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zare_i's review against another edition
5.0
Hannibal Barca, commander of armies of Carthage, man who almost brought Rome to its knees. Man of whom we know nothing except what was written by his bitter enemies, Romans, centuries after Carthage was razed.[return]Harold Lamb s takes us on the journey through northern Africa, Spain, through wilderness of Alps and finally all the way from the northern plains of Italy to the old Greek cities in the south of Italy (to Capua and even further south to Syracuse).[return][return]It is time of great change old Greek city-states are losing their spheres of influence while Rome [bent on conquest and domination of all surrounding territories] rises in power and starts offering unacceptable terms to surrounding states [and thus tries to provoke conflict] and forcing them to withdraw, knowing that old states are more bent on negotiations than on war [while Rome is ready to wage war on anybody who defies it (at the time this means almost everybody)].[return]One side bent on conquest and the other seeking a way to preserve its way of life.[return]Hannibal starts his invasion of Italian peninsula knowing that only in that way he will be able to ease the Roman pressure on Carthage. He will win many battles and soon Romans will fear his very name. But, as it is almost always the case, internal quarrelling and Roman perseverance (coupled with Rome s almost limitless human and material resources) will bring end not only to Hannibal s dream of free Carthage but to any independent city-state in Europe, Asia and Africa, they will soon all become Rome s client s .[return][return]Lamb s prose is quick paced and reads more like a novel than historical research (which is a great plus in my opinion because many historians try to get as many details as possible which may drive the reader in totally opposite direction and cause him/her to loose itself entirely (Keegan and Goldsworthy are modern writers that have this same quality as Lamb)). I got hooked from the first page so much in fact that I am looking forward to reading other historical works of Harold Lamb.[return]Highly recommended.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
4.0
This is historical fiction's and non-fiction's sexy, sexy offspring.
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