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Ursula's Maiden Army

by Philip Griffin



      There are plenty of novels that deal with events in history, but what about herstory? Taking the legend of St. Ursula and her eleven thousand maidens as a basis, this compelling novel describes what might have happened (or even did happen -we don't know). When all the men march off to defend the dying Roman Empire, Princess Ursula and her friends hatch a bold plan to form their own army -just composed of women- and defend Britain in their absence. This is a popular idea, and thousands flock to join and defend Hadrian's Wall from the marauding Picts. So far, so good, but when the menfolk need help fighting the Hun, Ursula cannot resist taking her army overseas to help out. They could even arrange marriages, and the women could all go home when they become pregnant, to ensure a new generation...

...But we know that it is sadly going to all go pear-shaped, as the prologue deals with Cordula and her young family dealing with the aftermath of a massacre, one which we do know actually happened. It is a testament to the narrative prowess of the author that even though we know the ending, the story still kept me gripped and reading far into the night. It is hard not to quickly become fascinated with Ursula and her plucky friends, especially the Amazonian Pinnosa, and Philip Griffin has a great storyteller-style. If it isn't what happened, who cares, as we will probably never know, but this is an admirably well-paced and action filled novel, which means the reader has a lot of fun finding out about it all. I'll be looking out for this author in the future; it is well done, too, for choosing a historical period that is not already overused.

The Book

Beagle Bay Books
10 April 2006
Trade Paperback
0974961019
Historical [5th century AD, Various Locations]
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2006
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