Pride of Carthage

By: David Anthony Durham

Narrated by: Dick Hill

This epic retelling of the legendary Carthaginian military leader's assault on the Roman empire begins in Ancient Spain, where Hannibal Barca sets out with tens of thousands of soldiers and 30 elephants. After conquering the Roman city of Saguntum, Hannibal wages his campaign through the outposts of the empire, shrewdly befriending peoples disillusioned by Rome and, with dazzling tactics, outwitting the opponents who believe the land route he has chosen is impossible. Yet Hannibal's armies must take brutal losses as they pass through the Pyrenees mountains, forge the Rhone river, and make a winter crossing of the Alps before descending to the great tests at Cannae and Rome itself. David Anthony Durham draws a brilliant and complex Hannibal out of the scant historical record' - sharp, sure-footed, as nimble among rivals as on the battlefield, yet one who misses his family and longs to see his son grow to manhood. Whether portraying the deliberations of a general or the calculations of a common soldier, vast multilayered scenes of battle or moments of introspection when loss seems imminent, Durham brings history alive.

©2005 David Anthony Durham (P)2012 David Anthony Durham

Critic reviews

"David Anthony Durham knocked me out with Pride of Carthage. He brought Hannibal, his brothers, and the Second Punic War to vivid, bloody life, and established himself as one of the bright new lights of historical fiction. He's doing great work in science fiction as well, as the Campbell Award voters attested when they elected him the best new writer in the field. His epic fantasies make him a triple threat. No matter the genre, David Anthony Durham has serious chops. I can't wait to read whatever he writes next..." (George R. R. Martin)

"Durham's epic is truly a big, magnificent, sprawlingstory complete with a sizable cast of compelling characters, intricately drawn battle scenes, and fluid, graceful prose." ( Booklist)

"An epic tale well told, this will be easily understoodeven 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." ( Library Journal)

I loved it!!

Hannibal’s journey to war with Rome is a fascinating piece of history. Telling the story through the eyes of a common Carthaginian soldier, an orphaned camp follower, and a Numidian former Roman slave made it brilliant.
Thank you Mr. Durham for making it very clear that Hannibal, one of the greatest military generals of all time, was an African man of color who led an army of majority black infantry and Calvary dealt Rome its greatest defeats. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

worth a listen

the story was great (granted, the original story is awesome so he doesn't have to add much ... personally want a fan of the reader

must read

Absolutely a must read for any lover of ancient Rome. Fantastic narration and overall great book.

Good but not great

Though I think some of the history is questionable, I enjoyed the story. My problem was with the flow and character development, of which there was very little. The novel moves from one front to the next and from the perspective of one character to another without much transition, making it difficult to follow at times.
It also seemed as if major characters in the novel were virtually unknown to the reader at times.

Bad voice casting ruined this, better to read it

This is a review of the audiobook version of this, not the book itself (which I really enjoyed)
I really hate to say this because Dick Hill always reads perfectly. He always gets the intent, meaning, and pronunciation right on whatever he's reading. Something even many excellent narrators struggle with.
But in this case, he chose to use a very, very enthusiastic Shakespearean British voice with long rolling Rs and tremulous vibrato. You almost picture him standing in tights, holding up a skull in the classic Shakespearean stereotype.
The result is that he sounds like the story is a comedic farce, and it completely ruins what is, at it's heart, a gritty, historical war story.
Don't take this as an insult to this award-winning narrator. But he was definitely miscast. Or at least, directed badly. Because he's actually American. So why THAT accent and voice?
I'm not sure who decided to go with that approach, but it came across as cartoonish.
In this case, I'll suggest the print version.
Skip this recording, for your own sake.