Hannibal

One Man Against Rome

By: Harold Lamb

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the breathtaking adventure of the great Carthaginian general who shook the foundations of Rome. When conflict between Rome and Carthage resumed in 219 B.C., after a brief hiatus from the first Punic War, the Romans decided to invade Spain. Eluding several Roman legions sent out to intercept him in Spain and France, Hannibal Barca astoundingly led his small army of mercenaries over the Alps and thundered down into the Po Valley. The Carthaginian swept all resistance from his path and, as one victory led to another, drove a wedge between Rome and its allies. Hannibal marched up and down the Italian peninsula for 18 years, appearing well nigh invincible to a Rome which began to doubt itself for the first time in its history.

This violent and exciting narrative will thrill you with the accounts of heroism and brilliance displayed on both sides as the war raged mercilessly across the entire Western Mediterranean. Learn how the patience of Fabius Maximus and the genius of Lucius Cornelius Scipio finally turned the tide in this, the world's first "global" conflict...a conflict whose aftermath proved to be one of the most decisive and enduring events in world history. And finally, learn the secret to the success of Hannibal, the most brilliant military commander of all time.

©2003 Audio Connoisseur (P)2003 Audio Connoisseur

Hanibal is at the gates!!!

This was a great audiobook, and the narrator did a great job of bringing Hanibal alive. The history/geography was somewhat detailed at points, but I was sufficiently grasped by the book to look up maps of Italy in the 3rd century. Overall one of the best audiobooks I've listened too...it was almost like Gladiator/Braveheart in a book...and the fact that 2nd Punic war is real made it much better.

Excellent book on a remarkable man

This is the 1st Audible book I have listened and I wasn't disappointed; neither will you. The narrator is excellent, changing his tone and using inflections to help you distinguish between characters. He keeps it clear & interesting.

I know that Alexander the Great is viewed as the greatest conqueror and military mind in history, and everyone else is compared to him, but after hearing this book I think that Hannibal Barker (did I spell his name right?) may have been short changed a bit. The decisions made by Hannibal, his superior ability to lead people and his subsequent victories throughout Spain and Italy were amazing. His battles against his rivals, Maximus and Scipio, are fascinating. How their decisions changed the course of things to come (both for themselves, their nations and history). This book has made me want to look further into other historical figures (something I was lacking in doing before).

I highly recommend this book. If you are into history or learning about important historical figures I don't think you'll be disappointed with this book. The only criticism I have is that the book never gives you any reference as to where these events took place in modern today. I would suggest looking through the net and familiarize your self with the Mediterranean, Italy, Spain and Northern Africa during the 200 - 300 BC era. This will help you enormously with your visualization of where these battles and events took place.
Again, Highly Recommended!!

Great Book

Get's you hooked. Told in a most convincing manner.

Good but not great

Still the definitive book on Hannibal by all accounts the book suffers by perhaps a lack of material to work with given the sources available. It gives only a cursory review of the major battles from a tactical perspective; however, the author states early that more qualified military writers have written extensively on this. His focus is on the man and how he approach the strategy of war. This is the books true insight and valued analysis. The distillation comes in the final chapter while the blocks of the arguments set out in this section were spread throughout the book. There is a slight short coming in this style as the detail behind these points are buried in with the rest of the text. Had seeds of the argument been planted in the text, for me it would be more memorable and a tighter woven narrative.

The Narrator is good until he does his Hannibal voice which just is a strange accent.

Informative and interesting

What did you like best about Hannibal? What did you like least?

I didn't know what Hannibal had achieved. Very slow to get started

Would you recommend Hannibal to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes if they enjoy hearing about history

Would you listen to another book narrated by Charlton Griffin?

Yes

Could you see Hannibal being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes Hugh Jackman

an epic story in valuable life lessons

the narrator takes you into the mind of Hannibal and goes over the political situation of the of the time and the strategies Hannibal's used to defeat the Romans in many battles. he also discusses Hannibal's tactics for a allying the different nations together to work for one aim, Conquering the Romans. the addition of sound effects and the awesome narrator made this book an immersive experience I listened to this book at work in 2 days. Hannibal was probably one of the greatest Commandment that ever lived. another interesting side note are the many nations in Africa that I didn't realize where African.

Simply the Best

Simply this was the best Audible book I have heard. The author and narrator make this effort a true enjoyment. This is a complex story about a complex man in a complex time, told in a simple straight foward manner. If you are a history reader, this is a must.

Rome - Ancient Nazis?

Riveting book. Casts a new light on the brutality and ruthlessness of the Romans - the Nazis of their era. Ironically, Hannibal was of the semitic people of the African coast- destroyed in a roman holocaust

Extremely well read, well told. Since I knew what was going to happen to Carthage, it was difficult to hear the end, I had grown so fond of Hannibal.

Thorough, broad history, not so much about the man

Ostensibly a biography of the great Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca, the fact is that it's hard to write authoritatively about what the man himself was like. Most of the records were written by his enemies, the Romans, who characterized him as cruel, mad, and treacherous. However, by looking at his actual actions, a different picture emerges, of someone who was a pretty decent man for his time, considering he spent the latter half of his life at war with an enemy that wanted to destroy his nation (and ultimately did). So most of the book talks about the history of the 2nd Punic war, which was the great contest between Rome and Carthage for domination of the Western Mediterranean.

Hannibal was a strategic genius who led his army in an extended campaign against the Roman Republic, before its ultimate ascendancy. For nearly twenty years he trounced the Romans in Italy, before finally being defeated on his home ground. His archrival, Scipio Africanus, was another man of great power and genius, and he defeated Hannibal after studying him for years.

One thing that emerges from this book is how much individual personalities mattered, both in war and in politics. Different generals than Hannibal and Scipio Africanus would almost certainly have meant different outcomes. Likewise, even after losing the war, Hannibal was powerful and influential in Carthage and instrumental in getting the city to repay its reparations to Rome. Likewise, forceful personalities in Rome (like Cato, who absolutely hated Carthage) were responsible for history taking the course it did. This book is a pretty strong argument for the theory that great men shape history. (I should probably say "great persons" or "great personalities," but frankly, women didn't have much to say in either Carthage or Rome.)

There are some modern parallels if you consider the reasons why Rome and Carthage went to war, and look at the political maneuvers of the Romans, the way Hannibal had to drag the super-wealthy Carthaginians into line to get the city's debts paid, and then how he was ultimately betrayed, first by his own people and then repeatedly by other rulers whom he assisted in resisting Rome.

There is a certain tragic inevitability in Carthage's ultimate fall, and Hannibal and Scipio Africanus both came to more ignominious ends than these great men deserved.

If you like histories of Roman antiquity with a fair amount of military information (but not too much about the nitty-gritty details about tactics and maneuvers), this is a good book. It's a bit dry at times; Lamb sticks to the source material and anything that might make it more interesting -- conjectures, ahistorical personalizing of the individuals, guesses about what might have happened -- he labels as such and doesn't go too far down that path. Hannibal himself remains more an icon than a man; if you want to hear his voice and see his personality, you'll have to resort to historical fiction.

I really liked the narration of this audiobook. Charlton Griffin has a rich, deep voice and reads the history, and Hannibal's words, with appropriate gravity. The occasional background noise of marching boots actually added to the mood, rather than being distracting as most sound effects are.

I would never had known...

From my history classes, I never learned the extent of the genius of this man. I cannot help but be amazed when I think about the things that Hannibal and his army endured. Throughout my educational history, I had gained a more than negative connotation to attach to the name, "Hannibal". After reading (listening to) this amazing accounting of not only Hannibal, but his brothers, father, and all of the Carthaginians for whom, Hannibal was a heroic champion, I have cast those thoughts aside. (Imagine, marching an army and elephants through the Alps to face the world's most feared Army!!!) I guarantee that you will want to hear this awesome story more than once!!!