The Seven Hills [Hardcover]

John Maddox Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

John Maddox Roberts's provocative Hannibal's Children answered a fascinating question: What if Rome fell to Carthage, then rose again? Now, the Romans' victory is complete, but their legendary unity-and commander Marcus Scipio's leadership-will be tested...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Roberts continues the story of Hannibal's Children (2002), in which Hannibal conquered Rome, and the banished Romans retreated to the Danube, conquered those living along it, and built a Rome in exile. In this book, Rome has reconquered Italy and is resettling it to be as it was before the Carthaginians came. But even as the Romans rebuild, intramural political conflicts generate brawls in the newly restored Curia. One of the most serious conflicts is between the old families, whose ancestors were banished from Rome, and the "New Men" descended from Gauls and Germans who threw their lot in with Roma Noricum. As new war with Carthage looms, four legions are in Egypt, cut off from direct return to Italy; their commander, New Man Titus Norbanus, has some very untraditional ideas about what can be done. Mastering the details of later republican Roman life, Roberts builds a very convincing alternate Rome, full of intriguing characters who pose readers the fun of figuring out their real-life counterparts. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

In addition to his works of science fiction and fantasy, John Maddox Roberts is also the author of the SPQR books, a series of mystery novels set in ancient Rome.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; First Edition edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441012450
• ISBN-13: 978-0441012459
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,350,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Maddox Roberts has written numerous works of science fiction and fantasy, in addition to his successful historical SPQR mystery series. He lives in New Mexico with his wife.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Roman page turner from the mind of John Maddox Roberts, February 27, 2005

By 

Caius Fabius "caiusfabius" (Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Seven Hills (Hardcover)

The Seven Hills is the second book in a Roman semi-historical fiction, what-if novel. It is not HISTORY! That being said, it is an excellent work of story telling with a very strong understanding of historical Rome and the Roman military systems. This book is even more fast-paced than the initial volume, and has the color and life that a master storyteller breathes into his creation.
With so many realistic and complicated characters, you feel as if you are actually in the alternate universe, witnessing the devious politics, the bloody battles and the naval action. The most disappoint part of this book is when you reach the last page, and realize that you don't have the third volume at hand.
Rome against Carthage! Rome against Judea! Rome against Cilician pirates, wily Greeks, and bloodthirsty Celto-Iberians, Illyrians and Spartans! Did I mention that Egypt is a lively nation, where philosophers actually experiment with technology? Perhaps it will be Rome against Egypt and Parthia as well! Roman against Roman is always a given, watch your enemies, and watch your friends closer!
Five Stars for an interesting book that will amuse the history buff, give the war gamer ideas for a semi-historical campaign setting, and entertain the action adventure crowd!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely needs Decius Quintus Caecilius the Younger, August 25, 2005

By 

ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seven Hills (Hardcover)

JMR's second installment of his alternative history of the Roman Republic unfortunately tends to wander off into the hot and humid distance with no discernable oasis in sight. Much is given over to Titus Norbanus' anabasis and growing ego-centricity whilst Scipio pouts and postures in Alexandria playing with his new-fangled toys generated by the archimedian school.
This novel is that lull before the third explosive finale as the two main protagonists cross their personal rubicons and build their military and political might using the new empire as a personal plaything. Scipio spends all his time with Selene angling for the Egyptian army and navy to become his personal troops on a march on Carthage. Meanwhile, Titus Norbanus marches up towards Greece conquering all and defeating two Carthaginian armies who are attempting their own alpine crossing (minus elephants). The only real difference between the two is one possesses humility, the other delusions of grandeur. You can see where JMR is heading.
You get the impression that JMR came up with a good `what if' in the first novel and took it on marvelous strides off into an alternative history where Carthage wasn't sown with salt and Rome got sent north into the Germanic forests. Once he'd reestablished the re-emergence of Rome then it was a case of what to do and we end up with a variant of Caesar and Pompey, or Octavius and Anthony as they both head to Egypt to fall in with their own Cleopatra and start the descent towards imperialism whilst an increasingly aging and befuddled Senate protests in the background. The characterization is neither good nor bad, the personalities plausible copies of the reality that was Rome. The plot meanders along as though the author is looking for his milestones and you get the impression this novel is purely filler for his handling of Rome's latent ascendancy in the Mediterranean with the personal battle between Scipio and Norbanus providing a side amusement.
It's not as good as the first and the series definitely needs Decius Quintus Caecilius the Younger.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When Romans Attack..., September 1, 2005

By 

David W. Johnson (Pasadena, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seven Hills (Hardcover)

This is a sequel (and middle book of at least a trilogy) to his "Hannibal's Children." In the first book, Rome was kicked out of, well, Rome and after forming a new nation in the Germanic north, returned to confront Carthage. Through a mixture of guile and sharp pointy things, they managed to take Italy back from almost under Carthage's nose, while sending commanders and legions - ostensibly as "mercenaries" to scout out Carthage itself.

That book ended with Rome openly at war with Carthage, four of their legions "trapped" in Egypt under the extremely ambitious Titus Norbanus and the book's main hero - Marcus Cornelius Scipio - wooing both Egypt's queen and a school of philosophy at the Alexandrian Library that believes they should actually _do_ things (like build and experiment) rather than just think about them.

This book has Titus leading his legions around the entire edge of the Eastern Mediterranean on a trip back to Rome that's more one big pirate raid than simple march home. He plans to come back to Rome with enough money - and loyal enough legions - that he can write his own ticket to power.

Marcus, meanwhile, is busily worrying that all this success (and money) is going to destroy the fabric of Roman culture. He's also busily encouraging his philosophers to come up with (militarily) useful inventions to fight Carthage.

Like submarines...and hang gliders...and armored paddle-wheelers...and steam engines so that those paddle-wheelers won't have to be human-powered for long...and...

...yeah. My disbelief-suspenders went *POING* too.

What's odd about this is most of the rest of the story is good. Titus is obviously trying to head towards a Caesar-like future - and that he can points out the very real problems Rome's structure had. Roberts likes stories set in Roman times (he's got several books in them) and has obviously researched them quite a bit.

So no one else in the story is inventing like crazy, or upending the entire fabric of ancient-world thought, but Roberts has his main character basically jump-starting a couple of thousand years worth of scientific and engineering advancement and I don't know why. Compare this to what I said in my review of "Rivers of War" - read at about the same time - and you'll see why this annoyed me so.

Still, it's a good enough read and I'll probably pick up the third book when it comes out...though I strongly expect airships by the end of that one...