Rating: 
Summary: Epic Novel about Ancient Greece
Review: In Tides of War, the author of Gates of Fire plunges us again into the long ago world of Ancient Greece. The most vivid parts of this book are the battle scenes, where one not only smells the gore but the fear of men engaged in combat. The book succeeds less in it's depictions of historical charectors, especially the egnimatic Alcibiades. However on the balance, Tides of War is one of the best historical novels so far this year.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of Tides of War
Review: I was drawn to Tides of War after reading Steven Pressfield's historic epic Gates of Fire, and found it extremely entertaining both in writing craftsmanship and in subject matter. The book's greatness lies not only in the enormous sweep of the Peloponnesian War with all its triumphs and tragedies, but also in the fast-paced and riveting "narrative-within-a-narrative" writing style, which Pressfield uses very successfully. Polemides, a first-person observer narrates the story of the charismatic Alcibiades, who rose to fame as an unsurpassed Athenian general/admiral who, at the height of his rising star, changed allegiance to become a top war leader for rival Sparta. Jason, the legal advocate of Polemides and who renders the second narrative of the book by recounting the war to his grandson, elaborates upon and "fleshes out" the story of Athens' downfall by adding his own experiences as an Athenian admiral and by divulging anecdotal stories of important third party Athenian generals during the war. Pressfield's writing genius is much in evidence for his vivid and majestic description of the departure of the Athenian war fleet for its invasion of Syracuse and for the Alcibiades-led Athenian surprise attack on Spartan-held Ephesus, as well as for Polemides' narration of the crushing, spirit-numbing final Athenian defeat at the hands of the Syracusians. Pressfield's unique prosaic ability accurately captures the dialogue of such diverse characters as Socrates in his discourse on Athenian democracyand the obligation for obedience to its laws, to the coarse, uneducated banter of the common foot soldiers and Athenian street-kids. This book is well worth reading, not only for its highly interesting subject matter, but equally for its masterful presentation by a truly fine historical novelist who is peerless in his knowledge and depiction of ancient Greece.
Rating:
Summary: Superb.
Review: Tides of War, Mr. Pressfield's latest installment in a projected series of 'epic' novels set in classical times, is one of the finest novels of the year. Though not elipsing or eaching the ambient heights of Gates of Fire, the novel is an excellent and entertaining book. Its most irritating imperfection- and it is but a tiny insignificant matter- is Pressfield's obvious affinity for imitating Homer's Iliad in the battle scenes, i.e. As [something common and domestic does something common and domestic], so did [insert name here] [do something very draqmtic and presumably indescribable], but even this is reduced significantly from Gates of Fire. Historically, Tides of War is generally quite accurate. The mention below of the omission of Alcibiades' relationship with Socrates was not a lack of research, in my opinion, but a matter of taste and prudence. And the portrayal of the characters as "superheroes" is accurate with the anecdotal nature of the book. In fact, Pressfield's novels rank as some of the best classical novels of the twentieth century. Read Tides of War, but get it from your local library. Get your own copy in paperback.
Rating: 
Summary: horrible!
Review: This book is horrible! I could only read half of it. Polymides is the greek Dr. Kevorkian and Alcibiades is the greek Bill Clinton (at least Alcibiades is not afraid to fight)! These "heros" are just disgusting. Absolutely no moral integrity at all. Wholly self serving.It is full of sodomites and fornicators.Homosexuals are not my heros! If this is Greek culture, I am not impressed! Thank God they were conquered by Rome.Order instead "My Glorious Brothers"by Howard Fast. Judas Maccabee will show you what he thinks about greek culture and their pagan religion! Save your money and do not buy this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Attempt, but Disappointing!
Review: I purchased this book with great anticipation, having very much enjoyed "Gates of Fire". Unfortunately the things which I liked so much in that book are largely missing in this one. The depiction of the hoplite's experience in very personal terms made "Gates of Fire" an engrossing read; as with all great historical fiction (whether the facts are right or not), Pressfield created a detailed and believable world populated by realistic characters with which we could empathize. "Tides of War" has flashes of this (as with the carefully constructed description of the critical action at Syracuse), but most of it is a rather dry, impersonal exposition of chronological history, that--most of the time--does not engage us on a visceral level. I read "Gates of Fire" with so much pleasure that I will probably continue to buy further Pressfield books, but had "Tides of War" been his first endeavour, that would not be the case. Still, not a bad try (given its ambitious story line), but only a middling success!
Rating:
Summary: Terrible, and not even historical accurate
Review: This may not be the worst book I've ever read but it is certainly a serious contender. It is written in a completely ridiculous, pompous language that the writer probably thought "lyrical", "epic" or some such nonsense. It actually reaches a level of pretentiousness and gracelessness that I would have never have believed the English tongue could be brought down to. It is a book fit for people who like to fantasise about war in the most unrealistic possible way, whose idea of "honour", "virtue" or some such has stopped at a kindergarten level and that have never been exposed, through ignorance or lack of empathy, with the reality of violence and strife. It is not even very historically accurate. What most angered me was the complete and total glossing over the sex mores of Pericles's era. The book accepts as still valid the values system of classical Greece, but lacks the guts to deal with those uncomfortable realities that would violate the conservative sensibilities of its intended readers: slavery, the condition of women, the widespread acceptance of homosexuality and paedophilia. Perhaps the most well-known fact about Alcibiades is his attempt to seduce - physically seduce - Socrates, attested by Plato. The chronicles of the time make no mystery of his equal passion for women and men. But this book, though it has Alcibiades as his main character and Socrates as a minor one, makes no mention that homosexuality existed in Greece at the time, let alone that "eros" at the time was what went on almost exclusively between males, so much so that Plutarch, writing much later and when sensibilities had shifted, thinks it appropriate to dedicate several pages to convince his readers that girls can, indeed, inspire love as well as boys. Instead, much is made of the married bliss of the protagonists, attributing to him a sentiment of affection and romantic love for his new wife that was very rare indeed at the time and in that place and whose extollment (goodness me, I'm starting to write like him!) was certainly the farthest thing from an average virtuos Greek's mind. One could also mention that Alcibiades is one of the most fascinating and contradictory characters in the whole course of Western History, and that this book completely fails to make something of the excellent material afforded by such a figure. Get Gene Wolfe's "Soldier of the Mist" instead.
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent, sumptuous, inspiring classic!
Review: A huge treat awaits you in this monumental epic, Tides of War. Much as he did in his heart-pounding tale of the Spartans (Gates of Fire), the author sweeps you deep into the psyche of ancient Greece where our ears ring with familiar shouts of victory and our hearts despair at dreams gone mad. One of the great master storytellers, Pressfield keeps you fast to the elbow of her most illustrious heroes and rogues as they clash through the great drama of a democracy unfolding amidst the heartbreaking mercurial wrath of human nature. I grew up with naive, fuzzy images of an idealistic ancient Greece peopled with a few of Homer's noble and ignoble characters sparring with their fates about the shins of Olympus. Then Pressfield, with admirable scholarship and a soulful grasp of the times, introduces me to the rest of the crew and many fascinating surprises: Here the capricious mob of Athens' infant attempt at democracy literally drives some of its finest, most loyal young generals over a cliff to their deaths. Here we see a stout young Socrates, hunkering behind his war shield, as he takes his stand on the field of battle before his days as a renowned philosopher. But best of all by far, here I meet the incomparable Alcibiades-charismatic, majestically composed in body and soul, a breathtaking visionary general/statesman loved and hated at once by both his enemies and countryman. If you can imagine a man who exudes the combined charisma of a JFK and Brad Pitt, who commands with the visionary authority of a Patton and MacArthur, and whose mere presence in the planetary neighborhood is enough to cause kings and lesser generals to shape their national agenda around him . . . you have a little hint of our man Alcibiades. Not only is this story a mesmerizing feast of literature, it filled many major gaps in my sense of history in a most enjoyable fashion. It's up on my top shelf, a place reserved only for the finest classics.
Rating:
Summary: Tides of War
Review: Tides of War is just as enthralling and hard to put down as was Gates of Fire. Not since I read James Clavell's Shogun 25 years ago has an author so totally transported my imagination to another time, place, and culture. This book is a brilliant work of fiction, a fascinating window into a tumultuous period of history, and a powerfully insightful exploration of philosophical questions that are just as important today as they were in the days of Socrates. My only disappointment is knowing that I'll have to wait a while for the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Everything Old Is New Again
Review: Mr. Pressfield's latest offering, in addition to being beautifully written and fastidiously researched, holds up a mirror to our modern "demos." In this era of "the politics of personal destruction," "Tides of War" serves notice that we so-called Moderns may have nothing on the political in-fighting, spitefulness and ad hominem shenanigans of the Ancients. Whether Mr. Pressfield so intended his tale to reflect is subject to debate; but how fascinating to view "firsthand" a city-state 2300 and more years gone by who, like us, bit the hand that fed it and vilified the man who brought them their greatest triumph, not over his actions in pursuit of duty, but over alleged perfidy in his personal life. I gladly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story well-told. A passing familiarity with Ancient Greece is convenient but not necessary. The first person technique utilized by Mr. Pressfield is every bit as effective and un-affected as it was in his previous novels, "Gates of Fire" and "The Legend Of Bagger Vance." The only problem with reading this book is that it so immerses the reader that, upon completion, one may only sit, stunned momentarily, with the growing realization that, as with Alcibiades himself, it will likely be awhile before we see the likes of "Tides Of War" again.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth buying
Review: This is not a good book. No matter what anyone else says or writes, or how well the book is selling, or how many good reviews it may receive in the media, it is not a good book. Tides of War is written at the same low "standards" set by the author's previous historical novel, Gates of Fire, which was also set in Classical Greece. It even has the same general pattern of inconsistencies from chapter to chapter and sometimes within single paragraphs, the same medically and physically impossible exploits on the battlefield, at least as many of anachronisms, and the same profanity rich, boring dialogue. It even exceeds Gates of Fire in distancing the reader from the central story by having perfectly remembered incidents and conversations passed on through at least three different storytellers, some of them relating events 30 to 60 years in the past. (Ancient Greeks are assumed to have had perfect memories, or know shorthand.) Anachronisms? What anachronisms? Well, the one that struck me most strongly was the existence of nautical charts at least eighteen hundred years before they were invented. (At least they aren't represented as "a drawn to scale blue print" like that map of Thermopolyae in Gates of Fire.) However, I was also disconcerted by the use of the term dreadnought to describe a Greek trireme (war ship), which was only slightly worse than than calling them by another 20th century term, battleships, throughout the rest of the book. Medically and physically impossible events? Well, there are several superhuman Greek soldiers in this book, just as in Gates of Fire. One could pick up and throw a 60-pound stone after being hamstrung and stabbed in the back twice, once through the liver. Also, there is that sailing by various Greek ships during fierce storms that would in truth have immediately destroyed any ship built in classical Greece. Inconsistencies? Well between pages 333 and 337 the reader has the dubious privilege of hearing the lecture addressed by a Spartan general to his own troops and the assembly of an allied city on the sources of Spartan strength, which boils down to "Courage...born of obedience." But on pages 338 to 341, literally on the same night as the speech, the Athenians attack the city and the Spartan general is unable to hold his own men in obedience, as they are spurred into an attack at great disadvantage to themselves by the insults of a 17 year old Persian prince. Didn't whoever proofread this book have a memory that worked over 5 pages? And by the way, at this battle the principal narrator, the man who is the original source for most of the events, is injured by "flaming turpentine" so that his "entire left side had been incinerated." As a result he "could not see nor feel of my face aught but charred meat." Not only does this horrible wound, which must have left remarkable scars, heal quickly, it is never mentioned by the man or any acquaintance of his later life, which lasts at least another decade. So what is the deal with this book, which is selling tremendously well, even before it has been reviewed by any major independent media sources? Well the battle scenes are dramatic. Everyone seems to like the way the author writes about combat. The longer the battles are, the more people dead and dying, and the more outrageously unbelievable the stamina of the participants, the better they sound. Apparently no reader bothers to stop in the middle and count up the number of hours of constant combat in heavy armor described, or the probable impact on the various characters of the wounds they have received. Also, there is the illusion of learning history. After all, this book is about the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens isn't it? And the author does throw in all kinds of Greek words, Greek place names, and enough speeches by participants to make it seem like something literary must be going on. But I don't think that it is the dramatic battle scenes, or the speeches, or the illusion of historic events revealed which explain the success of this book. I think that it is the fact that the author has no sense of chronology, and so each page or section unfolds in its own context, and thus a sense of immediacy which readers like. For example, near the beginning of the book the narrator is on one ship out of a fleet of twenty-two which is sailing along the Greek coast while prevented from landing by a force of enemy cavalry. Since the twenty-two ships must have contained at least 2000 men, the cavalry must have numbered in the hundreds at least. Then, after a fierce storm, a dangerous forced beaching in a cove, followed by a dramatic - and completely impossible - escape to sea by two half-manned boats, the crews from those two boats, no more than 50 men, are sufficient to route the entire enemy force. Someone, in fact a lot of people, including the author, editor, and proof reader, must have been so involved in the navigation through the storm and the dramatic night battle afterwards, that they forgot how many cavalry there must have been before the storm. (Of course, the author never did give us a count....) By the way, I found the religious views of some of the characters in Tides of War interesting to say the least. Consider this quote from the end of the speech of the Spartan general mentioned in the fourth paragraph above: "We are the Almighty's right arm, God's holy agent, and no force between sea and sky may prevail against us." "...the Almighty's right arm"? "God's holy agent"? This sounds like something that might have been said by Elizabeth I of England or a leader of one of the Christian crusades, not something from a leader of a society whose religion had many Gods.
|
