CARTHAGE

After 300 years of acrimony and two bitter wards, the great Mediterranean powers of Rome and Carthage clash for the final, fateful time. This epic struggle is the subject of Leckie''s superb third novel. CARTHAGE concludes the internationally acclaimed trilogy that began with HANNIBAL and continued with SCIPIO. A self-contained story of politics and power, love and hope, pain and loss, Carthage is a tragic tale, with important parallels for our own times. Written as a construct of entries, ranging from letters, diaries and various other narrative forms, the multiple voices of the novel are woven together in a way that provides for an utterly compelling account of Carthage''s demise. The breadth of Leckie''s knowledge of the period coupled with his poetic prose style brings the classical world to life in a truly masterful manner. As with all the best writing in this genre, Leckie makes CARTHAGE relevant to a contemporary audience through his exploration of human drives, political intrigue, power play and the process of history making itself. It is a truly devastating finale to what is an extraordinary trilogy.