Let's just say right away, I'm annoyed that the book is titled Boadicea: Warrior Queen of the Celts, using the Romanized version of her name, rather than the more properly British Boudica. But, nevertheless, John Matthews is a historical writer of some note and, having recently read Alan Gold's novel Warrior Queen, which tells Boudica's story, I was eager to read a more factually based account of her life. And, I'm happy to say, Gold got quite a lot of it right.

Matthews' book is by no means exhaustive. Part of Firebird Books' Heroes & Warriors series, it provides a basic history of the woman, her culture, the role of the druids in Britain, the society of the invading Romans and the events leading up to her rebellion and final battle. Each section is brief and, in fact, the entire book (including the index) is only 48 magazine-sized pages long. And that's with plenty of photographs and illustrations, including four full-page color plates.

By the way, while this book is presented as a historical/biographical look at Boudica's life, I include it also among books on British folklore, because very little is known for sure about her life, but many legends have grown up about her.

Matthews writes Boudica's story in clear, concise prose that sums up the facts as comprehensively as might be done, given the scarcity of solid facts and the limited number of pages at his disposal. Readers of this book won't come away with a scholar's knowledge of the subject, but they'll have a pretty good understanding of Boudica's history, actions and the circumstances that led her to a surprisingly successful -- if, ultimately, hopeless -- revolt against the full might of Rome.

It should be noted that some of Matthews' conclusions regarding druidic culture seem based more on what he believes to be true rather than what he knows to be true. Even so, he writes about the druids with a good deal of conviction, although there are plenty of other areas of the book where he readily admits to supposition.

In any case, this is an excellent introduction to the subject. It doesn't take long to read, and it is not time wasted.

The Heroes & Warriors series also includes books on the likes of Fionn Mac Cumhail: Champion of Ireland, Cuchulainn: Hound of Ulster, Macbeth: Scotland's Warrior King, Richard Lionheart: The Crusader King, Charlemagne: Founder of the Holy Roman Empire, El Cid, Champion of Spain, King David: Warlord of Israel, Judas Maccabeus: Rebel of Israel, Chief Joseph: Guardian of the Nez Perce and Crazy Horse: Sacred Warrior of the Sioux. I've read a few of them over the years and always found them to be a brief but worthwhile account of some of history's most notable ... well, heroes and warriors. They are solid introductions for readers young and old, although they might be most useful to students looking for biographical resources.