Hannibal: Enemy Of Rome ~ Ben Kane

Elephants through the Alps, hatred of the Romans, eventual defeat, and the complete and utter destruction of Carthage - the sum total of what I know about Hannibal. I didn't know Hannibal had a surname - Barca, or that he lead the Second Punic War. Of course I knew there was more than one Punic War, but I'm not sure I could tell you how many there are for certain and in fairness, plus I had no idea that Hannibal had anything to do with these wars. I do know there were at least three Punic Wars - all this new knowledge of mine comes from Ben Kane.



The first thing one should know about this book is that the title is a bit misleading. Hannibal does appear and is used to explain Carthaginian military strategy, but the story is not about Hannibal in any way. It is about the things that youth get up to and the trouble it can cause. It is about how youth can grow up rather quickly in adverse situations. Primarily, it is about how friendships can be made in the oddest places, with the most unexpected people, resulting in tough decisions when loyalties are questioned. All of this comes quite clearly through in this book, as do more intimate relationships between family members and between ranks during war.

One of the things I did enjoy very much in this novel is the way in which strategy, weaponry and battles were so clearly described without sounding like an academic text, which is not something all authors do well. However, I didn't really get a sense of all the characters, and suspect that those will be developed more in future instalments of these series. I am looking forward to more of the young people of this story and how each of the relationships grow or wane. I will read the sequel, time permitting shortly after its release, and have also endeavoured to read more from Ben Kane.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.