books@list.co.uk

Fiction 8: Biography

"lie -JHM \././\ ' '* “:‘r 777"""f'f‘f1‘5‘fmm rottwgwr—w-u- .. v- .. -_. .. .. . . e I e

Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle ' . V {7 _" 4 ‘_' C/ass/C novels Bantam $318.99 on. rem/ted. Th/s Issue: The Call of the W/ld Published :71: 1.051%; 52;;::. What’s the story? 11m

L j q u (\k“ s..\\/\ x

Having built up a solid reputation as a writer of uncompromising crime fiction, Glasgow’s Manda Scott has done something of a U-turn, bringing forth the first installment in an

' ° ' l ,< ., ( . e ambitious trilogy about warrior queen, I \ Boudica. Or is it Boudicca? Or Boadicea? Oh, “A; I” 1, ( let’s call the whole thing off. B“: I u I .5: \

Scott’s infatuation with the near_mythical ‘r\ puwcrfui nmrl .tliw “iii! lmc. du‘ml. wisdom and the lit-min of lunimniu.' g \ \ O . 1st century warrior is not in itself difficult to H AN M I l H grasp. As the leader of the Ecini Celts in Roman Britain, this ancient heroine

commanded her people in a furious rebellion . "M I} ' . . . ."(1 / ' A ' J A \_/ ( against the armies of Claudius, only 3".” . . / Lt: "' ‘1} . . . ., I succumbing after a tenacuous two-year ' A 'j‘ 1

campaign. But whereas the Boudica of

popular folklore invokes the image of an m A \f Amazonian charioteer, Scott’s passion and ' n ' '1‘ : H H imagination have been zealously engaged in W j a painstaking reconstruction of an entire than” A; . society and culture of tribal Britain. " "'"V‘D‘quzn

Episode one begins in appropriately ' H ' f" bloodthirsty style, with 12-year-old Breaca

. . . B...’«\ . '

overcoming the Invader who kills her mother. I! A respected warrior from this early age, , ' ' ' I Breaca’s much-cherished ambition is to , ‘j'

sharpen her skills as a visionary, or ‘dreamer’, like her friend and constant _ , , I

companion, Airmid. But Breaca’s rite of h J" . ' I. i -:: 2 : "Y . j ; , .- : 52‘“:"’“}"":" o‘" passage into womanhood - as well as her A” f I L IL . I V. , "I". $er...7... riff, . _-

brother’s predictions- reveals that the gods I“. t ‘" r ' ~ -

Key moment Sax. z)"

have a very different destiny in store for her. ' ‘‘‘‘ " ' ~~~ From here we follow the girl’s graduation to Scott zealously engages with the culture of tribal Britain ' ' V S J community leader, culminating in her being ‘3; \ x 53 ' ‘7' proclaimed Boudica, the Bringer of Victory. fact that Scott’s lengthy, involved tale is told entirely A *‘ Throughout, the author evocativer creates the lively without humour. 5’:wa ' (’ world of the Ecini in miniature detail. When Breaca Readers familiar with the bare and bloodied bones of ooooo H“ r' \ ' C" k " crawls through the gorse to inform the community of this tale may find themselves skimming entire, heavily ' ' ‘3“ A B" ' the elder grandmother‘s demise at the claws of an descriptive passages in search of some much needed ' We 5

angry eagle, we experience every tear of her skin and action. Mercifully, the occasional tedium is relieved by " 1 nick of her clothes. And in a powerful shipwreck scene, Boudica’s intermittent, dramatic clashes with upstart POStCFIDt

Lr\v\«’\/\'\'c

the merchant Luain’s seasickness is rendered in vivid combatants from rival tribes, set-pieces like the .."l"'-i‘,ifii..::".{?Cl. ‘. x I: shades of bile green and yellow. shipwreck and the tender scenes between the young maria ' ’1 1’. To

But the author’s total immersion in her subject is warrior and her confidants. w <= Er'v .- w 9 ° occasionally alienating, particularly in the early stages For those with the patience to stick with this flawed " :1, ext-:2" 0," when Ecini rituals and beliefs are long-windedly passed epic, Boudica breeds reward and frustration in equal '1" <7 "é: T "4? {,m ~ In? down from elders to Breaca and her insightful half- measure, though Scott’s regular fan base may not 7 i‘-'~'~'7' '5’" x 1' ~~ T brother Ban. The stately pace is exacerbated by the exactly be left gagging for part two. (Allan Radcliffe)

1). "a" a

SOCZAL LSSAYS .,._, ., , . .. ,. CHINUA ACHEBE l:‘. «:32 Falxr p;.::zt.t‘~:;': a. :g:; :g. .2 :3-:;<}"‘:; '3, ".‘:.-:: :3 vi f'x: to“): :t' 1 (“<1 -"~'-1'= ~~= *< » Home and Exile Nigeria" LIUlElXEIEW‘JTl‘ .:.: E<:<l Anna 7" "3,5; :33 {uni'f 5.41:; "\.i"(:l’-;}'f% 1:15.“? First line test (303% .1 :: .Ca‘iKNKJEKO 377.99 .... Tul.....;1. 77%) Pa "‘ '. f)""«.’.~.: 3mg; ‘zil: <3 (Will. '.l‘-Z;~ .1). gum,- ;7' N gin-m ":7' mi: 1'12

.m £3X3!'£,1L)"(ill‘.éi.'". ::<>i‘::<:::f;::~r‘ :7" tin: ’;i-T-Z) of 9030." a? .14i;:'<:-:;::,:;::‘ cm: r; "::-‘.'.:::‘.‘::‘::-':I. a "-::- 3L. :2

(lulu: salt. ‘i‘i. t, A":ZL:il‘ may.) :: .;<:".-:‘:".'1§e..i‘ i‘;:::"<:~.:t¢.. rouzarxitx: ";‘:.-x- T".‘.T 1";\.:7-:=

r‘eailsm. This releasa- "‘..‘:'Lx-;;~.i I'i-i: lag-4:11" as; t"<: ::~:2;: l"ll'l(l (2‘ TiTi} "mien A"

mm for .'.'ll£1't/-\ll'l(léi feral", :;v";>"l;:.-.:r‘::, v‘:>.<2:_ /\Iif‘.(}l)-f‘: H25; amused a (mo-x "

Hammond and Jéii)l()‘.'. ::<:t;;,r'.:;-:: 41:; tim- (3.(El‘. Ilfl‘. "seam; sync-:3 I?‘-.?~'l gm: .2 ll(3’.'. fie 3.5.1:? .:.:,;. ::'.';>".; ."

il‘.(jr£i?tl"iji)l'iil(:AilI(,éiT?1£lt'l<:'.<3' .'..i:;' {Fungi ,2; :3()'ll(rfi‘ "g; x: :,-;> Liv-3,1)“, “' ' 1'

from Coli'ad. 80.21353. l-iaggani am“: t§ei‘.:7li"<:;i. “‘4' ' ' ' "F

Greene. How; .‘5":: if“. 1' non-r: r‘;:'. .: t%;3l‘lf.: 1‘1. t T 83:" Dogs."

Tul;.<>lz1':; more! .'.;1:;‘.i‘-;,- first 79.x". flu.» Along; in :mr‘.) zit; .f=<>:~,-.3 .15, l A l3. '

area 30 ::<,~3<:u"<2 {l .'..:!-:: "mm-N" am l)"’1l..‘:li . (310' gm. 2:) iil‘ .u.i.>:>:<:.;i.ai;“.

f'{}£i(i(3"f;i‘.ll;. Hale-ti l}, Dyan'7i‘.;,">g15;;25; zit litiglim t 1:; (l :val; mitt-w

(’1it‘;,ir;t<;ri;'<;<:<3. f .2013; .21';;<;-:,, :lyu" maxi <2x<;r:;:s;i". 4i::;:;<:r'l.a:-<>i‘ ::-' the °;>:.:<:-:; an.)

i), fll(:f;()i()lll£ii{MOSES(if;l)l'1'7‘.fi'.-’:zil‘_l Kilt/RN; final 7' i"":’?\l ".Yl‘. Il‘. itgail; mu '1'.

nit/dint. T..°_L.(>l.l lxzzzi. 'li:.'.-Zl".~’}'. takes '“lfvl'kilfit .ztuvuatinc mm"

t.r‘.'.qttziigil‘, oi <2.".<;<ltl\<;f‘<,a;:ig;.:1u:eZr; it :1, i.:;-.,-:: "3‘13" 3::3 .at; .1

modern \.‘.’<:§;t African '.'.'i'..'l':l. ‘.'."".;it Just in: .w ‘2‘" .1 .:.>"t"1<:-"t*

f'<>ii<)'.'.(3<i “1:5. a deluge C l" 'l i \i' l :..2 '

Ek'.‘.’€3'l531 Nigc-ixgi. Cawga'”: l .1, .: 'l 'l l ,1 we r K, j

Guzman Mango BM; gzi‘1i furl "nut: (x; '0 7:; «of 35:9?" :luxm 7%?

Omsk; Carvw‘ooin girtci (Eli-9w." ."m m 41ml .i(i‘~.(i(‘- (34w.

llzlmzrim. Kélf‘f} Sonatina gas: a. l .ll‘f glow:

l'ltijfse: (are (ill .'.r_,\11:i<3ifi. .'.7l‘.lsi‘t. lnfi. if i\li"\’7‘il. H i 't; a. lmu’. .:' .1618 tilt,- tic-Mil "mun. z)‘ a. Yen‘s; Lynx: f‘».i‘.;il"‘.l" "amt 'l ll»? <:‘~.t‘- (‘l

Achebe beats off imperialism iilmm‘, stud-art(Jlmt.;:/\r:*u2l><:1m! 41.7444”: (emu; '."a-'>l“.. vl’m: [xi-a

98 THE LIST