Hannibal's Children

by John Maddox Roberts

Book Overview

What would have happened if Hannibal had received the reinforcements necessary to topple the Roman Empire? That fascinating 'what if' is the central premise of Roberts's latest historical novel.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441010385
• ISBN13: 9780441010387
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

effectively tells alternate history,the series is great,waiting for no.3

I read the believable stories of j.maddox roberts(also "the seven hills ") and found the best writer of this genre of possible alternate outcomes of major historical events. Even though i read the 2nd one first, I still enjoyed "Hannibal's Children" just as much.It is the first series that I actively search for if the next installment, sometimes weekly. I hope soon. having carthage defeat rome in the punic wars, would have changed every thing ,even the world today. think about it they beat rome-no roman empire as we new it,or stop any number of tyrants and revolts(ie mithridates,ptolemy,aleric,.....At this point in history their were two superpowers one of which would have the power to control most of the know world, the two kept some balance of power,once defeating the other. what if?

Eternal Rome in an Alternate World

Rome's rise from a tiny group of clans to a vast empire that endured for centuries has something inexorable about it. So it seemed to the Romans themselves when Virgil talked of destiny, to the Christians when Augustine proclaimed the empire divinely ordained, and to the barbarians who encircled and attacked it, yet always desired it. However you interpret Rome's history, the City's survival was on a knife's edge more than once. If the Etruscans had conquered the new Republic or Alexander the Great had turned west to Italy or Hannibal had led Carthage to victory, all of subsequent history would have been different. Or maybe it wouldn't have been? What if the Romans were exiled after the second war with Carthage and sent into exile, still a nation? That's the premise of Roberts' novel. The book is fun, fast paced, backed up with lots of historical knowledge and some interesting characters. I'd like to see a deeper sense of contingency and human imperfection in the sequel, with Roman soldiers who are not so perfect and undefeatable and with two main antagonists who are not so completely Good Guy vs. Bad Guy. But mainly I want to see how Roberts works things out. Will history resume along the lines we know, making the Mediterranean a Roman lake and the Hellenistic kingdoms Roman provinces? This book is good summer entertainment.

A Very Good Read

Once again John Maddox Roberts displays his extensive knowledge of ancient Rome (like in the SPQR series), and in this book Carthage as well. In this alternate Earth, unlike our own, Hannibal gets assistance from Philip V of Macedon during the Second Punic War and forces Rome to conditionally surrender. Rome's leaders agree to emigrate north out of Italy into the Roman province of Noricum: comprising most of present day Austria and bits of Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The plot is revenge. After 115 years of forced exile the descendants of the Romans feel the time is right to send an expedition into the Italian penisula and down to Rome. The leader of the expedition is Marcus Cornelius Scipio, whose ancestor Scipio Africanus ultimately defeated Hannibal in actual history. The Roman party then visits the cities of Carthage and Alexandria and partakes in a war between the Carthaginian Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt.This book is very interesting and I found it quite a page-turner. Maddox gives eloquent descriptions of the gods of the Roman pantheon, as well as those of many Eastern religions (Carthage and Egypt's). The reader is also given thorough explanations of Roman military tactics and warfare in general from that era. In all, the book is quite informative. My only problems with this historical fiction novel are the development of the protagonist (M. Scipio) and the antagonist Titus Norbanus. Titus is descended from a Germanic tribe that is absorbed into the population of Roma Noricum. The Norbanus family is one of the "new" patrician families in the Senate who are at odds with the "old" patrician families that migrated from Rome, such as the Scipios. The author grants Marcus Scipio with all the virtues that Romans were noted for, while Titus is an incidious compilation of Marius, Sulla, and Caesar. I found these two characters simliar to John Maddox Robert's "Islander" fantasy series in that: the good guy is too good to be true, and the villain is so obnoxious that the reader (this one anyway) wishes that somebody would simply strangle the antagonist and remove him from the story. Further, I found the authority that the Senate gives Titus Norbanus not to be credible in the slightest degree. The author knows that Romans during the Republic were required to serve two magisterial positions and have some actual military experience before they are given the command that Titus gets, no matter how influential his family is. John Maddox Roberts glosses over this problem by saying that these were extraordinary circumstances, but that is poor justification in my opinion.All in all, I highly recommend this book and will definitely read the next book in the series.

A novel of alternative history

This novel of alternative history could also have been featured in our science fiction section but deserves a place under novels for its strong, authentic creation of ancient Rome. Hannibal gives his conquered enemies a choice: exile or extermination: his miscalculation in allowing them the choice returns a dangerous army to confront his children in this powerful account.

fascinating alternate history

Rome and Carthage went to war three times with Rome defeating her enemy the first and third time but in the second Punic war, the armies led by Hannibal won heavy victories against her enemy. Rome had to rebuild her army to finally crush Carthage. On an alternate Earth, in the second Punic war, Carthage is poised at the gates of the city of Rome, ready to destroy the city if the Romans don't surrender. When a party of Romans go out to negotiate with Hannibal, he gives them a chance to survive if they accept exile. The people vote to acquiesce to the Carthaginian terms, but vow to return one day to reclaim their land and beloved city. One hundred and fifteen years later, the exiles have created another mighty empire called Rome Norricum and are ready to fight Carthage one more. They send out a small war party disguised as a trade expedition to see what they will have to face when they try to reclaim what was once was theirs. John Maddox Roberts, the author of the historical series SPQR, has written a fascinating alternate history novel in which the exiled Romans conquer the land around the Danube River. The reader is immersed in the culture of Rome as seen through the eyes of Tribune commander Marcus Scipo. Marcus, the hero of this novel, is a very sensitive man in touch with his feelings and he is the reason readers will want to read the next book in the series.Harriet Klausner