prefect of the Second Illyrian) *Gaius Larius Postumus (Centurion of the Second Illyrian) *Parmenion (Centurion of the Second Illyrian) *Proximus (Decurion of the Second Illyrian) *Quintatus (Decurion of the Second Illyrian) *Cassius Longinus (Governor of Syria) *Florianus (Centurion) *Tiberius Julius Alexander (Procurator of Syria) * Narcissus (Imperial Secretary of Rome) *Symeon ben Jonas (Judean Guide) *Murad (Symeon's adopted son) *Bannus (Rebel Leader) *Miriam (Mother of Jehoshua, a crucified pacifist) *Yusef (Jehoshua's son) *Silas of Antioch (Caravan leader)

References

2006 British novels Eagles of the Empire Novels set in the 1st century Novels set in ancient Israel Headline Publishing Group books {{2000s-war-novel-stub