Customer Reviews

Dreaming the Eagle: A Novel of Boudica, the Warrior Queen

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

The best things about this book are the battle scenes and the historical setting. Unfortunately the characters never feel very real or believable. Key characters like Eburovic (Breaca's father) figure prominently in some sections and then disappear from the story even though they haven't gone anywhere. The second most important character, Ban (Breaca's brother), never develops a personality of his own and never feels remotely convincing.
Buyers should also be warned that sections of the book include episodes of homosexuality, rape, and sexual mutilation. Some sections are gratuitously perverse, while at other points the book reads like a gay romance novel. This book is definitely not appropriate for children.

Boudicca has always been a favorite character of mine, so when I found out that a book had been written about her, I hurried to get my copy. Big mistake! What a disappointment. I don't claim to be an expert on ancient Celtic culture, but I have read my share of books on the subject. I know about the druids and their religion, and their ability to foretell the future, but this constant dreaming . . . What a drag! The story tells that Breaca was a warrior, not a dreamer. Nevertheless, during the book, she had all the dreams that mattered. She dreamt the storm when Caradoc was washed ashore, and about the destruction of the Roman boat following them. She dreamt the death of the elder grandmother . . .
I must agree with two other reviewers who wrote that the characters are children and still they act as mature adults. Ban is only 8 when the book starts, 11 when he plays against Amminios the game of Warriors and Dreamers, but I wonder, was he 11 or 30?
Spoilers to follow. Read on at your own risk!
And so many contradictions! At times, Breaca remembers that Caradoc was the only one of the Sun Hound's sons who didn't come to the Eceni lands upon the treacherous attack by the river, and then she remembers when he came: one, two, maybe three times? Did he come or not? Breaca loves him, has seen him often, but when he comes to Mona, she doesn't recognize him and even asks Gunovic who he is. The way the color of his hair is portayed in the book leaves no room for doubt. It's easy to know who he is.
And the scar in Breaca's palm! It throbs all the time, and then at the end of the book, it says that the spear scar was throbbing for the first time. Hello! Bad memory or what?
And why did Ban never dream again after he left Britain? Was he not supposed to be the greatest dreamer of all? And when he arrives in the battlefield, how can he recognize Togodubnos and his lover Odras (whom he had only seen once) when they have been burning in the pyre for almost two days?
And most of all, regardless of how you put it, Ban is a traitor. Turning against his own people because he believes Caradoc and Togodubnos conspired with Amminios? And what happened to the chariots? Ancient Celts fought in chariots and Boudicca foremost amoung them. Disappointing!
One thing is certain. I will not be reading the next installment in the trilogy. This is it!

While sub-titled "A Novel of Boudica, the Warrior Queen," this book is as much about her brother, Bán. In fact, Breaca nic Graine doesn't become Boudica (She Who Brings Victory) until the final chapters. The book - the first in a quartet - covers the early years of her life from about age 12 to 23 (32 - 43 A.D.).

As Scott explains at the end, there is little primary evidence about Boudica and her tribe. Much of what we know comes from Roman accounts, accounts based on oral history and written centuries later, and archaeological interpretations. Thus, to this end, the story is truly a work of fiction.

It is, however, beautifully written, compelling and credible. You envision the life of the Eceni (Boudica's tribe), their culture, beliefs, and way of life. You come to understand and accept the dreamings and their significance.

Through circumstances often beyond their control, Breaca and Bán (about 4 years her junior) lead different lives. And while one of them makes the "right" choices, the other does not. The ending is heart-breaking and sets the tone for the next book in the series (Dreaming the Bull).

The story is not a quick read. While beautifully written, it requires a lot of focus. It introduces at least 3 characters - Breaca, Bán and Caradoc (Breaca's lover) - important to the story. Because of circumstances, their story's often run parallel to one another rather than intertwined. Consequently, I found myself having to re-read parts from time to time.

A highly recommended 5 stars.

I am a lover of all types of books from Terry Brooks to Marion zimmer Bradley...Dreaming the Eagle pulled me in and I was unable to put it down ...Manda Scott makes you feel like a part of Breacas world ...you get a true feeling of how our ancestors once lived all the way down to the brutality of the world at that time.I never expected to find a book as wonderful as the Mists of Avalon but Manda Scott is a true weaver of worlds...a truly magical book...

In 32 AD Britain, eleven years old Breaca only wants to be a Dreamer foretelling the future for her tribe. However, destiny provides her a different role when she slays the warrior who just killed her mother, Graine, the hereditary leader of the Eceni. Her father Eburovic reacts with elation as he concludes he needs no son with a fighter like his daughter Breaca.

Over the next seven-eight years Breaca becomes a warrior leader of the Eceni. She meets and falls in love with Caradac, perhaps the only male that can claim to be her peer as a warrior. She also cherishes, perhaps loves, her half-brother Ban, as powerful a Dreamer as there ever has been though he wants to be a warrior like his sibling. However, their world of magic and tribal disputes is on the verge of ending as an outside force, the Romans, has crossed from Gaul intent on conquering.

DREAMING THE EAGLE, the first of Manda Scott's Boudica trilogy, is a tremendous ancient historical biography that brings a vivid a picture of Britain during the decade just prior to and at the beginning of the Roman invasion. The story line is rich with a feel for the atmosphere of Druid Britain yet cleverly interwoven into the prime theme of the life of the legendary warrior queen. The cast is cleverly used to enhance understanding of the heroine in her late preadolescent and teen years so that the reader receives a deep well-written, gripping novel that never slows down. Perhaps the only disappointment is that readers will have to wait for Manda Scott's next installment.

Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed this overall but have some quibbles.

Firstly, though the author appends a bibliography, I find her portrayal of pre-Roman Celtic cultures less than believable. They're *interesting* people, as she portrays them, but nothing that I, as a non-expert, have read about these cultures' actual religion, social structure, or archeology matches what Scott has devised. We don't know much about early Celtic religion, but Scott's book doesn't even take into account what we do know; here are the Iceni apparently without Epona (though Scott spells them 'Eceni' for some reason). She seems to have based her Celts on Native Americans to some extent (dreams of totem animals, for example), and I'm not sure there's historical justification for that. I was confused by the portrayal of Boudica as fighting beside Caractacus against an initial Roman invasion (the work on Boudica I have previously seen has her first encountering Romans in her own homeland), and I found the gender equality in the society unbelievable. I could accept spiritual and perhaps political power in women's hands, but I can't believe that women warriors would be common in a culture that fights primarily hand to hand.

However, I was able to look past these issues and think of the book as semi-fantasy, and on that level I enjoyed it. The plot is dramatic, perhaps a bit over-long, but with plenty of action and lots of pain for the characters. The latter are reasonably appealing, with the troubled Ban a standout. I was disappointed with the rapid demise of Amminios, who was shaping up to be an intelligent and interesting antagonist. But the dark ending makes up for a lot. I will be reading the sequel.

Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle is the fantastic story of Boudica, warrior queen of the Iceni tribe (or Eceni, according to Manda Scott). This novel is the first in a series, and covers Boudica's (called Breaca) early years, from the age of eight to 21, when she faced the Romans in battle. Other major characters in the novel are Ban, who later goes to the Continent and experiences a sort of rebirth as a Roman citizen; and Caradoc (Caractatus), leader of the Catuvellauni, with whom Breaca has a tentative alliance.

You could say this book is divided into two parts, with the first half devoted to the struggle between the Iceni and Catuvellauni, and the second to the struggle between the native Britons and the Romans.

It must be very tough to write a novel about a people whose culture was oral and not written. The Romans wrote about Boudica, but their opinions were hardly objective. Not much is known about Boudica, and even less is known about her childhood, so a lot of this novel is, as the author admits in her note at the end, fictional. But Scott does a fantastic job with what little information she does have, and her characters seem real and believable. Her information about the Romans is a little more complete, because they, of course, left written records. The historian Dio Cassius described Breaca as having flaming red hair, and boy, does Manda Scott run with that.

I took a real chance when buying this book, because I'd never even heard of the author before and didn't know if I'd like a 700-page novel about Roman Britain. And, at first I was a little wary of the "dreaming" concept that drives the book. But I was pleasantly surprised. The dreaming isn't over-the-top, and the animal imagery is simply amazing. The story takes a little while to gather momentum, but reading through the first 50 pages or so yields a really rich, rewarding reading experience. This is a very strong start to what promises to be a very engaging series.