Customer Reviews

The Lion's Brood : The Story of Hannibal

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4 star:		(4)
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Being a student of history, I approached this book with understandable enthusiasm. I found it to be filled with rich characters, amazingly descriptive battle narratives, and meticulous attention to historical detail. Above all, I was impressed with Scott's comfortable writing style. He grabs the reader right from the start and takes him for an emotional ride that explores the depth of unspoken emotion between father and son, between patriot and parent, between love and war. I look forward to the next two installments eagerly.

The historical fiction genre welcomes a new author into the field. The first book in Rafael Scott's trilogy "Lion's Brood: The Story of Hannibal " promises exciting new material in a genre that is too often ignored. The story of Hannibal Barca and the Second Punic War is fast paced action from start to finish.

The story begins with Hannibal's father, Hamilcar, and his obsession with Rome, which filters through to his oldest son. The circumstances of Hamilcar's defeat at the end of the First Punic War are well conveyed, and the story flows easily from humiliation from defeat to the quest for vengeance. With the death of Hamilcar, Hannibal comes to prominence in the Carthaginian world and the stage is set for the invasion of Italy and the Second Punic War. The novel follows his story, relationships with family and military staff, from beginning to end. Delivered as a narration to his Roman nemesis, Scipio Africanus, Rafael Scott walks us through this pivotal series of events in world history as if we were reading Hannibal's own journal. Certainly not a new technique, but Lion's Brood provides a fresh approach to telling a tale that is rarely explored from the Carthaginian point of view...

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I never thought I would find myself captivated by a historical fiction novel; especially one revolving around war, but this book did it. With Scott's fast-paced, visually engaging style of writing, the pages seem to turn themselves. At times, I almost felt as though I was riding along with Hannibal as his army entered Italy. Although it weighs more on the action side, what I enjoyed the most about this book is the emotional twists and elevations I experienced with every chapter. The Lion's Brood is a history lesson and a great story at the same time. I look forward to the next book in the saga and will eagerly recommend it to my friends.

All I ever knew about Hannibal was that he crossed the Alps on the back of an elephant. Reading this book, not only did I learn a lot about the character of Hannibal and the political relationships of the mediterranean countries at that time, but I also really enjoyed reading it. There is no need to be a passionate of the genre. The book is well written and quick to read. I dived into the action and before I knew it, I wase already half way through. I am definitely planning to read Rafael Scott's next book.

Rafael Scott has done that rare thing - write a concise yet powerful piece of historical fiction. The Lion's Brood moves quickly and provides an excellent sense of Hannibal's generalship against Rome. It's a quick read and an informative eye-opener regarding war in the age of antiquity.

I'm not a history lover but I found Lion's Brood to be a book I couldn't put down. I came away knowing more history than I would pick up from many nights with a textbook. Through its storyline, the book gives insight into how political decisions were made and how wars were fought during the days of the Roman Empire. We see a non-white, non-European general commanding respect by his wits and his courage, outsmarting the conventional Roman strategies time and again, changing the way wars were fought. In much the same way hard science fiction makes technology interesting, historical references are woven into a story with believable characters engaged in epic struggles. Unlike science fiction, this book is largely factual with enough story to keep you turning pages. The book is nicely framed, starting near the end of Hannibal's career, looping back to its beginning and working its way through to the end. If history were only taught this way when I went to school.

All but one of the reviews so far were written by people living in Northern California. And none of the California reveiwers have written other reviews on Amazon before, yet all wrote positive reviews of this book. It's hard not to wonder if the California reveiwers are friends of the author.

I hope it's a case of friends showing genuine and sincere enthusiasm. The non-California reveiw was also positive.

The book is a treasure! The characters are well developed and interesting to the point that you feel you are there and actually observing each pivoting aspect of their lives. I would recommend this author (Rafael Scott) to anyone who loves to read good books.