The Walls of Rome by Robert M. Kidd is a thrilling historical military adventure set in 218BC.
The novel tracks real historical events, as seen through the eyes of Sphax, a 17-year-old Numidian who escapes slavery and runs to join the Hannibal's army. Sphax was only seven, when he witnesses a brutal murder of his parents. For ten years he's been a slave in the Roman household.
He's subjected to vicious beatings and mistreatments, and he makes an oath to himself that his time will come. "That sacred oath was burnt into his soul just as painfully as the fugitivus had been branded into the flesh of his forearm after the last time he'd run away. He would have his revenge, and if the rumours of invasion were true, he might have the opportunity to take revenge on the entire stinking cesspit that was Rome".
On a trip to the master's estate, Sphax takes his chance and kills his master, stealing his horses, weapon and money. He knows he will be hunted down as a suspected murderer and has to disappear without leaving a shred of evidence behind him. His plans of escape are rather vague, he dreams of joining Hannibal's army which is marching on Rome. But how can he find it? "Hannibal and the war with Carthage was the talk of Rome... On one eavesdropped occasion, Numidian horsemen were mentioned and his heart suddenly swelled with pride. Rome was rattled and scared".
On the way to find Hannibal's army, Sphax rescues Fionn, a slave girl from beyond Gaul. She wants to go north and find her people. Fionn becomes a resourceful caring companion on a long, arduous journey.
"He felt nothing but rage coursing through him now. These Romans cheated, robbed, murdered and ensalved... For the first time he felt the thrill of going to war. Rome would answer for his slavery and the murder of his parents. He would be avenged. Why wait for Hannibal and his Carthaginians? His own war on Rome was about to begin".
Destiny brings Sphax to Hannibal's army, where he's taken under the wing of general Maharbal. He joins the Numidian cavalry, the finest horsemen in the world.
From the crossing of the great Rhodanus river (Rhone), Sphax travels through the lands of the Gaul to the highest pass in the Alps. The march of the army is truly epic. It was one of the major events of the Second Punic War, and "one of the most celebrated achievements of any military force in ancient warfare. Hannibal managed to lead his Carthaginian army over the Alps and into Italy to take the war directly to the Roman Republic bypassing Roman and allied land garrisons and Roman naval dominance (see Wikipedia)".
The action scenes are panoramic, vivid and compelling.
I can't say I have quite warmed up to the main protagonist. Sphax is too impulsive and quite immature, depsite all the hardship he has endured. He's well-educated for being a slave, which raises a question, just how much free time he had to be able to be fluent in languages and learn about history from another slave. Sphax's too easily accepted into the Hannibal's army, and would they have really entrusted him with an important diplomatic mission, when he's totally green behind the ears when it comes to warfare?! He's lacking prudence and subtlety. Even Hannibal himself describes him "as unpredicatble as a throw of dice".
The Walls of Rome combines the drama of epic battles with the meticulous research of the historical period. The novel provides a lot of detail related to the life of the army, its strategy and tactics, weapons and combat training, as well as mundane aspects of life, like food and clothes, tents and campfires.
Robert M Kidd has an expansive knowledge and understanding of men at war, battlegrounds and warfare.
I found it a riveting story. Some of the names were familiar from reading Salammbô by Flaubert many years ago, but this was not a historical period I am well familiar with. I have recently received the second novel in the Sphax series, and if this historical period is of interest for you, keep an eye on my book review by the end of June.
Purchase Links
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walls-Rome-believe-climbed-Hannibal-ebook/dp/B08MQMRDMM
US - https://www.amazon.com/Walls-Rome-believe-climbed-Hannibal-ebook/dp/B08MQMRDMM
Author Bio – Robert M. Kidd
When Cato the Censor demanded that ‘Carthage must be destroyed,’ Rome did just that. In 146 BC, after a three year siege, Carthage was raised to the ground, its surviving citizens sold into slavery and the fields where this once magnificent city had stood, ploughed by oxen. Carthage was erased from history.
That’s why I’m a novelist on a mission! I want to set the historical record straight. Our entire history of Hannibal’s wars with Rome is nothing short of propaganda, written by Greeks and Romans for their Roman clients. It intrigues me that Hannibal took two Greek scholars and historians with him on campaign, yet their histories of Rome’s deadliest war have never seen the light of day.
My hero, Sphax the Numidian, tells a different story!
When I’m not waging war with my pen, I like to indulge my passion for travel and hill walking, and like my hero, I too love horses. I live in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
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This book review is part of the blog tour.
Many thanks to Robert M. Kidd and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book.
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It seems like an interesting book. When it comes to historical fiction, not very many books are from that period, but I find it intriguing. It's a shame that you didn't like the main character, but it looks like you've enjoyed the book overall.
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