Manda Scott

21-12-2012: La fecha ya está fjada y el tiempo corre en contra… El fn del mundo empieza ahora. Los antiguos mayas predijeron el fn del mundo con una precisión implacable, pero también proporcionaron

2012. The date is set. Time is running out. The ancient Mayans predicted the End of Days with uncanny precision. But they also provided the key to staving off apocalypse: a flawless sapphire of incomparable beauty carved into the perfect likeness of a human skull.

The ancient Mayans predicted the End of Days with uncanny precision: 21 December 2012. But they also provided the key to staving off apocalypse: a flawless sapphire of incomparable beauty carved into the perfect likeness of a human skull. For more than four centuries, the skull and its legacy of dark intrigue and murder have been hidden, protected by a code few can break. Now it's about to be found.

Corre el año 60 d.C., y en una Britania ocupada por las legiones romanas las tribus nativas se preparan para una lucha que debe ser definitiva para acabar con el invasor. Sin embargo, será difícil que Boudica, cansada de empuñar las armas contra las bien pertrechadas tropas imperiales, acepte asumir el liderazgo de unas hordas guiadas por su valor y su honor pero en clara desventaja militar. El detallado conocimiento a que ya nos tienes aconstumbrados Manda Scott en sus tres novelas anteriores culminan en esta obra con un impresionante relato de los ultimos dias de una lucha desigual de la que surgio una leyenda inmortal, la de Boudica, la reina guerrera de los celtas.

El sueño del toro rojo se inicia allí donde concluía El sueño del águila: Bán, el medio hermano de Boudica, forma parte ahora de las tropas del emperador Claudio y se hace llamar Julio Valerio, convencido como esta de que todo esta perdido para los celtas y que toda su familia ha sido exterminada. Por su parte, tanto Boudica como su amante Carataco no acaban de creerse que Ban se haya convertido en un traidor, y de ahi nace el conflicto central de la novela, en la que Carataco cobra un protagonismo mayor del que tenia en la primera entrega y del que tiene en la tercera. Sin embargo, El sueño del toro rojo es una obra autonoma, que acepta una lectura independiente y que relata el momento central de la lucha entre los celtas y el poderoso imperio romano, y deja a las puertas al lector del gran enfrentamiento final. Toda la historia esta salpicada ademas de referencias y narraciones mediante las cuales Manda Scott presenta la mitologia, las costumbres y los ritos celtas, para redondear una novela historica muy solida.

En el año 57 a.C., los romanos llevaban ya más de una década en Britania, con amplias zonas viviendo en estado de vasallaje, con tribus altivas e indómitas que consideraban una ofensa la explotación a que eran sometidas. Mientras, en la sagrada de Mona, la reina Boudica sabe ya con certeza que su amante, Carataco, traicionado, apresado y cautivo en Roma, ya nunca regresara, pues su destino es un exilio deshonroso en la Galia, considerado por todos como un traidor. Ha llegado el momento de empuñar las armas de nuevo contra el Imperio romano, y de desencadenar la revuelta mas sangrienta que haya conocido el mundo occidental en su historia. Boudica es un personaje de gran atractivo que se convirtio en todo un simbolo de la lucha contra la opresion en una epoca marcada por la violencia y el misterio.

En esta primera entrega sobre Boudica, la que llegaría a ser heroína de la lucha contra la invasión romana, Manda Scott traza un convincente panorama de lo que debieron ser los usos y costumbres de las tribus celtas, con especial atencion a las rivalidades internas y a los ritos y el aspecto religioso. De hecho, la protagonista parece inicialmente predestinada a convertirse en una "soñadora del futuro", en poco menos que una visionaria icena, pero los duros tiempos previos a la invasion romana (32-39 d.C.) la convierten tambien en una guerrera temible con un prematuro bautizo de fuego. La profundizacion en la psicologia de los personajes y su evolucion, asi como la completa reproduccion de ambientes y costumbres dota a esta novela de una inusual fuerza literaria. Manda Scott explora una epoca de la cual han quedado muy pocos datos historicos y, a la manera de Robert Graves, cubre las lagunas de los estudios academicos mediante la logica y unas hipotesis que resultan del todo convincentes. Boudica es un personaje de gran atractivo y hasta ahora poco conocido.

The ancient Mayans predicted the End of Days with uncanny precision: 21 December 2012.But they also provided the key to staving off apocalypse: a flawless sapphire of incomparable beauty carved into the perfect likeness of a human skull.For more than four centuries, the skull and its legacy of dark intrigue and murder have been hidden, protected by a code few can break.Now its about to be found.

If you like Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden, you will love this second book in THE SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Manda Scotts epic retelling of the story of Britains great warrior queen."One of the boldest of recent adventures in historical fiction...Scott celebrates the mystic matriarchy of the British tribe with lush lyricism and story-weaving panache..." -- INDEPENDENT"A cry for freedom cloaked in lyrical and sensitive prose." -- OXFORD TIMES"Of the recent historical novels set in Roman times, this is the best one Ive read." -- MAIL ON SUNDAY"So well written and atmospheric that you are there along with the characters. Plenty of development of the main characters from the first book, lots of suspense and page turning action." -- ***** Reader review"Amazing writing, spellbinding, transporting... History and fiction woven together in a memorising way and creating a real and vivid picture of life in Britain 2000 years ago. Highly recommend it!" -- ***** Reader review"Every book in the series has you on the edge of your seat. It makes you laugh and cry, love and hate. In fact be prepared to experience every emotion." -- ***** Reader review*********************************************THIS IS A HEART-STOPPING STORY OF WAR AND PEACE; OF LOVE, PASSION AND BETRAYAL; OF DRUIDS AND GODS IN A WORLD WHERE EACH LIFE IS SACRED BUT EACH DEATH EVEN MORE SO...In AD 60, Boudica, war leader of the Eceni, led her people in a final bloody revolt against the occupying armies of Rome - the culmination of nearly twenty years of resistance against an occupying force that sought to crush the vibrant native civilization of our island home ...Dreaming The Bull continues the story of Breaca - now hailed Boudica, the Bringer of Victory, and her half-brother, Ban, now an officer in the Roman auxiliary cavalry. Each stands on the opposing side in a brutal war between the occupying army and the defeated tribes; each is determined to see the other dead. Caught between them are two children, son and daughter to two of the greatest warriors their world has ever seen. While in distant Rome, the Emperor Claudius holds the balance of lives in his hands....Boudicas story continues in Boudica: Dreaming the Hound. Have you read Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle, the first instalment of the Boudica story?

Manda Scott has written a powerful thriller debut, the terrifying tale of a lone woman pitted against an enigmatic killera man who deals out death without a second thought...For Detective Inspector Orla McLeod, violence is a way of life. As a child, her own world was ripped apart by a brutal, unforgettable moment of terror. So when the Special Branch operation she is spearheading goes disastrously wrong, she will do everything she can to protect the nine-year-old boy caught in the cross fire. For Jamie Buchanan was the sole witness to an act of savagery committed in cold blood by a man rapidly becoming one of the most feared criminals in Europe.Orla and her partner, Luke Tyler, had risked their lives to infiltrate Tord Svensens criminal world. Together they had gone deep undercover in a Glasgow tenement to get close enough to bring him down. Then in a series of harrowing events, everything in Orlas life would change forever.Now Orla finds herself haunted by the memory of what happenedand tormented by the guilt she feels over her own survival. What keeps her going are the promises she made to her partner Luke and to orphaned Jamie Buchanan. Jamie is the only person whos seen Tord Svensens face, the only one able to ID him. Officially pulled off the Svensen case, Orla spirits Jamie away to the only place she feels safe, a lonely cottage under the shadow of a snowcapped Scottish mountain. But there will be no sanctuary for them in the Highlands. For, like Orla, the hunter who pursues them knows exactly what to do to survive. And that means putting both Orla and her vulnerable young charge in the grave.

Dr Nina Crawford of the University of Glasgows Veterinary College - driven, fanatically dedicated, a survivor - is one of the most respected equine surgeons in the country. But now she seems to be losing her grip, on her operating theatre, on her skills - and on her mind. A surgeons worst nightmare is coming true before her eyes: "The operation was a great success, but the patient died." All of her cases are dying after routine surgery and she has no idea why, or how, or what to do to stop it. Under the fierce scrutiny of those around her, Nina feels herself spiralling into the depths that led her, years before, to attempt suicide. Kellen Stewart is Ninas therapist - and also her friend. Now her own horse needs emergency surgery and Nina is the only one who can do it. As the boundaries blur between friendship and professional relationship, it becomes clear that its not only the horses lives that are on the line.

From THE SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Manda Scott, this the first instalment of a brilliantly imagined epic series that will leave you desperate for more. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden. "Every so often, a book comes along that totally remoulds a historical figure for our own times ... massively impressive." -- Scotland on Sunday"Manda Scott has created a fictional universe all her own, but close enough to our reality for it both to warm and break our hearts. Breathtakingly good, it reveals the best and worst in all of us." -- Val McDermid"This book captured my imagination from the first page. I was swept away by the world that Manda creates with her writing. I couldnt put it down and was on to the next book as quick as I could get my hands on it." - ***** Reader review"Absolutely riveted to the book for the time its taken to read it. Been very difficult to stop and put the book down to sleep." -- ***** Reader review**********************************Britain has produced many fierce, noble warriors down the ages who have fought to keep Britain free, but there was one formidable lady in history whose name will never be forgotten...AD 60: Boudica, war leader of the Eceni, leads her people in a final bloody revolt against the occupying armies of Rome - an occupying force that seeks to crush a vibrant, complex civilization and replace it with the laws, taxes and slavery of the Roman Empire.But how did Boudica come to be Britains first and greatest warrior queen? How does Breaca - who kills her first warrior at the age of twelve - go on to lead an uprising and become one of the great female icons? Boudica: Dreaming The Eagle takes us right back to her humble origins and recreates the beginnings of a coming of age story so powerful its impact has survived through the ages. This is the unforgettable world of tribal Britain in the years before the Romans came: a twilight world of Dreamers and the magic of the gods; a world where warriors fight for honour as much as victory. It is a world of passion and courage and spectacular, heart-felt heroism pitched against overwhelming odds...Boudicas story continues in Boudica: Dreaming the Bull.

A pocket compilation of the Mayan legends of 2012, featuring everything you need to know about the Apocalypse in easy to digest facts. The first thing you need to know about 2012 is that its just like any other year.And the second thing you need to know... is that it really isnt...The Maya didnt make it their end date for nothing...2012 collects everything you need to know about how, why and what is going to happen in this apocalyptic year, as outlined in the ancient Mayan prophesies in a humourous and insightful way, the facts, the fantasties and the frankly extraordinary.

There is a secret hidden within a body, burning within the flames, that will change history forever.2014: In the French city of Orléans, a man’s charred corpse is found in a burned-out hotel, strippe

THRILLER OF THE MONTH Superb . . . a blend of historical imagination and storytelling verve reminiscent of Robert Harris. The Sunday TimesThe most exciting, involving thriller Ive read in an age, and I cant recommend it highly enough. Mick Herron *A Treachery of Spies is an espionage thriller to rival the very best, a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse, played in the shadows, which will keep you guessing every step of the way.A body has been found. The elderly victims identity has been cleverly obscured but one thing is clear: she has been killed in the manner of traitors to the Resistance in World War Two.To find answers in the present, police inspector Ines Picaut must look to the past; to 1940s France, a time of sworn allegiances and broken promises, where the men and women of the Resistance fought for survival against Nazi invaders.But, as Picaut soon discovers, there are those in the present whose futures depend on the past remaining buried, and who will kill to keep their secrets safe. Old fashioned espionage might be a thing of the past but treachery is as dangerous as ever.*This is a rich vein for fiction, and Scott does it more than justice, with this beautifully imagined, beautifully written, smart, sophisticated - but fiercely suspenseful - thriller. Lee ChildThe most exquisite story of heroism, deception, love and treachery youll find this year. Simon Mayo A fast-moving tightly-wrought thriller. The destination is in fact as unexpected as its satisfying - and very thought-provoking. Robert GoddardA Treachery of Spies is a masterclass in thriller-writing. It is a heart-racing, heart-wrenching read, conceived with passion and executed with frightening skill. An awe-inspiring achievement. Giles Kristian

From THE SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Manda Scott, this is the third magnificent instalment of the epic retelling of the life of Britains great warrior queen."The richness of colour and vibrancy of style have become the hallmarks of Scotts ambitious series." --YORKSHIRE EVENING POST"Scott has teased a few facts from the ancient record to create an absorbing story from history and myth." -- Publishers Weekly"Scott can write about spear-throwing and sword cuts as though she had experienced them herself" - THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT"It arouses passion and takes the reader straight into the ancient world of Britain under Roman rule. An exciting read for those who just want a bit of shock and awe in their lives..." -- ***** Reader review"This was a "one-more-chapter" type of book so that for several nights I only put aside the book when I could no longer focus on the page and almost dropped-off with the book open in front of me." -- ***** Reader review"Amazing writing, spell-binding, transporting..." -- ***** Reader review*********************BRITAIN HAS PRODUCED MANY FIERCE, NOBLE WARRIORS DOWN THE AGES WHO HAVE FOUGHT TO KEEP BRITAIN FREE, BUT THERE WAS ONE FORMIDABLE LADY IN HISTORY WHOSE NAME WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN...AD 57: much of Britannia has been under Roman occupation for over ten years, where the tribes pay costly tithes to the Emperor in return for the right to continue living on their own lands.On the sacred isle of Mona, the Boudica or Bringer of Victory as Breaca has long been hailed, now knows for certain that her lover, Caradoc - betrayed, captured and kept hostage in Rome - will never return to her. She decides to leave Mona and to take the fight to the Eceni heartland where it is needed most. But the once proud Eceni are a downtrodden and defeated people who are forbidden to worship their old gods, and now scrape a living from the once fertile land.Across the sea in Hibernia, Breacas half-brother Ban, struggles to make peace with his fractured past. Soon, provoked by Roman aggression, he will sail to Britain and, united with his sister, he and Breaca will face down the might of Rome in the bloodiest revolt the western world has ever known.Boudicas story continues in Boudica: Dreaming the Serpent Spear. Have you read Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle and Boudica: Dreaming the Bull, the first two instalments of the Boudica story?

Midnight in Glasgow is not the best time to be faced with a dead body. Particularly if the body in question is your ex-lover and the woman grieving at her bedside used to be your friend. Add a corpse packed with Temazepam, a genetic engineer with an unstable past and a killer on the loose with a knife and you have all the reason you need to walk away and never come back. Glasgow therapist Dr Kellen Stewart has put the past behind her: medical career, relationship, life on the farm in the country. Thenthe phone rings and Bridget is dead the only lover who ever counted.The local doctor says its a heart attack, the police think its suicide. Kellen knows that its neither but is she willing to rake up the past to prove it? Dragged into a world of rogue doctors, bent genetic engineers and killers who gut their victims as a warning, Kellen must face her own past as much as the very real terrors of the present to stop the killing or shell be next.

From THE SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Manda Scott, this is the final, heart-rending instalment of the magnificent retelling of the life of Britains great warrior queen."Fast-moving action, spine-tingling battles. Wonderful" -- KATE MOSSE"The tragic warrior queen, Boudica, is brilliantly realised. Her battles against Rome - the superpower of its day - are both heart-rending and magnificent" -- DAVID GEMMEL"I cant find a word to describe these books they are just completely.....amazing" -- ***** Reader review"Amazing writing, spell-binding, transporting..." -- ***** Reader review"A world I didnt want to part with" -- ***** Reader review"The whole series is absolutely brilliant - could not put them down" -- ***** Reader review*************************************************************************************BRITIAN HAS PRODUCED MANY FIERCE, NOBLE WARRIORS DOWN THE AGES WHO HAVE FOUGHT TO KEEP BRITAIN FREE, BUT THERE WAS ONE FORMIDABLE LADY IN HISTORY WHOSE NAME WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN...AD 60: The flame of rebellion that has been smouldering for twenty years of Roman occupation has flared into a conflagration that will consume the land and all who live in it.There is no going back.The Boudica has been flogged and her daughters raped, and her son has burned a Roman watchtower in an act of blatant insurgency. This is the time to act: the Roman governor has marched his legions west to destroy the druidic stronghold of Mona, leaving his capital and a vital port hopelessly undefended. But to crush the legions for all time, Boudica must do more than lead her army in the greatest rebellion Britain has ever known. She must find healing for herself, for the land - and for Graine, her eight-year-old daughter, who has taken refuge on Mona. Is revenge worth it under any circumstances, or is the cost more than anyone can bear? Colchester is burning and London is lost without hope. Amidst fire and bloody revolution, the Boudica and those around her must find what matters most, now and forever.

Medics have a way of organising cases. The first one you see is: in my experience. Two becomes case after case. Three is a series. In medicine, as in crime, three is the magic number that makes a syndrome real - or that turns death from a frightening accident,an unfortunate end to a night of heavy drinking, or a ridiculous overdose into a series. And that means the killer, too, has a label. Three men are dead, three colleagues with a shared past, a past also shared by the one person Kellen Stewart would trust with her life: pathologist Lee Adams. Suspect number one in this fast, hard-edged thriller. Set in Scotland, the action takes us to the rocks of the west coast and back to the farm in the Campsie Fells that is the location for the first two Kellen Stewart novels.