The Lion's Brood : The Story of Hannibal (ISBN 1413712606)

question about integrity:
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.

History is no longer boring:
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 In much the same way hard science fiction makes technology interesting, historical references are woven into a story with believable characters engaged in epic struggles.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.

I enjoyed reading this book:
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.

Concise and Powerful:
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.

Couldn't put it down!!!:
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.