Warrior Daughter by Janet Paisley
Warrior Daughter by Janet Paisley
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Saturday, 20, Jun 2009 05:55
Published by Penguin, out now, paperback, 385 pp, £7.99.
In a nutshell...
Mythological, entertaining, sexual, feminist, colourful.
What's it all about?
Set on the Isle of Skye more than two millennia ago, Skaaha, the daughter of a mighty warrior queen, has been trained from a young age in the ways of combat, and is admired and revered.
However, after the untimely death of her mother, Kerrigen, Skaaha must decide on her own path to womanhood.
The demise of the queen leaves the throne open for long time rival Mara to take charge, throwing the lives of Skaaha, and her younger sister Eefay, into the realms of uncertainty.
After deciding not to travel the path of the warrior Skaaha moves away from her homeland onto a nearby island to be taught by her natural father.
However, Skaaha cannot escape her heritage and is confronted with many decisions which ultimately lead her to suffer an act of evil.
Skaaha must remain strong and stay on the path of righteousness to continue her mother's legacy.
Who's it by?
Janet Paisley is a multi-talented writer who was first published in 1979. Her work has seen her diversify from poetry to prose, from non-fiction to playwright and even into screenwriting.
Earning a nomination for best writer at the BAFTA New Talent Awards in 2000 for short film Long Haul, and publishing her other well-received debut novel, White Rose Rebel, Paisley has built up a following and an impresseive back catalogue of work.
As an example...
"'No one will make you do what you don't wish to,' he added. 'Keep it if you must, but think first how well it protected your mother.'
"Skaaha blinked furiously. Tears spilled down her cheeks. If the helmet had stayed in place her mother would have lived."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
This is a fairly niche book and to those who are not fans of historical fiction, I can't imagine it lifting too many kilts.
However, it is a sexy and adventurous tale and would probably make a fairly decent film if it was handled well.
What the others say
On her first novel - White Rose Rebel: "Heather-igniting historical adventure." - Sunday Times
"A powerful historical page-turner with a beautiful, feisty heroine." - Scotsman
So is it any good?
Warrior queen is a sexy yarn, which weaves a web of love and lust, betrayal and redemption.
The first century Isle of Skye is dominated by tribes of women who keep men firmly in their place and often have multiple husbands.
The prose is colourful and the characters well drawn. Paisley shows her strength when crafting her beautiful young heroine, Skaaha.
However, the dialogue feels too modern to really instill a sense of the time and parts of it read like an erotic novel which should sport some uber-tanned hunk on the front cover.
The prose is never dull though and the narrative skips along at a decent pace.
Sights, sounds and smells are all well imagined and the writing purveys atmosphere with ease.
The book becomes more impacting when illuminating the power shifts between men and women, and parts of the narrative become truly visceral and disturbing.
For fans of feminist fiction, mythology or someone who is looking for something different, I suggest that there are worse books to pick up than Warrior Daughter.
6/10
Gary Huddless