With a vast cast of characters and nationalities, twists of fate and tales of inspired leadership, David Anthony Durham perfectly captures the legendary Hannibal's world inPride of Carthage. Beginning in ancient Spain, where Hannibal's father had carved out a Carthaginian empire, the novel traces the origins of the Punic Wars, the opening moves, and Hannibal's inspired choice to attack Rome via a land route most believed impossible. Durham describes the battles in graphic, panoramic prose: among them the icy slaughter of the Trebia; the mist-shrouded battle along Lake Trasimene; the battle of Cannae, wherein Hannibal's outnumbered force surrounded and decimated seventy thousand Romans in a single afternoon; and the hard slog that decided the whole contest, Zama. Along the way we meet a variety of major historical figures on both sides of the conflict, as well as characters representing the vast array of other ethnicities who played a part in the war: Iberians and Gauls, Numidians and Libyans, Macedonians and Moors. The intimates of Hannibal's family are brought to life: his wife, mother and sisters, and young son, and also Publius Scipio Africanus, the young Roman who was the only match for Hannibal's genius on the field of battle—and who eventually defeated him.Pride of Carthage is a stunning achievement in the fictional re-creation of the distant past, one that presents a world of mesmerizing authenticity of character, event, and detail that readers will be transported by. It will find a large audience hungry for epic, intelligent stories inspired by the great events of human history. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.