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Hannibal's Children |
List Price: $22.95
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Reviews |
Rating: Summary: A Good Read, but... Review: The central conceit of the book is intriguing but this is not a stand alone book. Mr. Roberts left himself plenty of room to write a series and it shows. This book does not have any sense of completion about it. The ending such as it is, consists mostly of plot hooks for at least one future book.
Rating: Summary: Did The Romans Ever Move This Quickly Review: The Second Punic War went on for over a decade, yet here Hannibal prevails, and within a very short period of time Romans emigrate and reestablish themselves elsewhere. Within a century, the Romans are back, having mobilized a vast army from the hinterlands with which to recapture their beloved Seven Hills and exact revenge on Carthage. Nothing moved this quickly in the ancient world.
Nevertheless, I liked this book and will recommend it for fans of alternate history and ancient history. Despite the quick set-up, Roberts does go in to great detail in describing this Carthaginian/Roman world; after the conquest of Rome, Hannibal's Carthage grew magnificently, but also decadently. Roberts draws a very believeable picture; one can imagine Carthage among the other ancient wonders of the world.
The Romans, on the other hand, have maintained their martial culture, and it is this culture that has allowed them to remain cohesive in the wilderness. The detail here is also very satisfying, if somewhat brief. Young Scipio, descendant of the famous general, will lead armies against Hanno, descendant of Hannibal. From the standpoint of story, our minds superimpose these new characters with their famous ancestors: it is as if Scipio and Hannibal were being given another shot at it--an alternate, alternate history, if you will.
But the book ends much too quickly, with a rushed final battle. A sequel is necessary. I would have preferred a much larger book, one that told the finale in much greater detail. I will read a sequel, but I will not purchase it in hardcover--paperback only.
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