2012;
478 pages. New Author? : Yes. Genre : Historical Fiction (Military);
Biography. Overall Rating : 9*/10.
The
book’s title refers to Hamilcar Barca, Carthage’s most renowned military leader
until his son, Hannibal Barca, came along one generation later and famously
came within a hair’s breadth of conquering the Roman Empire.
Hamilcar’s
feats were no less spectacular – battling the vastly larger Roman military
forces to a stalemate in the first Punic War; saving Carthage from a
life-threatening revolt of its mercenary army, and expanding the Carthaginian Empire
in Spain, including exploiting the silver mines there to pay the huge war
penalty imposed by Rome on Carthage.
Truly, this is the stuff legends are made of, yet until now, little has
been written about elder of the two Barca military geniuses.
What’s To Like...
The Father is part Military Fiction, part
Biography. Hamilcar’s early years are
missing (both
in the book and in History itself); when the story opens he is
already married, and has a couple young children. Chris Craig fills in the historical gaps with a bunch of plausible fictional details, such as the names of Hamilcar’s
wife (Dido)
and daughter (Sophie).
The storyline is linear and divided into three parts. The Sicilian campaign, aka the First Punic War (60%);
the mercenary rebellion (25%); and the Spanish campaign (15%). The characters are well-developed, and the
author has a fine touch in detailing the battle tactics, technologies, and
perhaps most telling, the political maneuverings in both Rome and
Carthage. The latter did more to doom
Hamilcar’s military exploits than any Roman army.
I
was also impressed that, while the storyline unfolds with a definite
pro-Carthaginian slant, the Romans are not portrayed as vile and
despicable. In truth, two empires were
vying for supremacy in a region where there was only room for one to dominate.
As
with any biography, the tale ends with Hamilcar’s death, but we are also left
with 19-year-old Hannibal on the cusp of his rendezvous with Fate.
The writing is top-notch – it’s nice to read something steeped in
History that isn’t dry and boring. There
is nothing R-rated in the book. I
suppose it would be rated PG for some violence, such as elephants stomping the
life out of soldiers unluckily caught in their path, but there’s no unnecessary
gore. The book is both a standalone and
the start of a series; and YA and adult history buffs alike will enjoy it.
Excerpts...
“But what of
these Spanish women,” persisted Dido.
“I didn’t notice
any. Well – there are some there. But they are all, well, dark and hairy. Not elegant and beautiful like our
Carthaginian women, my darling,” Hamilcar said, burying his face in a goblet of
wine.
“Well, I suppose
that’s alright then. But Maherbal, I
don’t want you sending my husband off anywhere with an abundance of beautiful
women.”
“I don’t believe
we have plans to invade the Amazons,” replied Maherbal. (loc. 804)
“Father,”
Hannibal asked eventually, “who is our greatest enemy? You have fought many. And before your time our city fought the
Greeks. So, I mean, who is our most
dangerous enemy, the Greeks, the barbarians, rebels or the Romans?”
“You forget the
enemy within, son,” Hamilcar replied, “every time I have fought an enemy, I
have first had to defeat our own Senate.” (loc.
6180)
Kindle Details...
I bought The
Father for $2.99 at Amazon. This is
Book #1 of a trilogy about the Barca family, aka “The House of Thunder”. Book #2, The Son,
is available at SmashWords. Book #3, The Fall, is apparently still in the works. Chris Craig has several other books available
for the Kindle at SmashWords, but ANAICT, only this one available at Amazon.
“That is the difference between us.
Carthage makes war for trade. We
trade to make war.” (loc.
2981)
There are a couple minor gaps in the historical details. Some of the atrocities committed by Hamilcar
in quelling the mercenary insurgency are conveniently omitted. Also, I don’t recall that the name of
Hamilcar’s second son ever being mentioned (it was Hasdrubal); and most historical
sources claim that there were three daughters, not just Sophie. But given that historians still can’t agree
on exactly how Hamilcar died, we’ll allow the author a long literary leash for
detailing this biography as he sees fit.
I
thoroughly enjoyed The Father. It should be mentioned that “Hamilcar Barca”
is my nom
d’Internet, and therefore I may be favorably inclined to the subject
matter herein.
9 Stars. Add
another ½-star if you revel in the minutiae of
battlefield tactics. Subtract ½-star if you liked
the Roman legions kicking the crap out of everybody way back when. And if ancient history makes you yawn, you
should probably skip this book.
