Boudica: Dreaming the Hound (Boudica Quadrilogy) (Boudica Trilogy) - Hardcover

Scott, Manda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385336721 ISBN 13: 9780385336727

Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2006

Synopsis

In a spellbinding novel of gods and men, myth and brutality, acclaimed author Manda Scott returns to her heralded saga of a world under siege. For here is the epic tale of Boudica, the legendary Celtic queen, and her embattled Eceni tribe—a bold new work of imaginative fiction that takes us on a thrilling journey into a clash between magic and mankind.

To the Eceni tribe of Britannia, nature is the ultimate god, and warriors are joined in battle by the voices and spirits of their ancestors. But the proud Eceni are running out of time. Nero’s army, long since out of patience with Britannia’s wild tribes, is becoming increasingly oppressive. And Boudica’s family is at the center of a gathering storm: Cunomar, Boudica’s son, who longs for the mettle to kill as fiercely as his mother... Graine, her young daughter, gifted with the power of dreamers, scarred forever by the horrors of war...and Boudica’s brother, born Bán of the Eceni, turned the traitor Valerius—a man caught between worlds: warrior and dreamer, Roman and Eceni.

As conflict erupts between the tribes and their brutal invaders, Boudica is forced to make a bold sacrifice. Cloaking her identity, she will travel directly into the stronghold of an enemy who longs for her crucifixion. What happens next—in a brutal drama of betrayal, heroism, and sacrifice—will leave Boudica with no options but one: to raise and arm every warrior, every dreamer, every tribe...and push the invader and its legions back into the sea.

From the thundering hooves of the Eceni’s great horses to mystical spirit quests of young warriors, from the politics of an empire to the passions of lovers, Dreaming the Hound takes us on a breathtaking journey of the imagination—at once brutal, fantastical, and utterly unforgettable.


MAGNIFICENT PRAISE FOR MANDA SCOTT’S BOUDICA SAGA

Dreaming the Hound

“Extraordinary.” —Independent, UK

“Brilliantly imaginative.”—Colchester Evening Gazette, UK

“Dramatic...Vivid...Lyrical.”—Yorkshire Evening Post, UK

“One of Britain’s most famous legends...is retold here with extraordinary immediacy.”—Our Time, UK

“Irresistible...an excellent read.”—Diva, UK

Dreaming the Bull

“Enthralling...Mesmerising...Creates a living past of battle feats, betrayals, heart-breaking loyalties and cruelties.”—Publishing News, UK

“Thrilling...Readers will be swept away.” —Booklist, starred review

Dreaming the Eagle

“A powerful novel about one of the most intriguing and mysterious women in history...Alive with the love, deceit, wisdom and heroics of humanity. Read it and enjoy!”—Jean M. Auel

“The new Mary Renault...Intensely exciting, a tale of passion, courage and heroism against huge odds.”—Publishing News, UK

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The third installment in the breathtaking fictionalization of the life of Britain's warrior queen, Boudica, plunges readers into a world of druids and dreamers; where horses and hounds and the landscape itself are characters in their own right; where warriors fight for honour as much as victory.

"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.

Dreaming the Hound opens in AD 57. Caradoc, betrayed to Rome, is exiled in Gaul, leaving Boudica, bereft, to lead the tribes of the west in an increasingly bloody resistance against Roman occupation. Only if she can drive Rome from the land will she find peace, and to do that she must raise again the tribes of the East. Her people, the Eceni, languish in the shadow of the Legions, led by a man who proclaims himself king and yet allows slavers to trade freely in his lands. Too notorious to reclaim her own birthright, Boudica strives instead to return her daughters to their heritage.

Across the sea, Boudica's half-brother, Bán, has been named traitor by both sides. He too, seeks peace on a journey that takes him from the dreaming tombs of the ancestors to the cave of a god he no longer serves. Only if these two meet can Britannia be saved. But the Roman Governor has been ordered to subdue the tribes or die in the attempt, and he has twenty thousand legionaries ready to stop anyone, however determined, from bringing Britain to the edge of revolt. . . .

Written with uncompromising mastery, this is fiction that captivates the heart, challenges the mind and offers us an utterly enthralling experience of history in the flesh and blood of its making.

About the Author:

Manda Scott is a veterinary surgeon, writer, and climber, not necessarily in that order. Born and educated in Scotland, she now lives in Suffolk with two lurchers and too many cats. Known originally as a crime writer, her first novel, Hen’s Teeth, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Her subsequent crime novels are Night Mares, Stronger than Death, and No Good Deed, which was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel. Her two previous novels in the Boudica quartet, Dreaming the Eagle and Dreaming the Bull, are available in paperback from Dell, and she is currently at work on the fourth and final novel in the Boudica saga.

About this edition

• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0385336721
• ISBN 13: 9780385336727
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 432