Rating: 
Summary: Simply Outstanding
Review: I cannot say enough good things about this book. This is military history at its finest, combining the grit and grime of traditional war novels with the sweep of epic fiction. (In some ways, it reminds me of Glen Cook's fine "Black Company" books, but this is much, much better.) This story somehow succeeds in explaining why someone is willing to die for king and country without romanticizing war. Put another way, the book makes you understand that, even though "war is hell," sometimes it brings out the very best in the men that conduct it. The story alternates between chapters told from the perspective of a dying Greek warrior (lenghty flashbacks to his childhood, time in Sparta, and the battle itself) and those from the perspective of the Persian historian recording his statements. Gates of Fire also goes into some detail on the culture of the Spartans, which is a fascinating topic in its own right. Pressfield truly succeeds in bringing his characters to life - from the Spartan king to the soliders captured while trying to desert after the first day at the Gates. Every character has depth - there are no stock villiams or heroes here. It would have been easy to portray Xerxes as a faceless despot, but Pressfield manages to bring the Persian king to life as a thoughtful and lonely, albeit arrogant, man. On a more personal note, this was the first book I read after September 11. This story of heroism, and of people willing to die to protect their freedom and their country, reflects, to me at least, the heroism of our own soliders and rescue workers in the aftermath of the attacks on the United States.
Rating:
Summary: Sparta
Review: They way Pressfield describes this "tribe" or clan he makes me as a reader wanting to actually BE a spartiate warror, they way he describes the valor and pride of the men and the incredible intelligence behind this book makes it absolutely fantastic! I work in a bookstore, and I happened to see the frontcover of this book, I threw myself over it and for me it was a total pageturner. Now I'm really interested in Sparta and the ancient Greece and also the famous 10.000 Persian nobels. This book has oppened a new door to the magical world of books... thankyou very much Mr. Pressfield, and I (we) would very much enjoy another book.
Rating:
Summary: ELEMENTS OF LEADERSHIP UNCOVERED
Review: Mr. Pressfield's book "Gates of Fire" should be made required reading in every US Military Academy, and Officer and Non-Commissioned Officer professional development course. The story is engrossing in itself, but the real value here is the way Mr. Pressfield uncovers those traits that separate warriors from run-of-the-mill militia. Told from the point of view of Xeones, the lone Spartan survivor of the battle at Thermopylae, the story winds flawlessly through the major events that lead Xeones into his final battle. Beginning with his home city falling to traitorous allies, and his subsequent fight for survival with his cousin and uncle, to his arrival at the "agoge" (Spartan military academy), we are given a view of the lives of some of history's most impressive warriors. Better still, we are treated to insights into the Greek mind and learn what made the Spartans such exceptional leaders, tacticians and soldiers.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent work!
Review: I read Steven Pressfield`s book twice. It was translated into Greek which is my native language and I thought it revealed parts of the ancient Greek customs that have not been told up until today.
It was brutal, but 100% realistic and precise up to the final detail. After reading this book, I thought that Pressfield was a Greek author! I heard that it is going to be a movie soon. I am telling you that I will not see that movie. I prefer the smell of battle, as I have it in my mind, after reading this excellent book. Congratulations mr. Pressfield. Alexander Kesidis,
Journalist
Rating:
Summary: Enduring Power
Review: When I first grabbed a copy of this book, I was reluctant, if not downright disgusted with the thought of reading about Ancient Greeks. Rome had been the only Ancient race to strike me as succesful. Gates of Fire changed all that, Sparta comes alive through this master's work. Since reading this book I've switched my major to Greek History, now if that's not having an effect on a person, I don't know what is. Pressfield created a whole world for the reader to step into, one completely alien to our own but with an eerie familiarity that shocks and stuns you. I thought that we as a modern civilization could have nothing in common with the 'barbaric' Spartans, and this book proved that thought fallacious. Gates of Fire is a journey that takes the reader back into Antiquity to discover how Democracy survived and why "Free men fight better than slaves" (Herodotus). Pressfield is a genius, He proves once and for all in 'Gates of Fire' who deserves the title founders of democracy, and it ain't the Athenians.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant book
Review: This is truly one of the best books of all time. I've never had characters like these that simply can not get enough of. I couldn't put this book down, although I wasn't as impressed with Tides of War, which is still worth the read. Gates of Fire is without a doubt my favorite book ever.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: Might not be the best novel I ever read, but there are some real gems within these covers. (...)
Rating:
Summary: A historical masterpiece.
Review: An incredible reading experience and a book you will never forget. It is so richly detailed that I am half-convinced that Steven Pressfield was actually present at the battle of Thermopylae.
Rating: 
Summary: No (n) sense
Review: As a novel this book might be interesting, however, anyone who writes a book about the battle of Thermopylae and allows a picture of a Roman soldier on it's cover does not know what he is writing about.
Rating:
Summary: A Sad Day For World Literature
Review: dear friends:
we Stand Here Today, Viewing The Corpse.........................
Of Literature. All the Writers, Great, and Not So,..............
Grieve Here Today...............................................
Steven Pressfield, a hack, has sought, to defame, ..............
not only History, but the Fine writerly Art.....................
Mr. Pressfield is a Stupid Oaf..................................
His Work, Gates Of Fire, Exceeds all previously.................
established parameters of Stupid, Mindnumbing, Juvenile,........
Hackneyed, Soul-destroying art..................................
Homer's Ilyiad and Ullyses are violent, and yet speak to........
to the kind soul of this, my sorrowful human race...............
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