Book Description

The Death of Carthage is a historical fiction novel about the Second and Third Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. The novel is divided into three parts. Part one tells the story of the Second Punic War from the point of view of Lucius, a Roman cavalryman and boyhood friend of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. Lucius serves in Spain and ultimately goes to Africa with Scipio to fight in the Battle of Zama. Part two tells the story of Lucius' Cousin Enneas who is taken prisoner at the Battle of Trasimene and sold as a slave in Greece. Enneas eventually marries a slave girl and has two children, Andromache and Hector. When Rome makes a treaty with Achaea he and his family are repatriated to Rome. Part three tells the story of Hector, AKA Ectorius who becomes a translator and sporadically serves with the Roman Army. On one of these stints he meets the Greek Historian Polybius and they become friends. When Polybius is summoned advise his close friend and student, Scipio Aemilianus, on how to defeat Carthage, he asks Ectorius to come with him. Ectorius witnesses the final destruction of Carthage. From the Kirkus review of The Death of Carthage:Levin's novel blends the history of the Second and Third Punic Wars with a richly detailed peek into ancient Roman culture.In the novel's first of three sections, Levin textures scenes in which young Lucius Tullius Varro prepares for the Second Punic War with details ranging from Roman dress customs to typical wartime psychology. In his training, equestrian-class Lucius befriends the Consul's patrician son, Publius Correlius Scipio. At the recommendation of young Scipio, Lucius is accepted to the Consul's cavalry; his chief regret is that he must leave his newly pregnant wife, Silvia. In war, Lucius records information gathered by Roman scouts. In consideration of the extremes that the enemy would go to extract this information from Lucius were he caught, he's equipped with a flask of poison. When the time comes, however, it's the agile Celtiberian girl Ala who saves Lucius, installing herself as Lucius' mistress-for-life. After situating Ala near his home, he explains her to the heroically levelheaded Silvia. At times, the sweeping conveyance of battle, even as it constitutes a fascinating description of events, eclipses Lucius as a character. In the second section, Lucius's cousin Enneus reports his capture from Consul Flaminius' cavalry and his subsequent 21-year stint as a Greek politician's slave. Before the end of this section, we've witnessed the emancipation of Enneus and his rise to a respectable degree of prosperity. The final section repeats several previous conversations nearly verbatim; while these are shared through the perspective of Enneus's son, Ectorius, his perspective does not seem to meaningfully color them enough to justify their repetition. While it would benefit from further polishing, this novel comprises worthy historical fiction. Naturally, readers already interested in the Roman-Carthaginian wars will find this account gratifying; however, those less steeped in knowledge of the era may also find themselves rapidly engaged owing to the three accessible and riveting narrators.Intricately described, well-plotted historical fiction set in ancient Rome.