Destroy Carthage details Fabius's bloodthirsty battle against the Macedonians and the journey through the Second and Third Punic Wars. While most would expect the book to contain unrestricted violence and gore, we instead get to take a incredible journey through the events with the characters Scipio Aemilianus Africanus and Fabius. Fabius is actually the perspective of a fictional character who serves as the second-in-command to Scipio. It's from this new perspective that we get to see the real story of Scipio's rise to power in Rome after leading his army through Carthage. Destroy Carthage combines fictional and non-fictional elements to deliver one of the most intriguing reads of this decade.
The real-life story of Scipio lays the foundation for this amazing story where historical events meet fantasy. Readers are able to experience the harshness of war from the violent battles to the aftermath of cold, dead corpses lying in your path. Gibbins writes so eloquently that you often feel you are standing in Fabius's shoes as he experiences each new encounter. You are never threw into the middle of the story and left guessing in Destroy Carthage since everything is detailed from Fabius and Scipio's military careers, their training and even certain life events that took place before the Roman Empire. You automatically feel connected to these characters and have a sense of who they are. As for gamers, Destroy Carthage is almost a personal love letter to them, and continuously incorporates subtle references to aspects of the Total War game series.
The story of Destroy Carthage takes place over several years and manages to incorporate characters from the real-life events which is all paced rather ingeniously. The timeline maintains accurate representations of the notorious battles while sufficiently developing the background and legacy of Scipio. Readers are given an insight into why certain actions or events took place and the motives behind them--which sometimes required the book to skip around in years. However, I thought this method worked seamlessly with the pacing of the book and made it even more enjoyable.
Destroy Carthage really shines during its graphic and intense battle scenes. Gibbons writes each scene with such passion and ferociousness that you really see what the Roman Empire was capable of. Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is an intriguing read that manages to give the reader a detailed account of Roman history by utilizing graphically intense combat scenes alongside well-written characters full of depth and personality. All-in-all, Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is a must read for fans of the Total War series and history buffs in general. The book manages to add a whole new side to the video game by giving players some behind-the-scenes stories of what really went on during the battles. Buy Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage today, you won't regret it!
Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage is now available for $25.99 from most major book retailers. To learn more, visit the official Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage website and make sure to check out the Total War game series.
Book Information
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Written by: David Gibbins
Publish Date: September 2013
Page Count: 352
Series: Total War Rome #1