Dreaming the Bull
A Novel of Boudica, The Warrior Queen
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4.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The second part of the stunning fictionalization of the life of Britain’s warrior queen, Boudica, immerses us in a world of druids and dreamers, warriors and lovers, passion and courage. Originally a trilogy, this is now a four-part series.
“Boudica” means “Bringer of Victory” (from the early Celtic word “boudeg”). She was the last defender of the Celtic culture; the only woman openly to lead her warriors into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome -- and triumph.
Book one, Dreaming the Eagle, took readers from Boudica’s girlhood with the Eceni tribe to the climax of the two-day battle when she and her lover, Caradoc, faced the invading Romans. Believing her dead, Breaca’s beloved brother, Bán, joined the Roman cause.
Dreaming the Bull, the second book in this compelling series, continues the intertwined stories of Boudica, and Bán, now an officer in the Roman cavalry. They stand on opposite sides in a brutal war of attrition between the occupying army and the defeated tribes, each determined to see the other dead. In a country under occupation, Caradoc, lover to Breaca, is caught and faces the ultimate penalty. Only Bán has the power to save him, and Bán has spent the past ten years denying his past. Treachery divides these two; heroism brings them together again, changed out of all recognition -- but it may not be enough to heal the wounds.
Dreaming the Bull is a heart-stopping story of war and of peace; of love, passion and betrayal; of druids and warring gods, where each life is sacred and each death even more so; and where Breaca and Bán learn the terrible distances they must travel to fulfill their own destinies.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Scott continues her saga of the Celtic warrior queen Boudica (whose true name is Breaca) in this second installment of a planned four-part series. Emperor Claudius is in the midst of his brutal attempt to master Britain and has added to his legions Breaca's half-brother B n, who believes his sister and all his family are dead, killed by the treacherous brother of Breaca's lover, Caradoc. B n, now called Julius Valerius, attempts to forget his past and his gods in the service of Rome and the bull-slaying god, Mithras, but fails to quite complete the process, though he believes he is totally bound to his new lords. Meanwhile, Breaca and Caradoc continue to harry the Roman invaders, and the level of savagery rises dramatically. Will B n be saved from his own mistakes or will he remain faithful to his new allegiances and lose his true self forever? Scott gives a matter-of-fact account of the lifestyle, religion and politics of the ancient Britons, successfully creating an involving and involved world. But finely and lyrically written as it is, the novel doesn't stand alone well; this won't be a problem for those who read the first book (Dreaming the Eagle), but newcomers may be disappointed to learn that Boudica is a secondary character here. Despite its unevenness, this is a deeply emotional and affecting work that should help build Scott's audience.
