Review of In the Wake of Hannibal

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "In the Wake of Hannibal" by Robin Levin.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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In the Wake of Hannibal is the second book in Robin Levin’s “Death of Carthage” series. Told from the perspective of Gisco, his wife Sansara, and his best friend Mago, the fictional story covers the almost two-decade-long Second Punic War. Under Mago’s brother, Hannibal, Carthage fought against Rome over dominance in the western Mediterranean. Gisco, the son of a wealthy Carthaginian merchant, and his wife Sansara lived in Khart Hadasht, a Carthaginian town in Spain. Even though their marriage was a political arrangement, Gisco and Sansara found love in their union. Since their childhood, Gisco has been loyal to Mago. So, when Hannibal marched to Italia to rid its inhabitants of the Roman reign, Gisco joined the endeavor as Mago’s lieutenant. The following years were filled with town invasions, negotiations, and victorious battles. Things changed when Carthage endured serious losses in Spain, and Mago and Gisco returned to Khart Hadasht. Sansara gave birth to their third child, Hanno. The newborn boy had strikingly beautiful features, something the priests noticed on a visit to the temple. Coincidentally, the high priest Indibal had previously had a vision of the gods Tanit and Ba-al Hammon sacrificing a beautiful boy, thereby turning Carthage into the successful victor of the war. Unwilling to let harm come to his son, Gisco decided to pack up his family and ask for asylum in Tarraco, a town in Spain occupied by Romans – even if it meant betraying his own country and his best friend by revealing valuable information about Hannibal’s plans. Would this information lead to Hannibal’s eventual downfall? And what would happen if Mago's soldiers were to find Gisco in Tarraco? Was Gisco’s ultimate fate to be crucified as a traitor to Carthage?

As part of the historical fiction genre, In the Wake of Hannibal is packed with historical facts about Carthage and its role in the Second Punic War. Apart from a short lesson in history class and translating texts by Cicero in Latin class in high school, I had little knowledge about the events of that time. This book gave me a profound insight into Carthage’s military strategies, battles, traditions, and lifestyle. Especially the first half of the story is heavily focused on Hannibal’s march to Rome and the numerous successful battles and conquests on his way. From Gisco and Mago’s perspectives, the reader is provided with a wide range of information about locations, military strategies, and opposing Roman consuls. The amount of detail shows how much time and effort Robin Levin must have spent researching Carthaginian and Roman history. Even though the focus later on is still very much on Cartaghe’s military actions, and I would have liked to see more interactions between the protagonists, I grew fond of Gisco and Sansara’s characters as the story progressed. The strength of these two characters is particularly apparent in Gisco’s utter devotion to his family and Sansara’s opinion about the war.

Since the plot, especially at the beginning, largely consists of detailed descriptions of Carthage's military movements, for me, the story had a rather passive atmosphere and was sometimes tiring to read. The book is not completely error-free. I found some minor typos and grammatical errors, but they did not particularly bother me while reading.

Ultimately, I rate In the Wake of Hannibal with 3 out of 5 stars. Robin Levin has created a promising fictional plot embedded in historical events. However, I would have preferred the plot to be more focused on the personalities and interactions of the main characters rather than the description of military proceedings. Since the book contains mentions of violence, death, and war, it is not suitable for children. However, any adult interested in the historical events of the Second Punic War and Carthage's military actions will enjoy this book.

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In the Wake of Hannibal
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[Mark Lazarus]

This sounds like a meticulously researched historical novel that offers deep insight into Carthaginian military history. I appreciate when historical fiction blends real events with compelling characters, and the premise of a man torn between loyalty to his homeland and protecting his family adds a strong emotional layer to the narrative.

That said, I tend to prefer character-driven historical fiction over books that lean heavily on military strategy and battle descriptions. While I can respect the level of detail the author put into reconstructing the Second Punic War, the passive atmosphere you mentioned might make it a bit of a slow read for me. I’d probably pick this up if I were specifically in the mood for something rich in historical detail, but I’d go in knowing it’s more of a war chronicle than a deeply personal drama.