Hostis

by Vale Aida

The Punic Wars, retold.

At eighteen, Publius Scipio – son of a Roman senator – has been raised to see the Carthaginians as cruel, bloodthirsty savages. Yet when he is taken hostage by Carthage’s forces at the fateful Battle of Cannae, he meets the opposing commander Hannibal Barca, and discovers a side to the enemy he did not expect. As he confronts culture shock and unlikely attraction, the choices he makes will change the course of history.

Genres: Queer, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2022

About the author

Vale Aida is the author of the Magpie Ballads, a historical fantasy series about a scheming con artist and the brooding arch-nemesis with whom he may or may not be in love. Strange places she has written from include a haunted psychology lab, the back of a university classroom, an examining table (the curtain was drawn), and a thumbnail-sized window on the office computer. She lives in Singapore with a stuffed whale and fewer cats than is optimal.

Get the latest updates from Vale at http://valeaida.tumblr.com.

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having waited for years to read this book, I binged it all over a weekend. What can I say? Vale Aida converted me to love this terrible duo (that is, Hannibal and Scipio), so you can probably guess how excited I was to read a whole novel dedicated to these two...!

First off, characterization: this was excellently done. I'm already pretty familiar with the author's other works centering on our main protagonists, so it felt like coming back to something refreshingly familiar, yet new at the same time. Scipio is a loveable firecracker with a sharp tongue and a righteous heart. Some of his lines are absolutely hilarious, especially when he was trying to pretend to be Cato. I absolutely adored him. The book is worth reading for his voice alone, to be honest.

We don't actually hear much (if anything) coming directly from Hannibal's point of view. Instead we see him as he is through the lenses of the other characters. Mago, one of his brothers, is the main "narrator" for the Punic side of the war, which is something I wasn't expecting. However, it works well because it gives Hannibal more of a sense of mystery — you are shown, rather than told, his motivations. The Barcids are all kickass and amazing, let me say that right off the bat. All their familial conflict is sympathetic, adding an additional layer of complexity to their characters. (Also, Mago needs a vacation. Just sayin'.)

Plotwise is where I think Hostis falls a little short. There are some problems with pacing. The bulk of Hannibal's victories over Rome happen in a bat of an eye, and then after Cannae, Scipio gets captured. He spends a long, long time being a hostage and not doing much. In other words, it felt like the plot went bam-bam-bam and then all of a sudden, just slows down to a jarring crawl.

There's also a few times where there would be buildup for a battle, and the battle itself would conclude in a sentence or two. Hannibal's march on Rome and Mago's final victory over Cornelius Scipio's Spanish legions were both... anticlimactic? After I read those parts, I was left with the feeling of, wait — is that it?

I guess the other thing for me is the historical basis of the novel. Hostis is an AU — alternative universe — that divulges from the actual events of the Punic Wars. This is fine, but it took me by surprise. It is a necessity, I suppose, to invent a new storyline so that Hannibal and Scipio actually have time to interact and get to know each other (e.g. the entire hostage situation), since in real life this wasn't the case. However, this opens up a lot of plotholes that made no sense to me. The most glaring of these was the whole drama behind Scipio getting declared a public enemy.

So, first of all, why would the Romans just let Scipio go after he announces openly that he's going to defect to the Carthaginian camp? I guess the argument could be made that they thought he didn't mean it literally, but even then, I see no reason why they would just let Scipio leave after declaring something like that, with no impunity?

Later, Scipio reveals to Hannibal that he's actually not Cato, as he previously led the Carthaginians to believe. This is something that I just couldn't believe he would do, no matter how he feels towards Hannibal at this point. However, Hannibal legitimately does *nothing* to threaten Cornelius Scipio aside from a few letters saying that he has his son. I mean, I just don't believe Hannibal would be that soft-hearted, even if he is no butcher? They're literally in the middle of a war that's been going on for years now, and how many of his men have died at this point? Why wouldn't he press his advantage?

Also if Scipio is a public enemy now, then why didn't the Senate rescind Cornelius Scipio's command? That also made no sense?

Lastly, is just how the novel ended. I just can't believe that Scipio would declare his allegiance to Hannibal, no matter if he was hostis or not. Hannibal was literally responsible for the deaths of 1 out of every 6 adult Roman males — the estimated casualties of the Second Punic War. That's freaking insane; we wouldn't even be able to imagine the scale of the carnage in the modern day. Furthermore, Scipio just brushes the death of his father off like it was... nothing? A death that Hannibal's brother was responsible for? It just seems a little farfetched to me this would happen, especially with how rigid Roman views on law and morality were at the time. Heck, even if this was modern, I would find it hard to believe.

But hey, this is an AU, so maybe we can overlook all of that, and just admire the S-tier chemistry Hannibal and Scipio have together. Because gods. The chemistry. And the tension between them. Yum.

Overall though, despite all the issues with plot I outlined above, I enjoyed the book. The characters, as well as Vale Aida's amazing sense of humor and wit, make Hostis a solid read. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

[Vika · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He hasn't got the ransom," said Mago, somewhere between Greek and Iberian. "I think he wants to be garrotted."
"We can't all get what we want," said Hannibal.

LOL hannibal ad portas, indeed.

i enjoyed this author's ancient rome inspired fantasy so i knew her new book would be good but i had never read an alternate history novel like this before so i was taken by surprise by how much i loved it. as someone who likes historical novels but struggles to actually read them on a regular basis bc they're either too highbrow and boring or easily readable but don't take their time period seriously i found that hostis strikes the perfect balance of being well-researched, solidly written and yet fun and accessible at the same time. the latter aspect is facilitated by the witty dialogue, somewhat modernized language and the author not shying away from the humor (the ultimate destroyer of highbrowness) - all of which helped her breathe life into these illustrious long dead personages and kept me entertained whenever the book got too historical for my liking (mago hijacking the story towards the end to go gallivanting across the mediterranean - what's up with that? you're not the main character, mago!). in regards to hostis being thinly veiled ancient rome rpf, i think an average historical romance reader wouldn't like it bc the romance is mostly just sprinkled in, very subtle and generally eclipsed by the military plot. this suits me just fine tho since i prefer my ancient rome yaoi to be sophisticated and tantalizing lol. that being said i need book two yesterday👀

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, miss Vale Aida.


I really hope there will be book two of Hostis so I can indulge more in my new hyperfixasion.
P. S. Mago is my favourite

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He could wash away the stain of Cannae in Hannibal’s blood -- Hannibal, the savage, the warmonger, who had massacred eight legions in a single afternoon. Who would not justify himself. Who lit candles to Vesta, and knew Aristophanes on sight. [loc. 2249]

I greatly enjoyed this author's previous novels, Elegy and Swansong, and was intrigued to read that she was working on a novel about the Second Punic War. Hostis -- the title means 'enemy' -- did not disappoint, though I would probably have appreciated it even more if I'd known enough history to determine where her version diverges from canon.

The focus is on Publius Cornelius Scipio, later known as Africanus, and his encounters with Hannibal Barca, beginning at the Battle of the Trebia (when Scipio saved his father's life) and covering the next seven years. The primary viewpoint is Scipio's, but there are also scenes from other perspectives, including Hannibal's brother Mago. Hannibal himself is seen from several angles: the great general, the book-lover who can quote Aristophanes and Alcibiades, the boy still mourning his own father. His respect for Scipio is only gradually reciprocated, as Scipio comes to understand Hannibal -- and accept that the tales of Carthaginian barbarism may be fake news -- while feeling increasingly frustrated by and alienated from the city of his birth.

It's refreshing to read a historical novel which isn't concerned with romance. There are alliances, of marriage and otherwise, but no loving couples. Though the focus is on Scipio and Hannibal, there are several excellent female characters, in particular Hannibal's spymaster sister Arishat (who has a few salient remarks about her dead husband) and Scipio's mother Pomponia. Both have agency, personality and opinions: both are integral to the story.

I suspect I will need to reread this novel with some historical reference material to hand. This will not be a hardship: Vale Aida's prose is wry and witty, and she has a gift for depicting the minutae of everyday life: rotten figs, fishponds, Greek tutors, the sole surviving elephant.

When he looked at Hannibal he saw a network of veins and arteries, streets and highways rushing with blood, a city under siege, burning, burning. [loc. 4553]

[Magnus Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eating this book!!!!!!!!

[Sauceryyyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fictions about long held enemies to something more have long been a favourite of mine and this book didn't disappoint!

The idea of Scipio Africanus being taken out of Rome's military leadership and into Hannibal's is a tantalizing one and its impressive how the author manages to make the situation work relatively realistically.

Scipio and Hannibal's interactions are most definitely the highlights of the novel and I love how you really get the sense that the two of them are in their own world and understanding of each other.

I also appreciated how fleshed out the side characters are and the humour that underlays the dialogue. Each character seems to have their own motivation and will willingly call the main characters out on their actions.

That being said, the novel does suffer a little from being set and written with historical context in mind. The pacing is a little disjointed and a lot of the battles have little build up or wind down; some parts are glossed over and others not. I could however see this as a stylistic choice but it meanders too much on certain events and others not as much, which in turn gives an off sense of how much time has passed in the novel.

I almost wished that the novel was more character interaction driven then plotwise because that's where it utterly shines, but I understand why things were written the way they were. (Which I suspect has to do with making character motivations/actions work realistically ish.)

I personally enjoyed the ride, but it definitely depends on the reader having a working knowledge of the first and second Punic wars. Granted though, you'd prob wouldn't read this without having some interest/knowledge in the Punic wars, but still, you may have to wiki a few things to get full context.

Definitely looking forward to the second novel where the alternative history really goes off the rails.

Highly recommend for any history nerd who wants to read a hilarious and flirty what if scenario about Scipio Africanus and Hannibal Barca.

[Mint · Rating 4 out of 5]

I NEED A SEQUEL SO BAD PLEASE TELL ME THERE WILL BE ONE

This is a story of a war between the Romans and the Carthaginians. It mainly follows Scipio, a young Roman soldier and a son of a general. At the beginning of the story, his father's army ran in Hannibal, the Carthaginian chief. It was a hopeless situation for the Romans, but Hannibal withdrew his army right before Scipio could be killed. Scipio had always known, deep inside his heart, that Hannibal noticed him and did it to save his life, but he didn't know why. The question would plaque him and turn his life, and possibly the war, upside down for good.

As with the Magpie Ballads, I enjoyed Vale Aida's writing very much. Her prose is so beautiful and her dialogues so layered and tense. She paints historical settings and battle scenes in such an immersive way. Her characters are all complex and subtle. Even after reading the story from their POVs, you don't know enough about them to predict their next moves, but you know more than enough to love them. It's such a delicate balance that Vale Aida, once again, gets exactly right.

One very small problem I had was just that, at some point, I wasn't sure what the plot was. I thought, based on the first few chapters, that the main story would be about Scipio and Hannibal. And in a way it is, but also they have so few interactions through out the story. Instead, we get introduced to a huge cast of characters and the plot kept shifting to follow them. Which is great! But I wish I got more of Scipio and Hannibal...

And this is to say I NEED A SEQUEL. PLEASE LET THERE BE A SEQUEL. I'D DO ANYHING FOR A SEQUEL. PLEASE.