Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date.
For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now.
Narrated by John Lescault
Philip FreemanUnabridged — 5 hours, 29 minutes
Narrated by John Lescault
Philip FreemanUnabridged — 5 hours, 29 minutes
Telling the story of a man who stood against the overwhelming power of the mighty Roman empire, Hannibal is the biography of a man who, against all odds, dared to change the course of history.
Over two thousand years ago one of the greatest military leaders in history almost destroyed Rome. Hannibal, a daring African general from the city of Carthage, led an army of warriors and battle elephants over the snowy Alps to invade the very heart of Rome's growing empire. But what kind of person would dare to face the most relentless imperial power of the ancient world? How could Hannibal, consistently outnumbered and always deep in enemy territory, win battle after battle until he held the very fate of Rome within his grasp?
Hannibal appeals to many as the ultimate underdog-a Carthaginian David against the Goliath of Rome-but it wasn't just his genius on the battlefield that set him apart. As a boy and then a man, his self-discipline and determination were legendary. As a military leader, like Alexander the Great before him and Julius Caesar after, he understood the hearts of men and had an uncanny ability to read the unseen weaknesses of his enemy. As a commander in war, Hannibal has few equals in history and has long been held as a model of strategic and tactical genius. But Hannibal was much more than just a great general. He was a practiced statesman, a skilled diplomat, and a man deeply devoted to his family and country.
Roman historians-on whom we rely for almost all our information on Hannibal-portray him as a cruel barbarian, but how does the story change if we look at Hannibal from the Carthaginian point of view? Can we search beneath the accounts of Roman writers who were eager to portray Hannibal as a monster and find a more human figure? Can we use the life of Hannibal to look at the Romans themselves in an unfamiliar way-not as the noble and benign defenders of civilization, but as ruthless conquerors motivated by greed and conquest?
"Roman historians have cast Hannibal Barca as a cruel, uncouth barbarian, but Philip Freeman’s panoramic biography Hannibal supplies evidence that the great Carthaginian military leader was an educated statesman and diplomat, notable for his devotion to his country, family, and troops. Hannibal is an epic biography of the military genius who nearly ended Rome’s imperial expansion."
"Freeman gives his readers much to consider in learning about a totally alien world in an easy, uncomplicated lively prose about an epic tale."
Freeman offers a highly readable, well-organized military and personal biography of the Carthaginian general who nearly changed history, vividly revealing more amazing scenarios in Hannibal’s life and battles than any writer could concoct in a novel. Freeman ends with fascinating speculation on how the modern world would look if Hannibal had won. [A] vivid, fast-moving account.
Here, in vivid and exciting detail, are all the familiar highlights of Alexander’s career: the battles, the tempestuous relationships, the dazzling ambitions, the mysterious death in Babylon. Mr. Freeman’s ambition, he tells us in his introduction, was ‘to write a biography of Alexander that is first and foremost a story.’ It is one he splendidly fulfills.
"The greatest victory of the book, however, is Freeman’s storytelling. This biography stands out from others written about Alexander thanks to its smooth flow and interesting narrative. It is, as Freeman hopes, a history book for those readers who are not already experts on Alexander or his world.
Freeman does not hero worship Alexander, and does not paper over his subject’s many faults. At times, Alexander can seem like an almost mythic figure, but, as Freeman shows, he was all too human.
Praise for Philip Freeman’s Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great:
"Freeman writes beautifully and with picturesque vision when chronicling Hannibal’s most famous feat."
Reading Philip Freeman’s pacy and panoptic narrative of his life from unpromising early beginnings to the fateful Ides is one very rewarding approach to answering that perennially fascinating question.
Elegant, learned, and compulsively readable, Julius Caesar moves from broad sweep to brilliant detail. Freeman triumphantly tells the story of one of history’s greatest and most terrible figures. Through it all, the figure of Caesar draws our attention and stimulates our deepest thoughts.
Philip Freeman takes the reader through every dizzying thrill. The scholar will find much to admire in this book, but, better still, the newcomer to ancient Rome will turn its pages with excitement, enlightenment – and sheer narrative suspense.
In this biography of Hannibal, the story is propelled by narrator John Lescault’s clear articulation and pacing, which aptly convey the calculating genius of the renowned general. Lescault’s distinct voice recounts Hannibal’s harrowing journey as he leads the Carthaginian army, with its elephants, up and down the harsh terrain of the Alps toward Rome. The measured narration evokes images of Hannibal’s skill as a master tactician who, with uncanny foresight, outwits the Romans in battle after battle—Trasimene, Trebbia, Cannae—ending with his ultimate defeat at Zama. Throughout, Lescault’s performance allows listeners to absorb Hannibal’s character—his amazing tenacity, courage, and unyielding loyalty to his country. Even though the narrative flow is disrupted by drop-in edits of Latin pronunciations, Lescault delivers this exciting story with style. D.H.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
| BN ID: | 2940175173452 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 05/31/2022 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
