Product Description

In AD 60, Boudica, war leader of the Eceni, led her people in a final bloody revolt against the occupying armies of Rome. It was the culmination of nearly twenty years of resistance against an occupying force that sought to crush a vibrant, complex civilization and replace it with the laws, taxes and slavery of the Roman Empire. Gloriously imagined, BOUDICA: DREAMING THE EAGLE recreates the beginnings of a story so powerful its impact has survived through the ages, recounting the journey to adulthood of Breaca, who at twelve kills her first warrior, and her sensitive, skilful half-brother Ban, who carries with him a vision of the future that haunts his waking hours. In the company of a supreme storyteller, the reader is plunged into the unforgettable world of tribal Britain in the years before the Romans came: a twilight world of Dreamers and the magic of the gods; a world where horses and dogs and the landscape itself become characters in their own right; where warriors fight for honour as much as victory. Above all, it is a world of passion and courage and spectacular, heart-felt heroism pitched against overwhelming odds. Manda Scott's BOUDICA will tell the extraordinary, resounding story of Britain's first and greatest warrior queen, the woman who remains one of the great female icons - to read it is to discover our history, to learn about ourselves and our heritage.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30844 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 720 pages

Jean Auel
A powerful novel alive with love, deceit, wisdom and the heroics of humanity

Steven Pressfield
A stunning feat of the imagination and an absolute must-read for lovers of historical fiction

Val McDermid
‘A staggeringly imaginative invocation of Britain's secret history…Breathtakingly good, it reveals the best and worst in all of us’

Customer Reviews

Give It A Try
I would normally run a mile from this type of book, it's about as far from my tastes in fiction as could be imagined. I bought it purely out of curiosity as I had enjoyed Scott's crime novels and thought I'd give this a go, though I feared I would find it a slog, full of (to me) not very interesting historical detail. But I have to say I found it, on the whole, a revelation. It did take quite a while to get going and for a time I feared the worst, but then suddenly, without me even realising when, it had me hooked. I think this is partly due to Scott's exquisite writing: her descriptive powers are thrilling and beautiful. Even the battle scenes, which in books of any genre I would usually find boring and tedious beyond measure, had me enthralled. I couldn't say that every page had me gripped right to the end - as the book went on there were an increasing number of scenes where I was desperate to get away from Ban and back to Breaca, but I do realise that these scenes are necessary to present a full picture, so I don't make this a criticism. So on the whole I was mightily impressed, and yes, I've just bought 'Bull'.

Faction? A really good read
I got this for Christmas and, having finished it, am out to get the next one. It is really well written, building a world which, although based on limited historical evidence, is totally believable. Did the British tribes have dreamers who could see visions and conjure up mists? Were women equal to men as warriors? Did they have such great affinity to horses and dogs? Were the inhabitants of Mona blood-lusting druids or mystics? We will never know but Scott makes it real.
The closest parallel I can think of is Jean Auel's Earth Children, also extrapolated from scant archaeological evidence but, in my opinion, not as well drawn.
Lets hope the continuations keep up the same standard.

Great historical fiction. A must for all lovers of the genre
Dreaming the Eagle gives a fantastic account that is heavily felt of the oppression Britain was subjected to under the Roman Empire. I think it is easy to just look at what the Romans did for Britain on terms of road networks and trade, and then forget the brutality they subjected native Britons to, particularly in the early years under Suetonius Paulinus.
This book does not leave that aspect of Roman rule untouched and actually highlights the situation. If historical fiction is your thing I would also recommend Ascent of an Eagle by Gaius Demetrius. This book is wonderfully crafted and compels the reader into the realities of a very grim political situation, set against deep personal struggles.