7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fabulous ancient historical fiction, May 2, 2007
Two decades have passed since the Roman legion began their occupation of Britannia. Now in 60 AD, the local tribes finally have put aide their bickering to join as one in a revolt to send the conquerors off their island. However, though over five-thousand are ready for the war, the only leader who can rally the tribes is not.
Breaca of the Eceni, called Boudica the Warrior Queen by the Romans, recovers physically from a brutal whipping that the Romans gave her as a lesson to anyone fostering revolution. More difficult to Breaca is the gang rape of her daughter Graine by legionaries that has left her to doubt her abilities to protect her people since was unable to keep one person safe. She prefers to say no and heal her mental wounds, but also knows that no one else can rally the tribes so she agrees to lead the revolt. While the Romans make a rare tactical error by assaulting an Eceni stronghold Mona leaving them vulnerable for Breaca and the tribes attack on their island capital Camulodunum, which is burned to the ground. With much of the eastern side at war, the two armies will soon meet for a final confrontation that will decide who rules over Britannia.
The final Boudica Dreaming thriller (see DREAMING THE EAGLE, DREAMING THE BULL, and DREAMING THE HOUND) is a fabulous ancient historical fiction tale that keeps the suspense coming from start to finish although the winner of the war is known. The key is the heroine who suffers from what appears to be battle fatigue syndrome, but feels duty and responsibility calls her for her to lead her side. Manda Scott rules the sub-genre with her delightful intelligent Britannia saga.
Harriet Klausner
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Does not live up to the first novel's potential, November 19, 2007
Like the previous two volumes, Dreaming the Serpent Spear, the fourth and final installment of Manda Scott's Boudica series, does not live up to the potential of the first novel. I remember reading Dreaming the Eagle 4-5 years ago and being amazed and delighted. I could not wait to read the rest of the series. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the final volume, and the Boudica series as a whole, is mildly disappointing compared to the excellence of the first novel.
Breaca is a wonderful, complex character, and the chances that Scott takes with her are the best elements of the novel. I always envisioned the Boudica as a vengeful dervish after the defilement of her daughters, but Scott's character is far more tragic. In the novel, the violation of her daughters has broken Breaca instead of enraging her to vengeance. The novel focuses on her journey to heal this damage so she can lead the war host against the Romans. It is an interesting way to tell a story contrary to typical reports.
I credit Scott with creating a living, breathing pre-Roman Britain. There is little known about the Eceni and other tribes, so Scott had to use her imagination and ingenuity to portray a largely unknown culture.
Scott is a gifted writer and often imbues her prose with lyricism and eloquence. However, she also tries too hard, occasionally resulting in effusive sentences. Scott also emphasizes the mystical and spiritual aspects of her story, when I would have preferred more action and physical conflict.
I think that the series would have worked better as a trilogy or two-parter. By the fourth book, everything felt repetitive. There are too many romantic subplots and too many supporting characters. I also think that the novel lacks a satisfactory ending. The fact is that the Boudica lost her war against the Romans. I think that Scott had difficulty coming to grips with this reality.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting mix of dreams, warfare, and a doomed future., October 7, 2007
For some years now, I've been reading Manda Scott's four book series set during the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, and the events that led up to it. When I was finished with the third novel, I was pretty well heartbroken over the devastating events that the story closed with. Now Scott returns to Celtic Britain for the ending of the story, and I wondered, is this going to be worth it?
After the rape and torture of her daughters and herself, Breaca -- otherwise known as the Boudica, the war-leader of the tribes of Britain -- is questioning herself and her dream of seeing the Romans driven out of Britain once and for all. Most of all, she mourns what has happened to her youngest daughter, Graine, who has lost her ability to dream, that art of being able to shape men's minds and hearts to create the future.
Breaca's other two children, Cunomar and Cygfa, are not much better. Her son is dispairing over his inability to protect his siblings, especially, Graine, from the brutality of the Romans, and his own inner doubts to be a successful war-leader. Although he is what is known as a 'she-bear,' a warrior that fights in a near frenzy of bloodlust, he knows that he is flawed. Cygfa is filled with a cold hate and has shut herself off others, unwilling to love or care.
Other members of Breaca's family are caught up in their own doubts and fears. Valerius, her brother, who was able to save them from crucifixion, but is now having to play a dangerous plan against the Romans, and plotting the destruction of the Legions. Bello, the young boy that he saved, is now with the Dreamers on the island of Mona. Other characters from earlier novels also appear, Corvus, the lover of Valerius, but firmly a Roman, and Luain macCalma, the Elder of Mona, who is fighting to save what he can.
Nearly all of the novel is taken up with the battles and plots, building towards the final confrontation between the Romans and the Britons, where all will be decided. Those who know their history of the time already will know what will happen. The fact that anything of the story actually survives is due to the Roman chronicles that have come down through history.
What Scott strives for here is a look into 'what might have been,' using what archaeological evidence that exists, and what legends have come down through history. The publishers have marketed these novels as fantasy, but they're more of a historical novel, rich in detail. If it sounds nearly impossible for the Boudica's forces to be taking down Roman legions by guerilla warfare, evidence can still be found today in the ruins of the known Roman sites in Britain. Too, she cleverly uses the remains of what is called 'The Druid Prince,' a bog remain that dates to just about the time of the Eceni revolts, who it is I won't say here, but it does add quite a twist to the story. It's well researched and she handles the mixture of legend and fact into a rich story that will keep the reader going right up to the final pages.
The only problem that I had with this was the constant 'Romans are Evil' attitude through the novel. I do wonder if all of them were as awful as she depicts here. In an author's afterword she explains some of her reasoning behind the idea and why she used it, drawing parallels to our own world and the conflicts in the middle east. That was the only complaint that I had. Otherwise, the storytelling is excellent, full of vivid descriptions, vibrant prose and a story that simply draws you in.
This is not a happy book by any means. There are nearly continual battles, lost dreams and hopes, and a general despair that seeps into nearly page of the story. To balance that, there are last stands, people knowing that they're likely to fail, and still doing what they must, and a few seeds planted for a distant future. Scott's next novel will be The Crystal Skull due sometime in 2008.
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