Thoroughly enjoyable coming of age tale about Cullen, a young lad who looks after the goats until a rival tribe sacks his village and captures him. He makes friends and enemies among the Catuvellauni, and we see him undergo his warrior's training, treading an uneasy line between hating the people who killed his family yet knowing that the only way he can survive is to be part of a tight-knit warrior band. We also see him clash badly with the chief druid, and make unexpected friends among the 'wise ones'.

The details really bring the setting to life, and it's also good to see a bit more inside the character's head rather than just endless descriptions of battle. The female characters are well done, too.

The start is a little slow, but it's worth persevering, and I look forward to the next in the series.

The Savage Isle by Michael Arnold was a book for life! Loved the story so much I'm planning to re-read it several times! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good.