Dreaming the Serpent Spear

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The fourth and final novel in the magnificent saga of Britain’s warrior queen (Boudica – “Bringer of Victory” and the last defender of the Celtic culture) will capture readers’ hearts and minds, as Manda Scott brings the series to a stunning close. It is AD 60 and the flame of rebellion that has been smouldering for 20 years of Roman occupation has flared into a conflagration that will consume the land and all who live in it. There is no going back. Boudica has been flogged and her daughters raped, and her son has burned a Roman watchtower in an act of blatant insurgency. This is the time to act: the Roman governor has marched his legions west to destroy the druidic stronghold of Mona, leaving his capital and a vital seaport hopelessly undefended in the face of twenty-thousand warriors aching for vengeance. But to crush the legions for all time, Boudica must do more than lead her army in the greatest rebellion Britain has ever known. She must find healing for herself, for the land, and for Graine, her 8-year-old daughter, who has taken refuge on Mona. Is revenge worth it under any circumstances, or is the cost more than anyone can bear? Colchester is burning and London is lost without hope. Amidst fire and bloody revolution – a battle that will change the face and spirituality of a nation for centuries to come – Boudica and those around her must find what matters most, now and for ever. From the Trade Paperback edition.From Publishers WeeklyScott concludes her popular Boudica series with a haunting tale of healing and war set in the summer of A.D. 60 in Roman-occupied Britannia, where the native tribes have raised a 5,000-strong war party for a "war of liberation." But their leader, Breaca of the Eceni—also known as Boudica, the Warrior Queen—is still recovering from a savage flogging she received from the Romans, and from her daughter Graine's gang rape by legionaries that she faults herself for not preventing. Breaca laments that she's "lost her taste for war," but agrees to lead the rebellion. When the Roman governor sends two legions to assault the Eceni bastion of Mona, Breaca ambushes and destroys the legion left behind before burning Camulodunum, Rome's capital in Britannia. With the east in rebellion, the Romans abandon the assault on Mona and march east for a decisive showdown that will determine Britannia's future. There's less suspense than might be imagined since history records the outcome of the Boudica's rebellion, but the Boudica legend—as opposed to the historical record—allows Scott enough poetic license to keep readers intrigued to the sanguinary end. Boudica fans will be heartened to know that Scott is considering a prequel. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review“Scott has done for the Boudica legend what fellow Briton Mary Stewart did for the Arthur legend 30 years ago: she has created a rich world of magic and mystery grounded in historical fact, peopled with strong, detailed characters, and given them life in almost every sense of the word. . . . Scott has created a vibrant tapestry.” —Chronicle-Herald, Halifax From the Paperback edition.