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Total War Rome #1
Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage
A thrilling journey to the core of Roman times-through a world of extraordinary military tactics and political intrigue-from international bestselling author David Gibbins.
Carthage, 146 B.C. This is the story of Fabius Petronius Secundus-Roman legionary and centurion-and of his general Scipio Aemilianus, and his rise to from his first battle against the Macedonians, which seals the fate of Alexander the Great's successors, to total war in North Africa and the Siege of Carthage.
"Superb." - Kirkus Reviews
Scipio's success brings him admiration and respect, but also attracts greed and jealousy as his closest allies become ruthless enemies. And then there is Julia, of the Caesar family-in love with Scipio but betrothed to his rival Paullus-who causes a vicious feud. For Scipio it will come down to one what is he prepared to sacrifice for his vision of Rome? Meanwhile, the citizens and warriors lie in wait to see what fate has in store. . .
"Gibbins clearly understands the immense levels of fear, excitement, and adrenaline that pump through each Roman soldier, and the surgical brutality of their battles." - SEGA Addicts
This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.
Carthage, 146 B.C. This is the story of Fabius Petronius Secundus-Roman legionary and centurion-and of his general Scipio Aemilianus, and his rise to from his first battle against the Macedonians, which seals the fate of Alexander the Great's successors, to total war in North Africa and the Siege of Carthage.
"Superb." - Kirkus Reviews
Scipio's success brings him admiration and respect, but also attracts greed and jealousy as his closest allies become ruthless enemies. And then there is Julia, of the Caesar family-in love with Scipio but betrothed to his rival Paullus-who causes a vicious feud. For Scipio it will come down to one what is he prepared to sacrifice for his vision of Rome? Meanwhile, the citizens and warriors lie in wait to see what fate has in store. . .
"Gibbins clearly understands the immense levels of fear, excitement, and adrenaline that pump through each Roman soldier, and the surgical brutality of their battles." - SEGA Addicts
This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
39 people are currently reading
1089 people want to read
About the author
David Gibbins
48 books603 followers Canadian-born underwater archaeologist and novelist. Gibbins learned to scuba dive at the age of 15 in Canada, and dived under ice, on shipwrecks and in caves while he was still at school. He has led numerous underwater archaeology expeditions around the world, including five seasons excavating ancient Roman shipwrecks off Sicily and a survey of the submerged harbour of ancient Carthage. In 1999-2000 he was part of an international team excavating a 5th century BC shipwreck off Turkey. His many publications on ancient shipwreck sites have appeared in scientific journals, books and popular magazines. Most recently his fieldwork has taken him to the Arctic Ocean, to Mesoamerica and to the Great Lakes in Canada.
After holding a Research Fellowship at Cambridge, he spent most of the 1990s as a Lecturer in the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies at the University of Liverpool. On leaving teaching he become a novelist, writing archaeological thrillers derived from his own background. His novels have sold over two million copies and have been London Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers. His first novel, Atlantis, published in the UK in 2005 and the US in September 2006, has been published in 30 languages and is being made into a TV miniseries; since then he has written five further novels, published in more than 100 editions internationally. His novels form a series based on the fictional maritime archaeologist Jack Howard and his team, and are contemporary thrillers involving a plausible archaeological backdrop.
After holding a Research Fellowship at Cambridge, he spent most of the 1990s as a Lecturer in the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies at the University of Liverpool. On leaving teaching he become a novelist, writing archaeological thrillers derived from his own background. His novels have sold over two million copies and have been London Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers. His first novel, Atlantis, published in the UK in 2005 and the US in September 2006, has been published in 30 languages and is being made into a TV miniseries; since then he has written five further novels, published in more than 100 editions internationally. His novels form a series based on the fictional maritime archaeologist Jack Howard and his team, and are contemporary thrillers involving a plausible archaeological backdrop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 2, 2025
An action-packed story that is tied to the game "Total War." I've never played the game; I was just looking for an historical novel set in Roman times and this fit the bill. The time period is that of the late Roman Republic leading to the siege and destruction of Carthage by Rome in 146 B.C. This was the Third Punic War, the third and last of the wars between Rome and Carthage for the domination of the Western Mediterranean Sea. Interesting that Rome had built a great empire but was still a Republic ( actually an oligarchy). They were still over a century away from getting an Emperor (Augustus Caesar) to rule their empire.
The story is about the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus as told by the Roman legionary Fabius Petronius Secundus. We follow Scipio's rise to power to become the general who conquers Carthage and destroys the North African city which had been Rome's main enemy. Interestingly for me, the story is as much concerned with the politics of the Roman state as it is with the military action. The politics proves to be as deadly as combat in battle, as Scipio gets caught up in a vicious feud with a rival named Paulus, one of those villains you love to hate. However, we know that Scipio, as the hero of the story, is sure to triumph over his enemy in the end-- and he is such a superduper guy, I think that if Rome had needed a dictator or emperor, he would've been the ideal man for the job. But that was not to be...
Gibbins is an archaeologist and knows his stuff and, as far as I'm concerned, that makes up for the rather poor writing. His story kept me engaged and, although the book is around 400 pages long, I read through it very quickly. I did learn a lot about those crazy Romans too.
The story is about the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus as told by the Roman legionary Fabius Petronius Secundus. We follow Scipio's rise to power to become the general who conquers Carthage and destroys the North African city which had been Rome's main enemy. Interestingly for me, the story is as much concerned with the politics of the Roman state as it is with the military action. The politics proves to be as deadly as combat in battle, as Scipio gets caught up in a vicious feud with a rival named Paulus, one of those villains you love to hate. However, we know that Scipio, as the hero of the story, is sure to triumph over his enemy in the end-- and he is such a superduper guy, I think that if Rome had needed a dictator or emperor, he would've been the ideal man for the job. But that was not to be...
Gibbins is an archaeologist and knows his stuff and, as far as I'm concerned, that makes up for the rather poor writing. His story kept me engaged and, although the book is around 400 pages long, I read through it very quickly. I did learn a lot about those crazy Romans too.
November 19, 2013
Rating: 2/5
Note: I received this book for an honest review through the Goodreads.com giveaway. Regardless of how I obtain a book I am committed to providing uncensored thoughts in my reviews (because, really, I have no idea how to censor myself).
Summary: Fabius is Scipio's servant, sworn to serve and protect his master at home and on the battle field. Scipio, Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus, is the adoptive grandson of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zuma in 202 BC. With family honor at stake, and Fabius by his side, Scipio must sacrifice, keep alive, and play politics with Roman Senators to fulfill his destiny and destroy Carthage.
Review: I really wanted to love this book, I love Total War games and the epilogue had a great battle scene that seemed so promising. Written by a historian, this novel is filled with tons of accurate historical information. If this was a non-fiction work, I'd rate it highly.
However, this isn't a non-fiction work, it is a fiction novel despite being based on historical facts. The characters lack depth, this is my description of the Romans, as presented in the novel:
"RRRAR" *beats chest in a show of testosterone fueled male power* "Rome! War! Rome! Kill Carthage!" *brandishes a weapon*
Really. There is little more below the surface than an obsession of the main characters to kill, maim, and destroy Carthage. There is also a lack of emotional depth. .
I don't know how Romans spoke but I'm pretty sure they didn't refer to each other so formally, always using their bazillion names, when even talking to close friends. Also, when speaking, the characters would do so in looooong paragraphs to disclose as much information as possible. This would happen sometimes in the oddest scenes. For example, . The conversations were stiff, didn't flow naturally.
As an even better example of how unrealistic the human interactions were in this novel, imagine this scene: .
The writing style is about 80% tell and 20% show. Too many long-winded discussions and speeches. This is quite unfortunate since I am a huge fan of the Total War games. I play Rome and Rome II (although they have made some things easier in Rome II, it is still a good game). This book did nothing to make me more excited to play. I don't think this book was a good addition to the Total War name.
Note: I received this book for an honest review through the Goodreads.com giveaway. Regardless of how I obtain a book I am committed to providing uncensored thoughts in my reviews (because, really, I have no idea how to censor myself).
Summary: Fabius is Scipio's servant, sworn to serve and protect his master at home and on the battle field. Scipio, Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus, is the adoptive grandson of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zuma in 202 BC. With family honor at stake, and Fabius by his side, Scipio must sacrifice, keep alive, and play politics with Roman Senators to fulfill his destiny and destroy Carthage.
Review: I really wanted to love this book, I love Total War games and the epilogue had a great battle scene that seemed so promising. Written by a historian, this novel is filled with tons of accurate historical information. If this was a non-fiction work, I'd rate it highly.
However, this isn't a non-fiction work, it is a fiction novel despite being based on historical facts. The characters lack depth, this is my description of the Romans, as presented in the novel:
"RRRAR" *beats chest in a show of testosterone fueled male power* "Rome! War! Rome! Kill Carthage!" *brandishes a weapon*
Really. There is little more below the surface than an obsession of the main characters to kill, maim, and destroy Carthage. There is also a lack of emotional depth. .
I don't know how Romans spoke but I'm pretty sure they didn't refer to each other so formally, always using their bazillion names, when even talking to close friends. Also, when speaking, the characters would do so in looooong paragraphs to disclose as much information as possible. This would happen sometimes in the oddest scenes. For example, . The conversations were stiff, didn't flow naturally.
As an even better example of how unrealistic the human interactions were in this novel, imagine this scene: .
The writing style is about 80% tell and 20% show. Too many long-winded discussions and speeches. This is quite unfortunate since I am a huge fan of the Total War games. I play Rome and Rome II (although they have made some things easier in Rome II, it is still a good game). This book did nothing to make me more excited to play. I don't think this book was a good addition to the Total War name.
September 13, 2013
I have found this a tough book to review, i have been searching for what i hope is the best comparison to describe it. (not sure I cracked it but here goes)
The book right from page one suffers from and gains from its link to the video game (are they still called that... damn I'm showing my age) I loved the first Rome Total War, but it sucked time like a black hole. It and the Intro to the book gave the book a bit of a Manual feel. Then there is the style of the book, it instructs the reader, it gives a depth of background to Rome at the time that you dont find in many Roman fiction titles, the army, the politics and how they all fit together, all like a lesson plan, or a game world build.
All that may have you screaming...NOOOO don't buy it... But that's because i haven't tempered it with..
David Gibbins is an excellent writer, i think he may have to blend his normal thriller style with the historical fiction writing to really lift the series to the next level. But what he does provide in this book is an insight into a period of Rome that few have covered, and a look at the political machinations of the Roman senate and upper echelons or power, and how the powers that be, may have finally ended up in front of the walls of Carthage. David does start to bring out his ability with characters creation, but i think some of that growth was hindered by the semi instructional style of the book.
I really want to see how this series progresses and grows. Here is a book I enjoyed and that taught me something, its not often I feel as if I have been educated throughout a book and entertained at the same time.
I really think you should try this book and stick with it to the end, If you're a gamer you will love the information it gives on the different empires and the different army units and how to use them in battle. If you are a reader of fiction, then you will enjoy coming at a story from a different angle. I'm very interested to see how book two pans out. I'd love to see some comments on others views of this book.
But basically go buy the book.
(Parm)
Other books
Review of last book by David Gibbins
Jack Howard
1. Atlantis (2005)
2. Crusader Gold (2006)
3. The Last Gospel (2008)
aka The Lost Tomb
4. The Tiger Warrior (2009)
5. The Mask of Troy (2010)
6. The Gods of Atlantis (2011)
aka Atlantis God
7. Pharaoh (2013)
The book right from page one suffers from and gains from its link to the video game (are they still called that... damn I'm showing my age) I loved the first Rome Total War, but it sucked time like a black hole. It and the Intro to the book gave the book a bit of a Manual feel. Then there is the style of the book, it instructs the reader, it gives a depth of background to Rome at the time that you dont find in many Roman fiction titles, the army, the politics and how they all fit together, all like a lesson plan, or a game world build.
All that may have you screaming...NOOOO don't buy it... But that's because i haven't tempered it with..
David Gibbins is an excellent writer, i think he may have to blend his normal thriller style with the historical fiction writing to really lift the series to the next level. But what he does provide in this book is an insight into a period of Rome that few have covered, and a look at the political machinations of the Roman senate and upper echelons or power, and how the powers that be, may have finally ended up in front of the walls of Carthage. David does start to bring out his ability with characters creation, but i think some of that growth was hindered by the semi instructional style of the book.
I really want to see how this series progresses and grows. Here is a book I enjoyed and that taught me something, its not often I feel as if I have been educated throughout a book and entertained at the same time.
I really think you should try this book and stick with it to the end, If you're a gamer you will love the information it gives on the different empires and the different army units and how to use them in battle. If you are a reader of fiction, then you will enjoy coming at a story from a different angle. I'm very interested to see how book two pans out. I'd love to see some comments on others views of this book.
But basically go buy the book.
(Parm)
Other books
Review of last book by David Gibbins
Jack Howard
1. Atlantis (2005)
2. Crusader Gold (2006)
3. The Last Gospel (2008)
aka The Lost Tomb
4. The Tiger Warrior (2009)
5. The Mask of Troy (2010)
6. The Gods of Atlantis (2011)
aka Atlantis God
7. Pharaoh (2013)
August 26, 2013
It was such an adventure, such an enjoyment and so much fun reading. It wasted no words yet not so much that you could piece things together.Each section was like a movie; a really good movie that really in the truest sense of the word is epic. One thing that I appreciated that it was written in such a way that it leaves room for imagination not in the sense that I found frustrating but help up the ante. It seemes each sections end with a semi-cliff hanger, that by the third part I got used it but could help but want for more. Where section open and resolved the conflict you want more details but you find yourself happy with the taste so you can imagine your own ending. The end was totally unexpected. I admit the signs were there but I imagined so many different endings that seem typical.
October 12, 2015
The things I love most about reading fiction is plot lines and character development. For me, this novel lacked both of these. There were 10 year gaps throughout and my curiosity and desire to know and connect with any character was not satisfied.
Don't get me wrong, I love me a bit of ancient history but this is more like a recount/timeline rather than a story. A battle plan, with guts and gore being the basis for description is what this is.
I may be disliked for this review but look up, I said,"For me."
Don't get me wrong, I love me a bit of ancient history but this is more like a recount/timeline rather than a story. A battle plan, with guts and gore being the basis for description is what this is.
I may be disliked for this review but look up, I said,"For me."
September 4, 2013
I don’t read a huge amount of tie-in fiction, especially game tie-ins, but when Destroy Carthage arrived through my letterbox I was significantly intrigued enough to give it a try. Romans, espionage, politics, war-elephants and catapults sounds like a winning combination to me.
A big chunk of the book, unsurprisingly, is taken up with the historical events leading up to the final Roman assault on the city of Carthage. The battles themselves are suitably bloodthirsty, frenzied events. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised by just how gory things actually got. I have to admit that I was hoping for something along these lines when I started reading. I do like a bit of gore. I’m a huge fan of Spartacus, the recent TV series, and I particularly loved the fight scenes. They have a chaotic abandon that’s infectious. Destroy Carthage has moments that evoke exactly the same sort of reaction. A bit of unrestrained violence can never be a bad thing when you’re reading about warriors. Can’t go wrong with a beheading or two can you?
This author has real flare for capturing the chaos to be found at the heart of any conflict. His writing never sugarcoats the harsh reality of battle, warriors die in a variety of gruesome ways. At one point Gibbins describes how Fabius views his first real experience in a fight. He likens it to having tunnel vision, never worrying about what is to his right or left only what is directly in front. Everything boils down to him and the opponent he is directly facing off against, the mechanics of war are stripped right back to the bare bones.
The book covers quite a large chunk of Fabius and Scipio’s respective military careers, from their late teens to early middle age. The reader gets insight into their time learning/training in Rome and then through the various campaigns they were both part of. The events in this novel take place prior to the time of the Roman Empire. It was interesting to discover that the Romans didn’t have a standing army just a draft that was called upon only in times of war.
As this is a game tie-in novel there were a couple of things that I was wondering about. I’m not an avid gamer, casual at best, but I’d imagine that the story in the novel would probably link pretty closely to the game. I got the distinct impression that when characters were discussing tactics this was aimed at readers who are also potential gamers. Are these some sort of subtle game hints perhaps?
There is also a little part of me that is insanely curious about how this sort of fiction comes about. The game developers obviously want a tie in to the existing franchise but must give the author a certain amount of leeway to develop their own take on historical events. Choosing a well-established historical fiction author was exactly the right way for the publishers to go; David Gibbins is a known quantity. Earlier this year I read his most recent novel, Pharaoh, and I was won over by his writing. The same blend of attention to detail and skillful storytelling are on display here.
Overall, Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is an entertaining read. There are loads of violent skirmishes, plenty of history, and I was suitably impressed. If the purpose of this novel is to generate interest in the game, I think it’s fair to say that the novel has more than adequately managed its job. I found myself switching between writing this review and looking at trailers for the game online.
A big chunk of the book, unsurprisingly, is taken up with the historical events leading up to the final Roman assault on the city of Carthage. The battles themselves are suitably bloodthirsty, frenzied events. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised by just how gory things actually got. I have to admit that I was hoping for something along these lines when I started reading. I do like a bit of gore. I’m a huge fan of Spartacus, the recent TV series, and I particularly loved the fight scenes. They have a chaotic abandon that’s infectious. Destroy Carthage has moments that evoke exactly the same sort of reaction. A bit of unrestrained violence can never be a bad thing when you’re reading about warriors. Can’t go wrong with a beheading or two can you?
This author has real flare for capturing the chaos to be found at the heart of any conflict. His writing never sugarcoats the harsh reality of battle, warriors die in a variety of gruesome ways. At one point Gibbins describes how Fabius views his first real experience in a fight. He likens it to having tunnel vision, never worrying about what is to his right or left only what is directly in front. Everything boils down to him and the opponent he is directly facing off against, the mechanics of war are stripped right back to the bare bones.
The book covers quite a large chunk of Fabius and Scipio’s respective military careers, from their late teens to early middle age. The reader gets insight into their time learning/training in Rome and then through the various campaigns they were both part of. The events in this novel take place prior to the time of the Roman Empire. It was interesting to discover that the Romans didn’t have a standing army just a draft that was called upon only in times of war.
As this is a game tie-in novel there were a couple of things that I was wondering about. I’m not an avid gamer, casual at best, but I’d imagine that the story in the novel would probably link pretty closely to the game. I got the distinct impression that when characters were discussing tactics this was aimed at readers who are also potential gamers. Are these some sort of subtle game hints perhaps?
There is also a little part of me that is insanely curious about how this sort of fiction comes about. The game developers obviously want a tie in to the existing franchise but must give the author a certain amount of leeway to develop their own take on historical events. Choosing a well-established historical fiction author was exactly the right way for the publishers to go; David Gibbins is a known quantity. Earlier this year I read his most recent novel, Pharaoh, and I was won over by his writing. The same blend of attention to detail and skillful storytelling are on display here.
Overall, Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is an entertaining read. There are loads of violent skirmishes, plenty of history, and I was suitably impressed. If the purpose of this novel is to generate interest in the game, I think it’s fair to say that the novel has more than adequately managed its job. I found myself switching between writing this review and looking at trailers for the game online.
March 11, 2015
Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is an interesting beast, being both a historical novel and a promotional tie-in to SEGA's hit real time strategy game Total War: Rome 2, of which I am definitely a fan (having racked up about 70 hours of playing time so far, and hundreds more on other titles in the Total War series). While it succeeds more in the latter aspect than in the former, it still manages to be a worthwhile and exciting introduction to the world and warfare of the Roman Republic, helped no doubt by SEGA's wise choice of David Gibbins, respected archaeologist and author of numerous well-reviewed historical novels set in this period, to write it.
Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage follows the career of Scipio Aemilianus - the real-life adopted grandson of the famous Scipio Africanus who defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama - and his lifelong obsession with the destruction of Rome's great enemy, the African city state of Carthage. The story is broken into vignettes, advancing decades between chapters to show the great battles of the era, in Macedon, Spain and finally the streets of Carthage itself. These appropriately epic battle sequences are interspersed with scenes at a school for future generals in Rome, in which the characters discuss the fine points of strategy and politics which will aid them in the wars ahead. In this way, Gibbins provides both a historical novel and an introduction to the game. The result mostly works, but can be a bit clunky when Gibbins launches into lengthy and detailed descriptions of battlefield formations or siegeworks. The chimeric nature of this novel make it difficult to review, but as a gamer and a reader of historical novels I found it a highly enjoyable read, albeit one which could have benefited from a greater focus on character.
Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage follows the career of Scipio Aemilianus - the real-life adopted grandson of the famous Scipio Africanus who defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama - and his lifelong obsession with the destruction of Rome's great enemy, the African city state of Carthage. The story is broken into vignettes, advancing decades between chapters to show the great battles of the era, in Macedon, Spain and finally the streets of Carthage itself. These appropriately epic battle sequences are interspersed with scenes at a school for future generals in Rome, in which the characters discuss the fine points of strategy and politics which will aid them in the wars ahead. In this way, Gibbins provides both a historical novel and an introduction to the game. The result mostly works, but can be a bit clunky when Gibbins launches into lengthy and detailed descriptions of battlefield formations or siegeworks. The chimeric nature of this novel make it difficult to review, but as a gamer and a reader of historical novels I found it a highly enjoyable read, albeit one which could have benefited from a greater focus on character.
April 5, 2014
Shall try to sound less crabby about the reader experience than it feels, a day after finishing this ... Roman battle instruction manual [?]
Gibbins does not allow his considerable academic expertise to enhance his fiction, that's for sure. No, we are given big indigestible chunks of lecture material. This occurs as either clunky dialogue between characters who arrive somewhere and then stand looking at it while having the improbable "conversation", or, as the standard infodump where one would not expect an infodump.
Little action occurs for such an ambitious range of settings, other than the gory, detailed killing scene that the trade-publisher editor commanded at 20 to 30 page intervals whether we need one or not.
Setting itself does not figure into this narrative, other than, thank goodness, a little bit about Carthage. Macedonia gets a few paragraphs. Later the reader is transported to ancient Spain (called incongruously in the text, Celtiberia) but without any description of either the journey which surely would have been of interest to an ancient Roman, or of the landscape on arrival. The "Celts" are extremely stereotyped, to the point of humor.
A redeeming feature is that this novel is not a sappy romance with a happy ending. On the other hand, that cover image is just so swords-and-sandals; really, what is wrong with the cover people at these Big Publishers? Are they stuck in time? When one thinks of the excellent artifacts that could have been used for a cover image in a less obvious way, or even a 3D model of Carthage's fascinating harbor, one could weep.
As long as authors abdicate to control by fawning commercial staff regarding cover images and PR/hype, the trite covers will continue.
Gibbins does not allow his considerable academic expertise to enhance his fiction, that's for sure. No, we are given big indigestible chunks of lecture material. This occurs as either clunky dialogue between characters who arrive somewhere and then stand looking at it while having the improbable "conversation", or, as the standard infodump where one would not expect an infodump.
Little action occurs for such an ambitious range of settings, other than the gory, detailed killing scene that the trade-publisher editor commanded at 20 to 30 page intervals whether we need one or not.
Setting itself does not figure into this narrative, other than, thank goodness, a little bit about Carthage. Macedonia gets a few paragraphs. Later the reader is transported to ancient Spain (called incongruously in the text, Celtiberia) but without any description of either the journey which surely would have been of interest to an ancient Roman, or of the landscape on arrival. The "Celts" are extremely stereotyped, to the point of humor.
A redeeming feature is that this novel is not a sappy romance with a happy ending. On the other hand, that cover image is just so swords-and-sandals; really, what is wrong with the cover people at these Big Publishers? Are they stuck in time? When one thinks of the excellent artifacts that could have been used for a cover image in a less obvious way, or even a 3D model of Carthage's fascinating harbor, one could weep.
As long as authors abdicate to control by fawning commercial staff regarding cover images and PR/hype, the trite covers will continue.
May 4, 2020
Jupiter above, this book was derived from a video game, of all things. My expectations getting into this weren't high to begin with, but by Jove, Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage should be on the next Olympic limbo team.
The book shows an impressive knowledge of ancient Rome. The characterization and dialogue displays a severe lack of human interaction. There are no characters, only placeholder names that exists solely to change scenes, or "the plot" (linear and dull) and to exposit. Worse, their behaviors and dialogues aren't even consistent! They'll act and speak one way to suit the plot and in the same chapter, will zigzag in the opposite direction because the plot or exposition requires it.
If you choose to pick up this book , it will be a test of your patience and commitment.
If you're a fan of the Total War series and an avid reader, you're better off checking out the fan-written after action reports. I recommend I Am Skantarios . At least it's got a semblance of a story and a muse had a say in its birthing. I mean, she may have been drunk, but at least it was conceived in passion.
You haven't heard all I've had to say, but unlike this book, I know when you've heard enough.
I cannot recommend this book, which I abandoned only part way through. It will not capture your imagination. It can barely attract your attention, let alone hold it.
Forget this book. You're better off playing the video game.
The book shows an impressive knowledge of ancient Rome. The characterization and dialogue displays a severe lack of human interaction. There are no characters, only placeholder names that exists solely to change scenes, or "the plot" (linear and dull) and to exposit. Worse, their behaviors and dialogues aren't even consistent! They'll act and speak one way to suit the plot and in the same chapter, will zigzag in the opposite direction because the plot or exposition requires it.
If you choose to pick up this book , it will be a test of your patience and commitment.
If you're a fan of the Total War series and an avid reader, you're better off checking out the fan-written after action reports. I recommend I Am Skantarios . At least it's got a semblance of a story and a muse had a say in its birthing. I mean, she may have been drunk, but at least it was conceived in passion.
You haven't heard all I've had to say, but unlike this book, I know when you've heard enough.
I cannot recommend this book, which I abandoned only part way through. It will not capture your imagination. It can barely attract your attention, let alone hold it.
Forget this book. You're better off playing the video game.
September 1, 2013
I won this in a giveaway, otherwise I likely never would have read this book.It's evident that the author really knows his ancient military history and also fetishizes the Roman Empire as many antiquarian authors and historians do. Unfortunately that zeal didn't help him develop his characters in complex and interesting ways.Gibbins tends to use character dialogue to explain ideas and the implications for Rome. While I'm certain that many of the ruling class had conversations like that, I doubt they had them ad nausea.It reduces the characters to mere set-pieces.I wish rather than reading of the aftermath or having his characters discussing much of the battles and glossing over big parts, he would actually describe them.Though it's extremely difficult to do so given that there's hardly any documentation from the period, the man could use his imagination with his knowledge of these events like most historical novelists.
The final scenes and descriptions of the Battle of Carthage finally impressed upon me that this man could have written a much more exhilarating novel.
I'm of the opinion that reading nonfiction by archaelogist David Gibbins would be fascinating and insightful but this book has proven none of the former.
The final scenes and descriptions of the Battle of Carthage finally impressed upon me that this man could have written a much more exhilarating novel.
I'm of the opinion that reading nonfiction by archaelogist David Gibbins would be fascinating and insightful but this book has proven none of the former.
October 7, 2013
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I'm fascinated by ancient Rome and enjoy reading about the era, the people and their world. However this is much more of a war story than what I expected. It was pretty gory in places and I found some of the story hard to follow. I think that the politics of the time could have been better explained in the story so I understood the motivations of the characters.
I also think that the map of the Roman world could have been better. There was very little detail and I wasn't sure at times what they were talking about.
I'm fascinated by ancient Rome and enjoy reading about the era, the people and their world. However this is much more of a war story than what I expected. It was pretty gory in places and I found some of the story hard to follow. I think that the politics of the time could have been better explained in the story so I understood the motivations of the characters.
I also think that the map of the Roman world could have been better. There was very little detail and I wasn't sure at times what they were talking about.
September 16, 2013
Originally posted at http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013/09/total-war-rome-destroy-carthage.html
In the last couple of weeks I have been catching up with my Roman fiction, it is a genre that I like very much, and when I was offered to review Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage I readily jumped to the occasion, being both a story set in the Roman times AND being inspired by the popular computer game Total War Rome AND being written by an author who knows his Roman times, I knew it has to be good. The author David Gibbins already has a great repertoire of books behind his name and is a New York Times best selling author. David Gibbins has studied archeology intensively and has worked in teaching Roman archeology and ancient history. Several of his earlier book also had the focus of Roman history behind them.
The aim of Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is to make a tie-in with the popular computer game. If you know the video game you undoubtedly picture the large scale infantry battles. Well, Destroy Carthage is quite something different. When I first thought of this tie-in I was thinking of how such a large scale battle could be captured in a book but David Gibbins steers into another direction. Instead of laying the focus on the large battles, the focus is on two characters: Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus or Scipio for short and Fabius Pretoronius Secundus. Scipio isn´t a fictional character. It is Scipio's career that creates the framework of the story for Destroy Carthage.
The first thing that falls to note in Destroy Carthage is the level of history that is used. In the beginning of the book there are several explanations of terms that are used throughout the book and as soon as you start reading the introductory notes proved to be valuable and really helped to set the mood and intention of the story straight. Just take the whole setup of from the items used in the fights, banners to swords, giving those few explanations about the gear all through to the different types of units like chariots and elephants and siege weapons this gave a really grand feel to Destroy Carthage. Added to this is the accurate timeline. The story picks up in 168 BC at the battle of Pydna then skips back to 3 month prior before that battle and later going to 167 BC etc. Now within each of these parts David Gibbins tells a lot of the overall developments and the events that shaped Scipio's career, first focusing more on the background of Scipio and how he is a bit of the prodigy of the legend of Carthage, how Scipio Africanus (the grandfather of the Scipio you follow in Destroy Carthage) brought Hannibal down and how this legacy of this shadows Scipio. Later the focus is on the part of the title of the book Destroy Carthage has on task to live up to as well...
The pacing of the story of Destroy Carthage is done in a different way then what I had expected. The combination of the different parts and the dialogues therein with the different characters really has it’s own way. Like I mentioned above the story does take place over course of several years and the events do follow up on each other, and leads to an inevitable encounter, but how this is build up is quite unique. Because besides the fighting of the Roman army, you really get to see and feel the background of mainly Scipio and Fabius and how they are planning their next moves. This gave a nice insight in the history of Scipio’s career but also causes both Scipio and Fabius to be highlighted as important characters, they are the main characters so this was a plus for me. Since the timeframe does skip forward a few years each time I found that the focus on several characters was a nice feature and a must to get to know more about the actions of why they were initiated. The conversing of Scipio with his advisers and Fabius really felt like they were sitting around a table strategically plotting their next actions. In the spur of those moments you really felt the tension rising. However there is one small note about the characters, when you first get to meet each one they do seem new and fresh and they actually do have their own personalities for example Scipio is determined, honour bound but quite ruthless and brutal at the same time. Fabius is on some level just as brutal but more reigned in until he is facing of the enemy in battle. I was hoping to actually see more of an character development overall in the story, however this wasn’t really happening. It’s not really a bad point of the book since I think the focus of the story was more on showing the rich history of Scipio that led to the destruction of Carthage, but there are enough fictional characters like Fabius that could have taken the storyline perhaps that much further.
Now for the part where Destroy Carthage excels which is battle and intrigue. A definite plus of Destroy Carthage are the graphic battle scenes. In the beginning of the book with the battle of Pydna you already get a glimpse, but later the single encounters with assassins and the siege of Carthage only add more in the story. In describing the action scenes David Gibbins doesn’t leave out the gory detail accompanied in the hand to hand combat of the Roman Legionaires. Now I have read quite a few battles scenes but haven’t encountered any that inspired a feeling of this magnitude. This feeling is also mainly achieved by all the things that David Gibbins includes when “kitting” out the armies, from cavalry, shield formations, elephants and siege engines; everything is included and really inspires the grandness and viciousness of the Roman empire.
Destroy Carthage manages to directly set the setting straight for the Total War Rome series. It’s graphic, action/packed and often violent in the combat scenes but also has a lot of other elements working in its advantage like the intrigue you are used to see in the Roman times. The element that makes Destroy Carthage stands out is the usage of detail of the ancient Roman history, David Gibbins really shows that he knows his history. From weapons to siege engines and other units but also its geography. It´s a great feature and an even greater pleasure to read. By focusing on Scipio’s career with bringing down Carthage really added another dimension to the existing videogame making the switch from the big battles scenes towards focusing on what went on more behind the scenes of the major battles. The start up of the story had the right pacing and only further increased to be more interesting as the story progressed, jumping to different times and taking the storyline further towards an inevitable encounter in the end. Though you have the narrow focus on several characters, this didn’t draw away the attention on the larger scale and the battle are just superbly plotted out. The clashes of the warriors are described in utter detail that greatly reflects the brutal face-to-face combat scenes. And with the mentioning of The war has just begun on the last page, I know we will be seeing more of this series!
In the last couple of weeks I have been catching up with my Roman fiction, it is a genre that I like very much, and when I was offered to review Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage I readily jumped to the occasion, being both a story set in the Roman times AND being inspired by the popular computer game Total War Rome AND being written by an author who knows his Roman times, I knew it has to be good. The author David Gibbins already has a great repertoire of books behind his name and is a New York Times best selling author. David Gibbins has studied archeology intensively and has worked in teaching Roman archeology and ancient history. Several of his earlier book also had the focus of Roman history behind them.
The aim of Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is to make a tie-in with the popular computer game. If you know the video game you undoubtedly picture the large scale infantry battles. Well, Destroy Carthage is quite something different. When I first thought of this tie-in I was thinking of how such a large scale battle could be captured in a book but David Gibbins steers into another direction. Instead of laying the focus on the large battles, the focus is on two characters: Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus or Scipio for short and Fabius Pretoronius Secundus. Scipio isn´t a fictional character. It is Scipio's career that creates the framework of the story for Destroy Carthage.
The first thing that falls to note in Destroy Carthage is the level of history that is used. In the beginning of the book there are several explanations of terms that are used throughout the book and as soon as you start reading the introductory notes proved to be valuable and really helped to set the mood and intention of the story straight. Just take the whole setup of from the items used in the fights, banners to swords, giving those few explanations about the gear all through to the different types of units like chariots and elephants and siege weapons this gave a really grand feel to Destroy Carthage. Added to this is the accurate timeline. The story picks up in 168 BC at the battle of Pydna then skips back to 3 month prior before that battle and later going to 167 BC etc. Now within each of these parts David Gibbins tells a lot of the overall developments and the events that shaped Scipio's career, first focusing more on the background of Scipio and how he is a bit of the prodigy of the legend of Carthage, how Scipio Africanus (the grandfather of the Scipio you follow in Destroy Carthage) brought Hannibal down and how this legacy of this shadows Scipio. Later the focus is on the part of the title of the book Destroy Carthage has on task to live up to as well...
The pacing of the story of Destroy Carthage is done in a different way then what I had expected. The combination of the different parts and the dialogues therein with the different characters really has it’s own way. Like I mentioned above the story does take place over course of several years and the events do follow up on each other, and leads to an inevitable encounter, but how this is build up is quite unique. Because besides the fighting of the Roman army, you really get to see and feel the background of mainly Scipio and Fabius and how they are planning their next moves. This gave a nice insight in the history of Scipio’s career but also causes both Scipio and Fabius to be highlighted as important characters, they are the main characters so this was a plus for me. Since the timeframe does skip forward a few years each time I found that the focus on several characters was a nice feature and a must to get to know more about the actions of why they were initiated. The conversing of Scipio with his advisers and Fabius really felt like they were sitting around a table strategically plotting their next actions. In the spur of those moments you really felt the tension rising. However there is one small note about the characters, when you first get to meet each one they do seem new and fresh and they actually do have their own personalities for example Scipio is determined, honour bound but quite ruthless and brutal at the same time. Fabius is on some level just as brutal but more reigned in until he is facing of the enemy in battle. I was hoping to actually see more of an character development overall in the story, however this wasn’t really happening. It’s not really a bad point of the book since I think the focus of the story was more on showing the rich history of Scipio that led to the destruction of Carthage, but there are enough fictional characters like Fabius that could have taken the storyline perhaps that much further.
Now for the part where Destroy Carthage excels which is battle and intrigue. A definite plus of Destroy Carthage are the graphic battle scenes. In the beginning of the book with the battle of Pydna you already get a glimpse, but later the single encounters with assassins and the siege of Carthage only add more in the story. In describing the action scenes David Gibbins doesn’t leave out the gory detail accompanied in the hand to hand combat of the Roman Legionaires. Now I have read quite a few battles scenes but haven’t encountered any that inspired a feeling of this magnitude. This feeling is also mainly achieved by all the things that David Gibbins includes when “kitting” out the armies, from cavalry, shield formations, elephants and siege engines; everything is included and really inspires the grandness and viciousness of the Roman empire.
Destroy Carthage manages to directly set the setting straight for the Total War Rome series. It’s graphic, action/packed and often violent in the combat scenes but also has a lot of other elements working in its advantage like the intrigue you are used to see in the Roman times. The element that makes Destroy Carthage stands out is the usage of detail of the ancient Roman history, David Gibbins really shows that he knows his history. From weapons to siege engines and other units but also its geography. It´s a great feature and an even greater pleasure to read. By focusing on Scipio’s career with bringing down Carthage really added another dimension to the existing videogame making the switch from the big battles scenes towards focusing on what went on more behind the scenes of the major battles. The start up of the story had the right pacing and only further increased to be more interesting as the story progressed, jumping to different times and taking the storyline further towards an inevitable encounter in the end. Though you have the narrow focus on several characters, this didn’t draw away the attention on the larger scale and the battle are just superbly plotted out. The clashes of the warriors are described in utter detail that greatly reflects the brutal face-to-face combat scenes. And with the mentioning of The war has just begun on the last page, I know we will be seeing more of this series!
September 22, 2025
Pierwsze pytanie, które zapewne się nasuwa - Czy naprawdę jest tu związek z grą?
Powiem tak - i w książce chodzi o wojnę, i w grze chodzi o wojnę (w końcu Total War). Na tym kończą mi się podobieństwa, bo nawet sam autor chyba nigdzie nie wspomniał, że chociażby widział tę grę na oczy...
Co nie zmienia faktu, że nadal to spora ciekawostka dla graczy - nie tylko tych od Total War.
Co na pewno trzeba oddać Gibbinsowi to to, jak świetnie oddał mentalności Rzymian (i nie tylko Rzymian) tamtego okresu. Więcej - nawet pomimo tego, jak bardzo ci Rzymianie mieli zakodowane w głowach wojna=chwała, tak ani razu nie została ona tak w pełni przedstawiona. Ba! Każdy opis bitwy był brutalny i po prostu obrzydliwy - pełny krwi, kału, szczyn, wnętrzności i przerażenia. I paradoksalnie tym bardziej to pokazywało, dlaczego Rzymianie nie mogli siąść, przestać i powiedzieć ,,fuj" - bo jeśli nie my ich, to oni nas. Wojna jest brutalna, obrzydliwa i niewybaczająca - ale jeśli ma się co bronić, czasem nie będzie innego wyboru, jak iść naprzód po trupach.
I o ile aspekt historyczny po prostu wciągał, tak sama historia i bohaterowie... no wynudzili totalnie. Absurd, bo to był praktycznie samograj - walka o władzę, intrygi, zdrady, epickie starcia. Kobieta! A wszystko wyszło... jak wyszło. Polecić mi to trudno.
Jedyny bohater, który zapadł mi w pamięć, to Polibiusz. I głównie przez jeden moment, nie wiem czy zamierzenie humorystyczny.
Otóż nasi dzielni woje są trochę w dupie, więc Polibiusz idzie w samobójczą szarżę, aby odwrócić uwagę wroga. Po wszystkim jego przyjaciele każą legioniście znaleźć zwłoki, by je z czcią pochować.
Legionista tak patrzy i drapie się po głowie, i stwierdza, że może sami mu o tym powiedzą, jak już skończy biegać między jeńcami i robić notatki do swoich ,,Dziejów".
Powiem tak - i w książce chodzi o wojnę, i w grze chodzi o wojnę (w końcu Total War). Na tym kończą mi się podobieństwa, bo nawet sam autor chyba nigdzie nie wspomniał, że chociażby widział tę grę na oczy...
Co nie zmienia faktu, że nadal to spora ciekawostka dla graczy - nie tylko tych od Total War.
Co na pewno trzeba oddać Gibbinsowi to to, jak świetnie oddał mentalności Rzymian (i nie tylko Rzymian) tamtego okresu. Więcej - nawet pomimo tego, jak bardzo ci Rzymianie mieli zakodowane w głowach wojna=chwała, tak ani razu nie została ona tak w pełni przedstawiona. Ba! Każdy opis bitwy był brutalny i po prostu obrzydliwy - pełny krwi, kału, szczyn, wnętrzności i przerażenia. I paradoksalnie tym bardziej to pokazywało, dlaczego Rzymianie nie mogli siąść, przestać i powiedzieć ,,fuj" - bo jeśli nie my ich, to oni nas. Wojna jest brutalna, obrzydliwa i niewybaczająca - ale jeśli ma się co bronić, czasem nie będzie innego wyboru, jak iść naprzód po trupach.
I o ile aspekt historyczny po prostu wciągał, tak sama historia i bohaterowie... no wynudzili totalnie. Absurd, bo to był praktycznie samograj - walka o władzę, intrygi, zdrady, epickie starcia. Kobieta! A wszystko wyszło... jak wyszło. Polecić mi to trudno.
Jedyny bohater, który zapadł mi w pamięć, to Polibiusz. I głównie przez jeden moment, nie wiem czy zamierzenie humorystyczny.
Otóż nasi dzielni woje są trochę w dupie, więc Polibiusz idzie w samobójczą szarżę, aby odwrócić uwagę wroga. Po wszystkim jego przyjaciele każą legioniście znaleźć zwłoki, by je z czcią pochować.
Legionista tak patrzy i drapie się po głowie, i stwierdza, że może sami mu o tym powiedzą, jak już skończy biegać między jeńcami i robić notatki do swoich ,,Dziejów".
June 1, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing improvement on the bland and bad books I had been reading. It was. Disturbingly gory. Not that every page was filled with spilled blood and mutilation. There were only a few battle scenes. The disturbing part was the historical accuracy.
The characters were products of their own time and it was written from their perspective.
The most disturbing scene for me was when their heroic military teacher showed someone how to kill.
He picked a slave out of the crowd and told the teenager to run him through with the sword.
As a modern reader I would expect the author to find a clever way out of the predicament. Our hero would live in rough times but the reader wouldn't have to think about their hero participating in such a thing. Nope, the young men found it unpleasant. The slave was terrified and they killed him and moved on. I believe that is accurate. It's also disturbing.
From my own political preference I think the hero of the story is on the wrong side. The side of increasing Roman power. As presented in the story, the Romans *opposed* to the war were right.
The book was well written. The history was good. This book must be the first in a series and I'll try to find the others. The title "Total War" and a page filler at the back give a tie-in to the computer game of the same name... Thankfully there doesn't seem to be ANYTHING else related to the tie-in.
The characters were products of their own time and it was written from their perspective.
The most disturbing scene for me was when their heroic military teacher showed someone how to kill.
He picked a slave out of the crowd and told the teenager to run him through with the sword.
As a modern reader I would expect the author to find a clever way out of the predicament. Our hero would live in rough times but the reader wouldn't have to think about their hero participating in such a thing. Nope, the young men found it unpleasant. The slave was terrified and they killed him and moved on. I believe that is accurate. It's also disturbing.
From my own political preference I think the hero of the story is on the wrong side. The side of increasing Roman power. As presented in the story, the Romans *opposed* to the war were right.
The book was well written. The history was good. This book must be the first in a series and I'll try to find the others. The title "Total War" and a page filler at the back give a tie-in to the computer game of the same name... Thankfully there doesn't seem to be ANYTHING else related to the tie-in.
December 15, 2019
While the battles are well narrated and the detail on Acient Roman History and paraphernalia is interesting and fulfilling to read, Destroy Carthage is very light on character depth or development. Rather than knowing our characters through emotions and actions taken by them, the book instead gives us their achievements and we constantly jump several years later with other characters telling exposition on what they did throught those years without much personal touch. Not until the book's final part where a lot of personal stakes and emotions come through on the 2nd invasion of Carthage, appropiate for the climax I guess but we could've used some of that in the rest of the story.
It's like reading an interesting wikipedia article on Roman warfare: not much story or characters but rather history and cultural details. Interesting yes, but barely a story-telling tool. I'm glad I bought and read it, but I'm not sure if I will read it again. I'll keep it for sure, but going through it again...that's a tough one.
It's like reading an interesting wikipedia article on Roman warfare: not much story or characters but rather history and cultural details. Interesting yes, but barely a story-telling tool. I'm glad I bought and read it, but I'm not sure if I will read it again. I'll keep it for sure, but going through it again...that's a tough one.
February 26, 2018
Finally got the Total War fix!
This book is typical, mainstream, hack and slash, blood and gore, ancient warfare, roman military and tactics, political and military alliances, DONE WELL!
The battles, the sacrifices, the rituals, the intelligence, navy, artillery, infantry, cavalry, city walls and battle rams, laying siege to cities, last stands, swords, shields, spears, chain-mail, clank-clank!
Of course, it has it's numerous shares of badly written parts but who cares- writing is not exactly what Total War is known for!
Oh, and what do you know, it also ended on a sequel-birthing note. Is that writing enough for you?
Action packed, thrilling, a fun read for RTS fans!
This book is typical, mainstream, hack and slash, blood and gore, ancient warfare, roman military and tactics, political and military alliances, DONE WELL!
The battles, the sacrifices, the rituals, the intelligence, navy, artillery, infantry, cavalry, city walls and battle rams, laying siege to cities, last stands, swords, shields, spears, chain-mail, clank-clank!
Of course, it has it's numerous shares of badly written parts but who cares- writing is not exactly what Total War is known for!
Oh, and what do you know, it also ended on a sequel-birthing note. Is that writing enough for you?
Action packed, thrilling, a fun read for RTS fans!
April 21, 2020
Historical fiction risks the author attempting to justify and/or prove how much research they've done in preparing for the story. Gibbins actually lives this stuff, apparently, and thus fills ~50% of the book with extremely historically accurate Ancient Mediterranean cultural errata which, while interesting, prevents him from getting the story started until somewhere around page 160 when they kill Scipio's bodyguard's dog.
I hoping for an ancient John Wick to ensue, instead Scipio returns to Rome to becomes a Senator. If you want the actual battle for Carthage, jump to the last two chapters and there it is presented in almost summary fashion as though inserting the event the title promises is an inconvenient necessity to allow the previous 300+ pages.
This book just goes to show how important conflict is to story - without it, a book risks carrying all of the excitement of a local newspaper without the personal relevance. Saved from 1 star by my love of Ancient Rome and how fast it reads.
I hoping for an ancient John Wick to ensue, instead Scipio returns to Rome to becomes a Senator. If you want the actual battle for Carthage, jump to the last two chapters and there it is presented in almost summary fashion as though inserting the event the title promises is an inconvenient necessity to allow the previous 300+ pages.
This book just goes to show how important conflict is to story - without it, a book risks carrying all of the excitement of a local newspaper without the personal relevance. Saved from 1 star by my love of Ancient Rome and how fast it reads.
July 11, 2024
Hard to know what to think of this. Since it's Gibbins, I'll assume the history is accurate. The plot is OK. The dialogue is agonizing to read, although it's possible, I suppose, that Romans really spoke to each other like that. Probably the most interesting thing is the portrayal of a society that places little value on human life, and how that plays out in military life. The protagonists in this book are high minded but kill thoughtlessly whenever they feel like it. And Gibbins doesn't shy away from showing how death by edged weapons happens.
In the end, I got through it. Might have been better as non-fiction, though.
In the end, I got through it. Might have been better as non-fiction, though.
September 29, 2020
This book had plenty of potential to be a four star book. I even came close to giving this book three stars, but my love for the game should not reflect in the novel. There was one glaring mistake in the book and some parts of the novel had to be trudged through. Ultimately, I thought the author took too long to get to the siege of Carthage and the battle itself. All of which was pretty short in comparison. However, when there was action, it was thrilling and wonderful to read.
October 9, 2023
I really struggled with this book. I've finished it and I don't really know what's happened in it. It fast forwards so much in time that it was a struggle to find any attachments to the characters as it felt like such a whistle-stop tour. Battle scenes that could have been in-depth were over in a few pages. We went from teenage boys to the same men in their 40's within 300 pages. It was just too much all at once and I found it really hard to keep my concentration.
October 4, 2018
It was pretty okay... Not bad, not amazing either. The first battle was amazing, you felt like you were really there, however the book never reaches that point again. It's full of time skips and often skipped things that would have been interesting but instead jumped to a conversation about what happened.
If your a fan of this era of Rome, Carthage, or total war, give it a shot.
If your a fan of this era of Rome, Carthage, or total war, give it a shot.
July 16, 2019
This book really could've benefited from a few more look-overs by the editors, and a couple of revisions. There's some typos, mistakes in naming, and just paragraphs of repetition that take away from the story. Too much dialogue as well, and not enough action, or inward reflection; because of this, the characters end up feeling a little flat. Not one-dimensional, but 2-d, maybe.
March 20, 2017
Meu interesse pela legião romana enquanto instituição acabou me levando a este livro e à figura de Cipião, um personagem tão interessante quanto Aníbal, embora este último seja mais famoso e reconhecido pela sua ousadia. A verdade é que Cipião destruiu Cartago e esse é de certa maneira o início da ascensão de Roma, ou seja, muito dessa história me interessa.
Escolher o Profº Gibbins, um arqueólogo PhD para romancear a história de Cipião foi um acerto. O livro é bem escrito, os personagens e situações interessantes, com grande grau de realidade, faz toda a diferença saber sobre o que se está falando, ainda que seja só um romance.
Não fosse os problemas de edição e alguns erros de revisão eu daria 4 estrelas. Em tempo: a Microsoft tem muito zelo e carinho por todo o material transmídia que produz para Halo e eu esperava, neste sentido, que a edição brasileira do romance baseada neste jogo fosse mais bem cuidada.
Escolher o Profº Gibbins, um arqueólogo PhD para romancear a história de Cipião foi um acerto. O livro é bem escrito, os personagens e situações interessantes, com grande grau de realidade, faz toda a diferença saber sobre o que se está falando, ainda que seja só um romance.
Não fosse os problemas de edição e alguns erros de revisão eu daria 4 estrelas. Em tempo: a Microsoft tem muito zelo e carinho por todo o material transmídia que produz para Halo e eu esperava, neste sentido, que a edição brasileira do romance baseada neste jogo fosse mais bem cuidada.
May 4, 2017
David Gibbons writes a very interesting book that keeps the reader up on the historical era and good story about Rome and its history. Descriptions of battles and weapons used helped as the various battles and skirmishes took place. Made me want to check out other books by the author.
July 16, 2017
Not a bad read but I was expecting more for some reason. First couple of chapters just dragged on in my opinion.
July 22, 2017
Rome Destroy Carthage is scholar David Gibbins' historical novel of the final assault and destruction of Rome's longtime rival. Gibbins is steeped in ancient history and archeology. Good read.
August 3, 2017
I liked this book as it weaved a story out of history.
July 8, 2019
Gibbins has a decent outline for a book but my goodness the writing is atrocious. I rolled my eyes too many times to count.Disappointed to say the least.
December 6, 2019
Quick read that is easily forgotten...
May 10, 2024
The only war I really like to read about I'd world War 2
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews