Revolution Books In Order

Publication Order of Revolution Quartet Books

Revolution is a series of four novels written by Simon Scarrow. The books are historical fiction that explores the lives of Wellington and Napoleon, two of Europe’s most important figures.

+The Story

The Revolution series began publication in 2006. At the time, Simon Scarrow was already pretty popular because of ‘Eagles of Empire’, a series of novels that he wrote which followed the exploits of two seemingly ordinary Roman Soldiers.

The Revolution series takes readers into the future and lays out the epic battle between Arthur Wesley, who became the Duke of Wellington, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Arthur and Napoleon are pretty popular historical figures. And the Revolution series does not set out to lecture readers on those facts of history as they are presented in textbooks.

Rather, Simon Scarrow takes Napoleon and Arthur and transforms them into characters whose story he tells over a series of four books. Simon shines a light upon the births of both men.

He shows audiences who these two men were as children, and then teenagers, and how they eventually grew to become such powerful figures.

It is commonly understood that Arthur and Napoleon disagreed on almost all fundamental aspects, especially on issues of the Monarchy. Arthur was a strong supporter of the Monarchy.

He believed that a nation could only thrive under the leadership and guidance of a King. And he also believed that Kingship was in the blood, an aspect that had to be passed on and inherited from father to child.

Napoleon hated nobility. He firmly believed that leadership should only be acquired by merit and he sought to bring Britain into the confines of his own merited leadership.

As viciously antagonistic as these two men became towards one another, Napoleon and Arthur were not so different, at least not in the beginning. Arthur was a small and weak baby.

His health and the fact that he was born outside the mainland—to an Anglo-Irish Protestant Couple—attracted criticism from peers with more noble parentage.

Napoleon’s parents were a Corsican couple who fought for French Independence and he was equally stigmatized on the social scene.

Both men went into the army as youths where their innate desire to seek out war was nurtured. It was during his Cadet years that Arthur Wesley’s conservatism was shaped. Napoleon had the misfortune of studying and training as a Corsican in the company Frenchmen.

He lived a fairly impoverished life while his colleagues seemed to have more money than they knew what to do with. That experience gave Napoleon the drive to succeed despite the odds.

Simon Scarrow lays out the rich childhood of these two men in great detail in ‘Young Bloods’, the first novel in the Revolutions series. Scarrow admits that there is little in the way of trustworthy historical information detailing the childhood experiences of Napoleon and Arthur Wesley.

And it is for that reason that the author’s fans have praised him, especially those with a thorough understanding of European history. Simon Scarrow takes what he knows of these two figures as adults and he extrapolates backward.

He uses the scraps of available information regarding the births of Arthur and Napoleon and, matching that with their personalities as adults, imagines who they were as children, what they felt, how they dealt conflict and the factors that eventually shaped their ideals.

With these foundations set, Scarrow proceeds to show how Napoleon and Arthur rose to power. It becomes clear early on that both men have their eyes set on the highest positions in their nations.
Napoleon, in particular, intends to first become Emperor of France. With that seat of power claimed, he will not rest until he has the whole of Europe under his thumb. The master tactician encounters plenty of resistance along the way.

This includes opposition from within France itself, primarily from those parties that doubt his ability to lead. Napoleon overcomes these barriers by simply proving himself on the battlefield, leading France through a litany of victories.

Napoleon’s trials typically find him occupied on the European front. Arthur, on the other hand, is forced to take on a few unpleasant assignments in some of the less than pleasant corners of the British Empire.

But he too climbs the ranks through victory on the battlefield. Each victory that he achieves brings him one step closer to Napoleon. It also makes him a target for the French Emperor. For all his bluster and arrogance, Napoleon knows that if he wants to conquer Europe, he must first overcome Arthur on the battlefield.

The Revolution series is saturated with epic battles from history. However, there are also elements of romance. Napoleon and Arthur were each infatuated with particular women.

Napoleon had Josephine while Arthur had his eye on Kitty. Their romances were fraught with difficulties primarily because both Napoleon and Arthur were happier out on the battlefield than they were at home. That did not stop both men from fighting tooth and nail to nurture relationships with the women they loved.

+The Author

Simon Scarrow is a British author that was born in Nigeria in 1962. A former student of the University of East Anglia from where he got his Master’s Degree, Simon was a teacher for the longest time.

His literary career kicked off in 2000 when he wrote the first book in the ‘Eagles of Empire Series’.

+Young Bloods

Arthur Wesley and Napoleon Bonaparte are diametrically opposed to one another. Arthur pledges his loyalty to the Monarchy and he has every intention of restoring the institution.

The future Duke of Wellington believes that the British Empire needs a King to thrive.

Napoleon is determined to bring all of Europe under his control. He believes that leadership should be acquired through merit and that the nobility of one’s birth shouldn’t matter.

These two men are about to engage in a battle that will determine the future of Europe.

+The Generals

Arthur Wesley and Napoleon Bonaparte are rising quickly through the ranks. Arthur has been sent to India to prove his mettle. It is there that his courage will earn him the adoration of his superiors.

Meanwhile, Napoleon is about to embark on a journey as commander of Italy’s armies that will eventually catapult him to the position of emperor.