Gates of Fire : An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae

Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read this year.
Review: This is history, fiction and even philosophy all in one. The "heroic" training the Spartans undergo reminded me of the training John Wooden put his basketball team through in Wooden. There's a lesson in good preparation for business, life, etc. But -- above all -- this is a great read.

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Summary: Generally very good insight into the Spartan social strata.
Review: While most of my historical novels are generally restricted to American history, I thought I'd give Pressfield's novel a try. At first I was taken aback by the writing style but I grew quite used to it and came to enjoy it very much. The book really deals with the differentiation between Spartan society and the other Greek states. While the premise is that Xerxes wants to delve into the mind of the Spartan warrier, he really represents our own interests. While I longed for the battle to commence, I was not dissapointed once it began. "Go tell the Amazon.com readers, that here we recommend, obedient to our opinions."

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars in not enough!
Review: So its not accurate. So what? It is still a griping story. One of the best historical novels I have read in years.

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Summary: Not for men or ancient historians only!
Review: My taste usually runs Victorian murder mysteries, historicals and some adventure novels--which is how I stumbled across this novel at Amazon.com. Historical purists and male-bonding experiences aside--this is simply a riveting adventure which plunged me into ancient Sparta with distinctive compelling characters. I felt drawn, along with them, through their training, wars, and lives to their destiny at the Gates of Fire. This is an unforgettable book and to quibble about details of history or to think this subject of war, courage and devotion to duty is for men only would be to miss a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting at times, very interesting
Review: I am shocked at how so many reviewers are shocked at the good reviews this novel received. Who cares about historical accuracy. It is a novel after all. History is always always slanted. Does one actually expect a historical fiction author to relive the event? Throughout the novel I found myself amused, in awe at the training descriptions, captivated by such concrete battle scenes, and feeling for the characters. The chracters are all admirable in their own ways, each conveying the valor and vulnerabilities of human lives. All in all it was a rewarding read that sparked my interest in learning more of actual Spartan history.

Rating:
Summary: a flawed but sometimes entertaining read
Review: This book is really two books. One book is an historical novel, trying to bring an ancient society to life. This part of the book is very amateurish and not very satisfying. Most of the Spartan customs are just the familiar anecdotes from Herodotus or Plutarch. It would have been better if the author had used his artistic licence to flesh out these historical bare bones.(e.g. before Thermopylae Xeo suddenly gets a wife who just as suddenly disappears from the story. A whole potential story line of love and marriage customs among Spartan Helots is thrown away). See "the First Man in Rome" or "Aztec" for good examples of a novelist imagining lives of real people in another culture. The second part of the book is about ancient battles. Here the author's imagination succeeds wildly, and the battle scenes are vivid and believable. This is where the author's heart is, and it shows. If the first part of the book had created memorable characters to care about, the effect of the battles would have been searing indeed. A potentially great book , but hobbled with poor character and scene development.

Rating:
Summary: Best read with a bottle of wine beside you.
Review: Read the battle scene with a bottle of wine beside me. I had to drink it. Otherwise, my throat would have dried up. A fascinating, gripping, moving story (despite the typos). I've read it twice. When my friends finish reading it (there's a long line, although two have decided to buy their own copies), I'll read it a third time.

Rating:
Summary: An attention-grabbing read...
Review: While the story may not be entirely historically accurate (but who can say for certain - after all it was a long, long time ago)it certainly is a very interesting read. It grabbed my attention from the beginning to the end. The clever use of a story within the story gives the narration depth and provides the reader with a clear picture of the characters involved. Steven Pressfield provides an education by interweaving the Greek origins of many words used in our modern language, even though some of the Greek expressions are only sketchily defined. Even though, the use of Greek expressions lends further credibility to the narrator and his (albeit fictitious) role in the historical battle of Thermopylae. - If you travel to "Hellenic lands" be sure to stop by this famous battle ground - the marker is not very impressive - but the feeling of the battle is still in the air and seems to echo from the rocks surrounding it.

Rating:
Summary: Good Narrative, questionable history
Review: I thought that this was a very good attempt to describe Spartan and Hellenic culture, but it does make some assumptions about the actual battle that I do not believe are accurate. The author also seems to be trying to impart some sort of leadership advice that may or may not be applicable today.

Rating:
Summary: Five stars it is not!
Review: I am suprise at how many readers give this work five stars. The story is good, but a bit to simply to be considered a core book worthy of five points. The character development, and story plot for them, is banal and seems to set on easy and simple principles of human morality without much inner conflict. The story creates a simple bifurcation of reality against good and evil, us and them, and heroes and villians. Besides these faults, the editing is terrible and the hisorical context of language is an anachromism that does injust to those who lived, thought and spoke in anceint greece. Did they really use that exact profanity? Being a student of the classics I found the historical accuracy to be lacking and the greek language in somewhat of misuse.