The Pride of Carthage: Summary and book reviews of The Pride of Carthage by David Anthony Durham, plus links to an excerpt from The Pride of Carthage and a biography of David Anthony Durham.
The Pride of Carthage A Novel of Hannibal
by David Anthony Durham
Hardcover: Jan 2005,
576 pages.
Paperback: Jan 2005,
592 pages.
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 in Pride of Carthage. Beginning in ancient Spain, where Hannibal's father had carved out a Carthaginian empire, the novel traces the origins of the war, the opening moves, and Hannibal's inspired choice to attack Rome via a land route most believed impossible. In graphic, panoramic prose, Durham describes the battles, including the icy slaughter of the Trebia; the mist-shrouded battle along Lake Trasimene; the battle of Cannae, in which Hannibal's outnumbered force surrounded and decimated seventy thousand Romans in a single afternoon; and Zama, the hard slog that proved to be the decisive contest.
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. Hannibal's family is brought to life: his wife, mother, sisters, and young son, as is Publius Scipio, 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 historical fiction, one that will transport readers to a world of mesmerizing authenticity of character, event, and detail.
The New York Times - Ben Ehrenreich
Durham vividly captures the frenzy of ancient warfare -- battle-maddened pachyderms, hails of javelins and arrows, ordered ranks of Roman light infantry crumbling before Hannibal's mercenary army of 'copper-skinned' Libyans, tattooed and dreadlocked Numidians and blond, blood-drinking Gauls. 'The world is cruel,' Durham's Hannibal proclaims, and it is. Infamies abound. It's all here 'steaming loops of viscera,' catapulted human heads, the spray of blood above the battlefield darkening the sky like rain … a skillfully structured and often gripping novel.
Kirkus Reviews
Durham has reimagined this vanished world in stunningly precise detail, and his lucid explanations of the give-and-take of military decision-making help the reader through some dauntingly complicated material. Nor is this novel merely a pageant the author vividly portrays both Hannibal's driven resolve and Scipio's ruthless efficiency, as well as the conflicted emotions that rule several powerfully realized secondary figures. . . . One of the best of the current crop of historical novels, and a career-making march forward for Durham.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Durham weaves abundant psychological, military and political detail into this vivid account of one of the most romanticized periods of history.
Library Journal - Robert Conroy
An epic tale well told, this will be easily understood even by those with limited knowledge of the period and may conjure thoughts of Robert E. Lee's battles against the Union in the Civil War. Highly recommended for most historical fiction collections.
Booklist - Kristine Huntley
Starred Review. Durham's epic is truly a big, magnificent, sprawling story complete with a sizable cast of compelling characters, intricately drawn battle scenes, and fluid, graceful prose.
Tom Holland, author of Rubicon The Last Years of the Roman Republic
An extraordinary achievement Durham puts flesh on the bones of Carthage in a way that no novelist has done since Flaubert wrote Salammbo.
Jeffrey Lent, author of In the Fall and Lost Nation
Pride of Carthage is that rare and wonderful thing an historical novel that's not only deeply evocative of time and place, character and situation, but is also lyrically written, compellingly composed. I savored each page while ever more breathless as the story unfolded. Durham has broken the mold of historical fiction and created a masterpiece.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by schreiberjo Pride of Carthage Pride of Carthage is a wonderful book and is a moving experience and shows what a great writer David is.
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The New York Times - Ben Ehrenreich
Tom Holland, author of Rubicon The Last Years of the Roman Republic
of 5
by schreiberjo
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