Pride Of Carthage - Hardcover

Durham, David Anthony

3.91

1,918 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385604637 ISBN 13: 9780385604635

Publisher: Doubleday, 2005

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There is a Latin saying, 'Hannibal ad Portas'(Hannibal is at the door) and it was said Roman parents used it to threaten their misbehaving children: if a child was bad, the parent would tell them that Hannibal was coming for them - the modern equivalent is the 'bogeyman'. Such was the fear Hannibal Barca instilled in mighty Rome...A panoramic novel, told in arcing, epic technicolour, of the story of one of the ancient world's most celebrated figures and the Second Punic War (218-202BC) - a long, bloody conflict between the two 'super powers' of the times that hinged on the genius, the ambition and the personal tragedies of two towering individuals: Hannibal Barca of Carthage, whose military genius became the stuff of legend, and Publius Scipio of Rome. History, of course, records us the outcome - that Rome would be the victor, surviving to become the colossal Empire we know of, while Carthage was burned to the ground and all but erased from history. But it was a close run thing and the world might have been a very different place had Hannibal succeeded in stifling the might of Rome. PRIDE OF CARTHAGE is an epic, sweeping, thrilling story of ancient warfare, of armies traversing frozen snow-covered mountains, of battles won or lost by brilliant generals fighting in ingenious, cunning ways, of a time when elephants were employed in much the same way as we now use tanks. And it's a novel teeming with superbly drawn, memorable characters and multi-national players, both historical and imagined - from the Numidian horsemen of North Africa to the naked, sword-swinging Celts of Northern Spain, from the ranks of Roman legions to slaves and freemen of all colours and from all corners of the ancient Mediterranean world.

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Review:

Durham vividly captures the frenzy of ancient warfare. . . . A skillfully structured, gripping novel New York Times Masterly. . . . First-rate historical fiction. Durham has delivered some of the best battle scenes on the page since Michael Shaara s Civil War fiction. San Francisco Chronicle Stunning. . . . A brilliant exploration of the tension between private destiny and historical force. --The Christian Science Monitor Fascinating. . . . Nimbly exploits what is known about this distant period. . . . The author has speculated and invented optimally. The Washington Post An extraordinary achievement: Durham puts flesh on the bones of Carthage in a way that no novelist has done since Flaubert wrote Salammbo. Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic Pride of Carthage is that rare and wonderful thing: an historical novel that s not only deeply evocative of time and place, character and situation, but is also lyrically written, compellingly composed. I savored each page while ever more breathless as the story unfolded. Durham has broken the mold of historical fiction and created a masterpiece. Jeffrey Lent, author of In the Fall and Lost Nation Durham leaps continents and centuries to tell the epic story of Hannibal and his march on Rome in this heady, richly textured novel. . . . The novel s grand sweep is balanced by intimate portraits of Hannibal, his family, his allies and his enemies. . . . Durham weaves abundant psychological, military, and political detail into this vivid account of one of the most romanticized periods of history. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Durham has reimagined this vanished world in stunningly precise detail, and his lucid explanations of the give-and-take of military decision-making help the reader through some dauntingly complicated material. Nor is this novel merely a pageant: the author vividly portrays both Hannibal s driven resolve and Scipio s ruthless efficiency, as well as the conflicted emotions that rule several powerfully realized secondary figures. . . . One of the best of the current crop of historical novels, and a career-making march forward for Durham. Kirkus Reviews"

"Durham vividly captures the frenzy of ancient warfare. . . . A skillfully structured, gripping novel -New York Times"Masterly. . . . First-rate historical fiction. Durham has delivered some of the best battle scenes on the page since Michael Shaara's Civil War fiction." -San Francisco Chronicle"Stunning. . . . A brilliant exploration of the tension between private destiny and historical force." --The Christian Science Monitor"Fascinating. . . . Nimbly exploits what is known about this distant period. . . . The author has speculated and invented optimally." --The Washington Post"An extraordinary achievement: Durham puts flesh on the bones of Carthage in a way that no novelist has done since Flaubert wrote Salammbo."--Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic"Pride of Carthage is that rare and wonderful thing: an historical novel that's not only deeply evocative of time and place, character and situation, but is also lyrically written, compellingly composed. I savored each page while ever more breathless as the story unfolded. Durham has broken the mold of historical fiction and created a masterpiece."--Jeffrey Lent, author of In the Fall and Lost Nation"Durham leaps continents and centuries to tell the epic story of Hannibal and his march on Rome in this heady, richly textured novel. . . . The novel's grand sweep is balanced by intimate portraits of Hannibal, his family, his allies and his enemies. . . . Durham weaves abundant psychological, military, and political detail into this vivid account of one of the most romanticized periods of history."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Durham has reimagined this vanished world in stunningly precise detail, and his lucid explanations of the give-and-take of military decision-making help the reader through some dauntingly complicated material. Nor is this novel merely a pageant: the author vividly portrays both Hannibal's driven resolve and Scipio's ruthless efficiency, as well as the conflicted emotions that rule several powerfully realized secondary figures. . . . One of the best of the current crop of historical novels, and a career-making march forward for Durham."--Kirkus Reviews

From the Back Cover:

In a time before Caesar, before Augustus, Nero or Constantine, before the Gallic Wars or the conquest of Britain, in a time before its place in the history of the Western world was assured, the nascent empire that was Rome had first to survive the devastating assault by its most formidable foe. He was a man celebrated and feared like few historical figures, a man known for millennia by a signal name: Hannibal.

The wars fought between Hannibal’s Carthage and the Roman Republic have fascinated the world for thousands of years. The struggle shaped the destiny of nations and established the fame or infamy of a host of towering figures, none more so than Hannibal himself, the driving force of what became known as the Second Punic War (218 – 202BC), and Publius Scipio, the young Roman general who eventually proved his nemesis.

Never before has a single novel captured so compellingly the panoramic scope of the conflict: from Hannibal’s famous elephant-mounted crossing of the Alps and the savagery of battles like Trasimene, Cannae and Zama to the shifting tides of fortune that pulled peoples from all corners of the Mediterranean into the conflict, from Macedonians and Moors to Libyans and Gauls. As he chronicles this titanic struggle through the actions of individual characters – from the genius, ambition and tragedies of Hannibal and Scipio themselves to their princes, generals and foot soldiers, lovers and wives – David Anthony Durham brings ancient history to brilliant, vivid life.

Epic in scope and vision, PRIDE OF CARTHAGE is a glorious and unforgettable novel of artistry, scholarship and unbridled excitement.

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