Marcus Livius, last year's war hero, is angry at the ungrateful Romans for convicting him on phony charges. Disgraced in exile, he vows never to return to Rome. Then tragedy strikes home after the disaster at Cannae. A grieving Marcus plunges into depression, blaming his hubris for losing his mind, career and family. Hannibal defeats one Roman army after another, poised to conquer Rome itself. Marcus's countrymen turn to him as their last hope to avert destruction. Can Marcus overcome his anger and bitterness especially when the other consul, Nero, is the man responsible for his unjust conviction? The fate of Rome hinges on his ability to recover his senses and defeat the enemy at the Battle of the Metaurus. The author states, "have endeavored to tell the story of a man whose life seemed most unusual to me. In the process, I've attempted to synthesize the historical narrative of the War with Hannibal around Livius's imagined life, maintaining a healthy respect for the actual characters and events as gleaned from the pages of Livy and Polybius, my primary sources." A work of Historical Fiction from Merriam Press. Steven Manchester, #1 Best Selling author, The Rockin' Chair, said, "In Gugino's epic novel characters are real and relatable, scenes are vivid, plot is a true page turner. Gugino's writing is powerful, invoking a constant state of intrigue. I highly recommend this book."

The Carthaginians reveals the complex culture, society and achievements of a famous, yet misunderstood, ancient people. Beginning as Phoenician settlers in North Africa, the Carthaginians then broadened their civilization with influences from neighbouring North African peoples, Egypt, and the Greek world. Their own cultural influence in turn spread across the Western Mediterranean as they imposed dominance over Sardinia, western Sicily, and finally southern Spain. As a stable republic Carthage earned respectful praise from Greek observers, notably Aristotle, and from many Romans – even Cato, otherwise notorious for insisting that ‘Carthage must be destroyed’. Carthage matched the great city-state of Syracuse in power and ambition, then clashed with Rome for mastery of the Mediterranean West. For a time, led by her greatest general Hannibal, she did become the leading power between the Atlantic and the Adriatic. It was chiefly after her destruction in 146 BC that Carthage came to be depicted by Greeks and Romans as an alien civilization, harsh, gloomy and bloodstained. Demonising the victim eased the embarrassment of Rome’s aggression; Virgil in his Aeneid was one of the few to offer a more sensitive vision. Exploring both written and archaeological evidence, The Carthaginians reveals a complex, multicultural and innovative people whose achievements left an indelible impact on their Roman conquerors and on history.