A Review of Four Nails by G. J. Berger
Published San Diego, CA: G.J.Berger Publishing, 2016
Four Nails is an epic novel chronicling the journey of Ashoka, a young elephant trainer, and Four Nails,a magnificent elephant, from how the two met under tragic circumstances to their daunting trek across the alps with Hannibal’s army. It is a tale of moral courage as Asoka struggles to maintain his own values of harmony and peace in spite of ruthless masters and the requirements of war. Berger makes the legendary feat of Hannibal seem more real, giving us the gritty details of actual warfare and showing the losses that even great victories bring.
Throughout this novel I was struck by how clearly the author portrayed the ways in which the culture of the mahouts (Buddhist elephant trainers) was at odds with Hannibal’s war efforts. As slaves, Ashoka and his companions had no choice in the decision to invade Rome. Except for Four Nails, the elephants they drove were small, peaceful elephants unsuited for warfare. Along with the horrors of battle, these Indians faced the hostile suspicions of the Carthagenian religious leaders, the terrible cold of the alps, and the swarms of mosquitoes in the marshes. Only grim determination and a sense of duty kept them going.
Berger has obviously done a great deal of reserach into Hannibals’ army, elephants in India and Africa, caste systems, slavery of the time, and many other aspects of the times and cultures portrayed. I also found it interesting to see how the history of Alexander the Great’s exploits in India (Circa 325 BC) affected the people over a hundred years later in 218 BC. For Ashoka and his generation, Alexander’s conquests were nearly as close in historical memory as WWI is for us. Details like this help bring history alive. I look for historical fiction that entertains me and teaches me something about the time period and the people’s lives. This engaging story does a very good job of both, and is well-worth reading
BRIC-A-BRAC 