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Summary: A magnificent gift to today's Spartans.
Review: My wife and I are grateful to you for your exhaustive research and deeply insightful portrayal of the Spartan ethos. Unlike the Lady Paraleia, my tears rolled as I read it. My vision was often blurred but I couldn't put it down. As you appropriately report, the battle at Thermopylae stands as the one fitting memorial of the Spartans. My father came from a little village in Sparta called Loggastra. He left his parents and sisters at twelve years of age to join his brothers in America. I can't fathom how he even got to the boat. It took us eight hours by bus sixty years later up and down those madly winding mountain roads when we took the trip thirty years ago. There was no bus for my father. My mother's parents, who met and married in America, also came from villages in Sparta; Soxa and Agios Yiannis. My wife's mother's parents also came from villages in Sparta; Anavriti (at the very top of Mount Taygetos), and Mistras. Her father came from Smyrna, Turkey (now named Izmir). I've jokingly told our son that he is 75% Spartan. It was very important for us to take our son to Greece in the summer of '97. We wanted him to see Thermopylae and to be there when he did. We wanted him to see and touch the ground of the villages of his ancestors. We live a comfortable life now but we wanted to remind him and ourselves of the sacrifices made (including his own), that date back thousands of years, and to hear the heartbeat of the people who made them. Gates of Fire makes an admirable contribution to that end. Thank you.
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Summary: A rivoting tale of war and, yes, love.
Review: I have always been facinated by historical novels and have read many. I would site only 3 as so rich in story, character and authenticity that I would rate them as masterpieces of the genre. "The Long Ships by Frans Bengtsson", "Aztec" by Gary Jennings, and "Gates of Fire". I couldn't read this and would not recommend reading this in a single sitting. It is frequently too intense, the battle depictions especially. The 300 Spartans marched into a battle they knew they would lose. Their motivations for doing so became clear to me as I read the book. I also gained insight in ancient Spartan society, an enigma even in its own time. I believe Pressfield's objective is to unravel some of this puzzle - demonstarted by Xerses' curiousity over the story being recorded bu the captured Spartan. Dienekes, the Spartan captain, in giving his antonym for "fear", reveals a way to understand, to some degree, such acts of sacrifice as was the Battle of Thermoplylae. I won't forget it.
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Summary: a gripping, literary tale of war and peace in ancient greece
Review: I loved this book and fully support the chorus of compliments that proceeded me. I would add couple of things: 1. it was interesting to learn about Spartan notions of Democracy and individual freedom; 2. readers who assume that the book, however literary, is basically a war story, or somesuch, are casting it too narrowly. Between its subtle characterizations (of both men and women), and meaty themes: love, freedom, redemption, family and society bonds, etc., it's a very rich reading experience. 3. that said, all the millions of people devoring Stephen Ambrose's books would love this one. Happy reading.
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Summary: Sparta outnobles Athens
Review: Fine research, a great story, and very able writing make this the best novels of ancient Greece since Mary Renault---and to my taste better. It is also one of the best tales of the warrior life. The blurb by Col. David Hackworth on the cover is earned.
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Summary: Moving
Review: Most of us learn about Classical Greece with a decided Athenian slant. The Athenians are brilliant, creative, and democratic, while the Spartans are dull, backward, and belligerent. Pressfield shows us the other side of Sparta, a society that prizes bravery, honor, and self-sacrifice, a city where the men know that their lives are not their own, but belong to their community, their families, and their descendants. I was intensely moved by the sacrifice of the men at Thermopylae; indeed, I was moved to tears, which no book has ever done. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in Hellenic culture or who appreciates something beyond today's vapid preoccupation with self.
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Summary: Wonderful. Best novel of the ancient world that I have read
Review: A very fast paced and exciting novel. The world of Sparta comes alive. The characters, both Greek and Persian, are fully developed and you care deeply as their worlds collide. If you like history or military books, you'll love this novel.
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Summary: A great achievement!!!. A book to read the family together!!
Review: Since I was a child I have been captured by the story of the "300 Spartans". I have read lots of very well writen historical works about the battles between Greece and Persia. However, Mr. Pressfield has writen a book to be read by father and son, mother and daughter, all the family together. This is a great achievement in our days!!!!!. The way each character has been outlined in the novel and balanced each other is a great accomplishment. Congratulations!!!
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Summary: Outstanding
Review: An outstanding book. If you're interested in military history or just enjoy a good read, this is it.
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Summary: instant classic in the Homeric tradition
Review: Pressfield has done it! Beginning with an invocation to the Muses and ending with a story spent return of the battle's sole survivor to Hades, the reader is transported to the battlefield at Thermopylae. The reader will become so involved in the book that one's hair stands on the neck, muscles tense and the heart palpitates. When it was over, I was saddened. It's a definite re-read. My only dilemma.... I'm trying to figure out how I can use this in a graduate studies class for organizational behavior or leadership and have it be understood by those without a classical education!
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Summary: A great read
Review: This book starts slow. But once you get into it, it's tough to put down. Very well done.
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