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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Known for his novels of African-American life in 19th-century America (Gabriel's Story; Walk Through Darkness), Durham leaps continents and centuries to tell the epic story of Hannibal and his march on Rome in this heady, richly textured novel. After Hannibal assumes command of the Carthaginian army in Spain and conquers the Roman city of Saguntum, Carthage refuses to accept Rome's demand that it abandon the city, precipitating the Second Punic War. In 218 B.C., Hannibal begins his daring march toward Rome, leading an army of upward of 100,000—complete with elephants and cavalry—over the Pyrenees, across the Rhône and through the snowcapped Alps. Ill prepared for the frigid weather, pummeled by avalanches and harassed by Celtic tribes, the army arrives in Italy reduced to perhaps 30,000. Against all odds, Hannibal brings his soldiers through the tortuous marshes of the Arno, and traps and massacres a large Roman force at Lake Trasimene and again at Cannae. The novel's grand sweep is balanced by intimate portraits of Hannibal, his family, his allies and his enemies, as well as by the stories of two humble characters: Imco Vaca, a soldier, and Aradna, a camp follower, who meet and fall in love as the saga moves inexorably toward an account of the beheading of Hannibal's brother and Hannibal's eventual defeat at the gates of Rome. Durham weaves abundant psychological, military and political detail into this vivid account of one of the most romanticized periods of history.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Durham, the author of Gabriel's Story (2001), has crafted a grand recounting of the second Punic War. Fresh off a victory in Arbocala, Hannibal Barca, the great Carthaginian warrior, has set his sights on Saguntum, an ally of the growing Roman Empire. An attack on Saguntum will ultimately bring on a war with Rome, but this is what Hannibal longs for. Aided by his brothers, envious Hanno, pleasure-loving Hasdrubal, and shrewd Mago, Hannibal manages to sack the impenetrable city and with the blessing of Carthage begins the long march to Rome that will take him past treacherous Gauls, forbidding mountains, and inhospitable marshes. Durham depicts the great general as a fully rounded, complicated man: he's both a larger-than-life hero, propelled by his great ambition, and an ordinary man, who longs to be by his wife's side and regrets missing his beloved son's childhood. To give the reader a fuller picture of the war from all sides, Durham does not shortchange the lesser players in this great war: he develops characters such as Imco Vaca, a young man in Hannibal's army, who is ill-equipped for war; maimed Tusselo, seeking revenge against the Romans who enslaved him; and Aradna, a much-abused young woman who shadows the army. Durham's epic is truly a big, magnificent, sprawling story complete with a sizable cast of compelling characters, intricately drawn battle scenes, and fluid, graceful prose. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved It,
This review is from: Pride of Carthage (Paperback)
This is one of my favourite books. If you liked the "The Last King" by Michael Curtis Ford, then you will love this book. Some authours like to disparage Hannibal as a barbarian, but in this book you will see someone who was smart and cunning enough to take on the Romans. This book shows both sides, their strengths and weakness. I found it to be an adventerous and wonderfully written book with lots of detail into the life and hardship that was HannibalPride of CarthagePRIDE OF CARTHAGEPride of Carthage: A Novel of Hannibal.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good historical fantasy,
By
This review is from: Pride of Carthage (Paperback)
I really like historical fantasy, as those who read my reviews will know. This is a very good version of the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. It focuses, of course, on Hannibal and his family. Fair enough. Some (many) of the characters allied with Carthage are very well developed during the novel, even though some are a bit stereotyped (eg Monomachus). The Romans are barely sketched out, which may have been on purpose, since most of the story is told from the Carthaginian points of view. The battle scenes are excellent, the chartacter development a little less so, but overall, this book shows that a historian can actually write a novel and have it come out right. I like this book, and I recommend it to fans of historical fiction and of fantasy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Really good read,
By Napoleon (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pride of Carthage (Paperback)
This is book has got to be one of my all time favorites, the writing is good and the story really interesting. Starting with Hannibal`s capture of Saguntum the story chronichles Hannibal`s epic journey across the Alps and into Italy. My only problem with it was that I thought Publius Scipio was a bit cruel, but that`s just my opininon. The battle scenes are intense and vivid, from lake trasimene to cannae to zama this book is a classic, one of the greatest books ever written.
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