Customer Reviews

Boudicca's Revenge

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I was very excited to finally get my hands on a book about such an
intiguing historical figure as Boudicca (I can't believe more hasn't
been written!), but when after I had read the first few pages, I was a
little worried. After a couple chapters, I was downright
dismayed!

Boudicca was a tribal queen in Britain during the Roman
occupation, and the rebellion she led against the Romans cost them
much, even though the Romans were not ultimately defeated. As a blurb
on the back of the book said, it was 'A woman's Braveheart,' with all
the graphic horror and gore that made that movie so realistic. The
main story itself was interesting, I just wish the author had only
concentrated on it. She jumped about between so many characters and
so many different settings, that Boudicca's own story got a bit lost.
And it wasn't just the 'weird' ancient British and Roman names that
made the characters difficult to keep track of; it was all the Roman
political/military hierarchy. Unless you have a background of Roman
History beyond general survey classes in school (I don't), all the
politics and intrigues can be confusing.

Along the same vein, not
having that background, I found all the Roman terminology annoying.
The author gave Roman names for every weapon and piece of clothing or
armor, without any English description, and this made it very
difficult for me to visualize things as I read them (There was a
glossary in the back, but I found it grossly inadequate). I
understand not wanting to be patronizing, but this is not vocabulary
that is commonly known or easy to find. ....

.... I really struggle to
finish this book, after putting it aside a couple times, and I don't
even get to find out what happens to the hero and heroine?! I threw
the book across the room.

So, in short, if you want to read a
fictionalized account of a little-documented period in British and/or
Roman history, this book may hold some interest for you. Just don't
expect it to be well-written or terribly coherent.

When I first picked up this book I was a little aprehensive. The time peroid it is set in has not been well documented and I feared reading something that would not be historically accurate. Boy was I wrong.
The authors has gone to great pains to not only represent the peroid but also the trappings of a genuine Roman world.
Attention to detail is found in all parts of the book, from genuine roman names, to descriptions of items and rituals, even the politics of the time have been rendered in extraordinary detail.
This is a book which shows not only Boudicca's life but the world around her that shaped that life. Anyone looking for a detailed, accurate account of Roman britian and the world around it should not only buy this book but enshrine it.

The book has a slow start, but as you read it, you become more deeply involved in reading it. It was a "I don't want to put it down" read. I was disappointed when it ended. I wanted more.

If you love history, and especially the era the story takes place in, you will enjoy the book.

It's not a light read, nor is it a plodding dry academic read.

To me, it was pure entertainment that provided the opportunity to learn more about the lives of the people in Great Britain during the Roman Conquest.

Boudicca's Revenge would make an awesome movie. Someone should tell Hollywood about it.