Salammbo

by Gustave Flaubert, A. Krailsheimer (Introduction)

Overview

An epic story of lust, cruelty, and sensuality, this historical novel is set in Carthage in the days following the First Punic War with Rome.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141936888
Publisher:	Penguin UK
Publication date:	09/29/2005
Series:	Penguin Modern Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	442,973
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Gustave Flaubert was born in Rouen in 1821. After illness interrupted a career in law, he retired to live with his widowed mother and devote himself to writing. He achieved limited success in his own lifetime, but his fame and reputation grew steadily after his death in 1880.

Editorial Reviews

01/14/2019

Druillet offers a new science-fictional take on Flaubert’s 1862 protoheroic story involving the Punic Wars, creating a staggeringly vibrant but roundabout tale. In a cosmic landscape, Sloane betrays and kills his own crew aboard his space ship while looking for his friend Yearl. Sloane then finds himself in Carthage, hoping to conquer it after glimpsing the face of the beautiful Salammbô, sacred virgin of the city. After interrupting a feast where Salammbô is present, Sloane becomes involved in a war between unpaid mercenaries and their employers in Carthage that ultimately leads to both his and Salammbô’s deaths. But the returning Yearl promises future resurrection. Despite Druillet’s eye-catching use of high-contrast colors and masterfully intricate line work, the story is unfortunately marred by wordiness and excesses of world-building. The intricacy of Flaubert’s original plot is lost and often unreadable due to the sheer volume of information and needless story components. Though visually stunning, this book ends up at war over the importance of detail and accessibility. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"Druillet offers a new science-fictional take on Flaubert’s 1862 protoheroic story ... staggeringly vibrant " - Publisher's Weekly"

"Quite spectacular ... an interesting and sometimes unexpected reimagining of Flaubert’s story. Five stars" - NB Magazine

"Absolutely stunning to behold ... page after page of beautiful madness, obsessively detailed, gargantuan in proportion — a divine piece of delirium that should be required reading for all comics enthusiasts"- Bookgasm

From the Publisher