Dreaming the Eagle: Boudica Book 1    by Manda Scott Order:  USA  Can Knopf, 2003 (2003) Hardcover, Softcover, CD Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Having enjoyed Manda Scott's excellent thrillers - Hen's Teeth, Night Mares, Stronger than Death and No Good Deed - over the last few years, I was very interested to see that she had written a historical, especially on such a wonderful subject as Boudica (sometimes known as Boadicea), renowned for her revolt against the Roman occupation of Britain. Dreaming the Eagle, the first in a trilogy, takes us through the early life of Breaca (later to become Boudica) up to the start of the Roman invasion under Emperor Claudius. The author reveals to us a rich Celtic civilization, primarily an agrarian, trading society, but with inter-tribal conflict. There are complex and (to us) alien codes of honor, with the tribes ruled by decisions of its elders made in council, and guided by its dreamers who 'spent time alone dreaming and came back to the roundhouse with their eyes fixed on faraway places and the words of the gods on their lips.' The Iceni are famed for their horse breeding, and women are warriors alongside the men. Breaca's mother (ruler of the Iceni) is killed treacherously and dishonorably by the Coritani. Her father Eburovic is a warrior and a smith and Breaca is the apple of his eye. She wants to be a dreamer and go to Mona with her beloved Airmid, but destiny makes her a warleader. Her younger half-brother Bàn, on the other hand 'yearned to be a warrior when everyone else had clearly seen that he was destined to be the greatest dreamer the tribes had ever known'. Breaca comes to adulthood dreaming of a battle with eagles, while other dreamers foresee 'war on a scale such as we have ever known it'. Then shipwrecks bring to the Iceni both a Roman named Corvus and Caradoc, 'the firebrand son of the Sun Hound' - the Sun Hound being a neighboring leader who trades with the Romans. An act of treachery separates Bàn and Breaca so that each believes the other dead. Bàn's fate is entangled with that of Corvus, as Breaca's is with Caradoc. Breaca goes to Mona and there is selected as its Warrior, in time to fight the Roman invaders and be named Boudica, 'She Who Brings Victory'. Caradoc tells her 'You carry the wildfire, the battle joy; you blaze with it' and it's badly needed as a loose alliance of tribes fights four Roman legions (about forty thousand armed men according to the Author's Note). As this first episode ends, Breaca and others retreat carrying 'the seeds of the future ... the dreaming, the gods, the songs of past and present'. If you enjoy historical fiction, then Dreaming the Eagle is a must read, a rich tapestry of Celtic civilization with insights into a high born warrior woman who catches the imagination of any student of early British history. Manda Scott gives us different perspectives on the conflict through Breaca and Bàn's eyes and I'm very anxious to see what evolves in the second book of Boudica. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews