Hannibal Books

Ah, the Nine Hells! After 20+ years of ignorant attacks on the game system by Christian extremists, it's nice to be able to say that again. Don't get me wrong, I love Planescape, but somehow, it just didn't seem to provide a gothic, forsaken, ultra-dramatic Hell. Now we have it! Granted, it's a bit unorthodox and anti-classical, but I believe that's the point. This isn't a mere retread of the classic AD&D representation of Hell - if you want a tamer, more Dantean environment, check out Dragon 75, 76, the Manual of the Planes, and the 1st printing of the Monster Manuals I and II. This book has a more creative vision - it tries to remold our interpretation of the Infernal into something more cosmic, alien, and underwordly. You get the impression that Hell isn't necessarily a place where the damned go for punishment; rather, its raison d'etre is as the ultimate stronghold of diabolic (lawful) evil. And it's good! The Blood War and history are briefly touched upon, but then we plunge in up to our necks with fantastic details on devils and their beliefs and society, notes on infernal cults, the priests-turning-fiends table, and great new kits that your players will love if they want to dive into "the 9." The Devil Slayer is your basic Hell-bent (ahem) crusader, the Thaumaturgist is a diabolical summoner who specializes in comprehending contracts and magical circles, the Inquisitor is an horrific cleric subclass, the Hellblade is a type of ninja-infiltrator who destroys devils, etc. Then, we have L'Ordre de la Croix-Rose Veritas, a great devil slaying "Templar" order in Greyhawk. But there's more! Diabolic magic, the descriptions of the Hells, infernal powers, the arch-devils, and minions are all described. All in all, it's an amazingly useful compendium. I give it four stars only because its unorthodox nature keeps it from appealing to everyone. In Pace Requiscat!

Wow, this is the best aid I have for the adnd game yet. It'slike a whole campaign setting in 1 book, and it is (worth the cost).The devils in it are awesome monsters. The lords of the layers are also very cool. I like the whole idea of it the best. The creators of this book made a VERY good book here.

The Guide to Hell is a decent sourcebook if a DM lacks the Planescape setting, or the Planescape monstrous Compendium vol 1. If a DM has both of these, then the section revolving around the inner machinations of Hell is still new and quite cool. Of course, most DM's will want to heavily modify various parts of this book- I beefed up all the Lords of 9 to make them strong enough to fend off my PC's party of 6 lvl 9-12 heroes, changed most of their names, etc. There is a bit of conflicting info here with planescape- in that setting a PC can descend into Nessus if he's lost his bloody mind and really wants to, but in the Guide to hell, simply being there without asmodeus' permission means instant death. I favor the latter personally, but this is just one example of some contradictions between this and planescape. If a DM only owns the Monstrous Manual and wants to incorporate the diabolical, this book includes brief run-downs for every type of devil/baatezu. The devilkin race is neat, some of the kits are OK, and the summary info is very useful if you can't get it anywhere else. It is also more informative and comprehensive than the overview provided in Planes of Law, but apparently that's what some people did not like about it, they found it dry. I feel that a DM can add juice and flavor to the cold hard numbers when he's writing adventures, but if things like the Illithiad are more your style this book may not be for you. When I buy an RPG book I want it to provide me with the stats and overviews that I can flesh out into adventures rather than "tone" or too much flavor text, but that's me. If that's what your looking for, this book is a good purchase. Otherwise, I'd point you to the "Faces of Evil" book which does a nice job of combining info about fiends and flavor. It's probably more fun if not so useful.

One comes away from this book feeling very little. Many of us don't use a "Hell" in our games, but something similar...in this sense the book was ok, providing characters and settings that are easily adapted to your own environment. The information on playing in Hell was fairly good, as was the discussion of new kits. For the price, the book is good (IMHO - a wise decision on WotC's part to provide books of very specialized use at a low price).

One of the things that always bothered me about the Planes as described in 1st edition was that it seemed flat, populated by killing machines, and mostly the romping ground for inhumanly powerful characters looking for stuff to kill that would give them suitably huge experience. Period. Then, in 2nd Edition, Planescape was published, and I was astonished. Here, at last, was an attempt to explain how the planes actually worked, to populate them with a more realistic demographic, to make them more than a playground for 18th level fighters. Granted, many people disliked Planescape (I suspect they were the very same 30-year old children I refer to above). But most people I have spoken to found Planescape to breath life back into the stale, boring Planes. And now this. This product is a sad rehash of Planescape information: it encourages DMs to treat fiends like monsters, ignoring their immortal patience, tremendous intelligence, and experience. It describes one of the seven lower planes. 'Hell,' as it really is in D&D and has been since the beginning, encomapasses all the lower planes, not just Baator. If you want a 'to do' list for your munchkin campaign, this is your product. If you're interested in things like setting, dialogue, actual role-playing (as opposed to combat simulation), or story, this should be at the very bottom of your list.

The best book I've read on the best general ever.

Andy Johnson

This biography made me wish to meet the famous Hannibal. The research is well done and now I have a good understanding of the role Hannibal played in this period of history. The only reason I gave this book a 4 is because it was a little on the dry side. That may be due to the reader's voice as I listened to the cassette, or because there just wasn't enough "heart and soul" in the telling of the history. That is, I learned tons about Hannibal's military movements, strategies, battles, etc., but a very minute amount about his character and feelings. This is probably not the author's fault, however, because he refers to the ancient sources as not passing down much about Hannibal's character for us to draw from.

It wasn't until the last chapter or two that I felt I was starting to get to know Hannibal as a man, with references about his wit, humor, and his sly ability to sneak away unnoticed as he was hounded by the Romans. At the end, we are treated to a few of his quotes which give us a little glimpse into his personality. At that point I began wishing I knew more about him, felt a certain empathy with him, and wondered if by the end of his life, he felt he had thrown it away in a useless cause. The author reflects on this a bit, and concludes that even if Hannibal and Carthage had won this war against the Romans, it really wouldn't have changed history that much, rather it would only have slowed the Romans down for a little while. I agreed with that conclusion, and not only felt sorry for Hannibal, but sorry for the human mind that causes us to slaughter one another for .... what?

In spite of the occasional dryness of the telling, I was fascinated by the information presented about Hannibal's career and the political and military setting of the nations involved. I appreciate having this knowledge.

Nice book. Well written, based on good sources, and about one of the most exciting historical figures of all times. Even long after his death, one cannot underestimate Hannibal. Hannibal should have been one of the characters in the 1988 film "Bill and Teds Excellent Adventures."

Hannibal by Ernle Bradford is a fine and enjoyable read about the history of the Second Punic War, with a principal focus on Hannibal's invasion of Italy and the subsequent 17 year occupation. It is obvious that the author is an admirer of Hannibal, and a grudging admirer of Rome. In some ways Hannibal is treated as a almost mythic character who not only was a military genius but attempted to fight a noble war. The Romans, on the other hand, are portrayed as devious, untrustworthy with their only saving graces being their perseverance and ability to eventually adapt to the superior abilities of Hannibal.

The book greatest failures lie in the descriptions of the major battles, especially Cannae. One of the greatest military feats of history is dealt with in a few pages. While Bradford does describe the basics of the battle, he does so in a very perfunctory manner. The same is true for the other major engagements. Further, the almost total lack of maps makes the battles and the troop movements difficult to follow.

The strength of the book is in the description of how the Romans eventually prevailed and Hannibal's miscalculations of the Roman persistence. After the destruction of up to 70,000 troops at Cannae, and numerous legions prior to the battle, most empires would have crumbled. Rome did not. The reasons for Rome's survival is the best reason to read this book.

Informative without being too technical in a military sense. Major battles were covered, but not in minute detail; which I often find boring. Overall strategies are covered without the step by step walkthrough of each battle.
Not really knowing a lot of specifics about Hannibal, I thought this was a very good book to start off with. I had read Bradford's work on Thermopylae and liked that. Hannibal is similar in style. It is obvious that Bradford admires Hannibal, but he balances that out with an almost equal admiration of the Roman's ability to withstand and ultimately defeat him. I came away a little surprised with a sense that Hannibal had a great sense of humor and that he realized his attempt to break Rome was in vain fairly early in the effort. It is probably that, in the end, which I like about Bradford's style - particularly in this book; I have much more of a sense of who Hannibal was than just reading a history of Hannibal.

As a rebuttal to the March 18th reviewer from Seattle, it should be noted that in current entertainment and literary markets, myths and historical events are updated and retold from a modern perspective. Today's writers must know how to and be willing to modernized the story for the audiences of future generations without losing the aspects that resonate within the human psyche. This is an excellent story for a tolerable reader!

The dialog is cartoonish. As a screen play it would probably be okay. As a book for anyone older than 10 it isn't worth the trouble. I had hopes of using this book for instruction about the punic wars. Now, I'm using it as an illustration on how not to write. Or," How could he have said this better." Sorry....its just awful

This historical fiction piece is an action-pack novel. It has a strong cinematic flavor with a strong, charismatic presentation of Hannibal. This is book is great reading for both young and old.

As a rebuttal to the March 18th reviewer from Seattle, it should be noted that in current entertainment and literary markets, myths and historical events are updated and retold from a modern perspective. Today's writers must know how to and be willing to modernized the story for the audiences of future generations without losing the aspects that resonate within the human psyche. This is an excellent story for a tolerable reader!

This book is unique, factual and very well written. Remember Me provides inspirational and enlightening insight into the true meaning of The Holy Eucharist, so often glossed over or deeply buried in religious praxis. I highly recommend this book to Christians of all denominations and affiliations.

Having attended church faithfully all of my life and participated in the Communion services as offered, it was a mind-awakening process of the true meaning of this Holy Ordinance after reading these devotions and hearing them presented in our local assembly. These devotions should be part of every born-again believer's library.

If you like coon hunting, dogs and trouble, you'll love this book about a boy that has a hunting dog and a racoon. Set in the Ozarks in a town called Judy during the second world war, it a great book about life trials and growing up. I recommend this reasd to everyone.

I had expected something with a little more depth, but perhaps that's because I'm a member of a vanishing species (someone who majored in literature in college). Harris' novels are arguably the most "literate" crime thrillers around, displaying not only loving research of forensics and police work but a command of European literature and culture much deeper than mere "props" for the erudition of Hannibal Lecter. I have seen very little commentary on them that discusses this, or the deft mingling of "our common squalor" (a phrase from "Lambs") with images from Donne, Eliot and Dante. Lecter is also a character with a grand ancestry in history and myth, and I would have loved to see an exploration of what he owes both to genuine killers and the demons of fiction and tradition.

What I got was a book that would have been half the length had it not been padded out with the resumes of the films' stars, producers and directors. While it's interesting to know why the first Red Dragon movie, "Manhunter," contained some puzzling alterations and omissions, I don't need to know everything about the filmography of everyone involved, or the minute studio politics -- that doesn't do much to elucidate the novels or the finished pictures.

By contrast, author O'Brien's appreciation of Harris' abilities and intentions as a writer is culpably shallow. One example: his interpretion the title-page quotation in Lambs, "Need I look for a Death's Head in a ring, that have one in my face?" While he sources it correctly (Donne's Devotions) he doesn't even bother to connect it with the Death's Head Moth used by killer Jame Gumb to mark the flayed remains of his victims and to represent his ambition to be transformed through wearing their skins; instead he suggests it is chiding the reader for interest in fictional killers when so many real ones can be found in the newspaper. The deeper implication that Lecter's monstrosity parallels something that might be mined out of all our psyches (given greater play in HANNIBAL) doesn't even occur to him. I throw up my hands.

As for the all-but-operatic repetition of theme, imagery and incident that occurs throughout the novels, or the delicious subtle parallels between characters -- such as Will Graham's relationship to his family as a stepfather versus Francis Dolarhyde's as a stepchild, pointed up by Graham's facial mutilation at the end of the book -- well, let's say I was hoping to see a good critic go to work on that, and I'm still waiting. In fact, it's clear that O'Brien is interested in only the most banal conventions of storytelling (allowing Graham to "be a hero" versus the sometimes scalding insights Harris includes in his internal monologues) and doesn't much care whether the author was trying to do anything other than keep the reader's attention.

An intriguing book for a student of cinema, but not much use to a reader.

Alright Hannibal fans here it is, the unauthorized guide to the Hannibal Lecter trilogy. After just finishing Yvonne Tasker's excellent book on The Silence Of The Lambs (BFI, 2002), this book showed up on my doorstep. I was in heaven. Daniel O'Brien has done a great job of covering all three books and films. With 32 pages of color and b&w pictures, this book sets the record straight. I was especially impressed by O'Brien's giving Manhunter a fair shake by letting the facts speak for themselves. A must have for all true fans. Pass the Chianti.

I got this book from the library and it is a excellent book for studying and learning about Black history. I could hardly put this book down after I started reading it. It had some very interesting facts in it and I had to buy this book to highlight these facts.

This is an oddly written book by todays standards, however, it is informative.

For anyone interested in strategic planning or battle tactics; you'll enjoy this book. Each captain outlined encompassed one chapter. At the end of each chapter Dodge pointed out the qualities and weaknesses of the captain, (eg. Napoleon). He also compared that captain to all the others.

I find leadership strengths in military situations equally interesting to those in business. You may as well.

Written in the late 19th century, this is a collection of campaign studies of Alexander the great, Hannibal, Ceasar, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon. It includes several maps that are helpful but they lack the detail and clarrity that one would prefer. The maps, being part of a collection of lectures, were most likely maps in the author's notes which he would use on the chalk board to describe the battles. They appear to be rough sketches one might find in that context. Still, they are better than no maps at all and they do provide some context for the lecture content. The brevity of the book as a whole and the division of the book into standalone lectures make it a fair reference volume. But, you will certainly want more than these lectures for any one of "the great captains." It is an enjoyable set of lectures and worth the price you are likely to find this book now.

I don't know why books like this seemed to go out of vogue as supplemental classroom material.

The book is essentially a very detailed, and very exciting, history lesson. Most people think of Hannibal, if they recognize the name at all, as the guy who crossed the Alps with elephants.

Dolan chose to tell the story in an interesting way. She fictionalizes an actual, lost narrative by a slave named Sosylos, who lived with Hannibal. By assuming his character and telling the story in his words, Dolan is able to paint a picture that gives the story a life beyond a dry textbook.

Hannibal is one of the greatest military leaders in human history, and it is no coincidence that he is also a man of unwavering principles, whose inner nobility eventually puts him at odds with the nobility of his own country. He is a tragic portrait of a man whose bedrock patriotism puts him at odds with his own government, to his own detriment.

But before that, Hannibal proves himself on the military field as the man who outfought Rome. Horrendously outnumbered, his men proved time and time again that they could defeat the "invincible" Roman army.

The writing is a little long-winded at times, but overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is at all interested in history. If you have a mild interest, but feel intimidated by some of the authoritative books out there, this is a fantastic way to get all of the same information in a more accessible format.

From a Child's View Children's books are not intended to be a singular event for the child, especially when the age range includes those children that must be read to. In other words, a children's book is (ought to be) an event between a child and the reader (i.e, a parent, a teacher, a sibling, a grandpa, etc.) Habbibal and the King is a wonderful children's book that makes for a great event, say between a child and his or her parent. The colorful illustrations give much for the child and parent to see in the story. The narrative allows plenty of room for the reader (say the Dad) to show tone, pace, and different character for the story. My daughter, seven, not only enjoyed the illustrations, she interacted with them--they caught her attention and enlightened her sense of the story. Of course, the moral to any story might have to be explained to a child no matter what book is read; but, it is the impact of the story-reading event that counts. When we finished the story, I asked her, 'Tell me something about the story that you learned.' She replied, 'God uses those who are weak to help him.' Not only did she 'get' the moral of the story, she wants me to read it again to her (which is certainly a goal of a story that is meant to give 'morals' to children). Hannibal and the King accomplished the task of a children's book very well, and in this way, is a good book to 'read to' children.