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 |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed 2006 |
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