''Hannibal'' is a 1995 historical novel by Scottish writer

Ross Leckie Peter Ross Leckie (born 6 May 1957) is a Scottish writer of historical novels, best known for his ''Carthage'' trilogy. Biography Leckie attended Drumtochty Castle Preparatory School and Fettes College. He studied classics at Corpus Christi C ...

. The book relates the exploits of

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

of Rome beginning in 218 BC, narrated by the

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

general in his retirement. It was the first of the ''Carthage'' trilogy, covering the

Punic Wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between Roman Republic, Rome and Ancient Carthage, Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and i ...

. The novel received mixed reviews, mainly due to the extreme violence occasionally described in the narrative.

Synopsis

Beginning with the general's youth and a potted history of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

in an attempt to explain Hannibal's hatred of Rome, the bulk of the story is confined to the invasion of Italy and the epic journey Hannibal's army took to reach its goal, including the voyage across the

Straits of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medit ...

with his elephants on rafts, the far from easy passage through Spain and of course, the incredible feat of taking his entire army with their elephants over the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. The events described are often violent and sometimes quite horrific in their cruelty both on the journey and in the fighting which took place on Italian soil as Hannibal's army sweeps through the Italian countryside seeking to out-manoeuvre his Roman opponents.

Reviews

*http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/29/books/torture-carnage-elephants.html
Fiction Book Review: Hannibal by Ross Leckie, Author Regnery Publishing $19.95 (0p)
ISBN 978-0-89526-443-5
Hannibal (The Carthage Trilogy, #1) by Ross Leckie , Goodreads

References

1995 British novels Cultural depictions of Hannibal British historical novels Scottish novels Novels set in ancient Rome Novels based on actual events Novels set in the 3rd century BC Canongate Books books {{Phoenicia-stub