Dreaming the Eagle (Boudica Trilogy) (18 CDs) [Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Manda Scott (Author)

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Books on Tape (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736693343
• ISBN-13: 978-0736693349
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,773,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Historical Fiction, July 2, 2005

By 

Chapati (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dreaming the Eagle (Boudica Trilogy) (Hardcover)

Many people have written reviews for this book saying that it isn't historically accurate. I personally don't know much about pre-Roman Britain. I'm pretty sure *most* people don't know much about pre-Roman Britain, and I think that's one of the things Manda Scott is trying to prove with this series of books. Much of the culture was an oral history, and has since been lost. Perhaps not everything Scott does is historically accurate, but to me, everything seems plausible.

In any case, most of what is known about pre-Roman Britain is conjecture, and Scott weaves a good story out of the assumptions and beliefs she has.

As the first book in a projected series of four, Dreaming the Eagle sets up the basis of the rest of the books. Everything that happens in this story is fiction, as no one knows much about Boudica before the Romans began writing about her. The Romans, for the most part, aren't even in this book. It's more about the tribal relations existing in Britain at the time. Yes, there is a great deal of mysticism that seems to draw a lot on a mixture of Celtic myth and Native American folklore, which may or may not be realistic.

The story itself I really like. It's slower than some and takes a while to get moving, as it is mainly an introduction. But it's very well-written and promises a great deal of character development in the future of the series. I particularly like Ban, who also has a major role in the sequel, and Caradoc, who seems to be the "typical hero" but really isn't.

Overall, the book is easy to read, and certainly holds a person's interest.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs improvement...., April 11, 2003

By 

ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreaming the Eagle (Paperback)

Compared to McCullough, this offering from Scott wasn't impressive, but perhaps understandably so. `Boudica' from Manda Scott tends to follow a well-trodden formula in its plot technique. It is a methodology repeated in many current offerings in this rapidly expanding sub genre of historical fiction which, admittedly, has the benefit of enabling the reader to discern more easily the excellent from the mediocre.
The opening chapters of the first of this trilogy inevitably present us with the childhoods of Ban and Breaca and move onwards through the latter's development into an Eceni warrior, multiple battles, soul searching and growth.
We are pointed towards the Eceni (another interpretation of the spelling of the British tribe I haven't come across - along with the one `c' Boudica) as being a peoples emerging from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, the usual (and accurate) place of tribal honour being given to the smith. From Breaca's killing of the Coritani warrior raider to her first crafting of a brooch, to her first sword we move from one important educational episode to the next with moral purpose to build reason behind the adult character to come. Fairly typical of historical fictional biography and it enables the author to firmly establish character. Yet, my biggest problem with this novel is the unreality of age and intellectual maturity. The main characters all seem to be in early adolesence yet are treated by the adults and act as though they are in their thirties or more, making tribe-affecting decisions and taking usually hard-earned experience actions with unsettling aplomb. In makes the entire novel less credible. Admittedly, we know nothing about Boudicea's (if you prefer the Victorian spelling) youth and thus the opener of this trilogy is pure fantasy, but it takes it to heights that are a little incredulous. So much so that by the time the entire entourage takes a little trip to Mona reality is entirely suspended.
The other problem was that the novel lacks that necessary requirement of any trilogy opener - the ability to provide a gripping story. I found it very easy to stop mid-paragraph do something else and then come back and not feel I'd missed much. It did not inspire page turning. In fact, I confess I read 4 other novels between this one.
So, the book was well written, technique well-crafted, it possessed plot and yet...I found it hard to empathise with most of the characters and I wasn't gripped - the page turning quality never kicked in to the point that I hope the second novel is much improved over this offering.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, June 1, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Dreaming the Eagle (Boudica Trilogy) (Hardcover)

I'll admit, not many 13-year-olds are going to be reading this book, especially considering that it is an adult book, but it is an amazing piece of literature!

True, the plot may be slightly difficult to understand, at least for me, but it is really, really good. It took me about three months to read, and usually a book of that size takes me a week, max, but that was because, for it to really pull me into it, i needed some time, as in an uninterupted hour or more, to read it. (Sorry for the run-on sentence!)

Some of the content may be considered "for adults only" by many people, such as when, towards the end of the book Breaca sleeps with a man to whom she is not married, but we all know enough about that by the time we turn 13, and if we don't, then we need to learn.

Altogether, I say that this is a book well worth the price and time it takes to read and I say we should all propose a toast of long life to Manda Scott for writing this beautiful series!