What do you think?
Rate this book
Bradamante and Ruggiero #1
Quest of the Warrior Maid
A love foretold between sworn enemies will determine the fate of Christendom. Bradamante, the niece of Charlemagne, and Ruggiero, a Saracen knight descended from Hector of Troy, are renowned warriors who meet and fall in love on a battlefield before being separated.
This tale of impossible love between Bradamante and Ruggiero is set against the backdrop of a holy war between Islamic and Christian armies shown in bloody sieges in Marseille and Paris. Other legendary heroes such as Orlando and Renaud de Montauban are featured in this saga of chivalry, secret romances, betrayal, revenge and magic.
The story is adapted from the classic, but largely forgotten, epic poems "Orlando innamorato" and "Orlando furioso" from the Italian Renaissance. This story should appeal to fans of epic fantasy, Arthurian legend, medievalists, Francophiles and Italianophiles.
Advance
"All great legends, whether of Britain's King Arthur, Greece's Trojan War or Europe's Charlemagne cycle contain stories of minor characters begging to be elaborated on. In Quest of the Warrior Maid Linda McCabe has picked up the lesser known tale of Ruggiero and Bradamante, this last being the warrior maid of the title. Classic in its theme of young, idealistic lovers from opposing camps, it sheds a bright light on the culture, history and legends of a time and place too little explored by most western readers – Persia Woolley, author of the acclaimed Guinevere Trilogy
"McCabe paints a vivid portrait of Medieval France whose vestiges can still be found in the streets of modern Paris." – Cara Black, author of the Aimée Leduc mystery series and MURDER IN PASSY.
"A grand and engaging re-telling of the original 'star crossed lovers' epic with everything Orlando – chivalry, romance, fights to the death, hippogriffs, madness, and beauty! As engaging a story as I have read this year, I couldn't put it down and I urge you to pick it up today." –
John Granger, author of UNLOCKING HARRY POTTER
"In many ways Quest of the Warrior Maid is a distant mirror of our present day both political and personal." – Rob Loughran, author of TANTRIC ZOO
"I read the story in one sitting and was devastated to find out what I had in my hands was only volume one! I look forward to volume two." – Ibrahim Al-Marashi, professor of history at IE University in Spain.
"This is an original approach to the story of Bradamante and Ruggiero. Historically accurate, with a clever sense of plot and with an incredible set of characters. Once you start you simply can't stop!" – José Lúcio, professor of Economic Development at New University of Lisbon-Portugal
This tale of impossible love between Bradamante and Ruggiero is set against the backdrop of a holy war between Islamic and Christian armies shown in bloody sieges in Marseille and Paris. Other legendary heroes such as Orlando and Renaud de Montauban are featured in this saga of chivalry, secret romances, betrayal, revenge and magic.
The story is adapted from the classic, but largely forgotten, epic poems "Orlando innamorato" and "Orlando furioso" from the Italian Renaissance. This story should appeal to fans of epic fantasy, Arthurian legend, medievalists, Francophiles and Italianophiles.
Advance
"All great legends, whether of Britain's King Arthur, Greece's Trojan War or Europe's Charlemagne cycle contain stories of minor characters begging to be elaborated on. In Quest of the Warrior Maid Linda McCabe has picked up the lesser known tale of Ruggiero and Bradamante, this last being the warrior maid of the title. Classic in its theme of young, idealistic lovers from opposing camps, it sheds a bright light on the culture, history and legends of a time and place too little explored by most western readers – Persia Woolley, author of the acclaimed Guinevere Trilogy
"McCabe paints a vivid portrait of Medieval France whose vestiges can still be found in the streets of modern Paris." – Cara Black, author of the Aimée Leduc mystery series and MURDER IN PASSY.
"A grand and engaging re-telling of the original 'star crossed lovers' epic with everything Orlando – chivalry, romance, fights to the death, hippogriffs, madness, and beauty! As engaging a story as I have read this year, I couldn't put it down and I urge you to pick it up today." –
John Granger, author of UNLOCKING HARRY POTTER
"In many ways Quest of the Warrior Maid is a distant mirror of our present day both political and personal." – Rob Loughran, author of TANTRIC ZOO
"I read the story in one sitting and was devastated to find out what I had in my hands was only volume one! I look forward to volume two." – Ibrahim Al-Marashi, professor of history at IE University in Spain.
"This is an original approach to the story of Bradamante and Ruggiero. Historically accurate, with a clever sense of plot and with an incredible set of characters. Once you start you simply can't stop!" – José Lúcio, professor of Economic Development at New University of Lisbon-Portugal
394 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2011
8 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 17, 2016
Lovers of epic magic, adventure, and sweet romance will adore this tale. Every time I thought I knew what would happen, Linda C. McCabe pulled the story rug out from under me making this an unpredictable but wonderful ride. I loved how she naturally mixed this world with the magical one in such a believable way. I enjoyed the innocent love between the admirable warriors, Brandamanete and Ruggiero.
Brandamente reminds me a bit of Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. Fearless, with high morals, and superior fighting skills, Brandamante is a fine heroine. Still, she doesn't have everything she needs because her heart is after Ruggiero.
You don't have to know the historical background of the story to understand and enjoy it, but if you do like history then the way the author included bits of history will please you. Still, it is NOT history "heavy".
When I was a child I loved fairy tales, and if you do too, I recommend this read.
Brandamente reminds me a bit of Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. Fearless, with high morals, and superior fighting skills, Brandamante is a fine heroine. Still, she doesn't have everything she needs because her heart is after Ruggiero.
You don't have to know the historical background of the story to understand and enjoy it, but if you do like history then the way the author included bits of history will please you. Still, it is NOT history "heavy".
When I was a child I loved fairy tales, and if you do too, I recommend this read.
July 9, 2021
Part of me wanted to give this 4 stars, as revisiting the characters and adventures from 'Orlando Furioso' was so much fun. In the end I cannot go above 3, since you edited out important parts of Ruggiero's story (ie what happened when he rescued Angelica from the orc). I did enjoy it enough to purchase the next book in your series.
April 26, 2019
Enjoying every page of Ruggiero and Bradamante’s journey- and the sorcery and magic ✨
April 11, 2021
A retelling of the romance between Bradamante and Ruggiero, set in the time of Charlemagne. I had a rough time with the writing style, the 'one damn thing after another' plot, and the brutality of most of the characters, but there is some good stuff here too, including a well-crafted warrior maiden, and the author's love for the material is obvious.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews