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reddevilrodge's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable read. It’s a straight forward story but the characters are strong and likeable which really heightens the drama. The action is a strong point, both vivid and violent. I don’t feel the desire to jump straight into the sequel but when I’m next in need of an Ancient Rome fix I’ll return to the series.
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
Set during the Second Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage, this is a story of friends, enemies, brothers and war.
I am not a fan of young characters and puppy love but empires and war are definitely an interest. So the slave/master relationships were uninteresting and the teenage angst was even a bit annoying but the battles were realistic and the fighting was stellar.
This was a good book with some great history. I like the alternate stories from the Roman and Carthage sides, done without taking sides I might add, but in the end the simplistic style didn't quite work for me.
I am not a fan of young characters and puppy love but empires and war are definitely an interest. So the slave/master relationships were uninteresting and the teenage angst was even a bit annoying but the battles were realistic and the fighting was stellar.
This was a good book with some great history. I like the alternate stories from the Roman and Carthage sides, done without taking sides I might add, but in the end the simplistic style didn't quite work for me.
souljaleonn's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
richardpierce's review against another edition
2.0
A hard work of a read, I'm afraid. The narrative is quite dour and took some wading through.
avalydia's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining as always, but Ben Kane doesn't really do much in the way of nuanced characters...
lonk's review against another edition
4.0
For a book series titled 'Hannibal', Hannibal himself doesn't really feature much besides appearing here and there to give a brief speech or words of wisdom to various people.
This isn't about Hannibal, but rather a number of people around him, or involved in his war on Rome. Which isn't a bad thing, I was just surprised that the titular character doesn't really make much of an appearance.
I think I might be spoilt by having just read Conn Iggulden's 'Emperor' series, but I couldn't find the battle scenes particularly interesting. They were kind of skirted over a bit. And something about the characters didn't feel particularly believable.
I enjoyed the book, though, and give it 3.5 stars. 3 feels too low, but 4 feels a bit generous too. So I'll just round up.
What bugged me about this book, though, was the choice of image for each chapter header... It was Brutus's 'Ides of March' (EID MAR) coin. A couple of centuries off, there... What's the deal with that?
This isn't about Hannibal, but rather a number of people around him, or involved in his war on Rome. Which isn't a bad thing, I was just surprised that the titular character doesn't really make much of an appearance.
I think I might be spoilt by having just read Conn Iggulden's 'Emperor' series, but I couldn't find the battle scenes particularly interesting. They were kind of skirted over a bit. And something about the characters didn't feel particularly believable.
I enjoyed the book, though, and give it 3.5 stars. 3 feels too low, but 4 feels a bit generous too. So I'll just round up.
What bugged me about this book, though, was the choice of image for each chapter header... It was Brutus's 'Ides of March' (EID MAR) coin. A couple of centuries off, there... What's the deal with that?
mokiethe_dog34's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Slavery, Gore, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
karthikm_86's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent historical research, and notes from author at end point to very good references on Rome and Carthage.
Hoc est optimum librum Romanis.
Hoc est optimum librum Romanis.
speesh's review against another edition
5.0
It’s been a good while since I read a Ben Kane, however, on the evidence of this magnificent, enthralling, captivating book, I’ve really been missing out and is something I intend to rectify - and quickly.
First of all, it’s a long one - it’s a good 150 pages before the man himself puts in an appearance, for example. However, there’s hardly a sentence, a word even, wasted the whole way through. I was glued to it the whole way through and by the end, I found myself wishing it had been twice as long. It’s long, but still too short. Good then that it’s the first volume in a trilogy. Gooder still…that I have the others lined up on the shelf over there.
To be honest, sometimes, (even) I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why I thought a book was so good. Then I think, does it even matter? No. At those times, maybe it’s just best to sit back and enjoy the ride. Then…’enjoy,’ that’s the point, isn’t it? I read to enjoy a good story about something I’m interested in. Or not, that makes me interested in it, because it’s a good book. That’s ‘Hannibal.’
So, what did I enjoy? Well, Ben Kane does have the (deserved) reputation - in my book anyway - for writing battle scenes that are perhaps a cut (!) above the others. However, excellent battle scenes apart, it was the verbal cut and thrusts, jabs straight to the heart - and of course the final delivery of the death blow - of the Senate debate scenes between Publius and Marcus Minucius Rufus that really impressed and will stay with me. The crackle of tension, the ebb and flow, the poise and grace, the delicate, ‘crikey, it could go either way here’ balance, leading us to the final coup de grace. Superb writing is superb writing, whatever the genre. And this, that, is superb writing.
I thought the tension between the Carthaginian brothers was 99% believable. There were a couple of minor occasions where they clearly, in the real world, have reacted differently. In making the people different to us, in that they lived 2,000-odd years ago, but clearly like us in many ways, so we relate to them, you surely have to, as a reader and a writer, stick with the thought ‘what would I do in that situation?’ Then when you’re absolutely sure that you and anyone you know, would have belted the other brother one, for instance, and he doesn’t, he says ‘fair enough, lets get on with it,’ it sticks a little. No matter.
Carthaginians and Romans are treated even-handedly. No good guys and bad guys. I suppose there could have been a temptation to treat the Carthaginians more favourably, as the underdog, perhaps, the Romans less so. I think Ben has avoided taking sides, to free the story - and himself - from the reader’s own perceived confines, with one eye on how the rest of the story has to unfold. Because the temptation of writing what at least I was expecting, the ‘plucky small guy up against the evil Empire’ must have been very great.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my time, and especially of late, to read some really exceptional books set at various points of the Roman era. ‘Hannibal, Enemy of Rome’ continues that disturbingly good trend. Highly recommended.
More world-class reviews on Speesh Reads
First of all, it’s a long one - it’s a good 150 pages before the man himself puts in an appearance, for example. However, there’s hardly a sentence, a word even, wasted the whole way through. I was glued to it the whole way through and by the end, I found myself wishing it had been twice as long. It’s long, but still too short. Good then that it’s the first volume in a trilogy. Gooder still…that I have the others lined up on the shelf over there.
To be honest, sometimes, (even) I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why I thought a book was so good. Then I think, does it even matter? No. At those times, maybe it’s just best to sit back and enjoy the ride. Then…’enjoy,’ that’s the point, isn’t it? I read to enjoy a good story about something I’m interested in. Or not, that makes me interested in it, because it’s a good book. That’s ‘Hannibal.’
So, what did I enjoy? Well, Ben Kane does have the (deserved) reputation - in my book anyway - for writing battle scenes that are perhaps a cut (!) above the others. However, excellent battle scenes apart, it was the verbal cut and thrusts, jabs straight to the heart - and of course the final delivery of the death blow - of the Senate debate scenes between Publius and Marcus Minucius Rufus that really impressed and will stay with me. The crackle of tension, the ebb and flow, the poise and grace, the delicate, ‘crikey, it could go either way here’ balance, leading us to the final coup de grace. Superb writing is superb writing, whatever the genre. And this, that, is superb writing.
I thought the tension between the Carthaginian brothers was 99% believable. There were a couple of minor occasions where they clearly, in the real world, have reacted differently. In making the people different to us, in that they lived 2,000-odd years ago, but clearly like us in many ways, so we relate to them, you surely have to, as a reader and a writer, stick with the thought ‘what would I do in that situation?’ Then when you’re absolutely sure that you and anyone you know, would have belted the other brother one, for instance, and he doesn’t, he says ‘fair enough, lets get on with it,’ it sticks a little. No matter.
Carthaginians and Romans are treated even-handedly. No good guys and bad guys. I suppose there could have been a temptation to treat the Carthaginians more favourably, as the underdog, perhaps, the Romans less so. I think Ben has avoided taking sides, to free the story - and himself - from the reader’s own perceived confines, with one eye on how the rest of the story has to unfold. Because the temptation of writing what at least I was expecting, the ‘plucky small guy up against the evil Empire’ must have been very great.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my time, and especially of late, to read some really exceptional books set at various points of the Roman era. ‘Hannibal, Enemy of Rome’ continues that disturbingly good trend. Highly recommended.
More world-class reviews on Speesh Reads