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Summary: A Great Book
Review: What a story...I had to read it twice.
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Summary: Loved It!
Review: Exquisitely researched and written this book has it all -- a fascinating historical backdrop, dimensional characters that live and breathe and a story so absorbing you will wish it didn't end. Pressfield is a great writer, an even greater story-teller and a fine historian. The true story of the the battle of Thermopylae at which 300 Spartans held off a Persian army more than 30 times its size for a week seems easy enough to turn into a fascinating novel, and a lesser author might have been capable of telling that story. But only an author as talented as Pressfield could tell the whole story -- the how and why it was possible. Pressfield does as good of a job making the reader understand the enabling aspects of Spartan culture as he does explaining the various tactics and phases of the battle itself. The combination makes for a sensational read.
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Summary: As if present............
Review: Humanity will always marvel at the awesome sons of Lakedaemon; Spartan men, taciturn philosophers, lovers of life and resenters of death, strict, stern, competitive and proud, demigods by the hundreds, raised in that shrein of valour, but still human enough to weep upon a comrade's loss. As the poet would say "...these men were born to drill and die.....". Thermopylae was just another shrine of andreia -valour- one of the many where Greeks deposited the most precious asset one can have: their own lives to preserve freedom. A freedom that "is extracted from the holy bones of the Hellenes..." as the National Anthem dictates. Presented here in a unique way, lies a world build less on marble and more on valour; a world of self-sacrifice and contempt of fear; Being Greek and an army officer at that, I can only kneel at the majestic way facts in full detail are presented to praise this rare cast of men and what they all died for. All I can say is this: On behalf of all the Greeks, dead or alive, ancient or contemporary, thank you Mr Pressfield. I am definite that Dienekes himself is lying under a tree in heaven grinning at you, raising his thumb in approval........ Bravo
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Summary: An Epic, indeed...
Review: This book is perhaps the best historical novel that I've ever read. Not so much for the account of the battle of Thermopylae itself (which is vividly portrayed, btw), but for the fascinating depiction of Spartan society. It's difficult for us moderns to understand that rigidly unique ancient culture, but Pressfield somehow manages to bring them to your front doorstep. Another thing that I just loved about this work were the priceless bits of humor that were scattered about, with the Merchant encounter ("Weck up to thees!") being especially hilarious. I thought that there were a few segements where the narrative stumbled a bit, but the author recovered and quickly placed the reader back on track for an ongoing rollercoaster ride. I was mesmerized by Pressfield's easy-to-read prose, and like many of the other reviewers before me, I simply could not put this book down. After finishing GATES OF FIRE, I was glad to see that the author acknowledged his sources since many familiar passages were indeed "looted" to complete this work. But that's OK, because as the guide who places the pieces of the 2500 year old historical puzzle together, thus revealing a magnificent portrait of ancient life, Pressfield has accomplished an amazing thing. He not only transports us back in time to give a bird's eye view to a part of the Greek and Persian war, but he also firmly plants you there on solid ground. Pretty bold for a book to title itself an "Epic", but without hesitation I can say that GATES OF FIRE lives up to the billing - it is simply brilliant.
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Summary: Yeah, it rocks. Buy it, borrow it, whatever, just READ it!
Review: Gates of Fire is a novelized version of the actual events that happened in the epic battle of the Persians invasion of the hellenes at the gates of Thermopylae around 480 BC. Pressfield tells the story from the perspective of a Spartan slave who volunteered himself to serve as a helot in the Spartan heavy infantry. If you enjoy reading a good 'ol war book, this is a great one to pick up. Pressfield does a magnificent job of putting you right in the middle of the action, to where you can visualize in vivid detail every sword smashing shields, and spear killing man right down to the blood-soaked earth. Most of the story, leading up to the climatic battle in the end, are stories of every day Spartan life; a militant society that believed brute force was the answer to civilization and therefore root of their culture. On a personal level, and with many different characters, you will learn about the Spartan belief system, values, training, upbringing and much more. Romanticized by ancient Greek writings, and perpetuated by football team names across the nation, the Spartans are such an interesting group to read about. Even in 480 BC, at the height of democracy in it's youth, an equally stable, yet violent and militant society existed, with it's own codes and values. I've read a great deal of fiction and non-fiction WWII and Vietnam, in addition to countless military sci-fi novels, and I must say that Gates of Fire was a welcome relief to the "war" genre for me. Reading about hand-to-hand combat, about an event that actually took place, kept me turning pages frantically every night. I would reccommend this to anyone looking for a good novel on Spartan life and history. But be careful not to accept this as historical fact as it is still a novel based on real events.
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Summary: A legend brought to life
Review: As a young girl growing up in Greece, one of the most often told stories I heard was that of Leonidas and his 300 Spartans. I saw the grave marker and his enormous statue at Thermopylae for the first time when I was 5 years old. Since that day I have long for the impossible, to know the courageous men who layed down their lives against impossilbe odds for their country. Steven Pressfield's book brought them to life across millenia to once again fire my imagination and my great respect for their sense of honor and sacrifice to homeland.
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Summary: A truly "epic" novel
Review: In "Gates of Fire" Steven Pressfield does for the Battle of Thermopylae what "Saving Private Ryan" did for the D-Day invasion. In a novel of breathtaking power he tells the tale of a battle that literally altered the course of civilization, and the stories of the men who fought it. The most striking thing about this book is how well researched it was. There is a level of complexity in every character and setting that could not have been achieved without the most rigorous study. In particular, he goes a long way towards dispelling the myth of the Spartan automaton. While their society is not one that we would necessarily want to live it, it is remarkably rich and multi-layered, and Pressfield does a superb job of presenting it. Furthermore, in addition to an eye for historical detail, Pressfield has captured something of the style of the ancient epics. While by no means on par with the Odyssey or the Iliad, Pressfield's choice of language and pacing echoes these masterworks of western literature Where this novel truly shines, though, is in the battle scenes. The reader can almost smell the blood and sweat, feel the choking dust and crash of bodies and hear the awful screams of the wounded. I have read a lot of military fiction, but I have never been as captivated by anything in the genre, as I was by this novel. The author is able to accomplish this because he writes characters possessed of great humanity and pathos. One can feel and fear for them because they are so fully realized. Pressfield's attention to characterization makes the scenes of carnage and inevitable defeat all the more poignant. Ultimately you can read "Gates of Fire" on two different levels. First, you can approach it as a straight adventure story, and you will come away satisfied. The battles are as fast-paced and as well described as any you will find in writing. The second level is to consider this novel as a work of literature and history. I learned a tremendous amount in the reading of this book, and I was already fairly well versed in Greek history. Also, as I mentioned before, Pressfield's writing and choice of language perfectly captures the period. In the end, either way you choose to approach this novel, whether you take it at face value, or dig a little, you will certainly not be disappointed. Enjoy!
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Summary: Compelling historical fiction
Review: This is a fine historical novel that dramatizes a turning point in the history of western civilization. It provides a compelling portrait of ancient Greek life, which in many ways is distant to us, despite our debt to that civilization. The author does a brilliant job of presenting the brutal nature of hoplite warfare, an essential element of Greek society. In the process, he also paints a vivid picture of the cult of masculinity that this mode of war demanded. Yet at the same time, he does not neglect the women of Sparta. Indeed, he implies that ultimately, they run the polis. The historical information is kept compelling by a brilliant plot. A wonderful read. I use it in a college Political Theory course and it works great.
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Summary: Inspires interest in history
Review: As a fan of military history I found this book to be an enjoyable work of historical fiction. From cover to cover it is highly readable. It also is the type of book that might inspire the next generation to take more interest in their world and especially country's history. The lack of even a basic knowledge of history among recent high school graduates is appaling.This book and others like it, e.g The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, go a long way to making ancient times and events interesting to our attention impaired society. I really enjoyed this book and also Steven Pressfield's latest work,Tides of War.
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Summary: A recommended read
Review: Gates of Fire was recommended to me, and I'm glad it was lest I miss an engaging and truly epic read. It is the story of the battle of Thermoplyae where a vanguard of 4000 Greeks held off an invading army of 300,000 Persians for over a week while the rest of Greece readied itself. The battle was a phyrric one for the Persians, whose later defeat ushered in the "Golden Age" of Greece with Pericles, Socrates, Plato and the rest. At the heart of the story is the tale of the Spartans and their helots. Pressfield masterfully describes their training and daily life, presenting them as real people, not superhuman warriors - people who fear death, maiming and the violence of combat, yet overcome it. He could not be more right when he writes: "They will come, scholars perhaps, or travelers from beyond the sea, prompted by curiosity regarding the past or appetite for knowledge of the ancients. They will peer across the plains and probe among the stone and rubble of our nation. What will they learn of us? Their shovels will unearth neither brilliant palaces nor temples; their picks will prise forth no everlasting architecture or art. What will remain of the Spartans? Not monuments of marble or bronze, but this, what we do here today." The battle scenes will get your blood moving, the romance will tug at your heart strings. You will stand in awe at the strength of the Spartan women. Its historical accuracy is questionable, but the story is excellent. I strongly recommend this book.
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