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Iron Age #3
Reign of Iron
WARRIOR QUEENS AND ROMAN INVADERS DO BATTLE IN THE FINAL VOLUME OF THIS THRILLING EPIC FANTASY TRILOGY.
Caesar's soldiers have murdered, massacred and pillaged their way through Gaul and loom on the far side of the sea, ready to descend upon Britain -- with them are an unstoppable legion of men twisted by dark magic. Somehow Queen Lowa must repel the invasion, although her best general is dead and her young druid powerless. She faces impossible odds, but when the alternative is death or slavery, a warrior queen will do whatever it takes to save her people.
EVERY EMPIRE HAS ITS DOWNFALL.
Caesar's soldiers have murdered, massacred and pillaged their way through Gaul and loom on the far side of the sea, ready to descend upon Britain -- with them are an unstoppable legion of men twisted by dark magic. Somehow Queen Lowa must repel the invasion, although her best general is dead and her young druid powerless. She faces impossible odds, but when the alternative is death or slavery, a warrior queen will do whatever it takes to save her people.
EVERY EMPIRE HAS ITS DOWNFALL.
560 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
40 people are currently reading
848 people want to read
About the author
Angus Watson
24 books426 followersIn his twenties, Angus Watson’s jobs ranged from forklift truck driver to investment banker. He spent his thirties on various assignments as a freelance writer, including looking for Bigfoot in the USA for the Telegraph, diving on the scuppered German fleet at Scapa Flow for the Financial Times and swimming with sea lions off the Galapagos Islands for the Times. Now entering his forties, Angus lives in London with his wife Nicola and baby son Charlie. As a fan of both historical fiction and epic fantasy, he came up with the idea of writing a fantasy set in the Iron Age when exploring British hillforts for the Telegraph, and developed the story while walking Britain’s ancient paths for further articles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
September 29, 2015
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/09/29/a...
Reign of Iron was a great end to a great trilogy. But it still felt like it was missing something.
If you’ve read the last book, you probably know what I’m talking about. After the shocking events that took place at the end of Clash of Iron, I was curious to see how the characters will pick up the pieces and carry on. Hopefully towards a triumphant ending, but with Angus Watson you just never know. As he has already shown us with the previous two books, anything can happen in this series. All we can do is brace ourselves and hold on tight.
This third book wastes no time at all, picking up right where we left off. Quite some time passes in the intro, however, as the tribes of Britain finally wake up to the reality of the invading Roman forces of General Caesar on their doorstep, ready to claim the land for themselves. They rally around Lowa, the warrior queen of Maidun.
But Lowa herself has quite a lot of her mind. Her campaign and her own morale was dealt a serious blow at the end of book two. Over the next year, a lot of significant events take place. Lowa gives birth to her son, the child awakening feelings in her she never knew existed. Sadly, she also loses touch with Spring, the young druid distancing herself to deal with her private grief. All the while, Caesar’s troops are amassing, and the Roman general now has druids and magic of his own. Things look pretty bad for Lowa, but she will do whatever it takes to save her people. For the future and freedom of Britain, every warrior is determined to fight to their last breath.
Thematically, Reign of Iron probably feels closer to Clash of Iron than it does to the first book, Age of Iron. The Romans aren’t just a threat now; they are real. They’ve even unleashed the war elephants, for Jupiter’s sake! We’re in the midst of war, the fighting is in full swing, and the book is as brutal and bloody as ever. The caveat I brought up in my reviews of the first two books also applies here: if you’re squeamish about violence, cruelty, torture, death and all that unpleasantness and pain, it’s best to avoid this series or approach it with discretion. Watson’s Iron Age is a cruel and dark world.
Also, once again the emphasis has shifted on the characters. For me, Age of Iron was Dug’s story. Clash of Iron was more like Lowa’s. Reign of Iron is a novel that focuses on everyone, but I also can’t help but feel that Spring finally got her own book. She really got to shine in this one, and I loved her escapades across enemy lines.
That said, we see a lot of growth in all the characters. The feelings left behind from the last book are still there, which can’t be helped, but the characters’ spirit and resolve at least helped lift me out of that gaping chasm of sorrow. Both Spring and Lowa have their own ways to bolster Britain’s armies, which kept things interesting and sometimes humorous. Motherhood has also changed Lowa, and the mixed feelings she has for her baby becomes a new factor in her war planning.
Not everyone is such a joy to read about, though. Over on the Roman side, you have Ragnall the former druid and *cough* traitor *cough* who can’t seem to peel his lips off Julius Caesar’s backside long enough to see what really is going on in the world around him. We also have the druid Felix, whose flashback chapters don’t change my opinions on him that he is an insane and evil child-murdering sadist. The fact that he’s after Spring makes him even more hated. And Caesar is…well, Caesar is just Caesar. The man had many eccentricities, and let’s just say Angus Watson made sure to capture them all here.
So yep, it’s definitely the women who win big in this book.
Now that the series is over, I just have to say how impressed I am with the way the author tied everything together. Very little is known about life in Iron Age Britain and Mr. Watson made it clear from the start he was going to have a bit of fun with filling in the history, but he would be doing so by drawing from the huge amount of research he did for these books. But even though the premise is rooted in history, he never failed to place characters and story first. And the result is a huge success.
Finally, this is also the first time I reviewed the audio version of a book in this series, and I’m happy to report that listening was just as enjoyable as reading. English actor and narrator Sean Barrett is perfect! I love his accent and his inflections. Also, funny sometimes how we as audiobook listeners immediately associate a narrator’s voice to a character’s. Barrett’s voice is exactly how I would have imagine Dug to sound like, making me wish now to experience Iron Age again from the beginning, but in audio this time around. They really couldn’t have chosen a better actor to read this series.
All in all, I can’t recommend this trilogy enough. I had my doubts this book could deliver, after the second book and what was one of the most shocking endings I’ve ever read. That’s not something a series can easily bounce back from, and in truth I doubt it’s even possible to fully recover. And yet, Reign of Iron pressed on and finished off marvelously. I wait on pins and needles, arrows and swords to see what Angus Watson might do next. Here’s hoping he’ll keep writing great stories.
Reign of Iron was a great end to a great trilogy. But it still felt like it was missing something.
If you’ve read the last book, you probably know what I’m talking about. After the shocking events that took place at the end of Clash of Iron, I was curious to see how the characters will pick up the pieces and carry on. Hopefully towards a triumphant ending, but with Angus Watson you just never know. As he has already shown us with the previous two books, anything can happen in this series. All we can do is brace ourselves and hold on tight.
This third book wastes no time at all, picking up right where we left off. Quite some time passes in the intro, however, as the tribes of Britain finally wake up to the reality of the invading Roman forces of General Caesar on their doorstep, ready to claim the land for themselves. They rally around Lowa, the warrior queen of Maidun.
But Lowa herself has quite a lot of her mind. Her campaign and her own morale was dealt a serious blow at the end of book two. Over the next year, a lot of significant events take place. Lowa gives birth to her son, the child awakening feelings in her she never knew existed. Sadly, she also loses touch with Spring, the young druid distancing herself to deal with her private grief. All the while, Caesar’s troops are amassing, and the Roman general now has druids and magic of his own. Things look pretty bad for Lowa, but she will do whatever it takes to save her people. For the future and freedom of Britain, every warrior is determined to fight to their last breath.
Thematically, Reign of Iron probably feels closer to Clash of Iron than it does to the first book, Age of Iron. The Romans aren’t just a threat now; they are real. They’ve even unleashed the war elephants, for Jupiter’s sake! We’re in the midst of war, the fighting is in full swing, and the book is as brutal and bloody as ever. The caveat I brought up in my reviews of the first two books also applies here: if you’re squeamish about violence, cruelty, torture, death and all that unpleasantness and pain, it’s best to avoid this series or approach it with discretion. Watson’s Iron Age is a cruel and dark world.
Also, once again the emphasis has shifted on the characters. For me, Age of Iron was Dug’s story. Clash of Iron was more like Lowa’s. Reign of Iron is a novel that focuses on everyone, but I also can’t help but feel that Spring finally got her own book. She really got to shine in this one, and I loved her escapades across enemy lines.
That said, we see a lot of growth in all the characters. The feelings left behind from the last book are still there, which can’t be helped, but the characters’ spirit and resolve at least helped lift me out of that gaping chasm of sorrow. Both Spring and Lowa have their own ways to bolster Britain’s armies, which kept things interesting and sometimes humorous. Motherhood has also changed Lowa, and the mixed feelings she has for her baby becomes a new factor in her war planning.
Not everyone is such a joy to read about, though. Over on the Roman side, you have Ragnall the former druid and *cough* traitor *cough* who can’t seem to peel his lips off Julius Caesar’s backside long enough to see what really is going on in the world around him. We also have the druid Felix, whose flashback chapters don’t change my opinions on him that he is an insane and evil child-murdering sadist. The fact that he’s after Spring makes him even more hated. And Caesar is…well, Caesar is just Caesar. The man had many eccentricities, and let’s just say Angus Watson made sure to capture them all here.
So yep, it’s definitely the women who win big in this book.
Now that the series is over, I just have to say how impressed I am with the way the author tied everything together. Very little is known about life in Iron Age Britain and Mr. Watson made it clear from the start he was going to have a bit of fun with filling in the history, but he would be doing so by drawing from the huge amount of research he did for these books. But even though the premise is rooted in history, he never failed to place characters and story first. And the result is a huge success.
Finally, this is also the first time I reviewed the audio version of a book in this series, and I’m happy to report that listening was just as enjoyable as reading. English actor and narrator Sean Barrett is perfect! I love his accent and his inflections. Also, funny sometimes how we as audiobook listeners immediately associate a narrator’s voice to a character’s. Barrett’s voice is exactly how I would have imagine Dug to sound like, making me wish now to experience Iron Age again from the beginning, but in audio this time around. They really couldn’t have chosen a better actor to read this series.
All in all, I can’t recommend this trilogy enough. I had my doubts this book could deliver, after the second book and what was one of the most shocking endings I’ve ever read. That’s not something a series can easily bounce back from, and in truth I doubt it’s even possible to fully recover. And yet, Reign of Iron pressed on and finished off marvelously. I wait on pins and needles, arrows and swords to see what Angus Watson might do next. Here’s hoping he’ll keep writing great stories.
August 30, 2016
Reign of Iron was a satisfying finale to the Iron Age trilogy. The whole series was a great blend of historical fiction and fantasy. We got both Romans and magical Druids! The tone and nature of the story was a strange one. It was definitely Grimdark. The characters were very grey in nature and some of the happenings were quite dark and gruesome. The weird thing was that this was never a book that took itself to seriously so it was easy to get caught up in the humour and root for a bunch of the characters.
This final book in the trilogy mainly focused on Caesar's second invasion of Briton. Lowa, Chimanka, and Spring are still reeling from the shock happenings at the end of the last book while also having to focus their attentions on getting Briton ready for the impending invasion. Ragnall, Caesar, and the evil Felix are our view points from the Roman side of things.
The story was pretty fun. We got a few surprises along the way and a satisfying ending to things.
All in all this was a good way to end a fairly enjoyable fantasy trilogy.
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: Sean Barrett did a great job with the audio.
This final book in the trilogy mainly focused on Caesar's second invasion of Briton. Lowa, Chimanka, and Spring are still reeling from the shock happenings at the end of the last book while also having to focus their attentions on getting Briton ready for the impending invasion. Ragnall, Caesar, and the evil Felix are our view points from the Roman side of things.
The story was pretty fun. We got a few surprises along the way and a satisfying ending to things.
All in all this was a good way to end a fairly enjoyable fantasy trilogy.
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: Sean Barrett did a great job with the audio.
June 17, 2017
All three books 3-3.5*'s.
To be fair all the books were consistent. However I wanted to downgrade the first two after finishing the series because it never grew into something greater as things progressed. Some of the characters simplistic, nearly simpleton in actuality, thought processes started to annoy me as did Ragnar's petulant stupidity.
On the upside the humor especially inventive curses revolving around animal body parts kept amusing me. The historical fiction aspect of the story reminded me of a lot of things I had forgotten about the Romans in particular. The blood magic of the druids was interesting.
Overall for me it was just a passable trilogy and if you're looking for a light and easy read great but it's not epic.
To be fair all the books were consistent. However I wanted to downgrade the first two after finishing the series because it never grew into something greater as things progressed. Some of the characters simplistic, nearly simpleton in actuality, thought processes started to annoy me as did Ragnar's petulant stupidity.
On the upside the humor especially inventive curses revolving around animal body parts kept amusing me. The historical fiction aspect of the story reminded me of a lot of things I had forgotten about the Romans in particular. The blood magic of the druids was interesting.
Overall for me it was just a passable trilogy and if you're looking for a light and easy read great but it's not epic.
December 2, 2015
Full review at Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/1...
I still feel this series should get more love and attention. It is a brutal but that is tempered quite well with some amazing dark humor. For me to laugh out loud at a book? That’s high praise. While I had some reservations with the way Clash of Iron ended, this third installment solidified Angus Watson on my must read list as well as placing the series high on my recommendations list.
I still feel this series should get more love and attention. It is a brutal but that is tempered quite well with some amazing dark humor. For me to laugh out loud at a book? That’s high praise. While I had some reservations with the way Clash of Iron ended, this third installment solidified Angus Watson on my must read list as well as placing the series high on my recommendations list.
September 28, 2016
Some spoilers here.
Well here we are the third book in the trilogy. The hardest for me is one of the missing main characters, after the ending of book 2, although brought back in the imaginations of Lowa and Spring, it wasn't enough for me. I missed him as much as Lowa and Spring, taken hostage and sent to Rome to be reunited with Ragnall, owe how I wish she took care of him there.
Watson also brings back Ragnall that miserable turncoat, Chamanca, and Felix the most evil of Druids, with a quick backstory of how he became what he is.
So here Caesar invades Britain, and brutal battles occur, as the previous books. Things don't turn out so well, until the end, where Watson buttons up mostly everything.
Excellent trilogy, that actually is completed, that in of itself is a breath of fresh air with all the longer series out there. I'm sure more can be written of these characters, and perhaps there will be a book about Dug's earlier life.
In any event I am looking forward to Watson's next foray. I have become a fan.
Well here we are the third book in the trilogy. The hardest for me is one of the missing main characters, after the ending of book 2, although brought back in the imaginations of Lowa and Spring, it wasn't enough for me. I missed him as much as Lowa and Spring, taken hostage and sent to Rome to be reunited with Ragnall, owe how I wish she took care of him there.
Watson also brings back Ragnall that miserable turncoat, Chamanca, and Felix the most evil of Druids, with a quick backstory of how he became what he is.
So here Caesar invades Britain, and brutal battles occur, as the previous books. Things don't turn out so well, until the end, where Watson buttons up mostly everything.
Excellent trilogy, that actually is completed, that in of itself is a breath of fresh air with all the longer series out there. I'm sure more can be written of these characters, and perhaps there will be a book about Dug's earlier life.
In any event I am looking forward to Watson's next foray. I have become a fan.
November 11, 2016
I really enjoyed this marvellous series and am curious to know what Watson plans next?
September 30, 2015
Oh my goodness. What an amazing end to such a wonderful series! I love the fact and fiction clash in these novels and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. I really wish there was more to it, I could easily read 10 more books! The characters are badass and awesome, their powers and skills are amazing…I just love them! I can’t say too much without spoiling at least one of the plot lines, but I will say this: READ THEM ALL!
June 1, 2018
The last third of the book made me hate it. I think Angus Watson is a quite good author and overall I think the Iron Age trilogy is pretty solid, but the trilogy does not really deliver on its premise of a mature semi-realistic (emphasis on "semi") account of Julius Caesar's failed invasion of Britain.
The first way this book breaks my immersion into this world is that the main characters are almost infallible and unkillable. I am convinced you can dip Atlas and Chamanca in a vat of boiling whale blubber and they would come out smelling of roses. The amount of times they should have died is simply staggering and just kills the sense of danger that should be prevalent in the book. The people who die are relatively minor characters that are firmly side characters. I mean, I like said characters but largely they didn't matter so it is easy to move on from them. It breaks immersion for me to have this gritty battle scene where guts are being spilled and everyone is getting killed in violent and gruesome ways and the main characters are just so much better than everyone no one can touch them, and if they do get touched you know they will be perfectly fine.
Additionally, the series started out more morally ambiguous and cast in shades of gray, but by then end of this book everything is iron clad in black and white. In the beginning of the book, Ragnall is a good person who is blinded by faith in both Rome and Caesar, even Spring admits he is basically a good person at heart. In the last third of the book Ragnall is suddenly fat, a woman beater, has a pee and chicks with dicks fetish, and a murderous monster and it just kind of happens. The only reason for this snap is Spring beating him up once. It is so laughable the lengths the author goes to make sure everyone hates Ragnall which is a shame because I appreciate when authors make one of the antagonists a good person who has valid reasons, or has some reason to believe they are doing right and try to make the world better. But no, Watson throws this idea into the trash. It is a shame because I truly enjoyed the beginning of the trilogy where characters were complex and were not perfectly good or bad, but this is not the worst of the book.
The ending had one of the worst cases of deus ex machina I have read. Nothing previous to the ending had suggested baby Dug had magic power like big Dug did and everything suggesting there was no one else with magic left. Even Maggot specifically mentioned Dug had the most magical power he had ever seen and that there was no one left with that kind of power so baby Dug just happening to have an obscene amount of magic of him is just lazy writing which is weird because the author clearly is not a lazy person. He clearly put the effort into researching the history of the era to make things as accurate as possible, so taking a cop out like that does not make sense to me. I could buy the ending easier if there was some build up to it but there really wasn't. One throwaway line a chapter or two before Spring gets to him is hardly enough to justify what happened. And then Spring's magical escapades after she gets to Dug drains all the tension out of the story especially since it is nothing like previously shown magic. Apparently you can do whatever you want.
I was also disappointed in how the Romans did. They basically got their asses handed to them the whole book. Caesar was incompetent until the very end of the book until he got the bright idea to sabotage the what would be super inefficient and vulnerable Shouting network. But even then, the only forces that are able to do real damage to the Brits were the Demon Legion and the elephants. It is sad to see a threat built up to be so unstoppable get their asses kicked easily and outmaneuvered constantly, especially as we saw how effective they were in Gaul. Once landing in Britain though, Roman forces can barely tell their ass from a hole in the ground and walk into trap after trap. I don't know how I was expected to take the Roman threat seriously when they jumped into metaphorical meat grinders constantly while Lowa lost few troops. All the Roman victories were due to other forces saving their asses. Talk about not being able to take a threat seriously.
I know I focused on the ending a lot, but really it is a massive problem for me. I liked the series up to this point, but with such a bad taste in my mouth I wish I had not spent the 45 hrs it took to listen to it. Looking back to Age of Iron to this, the series is almost unrecognizable. I am very disappointed and wish I had treated Age of Iron as a standalone.
All that said the person who read out this series was very good.
The first way this book breaks my immersion into this world is that the main characters are almost infallible and unkillable. I am convinced you can dip Atlas and Chamanca in a vat of boiling whale blubber and they would come out smelling of roses. The amount of times they should have died is simply staggering and just kills the sense of danger that should be prevalent in the book. The people who die are relatively minor characters that are firmly side characters. I mean, I like said characters but largely they didn't matter so it is easy to move on from them. It breaks immersion for me to have this gritty battle scene where guts are being spilled and everyone is getting killed in violent and gruesome ways and the main characters are just so much better than everyone no one can touch them, and if they do get touched you know they will be perfectly fine.
Additionally, the series started out more morally ambiguous and cast in shades of gray, but by then end of this book everything is iron clad in black and white. In the beginning of the book, Ragnall is a good person who is blinded by faith in both Rome and Caesar, even Spring admits he is basically a good person at heart. In the last third of the book Ragnall is suddenly fat, a woman beater, has a pee and chicks with dicks fetish, and a murderous monster and it just kind of happens. The only reason for this snap is Spring beating him up once. It is so laughable the lengths the author goes to make sure everyone hates Ragnall which is a shame because I appreciate when authors make one of the antagonists a good person who has valid reasons, or has some reason to believe they are doing right and try to make the world better. But no, Watson throws this idea into the trash. It is a shame because I truly enjoyed the beginning of the trilogy where characters were complex and were not perfectly good or bad, but this is not the worst of the book.
The ending had one of the worst cases of deus ex machina I have read. Nothing previous to the ending had suggested baby Dug had magic power like big Dug did and everything suggesting there was no one else with magic left. Even Maggot specifically mentioned Dug had the most magical power he had ever seen and that there was no one left with that kind of power so baby Dug just happening to have an obscene amount of magic of him is just lazy writing which is weird because the author clearly is not a lazy person. He clearly put the effort into researching the history of the era to make things as accurate as possible, so taking a cop out like that does not make sense to me. I could buy the ending easier if there was some build up to it but there really wasn't. One throwaway line a chapter or two before Spring gets to him is hardly enough to justify what happened. And then Spring's magical escapades after she gets to Dug drains all the tension out of the story especially since it is nothing like previously shown magic. Apparently you can do whatever you want.
I was also disappointed in how the Romans did. They basically got their asses handed to them the whole book. Caesar was incompetent until the very end of the book until he got the bright idea to sabotage the what would be super inefficient and vulnerable Shouting network. But even then, the only forces that are able to do real damage to the Brits were the Demon Legion and the elephants. It is sad to see a threat built up to be so unstoppable get their asses kicked easily and outmaneuvered constantly, especially as we saw how effective they were in Gaul. Once landing in Britain though, Roman forces can barely tell their ass from a hole in the ground and walk into trap after trap. I don't know how I was expected to take the Roman threat seriously when they jumped into metaphorical meat grinders constantly while Lowa lost few troops. All the Roman victories were due to other forces saving their asses. Talk about not being able to take a threat seriously.
I know I focused on the ending a lot, but really it is a massive problem for me. I liked the series up to this point, but with such a bad taste in my mouth I wish I had not spent the 45 hrs it took to listen to it. Looking back to Age of Iron to this, the series is almost unrecognizable. I am very disappointed and wish I had treated Age of Iron as a standalone.
All that said the person who read out this series was very good.
June 20, 2020
Watson finished the trilogy on a definite high note! The Romans are basically done with Gaul, and now Julius Caesar turns his eyes and army toward Britain, which he invades twice in two years time. Although we have very little historical record on the actual events in Britain (primarily Caesar's own journals, which are known to be more than a little self promoting), Watson carefully builds the story as it might have happened. Lowa has been carefully building up and training an army to defend against the invasion. The odious traitor Ragnall is given custody over Spring after she is captured during the first invasion and Caesar promises them that they will be king and queen of vassal Britain after the Roman conquest. Felix the evil druid continues to build and refine his monsters for the invasion as well. The other main characters also receive further development, especially the lovely and deadly Chamanca. Watson really builds a stellar cast of characters here, with strong female leads. Spring is a delight, and her verbal repartees with Ragnall are a blast. Ragnall goes on and on about how Roman culture/society is superior to Britain, and Spring cuts them down one by one.
What I found really unique in this trilogy is how Watson represents the British and Gaul people. The British are basically something like a post-enlightenment society; relatively primitive maybe, but women and men have equal rights and positions of power in society (unlike the patriarchal and bigoted Romans). The desire to remain free from under the yoke of Rome unites most of the British and this is presented in a humorous way. When Lowa and others describe Roman society, the women are appalled (we cannot run a business, own property or be in the army?!?) while some of the men are like Hum, does not sound to bad! The philosophical debates really make this series shine-- What makes one society better than another? What is the best way to rule society? Is there life after death? What is the proper role of the wealthy in society? Watson makes us rethink our own society and cultural biases at the same time he tells an action packed, humorous story.
This series is probably not for everyone, but if you enjoy historical fiction and fantasy, have room for philosophy, and like character driven fiction, you should enjoy it.
What I found really unique in this trilogy is how Watson represents the British and Gaul people. The British are basically something like a post-enlightenment society; relatively primitive maybe, but women and men have equal rights and positions of power in society (unlike the patriarchal and bigoted Romans). The desire to remain free from under the yoke of Rome unites most of the British and this is presented in a humorous way. When Lowa and others describe Roman society, the women are appalled (we cannot run a business, own property or be in the army?!?) while some of the men are like Hum, does not sound to bad! The philosophical debates really make this series shine-- What makes one society better than another? What is the best way to rule society? Is there life after death? What is the proper role of the wealthy in society? Watson makes us rethink our own society and cultural biases at the same time he tells an action packed, humorous story.
This series is probably not for everyone, but if you enjoy historical fiction and fantasy, have room for philosophy, and like character driven fiction, you should enjoy it.
January 28, 2016
I am going to miss these characters. Excellent work Mr. Watson. If I don't find a reviewer that sells this to all lovers of fantasy, I will make a point of doing so. I don't do the academic stuff which is important from a premise standpoint. That's all it was to me. The humor, the religions, the characters all come together to create a series that will be around for some time. I can see my children and grandchildren enjoying this. Actually one of mine already has so there you go.
October 6, 2015
This was one of the most enjoyable trilogies that i have read in some time. Fast paced, very witty and some great characters, both the fairly good and the dastardly. At the end i was left thinking "what if"? I look forward to whatever Angus Watson writes next. An excellent effort.
May 28, 2016
5/5 stars - favorite!
Different (more epic battle, more fantasy) but just as amazing as the previous two books.
I am so happy that Orbit announced today a new three book deal with the author :-)
Different (more epic battle, more fantasy) but just as amazing as the previous two books.
I am so happy that Orbit announced today a new three book deal with the author :-)
October 4, 2015
Reign of Iron is one of those fantasy books that is a breeze to read. There is not a single dull moment in there.
In the final book of the Iron Age trilogy, Julius Caesar has arrived in Britain. It is up to our rag-tag band of British heroes to stop him from enslaving everyone they care for. But what can they do against Caesar's superior numbers, and his secret weapon: a group of unnaturally fast and strong monsters led by the druid Felix?
After the build-up of two books, the Roman invasion is finally happening. And it's epic. Instead of doing the boring preamble again, Reign of Iron is almost exclusively filled with interactions and clashes between the Romans and Britons. There are battles and cool strategies and small skirmishes. We are given alternate points of view between characters like Chamanca, who does what she does best in the bloody battlefield, and Lowa, who as a queen oversees the battle from a high vantage point. The problem I usually have with battle-focussed book, in that it is hard for me to follow what is going on, was never a real issue here. Mr Watson writes battle scenes very well. He mixes the gore, the bone smashing and gut wrenching, with a dark humour that works very well in these books.
Like the other Iron Age books, Reign of Iron is filled with touching moments and sad ones, funny and poignant. As people who have read the second book know, the author doesn't shy away from killing his darlings, and there is this constant fear while reading that some of my favourites might not make it. Ultimately, I think Mr Watson struck a perfect balance between tragedy and triumph. Characters are not killed simply to be killed - there is always a sense of purpose, and as a reader I appreciate that we're not to be tortured with needless deaths of all the fun characters.
My only point of critique is that the resolution of the story was over incredibly quickly. I would have enjoyed another chapter or two so the reader can see more of what comes after. As it was, the ending was a bit abrupt. All the plot points were resolved, but I did want to know more.
In the notes at the end of the book, there are hints that there might be more books featuring some of the Iron Age characters. I hope that's the case, because I'm not ready to say goodbye yet!
In the final book of the Iron Age trilogy, Julius Caesar has arrived in Britain. It is up to our rag-tag band of British heroes to stop him from enslaving everyone they care for. But what can they do against Caesar's superior numbers, and his secret weapon: a group of unnaturally fast and strong monsters led by the druid Felix?
After the build-up of two books, the Roman invasion is finally happening. And it's epic. Instead of doing the boring preamble again, Reign of Iron is almost exclusively filled with interactions and clashes between the Romans and Britons. There are battles and cool strategies and small skirmishes. We are given alternate points of view between characters like Chamanca, who does what she does best in the bloody battlefield, and Lowa, who as a queen oversees the battle from a high vantage point. The problem I usually have with battle-focussed book, in that it is hard for me to follow what is going on, was never a real issue here. Mr Watson writes battle scenes very well. He mixes the gore, the bone smashing and gut wrenching, with a dark humour that works very well in these books.
Like the other Iron Age books, Reign of Iron is filled with touching moments and sad ones, funny and poignant. As people who have read the second book know, the author doesn't shy away from killing his darlings, and there is this constant fear while reading that some of my favourites might not make it. Ultimately, I think Mr Watson struck a perfect balance between tragedy and triumph. Characters are not killed simply to be killed - there is always a sense of purpose, and as a reader I appreciate that we're not to be tortured with needless deaths of all the fun characters.
My only point of critique is that the resolution of the story was over incredibly quickly. I would have enjoyed another chapter or two so the reader can see more of what comes after. As it was, the ending was a bit abrupt. All the plot points were resolved, but I did want to know more.
In the notes at the end of the book, there are hints that there might be more books featuring some of the Iron Age characters. I hope that's the case, because I'm not ready to say goodbye yet!
February 21, 2017
I had a really good year so far - I was lucky enough to pick mostly really good, often 5 stars books. But this trilogy was the best of all of them. I can't remember when I had so much fun with a book. I love reading, don't get me wrong - but laughing out loud every few pages is not someting usual to me. I also shed few tears here and there (Angus Watson fucks with you so often that you sometimes wish the characters would die already to save you all of this stress), my heart was beating faster few times, I was excited, scared and sometimes even disgusted. That's an incredible mix. I loved every single page. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Words can't describe how sad I am that this is only a trilogy (author mentioned that he has few ideas for a book, MAYBE even with characters from this one - so I keep my fingers crossed). In Reign of Iron we've got even more epic fights that in previous ones. Because of the way every battle and fight were described I didn't have even the smallest problem with picturing it. Which is especially important in battles with multiple armies and different units. The only thing I am a little iffy about is the ending. I mean it's really good, but there should be like 20-30 pages more to close everything. To show something after. I was so surprised that this was the end - we've got shitload of fight, we know who won and then there is the end. I need to know what they are doing after! I got so attached to almost all of the characters that ending a trilogy this way seems so cruel. Way too cruel.
July 11, 2022
Went through this entire trilogy in the space of a few weeks which is really quick for me! Loved it!
There are so many great characters in this trilogy. Dug is impossible not to like. And it was good to have his presence through the entire series. Spring was intriguing from the off. Strong in mind from an early age and blossomed into strong of body as the story went on! Lowa was awesome. As was Atlas! And so many smaller more minor characters throughout. The bad guys were well developed too. But my favourite was definitely Chamanca. Was great to have her as a POV character as the trilogy went on. Loved how much she believed in her own strength and beauty. Don't think I've ever felt so much love for a character in a non vampire setting that has such a thirst for blood that she's filed her teeth to points! She deserves her own stories!
Anyway, I feel like I'm waffling a little here so just go out and read this gem of a trilogy if you haven't already.
There are so many great characters in this trilogy. Dug is impossible not to like. And it was good to have his presence through the entire series. Spring was intriguing from the off. Strong in mind from an early age and blossomed into strong of body as the story went on! Lowa was awesome. As was Atlas! And so many smaller more minor characters throughout. The bad guys were well developed too. But my favourite was definitely Chamanca. Was great to have her as a POV character as the trilogy went on. Loved how much she believed in her own strength and beauty. Don't think I've ever felt so much love for a character in a non vampire setting that has such a thirst for blood that she's filed her teeth to points! She deserves her own stories!
Anyway, I feel like I'm waffling a little here so just go out and read this gem of a trilogy if you haven't already.
July 8, 2019
Ugh, this was a bad ending to what should have been a good trilogy. The first problem is carnivorous elephants. (Seriously!). Get out of here with that nonsense! That alone would make it only two stars, but there are many other issues.
The whole Ragnall plotline was annoying throughout the trilogy, but the expectation that it would have a good resolution kept it interesting. Unfortunately, the resolution was just as boring, tasteless, and pointless as the rest of his story.
The author's fallback once again on deus ex machina to save the day was so frustrating. I guess I should be happy that it was only used at the end, after the author had written himself into a corner, rather than every other chapter like the first book. But yeah, this book should be referenced in the definition of deus ex machina, it was so blatant.
The whole Ragnall plotline was annoying throughout the trilogy, but the expectation that it would have a good resolution kept it interesting. Unfortunately, the resolution was just as boring, tasteless, and pointless as the rest of his story.
The author's fallback once again on deus ex machina to save the day was so frustrating. I guess I should be happy that it was only used at the end, after the author had written himself into a corner, rather than every other chapter like the first book. But yeah, this book should be referenced in the definition of deus ex machina, it was so blatant.
October 21, 2015
This book and entire series rocks!
At first I was very disappointed that my favorite character in the series, Dug Sealskinner would not be included. However this book is a triumph even without him. I might even go so far as to say that this was the best book in the series.
This book is Acton packed from the first page to the last. If you haven't started this series yet, now is the perfect time because all three books are complete.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
At first I was very disappointed that my favorite character in the series, Dug Sealskinner would not be included. However this book is a triumph even without him. I might even go so far as to say that this was the best book in the series.
This book is Acton packed from the first page to the last. If you haven't started this series yet, now is the perfect time because all three books are complete.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
December 10, 2015
Chills
This book was what the culmination of a trilogy should be. Really like the whole set-up, as in alternate(?) history. And Spring is just totally awesome, was from the first book. Like most of the characters, and hated some deeply. And yeah, had chills of excitement and anticipation, and cried a little, throughout the ending. Recommended
This book was what the culmination of a trilogy should be. Really like the whole set-up, as in alternate(?) history. And Spring is just totally awesome, was from the first book. Like most of the characters, and hated some deeply. And yeah, had chills of excitement and anticipation, and cried a little, throughout the ending. Recommended
September 12, 2015
Enjoyable end to a very enjoyable series.
April 21, 2022
Immer noch blutig, aber besser als Teil 1 und 2.
Sehr geniales Ende, daher eigentlich 4,5 Sterne.
Sehr geniales Ende, daher eigentlich 4,5 Sterne.
December 15, 2015
One of the best series I've ever read (actually listened to, which I don't usually enjoy as much).
February 9, 2025
By the 3rd volume, I already knew what to expect, so there were no major surprises:
- same characters - quite a motley crew - paper-thin, but also easy to distinguish
- grotesque villains who irritate more than make you tremble in awe
- a storyline rushing at breakneck speed (no boredom guaranteed)
- a lot of small inconsistencies that defy logic (but surprisingly: don't reduce the fun factor much)
- the (supposedly) primitive world of the Iron Age filled with modernist or even millennial-style dialogues ...
- sarcasm, sarcasm everywhere, completely replacing the hierarchies of that feudal world
What's new, then?
- well, we have a real ending - the trilogy is truly concluded (which doesn't mean there's no potential for sequels ...); how good is it? I don't want to spoil too much, but IMHO Watson followed an easy path here - quite predictable and potentially far less "fulfilling" (for the reader) than some alternatives
- you get even more of Rome, Romans, and their culture/politics/society here - this part is done really badly as it mostly presents them as grotesque idiots with no real advantage (that such an empire had ...)
- some characters are veeeery under-utilised; in some cases, it even feels like Watson changes his mind a few times on the role they'll play in the full story (vide Ragnal); yes, I know the term "dynamic character" & it's clear some characters do have their dilemmas and evolve (influences by pivotal events in their life) - but that's not the case
- I kept hoping that some "forces" and "advantages" would finally find their counter-measures, based on smarts, tactics, and preparation - that did not happen (something else happened, but that would be a spoiler ...)
It was fun. If you liked the previous two volumes, you'll probably like this one too. But it's clear that the further into sage, the worse the quality. Anyway, it was still quite a debut - congratulations to the author.
- same characters - quite a motley crew - paper-thin, but also easy to distinguish
- grotesque villains who irritate more than make you tremble in awe
- a storyline rushing at breakneck speed (no boredom guaranteed)
- a lot of small inconsistencies that defy logic (but surprisingly: don't reduce the fun factor much)
- the (supposedly) primitive world of the Iron Age filled with modernist or even millennial-style dialogues ...
- sarcasm, sarcasm everywhere, completely replacing the hierarchies of that feudal world
What's new, then?
- well, we have a real ending - the trilogy is truly concluded (which doesn't mean there's no potential for sequels ...); how good is it? I don't want to spoil too much, but IMHO Watson followed an easy path here - quite predictable and potentially far less "fulfilling" (for the reader) than some alternatives
- you get even more of Rome, Romans, and their culture/politics/society here - this part is done really badly as it mostly presents them as grotesque idiots with no real advantage (that such an empire had ...)
- some characters are veeeery under-utilised; in some cases, it even feels like Watson changes his mind a few times on the role they'll play in the full story (vide Ragnal); yes, I know the term "dynamic character" & it's clear some characters do have their dilemmas and evolve (influences by pivotal events in their life) - but that's not the case
- I kept hoping that some "forces" and "advantages" would finally find their counter-measures, based on smarts, tactics, and preparation - that did not happen (something else happened, but that would be a spoiler ...)
It was fun. If you liked the previous two volumes, you'll probably like this one too. But it's clear that the further into sage, the worse the quality. Anyway, it was still quite a debut - congratulations to the author.
September 3, 2025
thoroughly enjoyed! didn't think I would enjoy the final book in the trilogy as much as the first two (no spoi bois, but book 2 ends in a final way) but I read it in under a week. real page turner, whole trilogy worth a pop for all fantasy fans.
November 23, 2015
Reig of Iron empieza poco después del impactante final de Clash of Iron, con los principales protagonistas intentando reponerse de ese golpe tan sobrecogedor, pero siempre con la vista puesta a la inminente invasión romana, no solo temible por su formidable ejército, sino también por su ejército secreto creado y comandado por el malvado druida Felix.
Precisamente Felix es uno de los pocos puntos de vista nuevos con los que cuenta Reign of Iron, conociendo más el pasado de este loco y sádico druida, demostrando una vez más que este libro puede herir la sensibilidad de algún lector pero, como ya comenté en las reseñas de los anteriores libros, nunca sin sobrepasar ciertos límites ni hacerse tan obsceno como para resultar incómodo y/o repugnante. Por mi parte, son precisamente estas escenas que van un poco más allá las que más me han cautivado de este libro, y lo bien que se mezcla con el humor de Angus Watson.
A parte de Felix seguiremos con los personajes habituales con lo que nos permitirá ir viendo la situación en ambos bandos, británicos y romanos, cosa que se agradece y que a la vez nos permite disfrutar de personajes secundarios que a veces llegan a eclipsar a los propios personajes principales. Y es que como siempre he dicho, la clave, para mí, del éxito de Angus Watson y la trilogía Age of Iron son los personajes, tanto los principales, como los secundarios, como aquellos que conocemos solo durante uno o dos capítulos para luego morir de forma absurda o heroica.
En cuanto a la historia, poco que contar, ya que el autor se basa en la historia real de la invasión romana a las Islas Británicas, con lo que todos sabemos como acabó. Aún así, Angus, consigue darle esa vuelta de tuerca para que la historia real y la ficticia acaben cogidas de la mano y en el mismo punto sin traicionar ninguna de las dos.
Para ponerle una pega a los libros, y al igual que con los anteriores, me sigue chirriando el sistema mágico, que pese a tener su explicación e incluso atar cabos con los anteriores libros me sigue dando la impresión de que el autor la utiliza como un deus ex machina para salir airoso de según que situaciones.
Pese a este pequeño "pero" recomiendo mucho la lectura de esta trilogía a todo aficionado a la fantasía y que además sea también aficionado a la historia romana, con lo que también podrá disfrutar del punto de vista del propio Angus Watson sobre el carácter de algunos personajes históricos de la época como el mismo Julio César, a la vez que disfruta de personajes ficticios geniales como Chamanca, guerrea y bebedora de sangre, quién además resulta ser de nuestra propia tierra, Iberia.
Grandes batallas, humor, personajes femeninos fuertes, sangre, buenos diálogos y mucho más podréis encontrar en la trilogía Iron Age.
NOTA: 4 / 5
Precisamente Felix es uno de los pocos puntos de vista nuevos con los que cuenta Reign of Iron, conociendo más el pasado de este loco y sádico druida, demostrando una vez más que este libro puede herir la sensibilidad de algún lector pero, como ya comenté en las reseñas de los anteriores libros, nunca sin sobrepasar ciertos límites ni hacerse tan obsceno como para resultar incómodo y/o repugnante. Por mi parte, son precisamente estas escenas que van un poco más allá las que más me han cautivado de este libro, y lo bien que se mezcla con el humor de Angus Watson.
A parte de Felix seguiremos con los personajes habituales con lo que nos permitirá ir viendo la situación en ambos bandos, británicos y romanos, cosa que se agradece y que a la vez nos permite disfrutar de personajes secundarios que a veces llegan a eclipsar a los propios personajes principales. Y es que como siempre he dicho, la clave, para mí, del éxito de Angus Watson y la trilogía Age of Iron son los personajes, tanto los principales, como los secundarios, como aquellos que conocemos solo durante uno o dos capítulos para luego morir de forma absurda o heroica.
En cuanto a la historia, poco que contar, ya que el autor se basa en la historia real de la invasión romana a las Islas Británicas, con lo que todos sabemos como acabó. Aún así, Angus, consigue darle esa vuelta de tuerca para que la historia real y la ficticia acaben cogidas de la mano y en el mismo punto sin traicionar ninguna de las dos.
Para ponerle una pega a los libros, y al igual que con los anteriores, me sigue chirriando el sistema mágico, que pese a tener su explicación e incluso atar cabos con los anteriores libros me sigue dando la impresión de que el autor la utiliza como un deus ex machina para salir airoso de según que situaciones.
Pese a este pequeño "pero" recomiendo mucho la lectura de esta trilogía a todo aficionado a la fantasía y que además sea también aficionado a la historia romana, con lo que también podrá disfrutar del punto de vista del propio Angus Watson sobre el carácter de algunos personajes históricos de la época como el mismo Julio César, a la vez que disfruta de personajes ficticios geniales como Chamanca, guerrea y bebedora de sangre, quién además resulta ser de nuestra propia tierra, Iberia.
Grandes batallas, humor, personajes femeninos fuertes, sangre, buenos diálogos y mucho más podréis encontrar en la trilogía Iron Age.
NOTA: 4 / 5
October 16, 2015
5/5 Stars.
Delicious book. Seldom I find trilogies that are as enjoyable and thrilling as these books. Few exceptions are the Thorns trilogy by Mark Lawrence and the Ryiria series by Michael Sullivan.
Appealing aspects of this book are the diversity of characterization and the grittiness of the story. Despite the fact that the story revolves around the first Roman invasion to the British islands, something less appealing as a fantasy theme rather than a historical fiction, the book manages to plunge the reader into a world of sadism, limbs and head chopping, rivers of blood and peppered with magic, some spicy wittiness, buckets of stupidity all served in a handful of fast paced battles and enjoyable dialogues.
The author managed to create a unique frame where he vividly described these historical events and captures the readers attention through the characters, forgetting at some point that the story revolves around recorded history and not the creation of someone's twisted and sadistic mind.
As I listened to the book, I have nothing but praise for the work of Sean Barrett, his work raised the book to new heights. His characterization and storytelling is among the best I've encountered so far. The combination of these to gentlemen rendered a delightful experience that I hope it will resume in the not so distant future.
Delicious book. Seldom I find trilogies that are as enjoyable and thrilling as these books. Few exceptions are the Thorns trilogy by Mark Lawrence and the Ryiria series by Michael Sullivan.
Appealing aspects of this book are the diversity of characterization and the grittiness of the story. Despite the fact that the story revolves around the first Roman invasion to the British islands, something less appealing as a fantasy theme rather than a historical fiction, the book manages to plunge the reader into a world of sadism, limbs and head chopping, rivers of blood and peppered with magic, some spicy wittiness, buckets of stupidity all served in a handful of fast paced battles and enjoyable dialogues.
The author managed to create a unique frame where he vividly described these historical events and captures the readers attention through the characters, forgetting at some point that the story revolves around recorded history and not the creation of someone's twisted and sadistic mind.
As I listened to the book, I have nothing but praise for the work of Sean Barrett, his work raised the book to new heights. His characterization and storytelling is among the best I've encountered so far. The combination of these to gentlemen rendered a delightful experience that I hope it will resume in the not so distant future.
March 12, 2019
Wow...
The best book in the trilogy and a great conclusion to the story.
The book continuous straight from the spot the second book has ended.
What is better in this one over the first two is the new POV. The main villain of the trilogy Felix is the best villain I ever met, and he receives a POV in this one. His POVs actually the best ones, because you see it from his perspective and know his motivations. And the best part of it all that it was a great experience to root against him.
These books are very underrated in my opinion, and that's puts me in a spot that I don't know how to pick up books to read. There are cases that I pick up a book with a great rating and it sucks, and there these.
Now I have a new author to follow, and I hope that he's not a one trick pony, and his future books will be not less good than these ones.
Very recommended.
The best book in the trilogy and a great conclusion to the story.
The book continuous straight from the spot the second book has ended.
What is better in this one over the first two is the new POV. The main villain of the trilogy Felix is the best villain I ever met, and he receives a POV in this one. His POVs actually the best ones, because you see it from his perspective and know his motivations. And the best part of it all that it was a great experience to root against him.
These books are very underrated in my opinion, and that's puts me in a spot that I don't know how to pick up books to read. There are cases that I pick up a book with a great rating and it sucks, and there these.
Now I have a new author to follow, and I hope that he's not a one trick pony, and his future books will be not less good than these ones.
Very recommended.
October 19, 2015
Loved this series and I think the last book was the best. It cracked along at an impressive pace and I finished it in a little over a day of solid reading. I especially liked the characters - attention seemed a bit more evenly distributed between them than the middle book and they were all very engaging. Hoping that the author follows through with his suggestion to write something related to the existing characters next - they deserve it. Mind you, he probably deserves a bit of a rest, having released three huge books in little over a year.
February 14, 2017
A great end to an excellent trilogy. If,like me, you're a fan of Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie then Angus Watson could be your new favourite author. Highly recommended !
January 19, 2022
Na borsucze jaja i cycki Danu!
Mogę jedynie żałować, że seria się skończyła. Było bardzo krwawo, trochę magicznie i całkiem zabawnie. Bardzo polubiłam rubaszne poczucie humoru autora. Bohaterowie z krwi i kości. Mają wady i zalety, i żaden z nich nie jest mdły ani bezbarwny. Wręcz przeciwnie, każdy ma niepowtarzalny charakter. Często trudny...
Ostatni tom, to lata 55-54 B.C. Cezar kilkakrotnie próbuje opanować Brytanię. Wszyscy wiemy, z jakim skutkiem. Lowa organizuje armię i z pomocą przyjaciół wszelkimi sposobami przygotowuje się do najazdu Rzymian.
Końcówka jest bardzo magiczna i autor naprawdę puścił wodze fantazji, z czego zresztą tłumaczy się w posłowiu. Ale nie mam mu tego za złe.
Chyba najbardziej zaskoczyło mnie stwierdzenie, że archeologia w ogóle nie potwierdza obecności Cezara w Brytanii. Nie ma na to żadnych dowodów, oprócz pamiętników samego Julka i innych rzymskich kronikarzy 😲😲😲 Autor pisze o tym w posłowiu.
W trakcie czytania serii często nachodziła mnie refleksja, co tak naprawdę dała nam rzymska cywilizacja. Czy naprawdę te prymitywne ludy i ich wierzenia były zacofane i należało je wyniszczyć? Przede wszystkim zastanawia mnie, co Rzym miał do zaoferowania kobietom. I odpowiedź brzmi: NIC. Oprócz poniżenia... Kobiety Celtów miały takie same prawa, jak mężczyźni. Mogły wykonywać zawody, jakie im się podobały, dziedziczyć, być wojowniczkami, druidkami, a nawet władczyniami, jak choćby słynna królowa Boudica (fascynuje mnie ta postać i będę zgłębiać temat). Rzym, to cywilizacja mężczyzn. Prawa narzucone przez nią tysiące lat temu pokutują do dziś. Jeśli nie oficjalnie w zapisach prawnych, to w naszej grupowej mentalności. Kobieta, to istota słabsza, gorsza, mniej ważna, mająca służyć mężczyźnie...
Mogę jedynie żałować, że seria się skończyła. Było bardzo krwawo, trochę magicznie i całkiem zabawnie. Bardzo polubiłam rubaszne poczucie humoru autora. Bohaterowie z krwi i kości. Mają wady i zalety, i żaden z nich nie jest mdły ani bezbarwny. Wręcz przeciwnie, każdy ma niepowtarzalny charakter. Często trudny...
Ostatni tom, to lata 55-54 B.C. Cezar kilkakrotnie próbuje opanować Brytanię. Wszyscy wiemy, z jakim skutkiem. Lowa organizuje armię i z pomocą przyjaciół wszelkimi sposobami przygotowuje się do najazdu Rzymian.
Końcówka jest bardzo magiczna i autor naprawdę puścił wodze fantazji, z czego zresztą tłumaczy się w posłowiu. Ale nie mam mu tego za złe.
Chyba najbardziej zaskoczyło mnie stwierdzenie, że archeologia w ogóle nie potwierdza obecności Cezara w Brytanii. Nie ma na to żadnych dowodów, oprócz pamiętników samego Julka i innych rzymskich kronikarzy 😲😲😲 Autor pisze o tym w posłowiu.
W trakcie czytania serii często nachodziła mnie refleksja, co tak naprawdę dała nam rzymska cywilizacja. Czy naprawdę te prymitywne ludy i ich wierzenia były zacofane i należało je wyniszczyć? Przede wszystkim zastanawia mnie, co Rzym miał do zaoferowania kobietom. I odpowiedź brzmi: NIC. Oprócz poniżenia... Kobiety Celtów miały takie same prawa, jak mężczyźni. Mogły wykonywać zawody, jakie im się podobały, dziedziczyć, być wojowniczkami, druidkami, a nawet władczyniami, jak choćby słynna królowa Boudica (fascynuje mnie ta postać i będę zgłębiać temat). Rzym, to cywilizacja mężczyzn. Prawa narzucone przez nią tysiące lat temu pokutują do dziś. Jeśli nie oficjalnie w zapisach prawnych, to w naszej grupowej mentalności. Kobieta, to istota słabsza, gorsza, mniej ważna, mająca służyć mężczyźnie...
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