Africanus (Trilogía Africanus 1) (Spanish Edition)

Africanus: Hijo del Consul (Africanus: Son of the Consul) is the first book of a trilogy by Santiago Posteguillo which may well be the most comprehensive account of the Second Punic War and it's aftermath written in modern times. There is only one slight problema-the book is in Spanish and there is no English translation available. The author says that he has thus far been unable to interest an English language publisher in publishing an English Language edition. Nevertheless, with a couple years of high school Spanish and your lap top with Google Translate handy, the Spanish edition is not that difficult to read, and for the Roman history buff, it's well worth the effort.
Hijo del Consul traces the life of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus from his birth in 235 B.C. to his conquest of New Carthage in 209 B.C. It recounts his military training undertaken by his Uncle Cneius Cornelius Scipio, his rescue of his father, the Consul Publius Cornelius Scipio at the battle of Ticinus in 218 B.C., his participation in the disastrous battle of Cannae in 216 B.C., his marriage to Aemilia Paulla, the daughter of the fallen Consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus, his term as aedile, and his election to general in charge of Rome's Spanish province after the deaths in battle of his father and uncle.
The book also delves into the life and motivations of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who took an army over the Alps to invade Rome. A major character in the book is Quintus Fabius Maximus who is portrayed as the implacable enemy of the Scipios and the family of Aemilius Paullus. Fabius is constantly accompanied by his protege Marcus Porcius Cato.
Interspersed among the accounts of the movers and shakers of the time is the story of Titus Macius a wretched ne're-do-well living a barely sustainable life on the streets of Rome. When asked by Scipio about his past he says "Servitude, merchant, ruined, beggary, military service, beggary again, semi-slavery and always misery." I was half way through the book before I realized that Posteguillo was writing about Titus Macius Plautus, the comic playwright whose work later inspired the comedies of Shakespeare and Moliere, and even a 20th century production "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."
Ancient history is like a very worn out tapestry, and each student fills in the blank spaces differently. Although I may disagree with the way Posteguillo portrays certain things, I think he has done a masterful job of making the history of this period come alive.

No hay manera de dejar de este libro, si te gusta la novela histórica este libro es definitivamente algo que tienes que leer.

When writing a historical novel the balance between the ‘novel’ and ‘historical’ parts is essential. It is important to be respectful with history and maintain oneself faithful to the personalities and events that took place, but also to give them life and personalities so that these flow with logic and interest. To my knowledge it hasn’t been translated into English yet, so this review is of the original Spanish publication.

‘El hijo del cónsul’, by Santiago Posteguillo, is the first book in a trilogy narrating the first years of the second Punic war. In it we see the ascension of Hannibal Barca, and how he brings Rome to its knees whilst these attempt to fight him. In the Roman side we are witness to the rise of Publius Cornelius (that is, Scipio Africanus), from his birth until his campaign in Hispania. The book is centred in this evolution of the character and events, from his early years and relations with his family to his training and military beginnings. It is the forge of a hero, and ‘El hijo del cónsul’ manages to make it work beautifully. It is not only believable, but also fascinating in a way that not many historical books quite manage to achieve. The characters are well written and believable, and it turns out to be a great historical novel as a whole – something that I personally haven’t had much luck with in this genre – and I couldn’t have been happier with this as a history fan. It isn’t often one gets to read a great historical novel in this aspect, particularly one that works for both those who are and aren’t familiar with the topic alike.

The most noteworthy thing of the novel itself is the cinematographic style the author uses in narrating battles and their particular strategy. They aren’t just words in paper – they are very real and dangerous, and the reader flies through them from army to army, and battalion to battalion. These are easy to follow wherever they are taking place the action, without losing the reader and at the same time showing the historical aspect of them accurately. Further, it shows what’s happening from the points of view of all those involved. Carthaginians, different Roman factions, the roman people, or writer Plautus himself.

The merit of the book is managing to balance out both the history and fiction aspects of it, and succeeds beautifully in filling everything with suspense and intrigue. Overall allowing for a beautiful immersion in the very particular historical period it’s based on. The writing style itself, however, come across as noticeably academic at the beginning of the book. However this didn’t really harm the overall quality of the book, and was something that instead was just noticeable in its style.

As such ‘El Hijo del Cónsul’ is a book recomendable to all those interested in the Roman world, as well as those that without being so enjoy stories of self-improvement, friendship, political intrigues, and sword fights. It is worthy of 4 out of 5 stars, and definitely worthy of giving it a try at the very least. It isn’t often that one finds a historical novel as good as this one.

doy cinco extrellas al vendedor y al libro.
me encanta la manera de posteguillo, y la lectura es entretenida,
uno de los mejores libros que he leido en los ultimos anos,
luego a leer los dos siguientes,

It is so great! This is the second book I read from Santiago Posteguillo. I bought this one a few months ago and I left accidentally at the hotel. It is so great that I bought immediately using my android app on the way to the airport so I can have it at home when I land.

I read this book that belongs to the triology about the life of Scipio The Africanus the roman general and his antagonist Hannibal the carthagian general. I liked so much the author's story telling that I bought them as a gift for my Mom and she liked them too.