Book Review – Agricola: Commander by Simon Turney @HoZ_Books @AriesFiction

About the Book

In the aftermath of Rome’s civil war, Agricola returns to Britannia in command of his own legion.

This is not the honour it seems at first. Agricola’s new legion threatens mutiny and the frontier province has suffered under troublesome governors. And the Brigantes, a powerful Celtic tribe in Britannia, are ready to make war against Rome.

To stabilise Roman rule and bring peace, Agricola must use all his political and military skills. But when a new commander is posted to Britannia, Agricola’s efforts have counted for nothing.

For General Petilius Cerialis wants to completely destroy the Brigantes. With the tribe roused to throw off the Roman yoke for good, Agricola must prepare for the greatest war yet in Britannia… one which few will survive.

Format: Paperback (400 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 5th December 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

Commander is the third in the author’s historical fiction series depicting the exploits of Roman general and statesman, Gnaeus Julius Agricola. As the book opens Agricola has been posted back to Britannia and given command of the Twentieth legion. His first job is to ensure they take the military oath to Emperor Vespasian, something they have failed to do up until now. Agricola achieves this with a combination of acknowledgement of their concerns and persuasive rhetoric, eschewing more coercive methods.

This done, the Twentieth join the other legions commanded by the current Governor of Britannia, Marcus Vettius Bolanus, to put down a revolt by the Brigantes, a warlike tribe headed by Venutius. It involves a march north into enemy territory with the risk of ambush at every turn. Bolanus is eager to secure a victory that will impress the new Emperor meaning he’s prepared to throw caution to the wind. A well-defended fortress? No problem, we’ll just storm it. A seemingly impassible river? No problem, we’ll just build some boats or swim across it.

Agricola, being more of a tactician, tries to rein in Bolanus’s more reckless approach only to find Bolanus replaced by Petilius Cerialis, a general even more determined to put down the revolt, and to ensure the tribes of Britannia never rise up again.

Commander is what you might describe as a ‘military procedural’ with the Twentieth’s progress through Britannia based on meticulous research by the author drawn from available historical sources as well as his own extensive knowledge of the period. (Read the Historical Note to see just what I mean.)

But although the story may be full of authentic historical detail, it doesn’t make it any less of a page-turner. Commander is full of exciting, full-on battle scenes, whether that’s the storming of a hilltop fortress, one-to-one combat, or the sheer chaos of open warfare on the battlefield. ‘The fight was a meat grinder, each side determined simply to kill more of the enemy than the other.’

Agricola is a man who eschews the trappings of his rank, prepared to live – and on occasions, fight – alongside his soldiers. His tendency to want to be in the heart of the action is a constrant frustration to Luci, the Silurian warrior who was once Agricola’s slave but is now his trusted companion. Indeed, Agricola has some close shaves and only the selfless courage of his bodyguard ensures his safety.

Agricola doesn’t have the reckless attitude of either Bolanus or Cerialis, but that still means he has to watch men under his command fall in their hundreds as they seek to overcome the Brigantes who are prepared to fight to the death. What Agricola does have on his side, alongside his well-drilled legionnaries, are the Batavi, a force of exceptionally skilled Germanic horsemen who are ferocious in battle and have a liking for a particularly gruesome form of battle souvenir.

Commander is a story of comradeship, the challenges of leadership – and working with a difficult boss! Posted far from home, Agricola’s domestic life with his wife and son is something that has to be carried out at a distance through infrequent exchange of letters, Agricola himself admitting he is a lax correspondent. That may change in the next – and final book – in the series.

My thanks to Head of Zeus for my review copy via NetGalley.

In three words: Authentic, action-packed, intense
Try something similar: Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow

About the Author

Simon Turney is from Yorkshire and, having spent much of his childhood visiting historic sites, fell in love with the Roman heritage of the region. His fascination with the ancient world snowballed from there with great interest in Rome, Egypt, Greece and Byzantium. His works include the Marius’ Mules and Praetorian series, the Tales of the Empire and The Damned Emperor series, and the Rise of Emperors books with Gordon Doherty. He lives in North Yorkshire with his family.

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