Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Give It A Try, 9 April 2007
I would normally run a mile from this type of book, it's about as far from my tastes in fiction as could be imagined. I bought it purely out of curiosity as I had enjoyed Scott's crime novels and thought I'd give this a go, though I feared I would find it a slog, full of (to me) not very interesting historical detail. But I have to say I found it, on the whole, a revelation. It did take quite a while to get going and for a time I feared the worst, but then suddenly, without me even realising when, it had me hooked. I think this is partly due to Scott's exquisite writing: her descriptive powers are thrilling and beautiful. Even the battle scenes, which in books of any genre I would usually find boring and tedious beyond measure, had me enthralled. I couldn't say that every page had me gripped right to the end - as the book went on there were an increasing number of scenes where I was desperate to get away from Ban and back to Breaca, but I do realise that these scenes are necessary to present a full picture, so I don't make this a criticism. So on the whole I was mightily impressed, and yes, I've just bought 'Bull'.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faction? A really good read, 31 Jan 2007
I got this for Christmas and, having finished it, am out to get the next one. It is really well written, building a world which, although based on limited historical evidence, is totally believable. Did the British tribes have dreamers who could see visions and conjure up mists? Were women equal to men as warriors? Did they have such great affinity to horses and dogs? Were the inhabitants of Mona blood-lusting druids or mystics? We will never know but Scott makes it real.
The closest parallel I can think of is Jean Auel's Earth Children, also extrapolated from scant archaeological evidence but, in my opinion, not as well drawn.
Lets hope the continuations keep up the same standard.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great historical fiction. A must for all lovers of the genre, 16 Mar 2006
Dreaming the Eagle gives a fantastic account that is heavily felt of the oppression Britain was subjected to under the Roman Empire. I think it is easy to just look at what the Romans did for Britain on terms of road networks and trade, and then forget the brutality they subjected native Britons to, particularly in the early years under Suetonius Paulinus.
This book does not leave that aspect of Roman rule untouched and actually highlights the situation. If historical fiction is your thing I would also recommend Ascent of an Eagle by Gaius Demetrius. This book is wonderfully crafted and compels the reader into the realities of a very grim political situation, set against deep personal struggles.
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