Rating: 
Summary: This book is awesome
Review: Tides of War is a worthy followup to "Gates of Fire". To write a readable, believable account of such a sweeping period of time is no small task. Furthermore, considering how little the founders of western civilization are studied in our public schools, this book was not only great entertainment but a wonderful history lesson as well. I look forward to the author treating other time periods. I hope he does something with the Romans. I will be first in line to buy it. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Hell hath no fury as a Greek general scorned!
Review: The Golden Age of Athens certainly was not without its rust. In "Tides of War: A Novel of Alcibiades and the Peloponnesian War," Steven Pressfield pulls no punches as he examines with surgeon's precision the affaires de guerre of Alcibiades. (Pressfield certainly established his historical credibility in fiction--if that's not an oxymoron!--in his earlier "Gates of Fire," about the battle of Thermopylae, it itself being a debacle of sorts!) Told by Jason and Polemides, this is the story of Alcibiades, one of Athens' brilliant and incredibly gifted leaders during the Peloponnesian War. While Pressfield is no Thucydides when it comes to history, certainly he holds his own in historical fiction. This is a most readable account of the time, the place, and the personages involved, some fifty years following the Battle of Thermopylae. The author spares no details as he chronicles (far more graphic than the Greek historians did!) not only this complex leader but of the battles, the intrigues, the conflicts of and among the Greeks of the time. This classic tug of war between Athens of the Delian League and Sparta of the Peloponnesian League waged on and on, for some thirty years, and among the memorable events are some of the greatest debacles of war history coming at the time of Athenian drama--when such luminaries as Socrates, Sophocles, and Pericles--to name a few--were stellar. Alcibiades exemplifies, perhaps, the consummate politician--he possessed the vital qualifications to be a leader: he was handsome, eloquent, resourceful, daring, and brilliant. And equally effective as a general! Of course, all these qualities also served not only to haunt him, but were responsible for his own death--assassinatin by Polemides, "for the good of Athens," of course. Without Alcibiades, alas, Athens lost the war, and, like Rip Van Winkle, the rest is history.
Rating:
Summary: Good but difficult read
Review: I really looked forward to reading Tides of War after thoroughly enjoying Pressfield's Gates of Fire. While I did end up liking Tides of War, I admit that it was harder to get into than Gates of Fire and not quite as compelling. I found the discussions on what Alcibiades did and how he did them to be fascinating. I couldn't help but think of how improbable it would be for a leading military figure in today's world to switch sides in the middle of a war and then return to his home country a hero. I think this novel's commentary on the dangers of mob rule and the fickleness of the crowd is very interesting and troubling. Pressfield does a wonderful job of painting a vivid picture of the era and how alliances between states and within states can change so quickly based on squabbles between elites and the whim of the public. Overall this book was very good and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this historical era.
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Summary: Loved it!
Review: After reading Gates of Fire, I was skeptical when opening this book to see if Pressfield could capture me as he did the first time. And yet, he did. The story was captivating and emotional, providing an exciting backdrop to a thoughtful story. As I read, my only regret was that the book was growing nearer to the end.
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Summary: Not simply a historical novel - a message of enduring truth
Review: As I was reading Tides of War, I obviously found it difficult, as most readers, not to compare it to Gates of Fire, whose main theme was the courage, honor, and sense of duty felt by the Spartans in their stand at Thermopylae. There wasn't the sense of action in Tides of War that was found in its predecessor. As I progressed through this book, however, there was a golden thread which seemed to be buried in all of the events. It was near the end, however, that we get to the heart of this novel - the speech by Jason (the man who takes on the task of defending Polemides) in his defense of the Ten Generals. It is a sober reminder that democracy carries with it great responsibility, and that the masses given the power to decide can be swayed by irrational emotion, jealousy, and the lowest of human traits - even to the point of destroying the best and brightest among us. Some may see this as a warning against despotism, jingoism, militarism, power, and the like (this will obviously depend on the reader's own biases), but to me it is a reminder of humanity's irrational suspicion of excellence and achievement, and of the influence and action of petty politics and political agendas in discouraging it, even destroying it. Where as Gates of Fire is a book that could be made into an "entertaining" movie, Tides of War is a book that should be read, re-read, and debated - it speaks over centuries to the challanges we face in this country, and the world at large today. I may be bold as to suggest it as reading for a college political science or history course - it should stimulate discussion, at the very least.
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Summary: Tides Of War Is An Epic Masterpiece
Review: This is the first Steven Pressfield novel I have bought on audio tape, having long been a fan of such writers as James Michener and Barbara Kingsolver. What an epic masterpiece this is, too! It is as rich in detail as it is in character development and plot, and Derek Jacobi turns in another breathtaking narration of the story. Believe me, once you are met and greeted by Alcibiades'face on the cover, you,too, will be inspired to hear the whole story and learn about this extraordinary native son of ancient Greece!
Rating: 
Summary: Is the Tide going out on Pressfield?
Review: I picked up "Tides of War" expecting another good read like Pressfield's previous novel "Gates of Fire". I was disappointed. "Tides" follows "Gates" tactic of telling an epic Greek story from the perspective of a lumpenprole. In this case the story of the Athenian hero/scoundrel Alciabides' rise and flame-out. However, there is something missing here, that was in "Gates of Fire". Frankly I found this book boring in comparison. I put it down, uncompleted. If you are interested in historical fiction involving Alciabides, I recommend Rosemary Sutcliff's "Flowers for Adonis". I read that book twice. Is the Tide going out on Pressfield?
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Summary: Prince of Tides
Review: Its true that 'Tides of War' is not as visceral as Gates of Fire', its not as simple to understand. The narrative is complex and convoluted, there is a plethora of characters with names that are difficult to remember but the story is compelling and superbly written. 'Gates' is a brilliantly written boys own story, a film screenplay waiting to be made. Tides of War is real life in ancient Greece, it is history. Stephen Pressfield is proof that reincarnation is fact, nobody could describe situations, settings, or characters with this clarity without actually being there and witnessing the events firsthand. I wait in anticipation, again for his next book. Oh and I hope that Ridley Scott or Luc Besson read 'Gates'
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Summary: troubling hero
Review: They love, and hate, and cannot do without him. -Aristophanes on the relationship of Athenians to Alcibiades I very much liked Steven Pressfield's earlier historical novel Gates of Fire, which told the thrilling story of the small band of Spartans holding the pass at Thermopylae against Persian invaders in 480 B.C. Tides of War advances the action to 430 B.C. with the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, which saw Sparta and the other city-states of Greece try to reign in the power of Athens. His story focusses on the fortunes of Alcibiades (451-404 B.C.), the most gifted, though mercurial, leader of his day. Alcibiades was adopted as a boy by Pericles, the great democratic leader of Athens. By all accounts, the boy was physically beautiful, intellectually gifted and moraly unscrupulous. He became a great disciple of Socrates, with whom he campaigned in Potidaea, but contrary to the great philosophers teachings, determined to try his hand at politics. He became the worst kind of populist, opportunistic, demagogue--ultimately fighting for Athens three different times, but also joining the Spartans and even the Persians during periods when he had been exiled from Athens. He was the driving force behind the ill-advised decision to try to conquer Syracuse (415-13 B.C.), which may have been the single most significant factor contributing to Athen's eventual downfall, as the Expedition proved to be a disastrous drain on men and materiel. Once again, Pressfield turns in an impressive performance. He's working on a broader canvas here, but demonstrates an admirable command of history, customs, battle tactics, and multiple other subjects. He is especially good at depicting battle scenes, with all their inextricable twining of confusion, brutality and heroism. I did find the narrative structure of the book to be awkward. A grandson relates the tale that his grandfather heard from one of the men who was tried for assassinating Alcibiades. This results in three separate narrative tracks, indicated by italics and brackets and the whole thing takes on the nature of a Rube Goldberg contraption. Having the entire story told in the first person also makes the author's linguistic choices more noticeable, which seems like a bad idea. Even if you're eager to suspend disbelief, you end up noticing the uneasy fit between passages that seem as if they are meant to sound somewhat archaic and others that sound like film noir banter. It just doesn't seem like the immediacy of a first person narrator is worth all the hoops it forces author and reader to leap through. There is also a significant problem with the dramatic structure of the story. For all his undeniable talent and charisma, at the end of the day Alcibiades is merely another tyrant, who put his own fortunes ahead of those of his country. Moreover, his various plots and stratagems were responsible for the decline and fall of the world's first great democracy. I suppose most everyone goes through a phase in youth where the Napoleons of the world seem like romantic figures--men who restore order out of chaos and bend the world to their will, however briefly. Perhaps it's simply a sign of age that I no longer find such men sympathetic, now they just strike me as trumped up bureaucrats who think they know better than anyone else how the world should work. I think the term that Pressfield uses is "necessity", which I guess he derives from the historical record, Alcibiades always thinks he knows what is necessary at any given moment. If the intervening 2400 years have taught us anything, it is that one man, or group of men, never know what is necessary; they merely impose their own vision on a typically unwilling populace with predictably disastrous results, as here. In fact, I found the story most effective as a cautionary tale of the dangers inherent in depending on charismatic leadership and of trying to make direct democracy work. In I. F. Stone's book The Trial of Socrates, he tries to reconcile his own veneration of Athenian-style democracy with the, to him, inexplicable decision to execute the great philosopher. But the great lesson of that episode and of the career of Alcibiades is that the polity of such a democracy is "a beast needing to be fed", driven by emotion and envy, not an enlightened and rational body. The unfettered citizenry of Athens is really pretty scary and men like Alcibiades, who would exploit the baser instincts (in particular, the imperial pretensions) of the beast for personal gain, can in no wise be considered heroes, however bold and fascinating they may be. Despite these concerns, I do strongly recommend the book. One of the great deficits of the modern education is how little we learn of Greek and Roman Civilization. Books like this one, which help to fill the gaps, and do it in a lively and accessible way, are invaluable. I don't much like Alcibiades, but I certainly enjoyed reading about him. GRADE: B+
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Historical Fiction
Review: Good historical fiction conveys ideas as well as entertainment. Through these fictional characters I really felt the effects of plague and seemingly endless war on Athenian society in a way that it is very different from anything I ever got out of a history text. I also came to better understand the real differences (beyond Athens just being more democratic than Sparta) between Spartan and Athenian societies, and the different ways they saw their roles in the world. This is not the easiest historical novel to read, but I think it is one of the most rewarding.
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