Warriors of Alavna

Warriors of Alavna by N. M. Browne Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2002, 320 pp., $16.95 Fantasy ISBN 1-58234-775-1

Dan and Ursula are mysteriously transported from their twentieth-century school outing into what appears to be the midst of a first century Druid tribe. Along the way, Dan discovers a magic sword. He gains the powers of a Bear Sark, which transforms him into a "berserk" and ruthless, warrior. Ursula, whom the tribe believes to be a male warrior, discovers she can change gender at will, and can thus contribute, although reluctantly, to the tribe's battle success. Both take an oath to avenge the massacre of the settlement of Alavna, as Ursula uses her emerging powers to transport a legion of Roman soldiers to aid in the definitive battle.

As a fantasy novel, Warriors of Alavna weaves an intricate and inventive plot that, at times, is difficult to follow. There is much graphic and bloody battle description, as Browne intertwines the fiction of Alavna with numerous historical links to first century Britain and the archeological studies of that period.

Margaret J. Ford

Campbell, Ohio

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Fall 2002
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