Promotional Information

Set in Iron-Age Britain, the third magnificent story in the life of the world's most famous warrior queen.

About the Author

Manda Scott is a veterinary surgeon, writer and climber. Born and educated in Scotland, she now lives in Suffolk with two horses, two lurchers and too many cats. Manda Scott first made her name as a crime writer. Her debut novel, Hen's Teeth, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Her subsequent novels are Night Mares, Stronger than Death and No Good Deed, for which she was hailed as 'one of Britain's most important crime writers'. Dreaming the Eagle and Dreaming the Bull, the first and second books in the Boudica series, are also published by Bantam Books and the fourth book, Dreaming the Serpent Spear, by Bantam Press. For more information on Manda Scott and her books, visit her website at wwww.mandascott.co.uk

Reviews

Breathtaking work that's likely to be remembered for years to come
*Focus*

This mesmerising story creates a living past of battle feats, betrayals, heartbreaking loyalties and cruelties
*Norfolk Journal*

A meticulously detailed book with a fascinating plot
*The Good Book Guide*

Full of imaginative invention, adventure and compelling descriptive prose, reminiscent of Dorothy Dunnett's writing. The best book I have read in a long time
*Woman’s Weekly*

Manda Scott writes with rich imagination and brilliantly reconstructs history before your eyes
*Cambridge Journal*

Adult/High School-A fictionalized account of the events from A.D. 57 to 60 in the life of the warrior queen Breaca, also called Boudica, Bringer of Victory. On the isle of Mona with her family and other warriors, Breaca hunts Romans, grieves for her lover Caradoc (betrayed and exiled), and worries about the fate of her children. Returning to the mainland to rally the remaining Eceni, she runs the risk of being recognized and executed. The Eceni now have a king who accepts Roman rule and will require convincing if they are to revolt. Boudica's brother, Ban, had taken the name Valerius and fought against his own people. Exiled in Hibernia, considered a traitor by both sides, he must reconcile his Celtic and Roman sides and decide whether to join Boudica. The characters are fully developed with their own motives, strengths, and weaknesses. Introspection (particularly the Druid concept of dreaming) alternates with action. Violent in parts, the book culminates in a disturbing but historically accurate incident: the flogging of Breaca and the rape of her daughters (one age nine) prior to an attempted crucifixion. The third in a series, the novel stands on its own. An introductory passage by the elder of Mona briefly explains previous events. Fans of historical fiction and adventure will enjoy the book, while the dream-quest elements and Celtic lore will appeal to fans of fantasy.-Sandy Freund, Richard Byrd Library, Fairfax County, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Scott returns to Roman Britannia for the third of four planned installments in her Boudica saga (Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle; Boudica: Dreaming the Bull). The native warrior Breaca of the Eceni tribe-called Boudica, "Bringer of Victory," for her valiant but failed attempt to repel the first century A.D. Roman invasion of Britannia-has fled in defeat with her followers to the west of the country to continue their resistance. After a tribal elder and dreamer who receives visions from the gods unsuccessfully tries to recruit Boudica's half-brother Valerius, who earlier betrayed the Eceni to the Romans, the dreamer challenges her to go east to rally her people against Rome. Breaca agrees, only to fall into the ruthless hands of the emperor's procurator for taxes. He has her flogged and her young daughters raped, and would have crucified them except for the intervention of her Valerius. Scott has teased a few facts from the ancient record to create an absorbing story from history and myth. Readers new to the Boudica saga may find the genealogy complicated and the going slow at first, but they will be rewarded with a heroic story of a rebellious warrior queen. (Jan. 31) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Breathtaking work that's likely to be remembered for years to come * Focus *
This mesmerising story creates a living past of battle feats, betrayals, heartbreaking loyalties and cruelties * Norfolk Journal *
A meticulously detailed book with a fascinating plot * The Good Book Guide *
Full of imaginative invention, adventure and compelling descriptive prose, reminiscent of Dorothy Dunnett's writing. The best book I have read in a long time * Woman's Weekly *
Manda Scott writes with rich imagination and brilliantly reconstructs history before your eyes * Cambridge Journal *