Hannibal's Children

Who's read it? Liked it?

Here's a review from amazon.com

From Publishers Weekly

"What would have happened if Hannibal had received the reinforcements necessary for him to topple the Roman Empire? That fascinating "what if" is the central premise of Roberts's (the SPQR series) latest historical novel, which begins with the arrival of Philip V of Macedon and his formidable army at a pivotal point in the series of wars between Carthage and Rome, allowing the brilliant Hannibal to force a surrender in which the Romans are driven north out of Italy. Fast-forward a hundred years: the Romans are plotting their revenge against Hannibal's progeny, starting with a trade mission-cum-military espionage expedition led by Marcus Scipio. Scipio does a thorough job of sizing up the capabilities of the Carthaginians before leaving behind his rival, Titus Norbanus, to manage that situation in Carthage while he embarks on a similar expedition to Egypt. He then plans an ingenious series of maneuvers to retake Italy, pitting the Carthaginians against the Egyptians while manipulating both the queen of Egypt and Hannibal's heir, Hamilcar II, before a series of dramatic battles that feature the innovative war technology of the era. Roberts occasionally gets bogged down in military minutiae and cultural rituals, but his portraits of the various leaders and rivals are first-rate and his knowledge of the period is unassailable. He does an admirable job of navigating through a difficult and challenging conceit, providing plenty of reflective material for history buffs while constructing an intriguing story line that pays tribute to the ingenuity of the Romans. "
 

Diamond

Banned
Yeah, I've read it and enjoyed it. Quite a bit actually. But I'm really starting to get irritated that its taking so long for the sequel to come out.
 

Diamond

Banned
It's unique

I just liked the overall feel of it. After the Carthaginians crush Rome and drive the survivors north into Dacia, they (the Carthaginians) don't really have the manpower or inclination to more than half-heartedly occupy Italy. One of the best scenes in the book IMO is when the Roman expeditionary party returns to Italy and finds an eerie, abandoned, overgrown Rome, the buildings and aqueducts all fallen into disrepair.

Good, solid characters too. One of my favorites was the manipulative Carthaginian priestess, whose name escapes me right now, lol.
 
I read it. Didn't like it very much. The idea that the Romans just went north and everyone forget they ever existed was just silly. Given that they were a few days walk from Macedonia, surely someone would eventually noticed what was going on, or heard about it from foreign tribesmen, and started to worry. As to how they came back so fast, all I can assume is that the victorious forces of Hannibal saw this vast population which would have been a threat given just a few years for the next generation to grow up and decided "Nah, they'll be good losers, and never look for a rematch".
 
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