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The Death of Carthage Second Edition Robin E Levin 9781466956056 Books

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The Death of Carthage Second Edition Robin E Levin 9781466956056 Books

There is no doubt that Ms Levin knows her period. Her description of the events surrounding the Punic Wars – as well as the more well-known participants, such as Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus and Marcos Porcius Cato – are thorough and precise, with several long quotes from actual speeches.

The storyline as such is per definition interesting; most of us have a passing acquaintance with the Carthage – Rome wars, including such details as Hannibal taking his elephants over the Alps to wreak havoc in present day Italy. In many ways, the Punic Wars were the fires that tempered the Roman steel, and once Carthage lay in smoking ruins, Rome was firmly on its way towards the Roman Empire, centuries in which Rome effectively ruled most of the known world.

Despite – or maybe because of – Ms Levin’s impressive knowledge of the period, The Death of Carthage never quite becomes a novel. It is rather a fictionalised version of detailed actual events, with a couple of invented characters to lead the reader through them. The narrative is first person, which in itself is a challenge as it leads to a rather one-dimensional version, but it is the detachment of the characters that is the bigger problem. Rarely do Ms Levin’s characters express any stronger emotions. We are told that they feel love or fear or anger, but I never experience any such feelings. A case in point would be the lukewarm reactions all round to one of the protagonists setting up his mistress in Rome. Wouldn’t his wife had had a bigger reaction? Wouldn’t there be some guilt involved? Some passion for the mistress? Likewise, one of the other protagonists is flogged. The description is factual, conveying none of the pain or the humiliation involved.

However; for those that enjoy a well-researched documentation of a turbulent and complex time in history, The Death of Carthage is a great, educational read. Ms Levin is an impressive guide through these ancient times, and her passion for the period as well as her erudition shine through on every page.


Tags : The Death of Carthage: Second Edition [Robin E. Levin] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Death of Carthage tells the story of the Second and third Punic wars that took place between ancient Rome and Carthage in three parts. The first book,Robin E. Levin,The Death of Carthage: Second Edition,Trafford,1466956054,Historical,FICTION Historical General,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical,Historical - General,Historical fiction,Fiction & related items

The Death of Carthage Second Edition Robin E Levin 9781466956056 Books Reviews

Good historical fiction is a two-fer. You can get the facts by reading Polybius and Livy. But you need a Robin Levin to introduce you to Marcus Nemo Nemonides (Marcus Nobody, son of Nobody) - I just love that name!

Yep - you get to have fun and learn something in the bargain with good historical fiction, and The Death of Carthage meets both criteria in spades. Robin Levin has a way of making the history stick - even mundane history. We've all heard that slaves were flogged. But listening to the slave overseer Nicander describe to the new slave Enneas how and under what circumstances that punishment would be imposed brought to my mind any number of new employee orientation meetings that I have sat through.

Those infernal Romans with their perverse naming conventions (and the Carthaginians were even worse!) make following this history difficult, no doubt. "Uh, excuse me, but exactly which Scipio or Hasdrubal were we referring to?" I believe that is why Robin Levin chose to repeat the same history and story elements through the words of each of the main characters in her book. It might have been more effective if she had varied the language just a bit more, but overall I found the technique to be a good one - Robin Levin does not just want to give you the history - she wants to make it stick.

The depiction of a group of slaves and ex-slaves forming their own little oasis of humanity in the midst of a violent world offers hope for the future. "Papa's funeral" epitomized this depiction and showed the love and respect that an ordinary, good person can garner in the midst of a world ruled by glory and power-driven masters of the universe, and also the positive impact that such a person can have on the lives of others.

Informative, funny, and human - good stuff! I recommend it. And Carthage must be destroyed!

- Alex Johnston
This is book is not like the tales of Mccullough or Scarrow. It is of a different time and style then either of those. It is told first person from four perspectives and as such it takes some time to adjust to the difference inherent in Ms. Levin's style than tales of warrior heroism one might think is invoked from the title and subject matter.

For it is a tale of the 2nd Punic War and then the 3rd, but seen through the eyes of people who you might expect a different tale from. That it is delivered in hands that are shown to have care and affection with the material means that the tale will educated and lift you up in a time where desolation was to be had by all.

Using the writings of Polybius and others, Ms. Levin reminds us that war at this period was brutal and had brutal side effects. There was no Geneva Convention. Slavery was certainly apart of what one saw and expected in this age. And here Ms. Levin is able to point out the issues that such a practice brings to the world.

We meet characters along the way that help tell us the story, and with the exact wording of what occurred at various times, our historical knowledge is elevated beyond what most novels on the subject would give.

We see the large world of Rome as it changes from a small city-state with allies, to the empire that it rose to become. Conquering its enemies, and sometimes its friends. Treating the vanquished by showing that assimilation of a culture is a means to takeover a kingdom.

With four sets of eyeballs, our narrators, we see several different events come to life across a stage of over 80 years of history during very turbulent times. Ms. Levin has given a gift that is worth the time and effort to read this tome and find out about it with all the bother of one single hero who is unaffected by the changes that do take place. Here we find men with cares and woes that are completely affected and we are made to learn what such would be like if we were caught up in that war-torn world that led us on the path to our own now. This one is for all lovers of history.
There is no doubt that Ms Levin knows her period. Her description of the events surrounding the Punic Wars – as well as the more well-known participants, such as Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus and Marcos Porcius Cato – are thorough and precise, with several long quotes from actual speeches.

The storyline as such is per definition interesting; most of us have a passing acquaintance with the Carthage – Rome wars, including such details as Hannibal taking his elephants over the Alps to wreak havoc in present day Italy. In many ways, the Punic Wars were the fires that tempered the Roman steel, and once Carthage lay in smoking ruins, Rome was firmly on its way towards the Roman Empire, centuries in which Rome effectively ruled most of the known world.

Despite – or maybe because of – Ms Levin’s impressive knowledge of the period, The Death of Carthage never quite becomes a novel. It is rather a fictionalised version of detailed actual events, with a couple of invented characters to lead the reader through them. The narrative is first person, which in itself is a challenge as it leads to a rather one-dimensional version, but it is the detachment of the characters that is the bigger problem. Rarely do Ms Levin’s characters express any stronger emotions. We are told that they feel love or fear or anger, but I never experience any such feelings. A case in point would be the lukewarm reactions all round to one of the protagonists setting up his mistress in Rome. Wouldn’t his wife had had a bigger reaction? Wouldn’t there be some guilt involved? Some passion for the mistress? Likewise, one of the other protagonists is flogged. The description is factual, conveying none of the pain or the humiliation involved.

However; for those that enjoy a well-researched documentation of a turbulent and complex time in history, The Death of Carthage is a great, educational read. Ms Levin is an impressive guide through these ancient times, and her passion for the period as well as her erudition shine through on every page.