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The Sword of Carthage
For centuries, Carthage has ruled a sprawling maritime empire. Now, a Roman armada sails from Sicily, landing four legions onto Africa. The legionaries are hard-bitten veterans, men of middle height, with powerful chests and shoulders and bronzed faces. They carry javelins, short keen swords and heavy shields. Consul Regulus leads them. His goal is more than victory, but the end of an ancient empire…
In 256 B.C., the Carthaginian Empire is a seething, buckling realm of barbaric warriors, unstable generals and baffled seamen. At this pivotal moment, a young Hamilcar Barca thrusts himself forward. He befriends a canny Spartan mercenary and learns the intricacies of elephant warfare. Now, in a last, desperate battle, he faces the man who slew his brother, the conquering Roman who fights like a raving wolf.
THE SWORD OF CARTHAGE is the recreation of a historical campaign of bitter savagery, filled with the dust, sweat and roar of battle. It is 123,000 words in length by Vaughn Heppner, a Writer of the Future winner.
In 256 B.C., the Carthaginian Empire is a seething, buckling realm of barbaric warriors, unstable generals and baffled seamen. At this pivotal moment, a young Hamilcar Barca thrusts himself forward. He befriends a canny Spartan mercenary and learns the intricacies of elephant warfare. Now, in a last, desperate battle, he faces the man who slew his brother, the conquering Roman who fights like a raving wolf.
THE SWORD OF CARTHAGE is the recreation of a historical campaign of bitter savagery, filled with the dust, sweat and roar of battle. It is 123,000 words in length by Vaughn Heppner, a Writer of the Future winner.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
ebook
First published May 13, 2011
14 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Vaughn Heppner
147 books569 followersYou can visit Vaughn at www.vaughnheppner.com
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 2, 2018
I enjoyed it but it didn't catch me until almost the end of it. It was really nice organized but I have the feeling that it would expand a little more through out the life of Hamilcar which it didn't happen. The last two chapters wrapped things up too quickly. However, on the overall I would recommend it.
January 27, 2020
Excellent read
Loved this book so happy it ended as it did. I don't like to give away the story as I feel a reader should discover the story on their own.
Loved this book so happy it ended as it did. I don't like to give away the story as I feel a reader should discover the story on their own.
September 24, 2023
Good reading
Goes into detail and into history, I enjoy all of Vaughn Heppner's books, I have read several of his books
Goes into detail and into history, I enjoy all of Vaughn Heppner's books, I have read several of his books
June 6, 2012
The Sword of Carthage
The Sword of Carthage, by Vaughn Heppner, tells a tale of the first Punic war through the eyes of Hamilcar Barca, the father of Hannibal.
In writing The Death of Carthage, my novel of the second and third Punic wars, I naturally tried to learn all I could about the first Punic war, but somehow it remained shrouded in mist. I could not wrap my mind around it. All of that changed when I read The Sword of Carthage. Vaughn Heppner brings ancient Carthage alive and paints in bold strokes a fine portrait of the city, its culture and it's struggles with its deadly enemy, Rome.
It is said that Rome worshipped Mars while Carthage worshipped Mammon. While that has some truth to it, it is an oversimplification. Carthage had a complex cast of Gods. One was Baal, and Baal had a consort-Tanit. Tanit is also associated with Ishtar, the goddess of love. Ishtar is similar to the Greek Goddess Aphrodite and to the Roman goddess Venus. But the Carthaginians also worshipped Melquarth whose name translates literally to King Of The City, and who bears a great resemblance to Hercules. Melquarth was admired by the more warlike among the Carthaginians. Hamilcar Barca believes that he is the chosen of Melquarth.
In the Sword of Carthage, young Hamilcar Barca, influenced by his uncle Malchus, longs to become a soldier. His father, Ithobal, a Suffete and a very successful merchant adamantly forbids it. He hires Bromilcar, a priest of Tanit, to tutor Hamilcar, and forbids any encouragement of military ambition. Ithobal's father had been a great general, but was killed by an elephant in the war against Pyrrhus and Ithobal despises the whole notion of military force. But Hamilcar comes under the influence of Cimon, an old Macedonian soldier who guards his father's estate and he becomes enthralled with Cimon's war stories. Ithobal is furious when he learns of Hamilcar's military ambitions.
“Soldiers are born in pigsites and mountain shacks.” He tells Hamilcar. “Cunning men buy them with gold and high sounding slogans. Only a fool needlessly risks his flesh.” Ithobal sets out to prove the point to his son. He dismisses the aged Cimon from his service and tells him that he will see that he never finds work again, but then offers him double weight gold shekels to flog the boy. Cimon, knowing that he will be destitute otherwise, reluctantly complies.
Ithobal tell his son that the only two careers open to him are priest and merchant. While Hamilcar shows some aptitude for both occupations, he never gives up his desire to become a soldier.
When Hamilcar is fifteen his father dies and Hamilcar believes that his father was poisoned by his step-mother Elissa and the evil priest Bromilcar who has become Elissa's lover. Bromilcar marries Elissa, and by a decision of the Suffete, Hamilcar become's Bromilcar's ward until the age of 21. Bromilcar continues to interfere in Hamilcar's attempts to achieve a military career. Hamilcar also suspects that Bromilcar wants to find a way to get rid of him in order to get his inheritance. Bromilcar sends Hamilcar off on a trading mission and and it becomes clear to Hamilcar that when they reach their destination, the caravan master will sell Hamilcar into slavery, a fate that Hamilcar evades by bribing Bromilcar's Celtiberian guards.
Meanwhile the Romans are wreaking havoc. They defeat the Carthaginians at the battle of Agrigentum, driving them out of most of Sicily, and have dealt them several naval defeats. The Roman Consul Marcus Atilius Regulus has invaded north Africa with eight legions, and is laying waste to the countryside and conquering allied cities. Libyan and Numidian allies are deserting Carthage in droves.
When all the other Carthaginian generals reject Hamilcar's services in deference to the increasingly powerful Bromilcar, He manages to attach himself to the aging alcoholic general Bostar, impressing him by taming a huge savage elephant that no one else had been able to handle. He convinces Bostar that the only possible salvation for Carthage lies in hiring Spartan mercenaries, and, indeed, the day is saved, at least temporarily, by the leadership of the Spartan king Xanthippus.
The Sword of Carthage is superbly researched and seems to weave every shred of evidence available into a convincing and exciting narrative. Anyone interested in the Punic wars will eagerly devour this book.
The Sword of Carthage, by Vaughn Heppner, tells a tale of the first Punic war through the eyes of Hamilcar Barca, the father of Hannibal.
In writing The Death of Carthage, my novel of the second and third Punic wars, I naturally tried to learn all I could about the first Punic war, but somehow it remained shrouded in mist. I could not wrap my mind around it. All of that changed when I read The Sword of Carthage. Vaughn Heppner brings ancient Carthage alive and paints in bold strokes a fine portrait of the city, its culture and it's struggles with its deadly enemy, Rome.
It is said that Rome worshipped Mars while Carthage worshipped Mammon. While that has some truth to it, it is an oversimplification. Carthage had a complex cast of Gods. One was Baal, and Baal had a consort-Tanit. Tanit is also associated with Ishtar, the goddess of love. Ishtar is similar to the Greek Goddess Aphrodite and to the Roman goddess Venus. But the Carthaginians also worshipped Melquarth whose name translates literally to King Of The City, and who bears a great resemblance to Hercules. Melquarth was admired by the more warlike among the Carthaginians. Hamilcar Barca believes that he is the chosen of Melquarth.
In the Sword of Carthage, young Hamilcar Barca, influenced by his uncle Malchus, longs to become a soldier. His father, Ithobal, a Suffete and a very successful merchant adamantly forbids it. He hires Bromilcar, a priest of Tanit, to tutor Hamilcar, and forbids any encouragement of military ambition. Ithobal's father had been a great general, but was killed by an elephant in the war against Pyrrhus and Ithobal despises the whole notion of military force. But Hamilcar comes under the influence of Cimon, an old Macedonian soldier who guards his father's estate and he becomes enthralled with Cimon's war stories. Ithobal is furious when he learns of Hamilcar's military ambitions.
“Soldiers are born in pigsites and mountain shacks.” He tells Hamilcar. “Cunning men buy them with gold and high sounding slogans. Only a fool needlessly risks his flesh.” Ithobal sets out to prove the point to his son. He dismisses the aged Cimon from his service and tells him that he will see that he never finds work again, but then offers him double weight gold shekels to flog the boy. Cimon, knowing that he will be destitute otherwise, reluctantly complies.
Ithobal tell his son that the only two careers open to him are priest and merchant. While Hamilcar shows some aptitude for both occupations, he never gives up his desire to become a soldier.
When Hamilcar is fifteen his father dies and Hamilcar believes that his father was poisoned by his step-mother Elissa and the evil priest Bromilcar who has become Elissa's lover. Bromilcar marries Elissa, and by a decision of the Suffete, Hamilcar become's Bromilcar's ward until the age of 21. Bromilcar continues to interfere in Hamilcar's attempts to achieve a military career. Hamilcar also suspects that Bromilcar wants to find a way to get rid of him in order to get his inheritance. Bromilcar sends Hamilcar off on a trading mission and and it becomes clear to Hamilcar that when they reach their destination, the caravan master will sell Hamilcar into slavery, a fate that Hamilcar evades by bribing Bromilcar's Celtiberian guards.
Meanwhile the Romans are wreaking havoc. They defeat the Carthaginians at the battle of Agrigentum, driving them out of most of Sicily, and have dealt them several naval defeats. The Roman Consul Marcus Atilius Regulus has invaded north Africa with eight legions, and is laying waste to the countryside and conquering allied cities. Libyan and Numidian allies are deserting Carthage in droves.
When all the other Carthaginian generals reject Hamilcar's services in deference to the increasingly powerful Bromilcar, He manages to attach himself to the aging alcoholic general Bostar, impressing him by taming a huge savage elephant that no one else had been able to handle. He convinces Bostar that the only possible salvation for Carthage lies in hiring Spartan mercenaries, and, indeed, the day is saved, at least temporarily, by the leadership of the Spartan king Xanthippus.
The Sword of Carthage is superbly researched and seems to weave every shred of evidence available into a convincing and exciting narrative. Anyone interested in the Punic wars will eagerly devour this book.
July 16, 2012
I love history told this way. Heppner seems to have done his homework on facts, not that I'm an expert, but I have read a lot on the Second Punic War, and two books on the First Punic War. If Heppner strayed it wasn't far.
He also did a good job of constructing the tale. It's difficult to relate history this way, keep the facts, but make it interesting. I give him credit for that, too.
Now comes the difficult part. For as much work as Heppner put into his research, I wish he would have put half as much into a good copy editor and proofreader. I found it inexcusable that this book had so many mistakes, both typos and words misused. A few are understandable, but not this many. More than a couple of dozen. The shame of it is that mistakes ruin a good read, at least for me they do, and it wouldn't have taken him too much time or money to hire someone to correct that.
With that said, I would still recommend this as a decent read for anyone interested in the First Punic War, and in Hamilcar Barca. I would have rated this at least 4.5 stars if the mistakes had been within reason.
He also did a good job of constructing the tale. It's difficult to relate history this way, keep the facts, but make it interesting. I give him credit for that, too.
Now comes the difficult part. For as much work as Heppner put into his research, I wish he would have put half as much into a good copy editor and proofreader. I found it inexcusable that this book had so many mistakes, both typos and words misused. A few are understandable, but not this many. More than a couple of dozen. The shame of it is that mistakes ruin a good read, at least for me they do, and it wouldn't have taken him too much time or money to hire someone to correct that.
With that said, I would still recommend this as a decent read for anyone interested in the First Punic War, and in Hamilcar Barca. I would have rated this at least 4.5 stars if the mistakes had been within reason.
August 3, 2011
First, this book isn't about Hannibal. It is about his father, Hamilcar Barca. That alone is enough to set it apart from the hundreds of other historical fiction novels. I won't lie though, I randomly go online and look for books about Hannibal and that would be how I found this particular gem. This book is AMAZING. Totally 5/5 stars. Heppner has about ten other books on Barnes and Noble that I'm going to have to check out as well. I hope that there is a sequel to this being planned because it leaves off before Hamilcar even makes it to Sicily, although it does cover the battle between the Legions and the Spartan led Carthaginian forces in Africa which I don't recall anyone ever doing in any historical fiction before.
April 27, 2012
decent historical fiction of the first punic war.
November 9, 2013
good book going to have to look for more from this author
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews