The Ghosts of Cannae

Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic

By: Robert L. O'Connell

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

Hannibal's battle plan at Cannae became the mother of all great battle strategies - the first battle of encirclement that has been imitated (often to disastrous effect) endlessly over the past two thousand years. In this brilliant, long-overdue, and beautifully written account, Robert L. O'Connell gives listeners an epic account of one of the most dramatic battles of antiquity.

The Ghosts of Cannae is at once a book about a specific battle (the massive defeat of a huge but inexperienced Roman army in southern Italy by Hannibal in 216 BC) and also an interpretation of the larger course of the Second Punic War, as well as an assessment of the historical impact of Rome's storied rivalry with Carthage. What ties the book together is the fate of the survivors, their treatment by the authorities in Rome, and ultimately their vindication nearly two decades later, when they defeated Hannibal at the decisive battle of Zama in North Africa. With an unforgettable cast of heroes and villains, The Ghosts of Cannae is history at its finest.

©2010 Robert L. O'Connell (P)2010 Tantor Media

Gripping

Absolutely spectacular book. Love that it elaborates on the ‘ghosts’ who usually get short shrift in books about Cannae. Tells the story in a compelling fashion with some beautiful metaphors and a wry sense of humor.

Reader’s breathing is distracting

Readers breathing (sucking in air) is so distracting that i deleted the book Readers breathing (sucking in air) is so distracting that i deleted the book

Great work, but not original by any means.

O'Connell's work is pretty good, but not great, to sum it up in a sentence.

This book is sort of a semi-biography of Hannibal, as well-done narrative of the Second Punic War.

"The Ghosts of Cannae" in the title refers to the Roman survivors of the battle, and O'Connell tells their story as well. This was the one really groundbreaking part of the book.

O'Connell does a fair job with this book and the audio/narration is excellent. But, the Second Punic War has been done to death by historians, and perhaps in greater detail (see Goldsworthy, Adrian).

Adequate

The book provides an adequate coverage of Hannibal’s exploits for the general reader. It includes footnotes for continued reading. As to the Audible, Alan Sklar’s performance is over wrought, bombastic, oppressive. One has to take his voice in steady intervals.

Hannibal's Legacy

Many books that center on a specific event such as a battle tend to lack a global perspective. Robert O'Connell with Ghosts not only delivers all the blood and guts a body could hope for, not to mention a heavy dose of strategy and tactics, he neatly integrates this story into the greater story of man. He does what historians are supposed to do. He teaches lessons that shouldn't be learned the hard way. Ever since that hot day in August 216 BC, generals in every generation have been looking for their own holy grail; their own Cannae. Some were close, but no cigar. Rome's solution to the Hannibal problem would turn out to be their undoing. The days of the amateur generals were gone, and the professional armies turned power brokers were here to stay.