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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The End - or is it the beginning?,
By A J Dormaar (author of "The Unclaimed Thr... (Canterbury, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Boudica:Dreaming The Serpent Spear (Boudica 4) (Kindle Edition)
As with all my other reviews of the "Boudica" series, I have consistently mentioned that Manda Scott is a thinking person's writer whose work is best understood and appreciated if the reader takes the time to read ALL the books in the series in the right sequence. We have begun with Breaca's (the Boudica of the title) youth and coming of age in Iron Age Britain in "Dreaming the Eagle" (the Eagle being Rome). We then follow her rising star as a warrior and leader in "Dreaming the Bull" (the Bull being the symbol of Mithras, the alien god that her brother Ban cum Valerius embraces). The plot thickens in "Dreaming the Hound" where sides are drawn and Breaca as a woman is pushed to the limit of what she can handle in order to protect all she holds dear (the Hound being Valerius's personal totem upon his return to Britannia). But in "Dreaming the Serpent Spear", Breaca's own personal totem - the crossed snake and spear on her shield - comes to the fore as full war erupts across Britain, and Breaca begins her journey into legend.
In the beginning of this fourth and final instalment of the series, as described near the end of "Dreaming the Hound" Breaca has been pushed close to death. By Roman hands (namely the unspeakable Roman procurator Decianus Catus) for imagined offences she and her son, Cunomar, have been brutally flogged, her daughters Cygfa and Graine have been savagely raped, and Valerius has returned just in time to save everyone from certain death (Catus, happily, was trampled to death under the hooves of Valerius's savage war horse, the Crow). Together Breaca and Valerius piece together their troubled past and reach a new familial understanding as they realise that it is only through their joint leadership that the British tribes have any real chance of freedom. Cunomar, now a formidable Bear Warrior with the Caledonians (Scots) sets events in motion by a savage attack on a Roman watch tower, and Valerius quickens the pace by a devastating attack with his forces upon the Roman Ninth legion - a total massacre ensures. Britain is soon totally engulfed in open war. Although we all know from history about the ultimate outcome, what I loved about this book was that Manda Scott presents an alternative end that is not altogether unbelievable and deftly weaves together many of the shattered threads of the broken family ties present in the other books. Breaca and Valerius, united once more, are a formidable team, backed up by Cygfa and Cunomar and the mystical power of Graine. Love, faith and belief in the future are the overriding themes towards the close of the book, especially prior to the final, cataclysmic battle where Cygfa and Valerius realise the importance of future generations and bring their strong friendship (previously based on a healthy mutual respect) to something much closer. Contrary to the Roman interpretation of Breaca's fate, it is known now that her body was never found nor was there ever any evidence that she committed suicide. Ms Scott's very possible suggestion is that her body was removed from the battlefield and buried with all due honour befitting her rank in a secret chamber to rest with the ancestors. Most of the other characters live to fight another day - and thus leaves the stage wide open for further books! I for one look forward to what may come!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It was hard to tear myself away once I got into it,
By Lil Claire "Clairest" (Barbados) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Boudica 4. Dreaming the Serpent Spear (Paperback)
The book is LONG. But once I immersed myself into it I just couldn't put it down. It was written for those who can think and experience life beyond just the written word.
It was the only one in the series I read but I was sufficently impressed to finish it without the background from the others.
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