Rating: 
Summary: War is Hell
Review: When the Spartan troops lowered their lances and the phanlanx moved out to do battle, I got goosebumps. The descriptive language of this engagement brought me into the scene with all it's gore, adrenalin, pride and fear. An excellent read.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding fictional account of Thermopylae......
Review: Steven Pressfield has done a remarkable job in telling the story of the Spartan Three Hundred who stood against the massive Persian-led force at the Hot Gates in the 5th century BC. Told from the perspective of the squire Xenios in retrospect, a captive of the Persian horde as it advances on Athens, the tale recounts the heroism of Leonidas, the Spartans, and their allies. We learn of the life of Xenios prior to Thermopylae and, thereby, are exposed to the culture and customs of Sparta. The tale culminates in Xerxes naval defeat at Salamis as Xenios quietly expires from his wounds received in the final, furious stand behind the Phocian Wall.Pressfield has managed to pull the reader into the martial comradery of the Spartans. We share their courage in the face of certain death, their rare moments of fraility and, so, we quickly become enamored of the characters Pressfield so exquisitely develops. He spares no sensitivities in his violent depiction of warfare and ancient Greek life. He offers a frank, engaging, deeply enjoyable narration of one of the epic battles of all time.
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Summary: people just don't understand...
Review: I'm using this space not only to recognize a wonderful accomplishment of historical fiction but to attempt to rationalize the feelings of those who felt this book was undeserving of its praise. Furthermore, I wish to warn those who might be put off from reading this novel as a result of its superficial censure. Among the most numerous of complaints is the author's glorification of war as well as the crude manner of Spartan lifestyle. However, what those readers need to realize is that Pressfield, as a proclaimed writer of historical fiction, is, in fact, composing from a base of history. In other words, because the Spartan civilization glorified war, so does, and certainly should, the book. It is sad that a writer who attempts to maintain some form of historical fact, is severely attacked for such. All too often today do novels of "historical fiction" stray from historical fact in order to maintain political correctness or avoid the same denigration Steven Pressfield has been subject to. This novel is not perfect. Read it, enjoy it, appreciate it for its commitment to history, and try to ignore its coarse depictions. An excellent book if merely for its military competence, GATES OF FIRE is a definite recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: True to Date
Review: Herodotus and Plutarch immortalized Spartan society in their histories; but today, little is left of the ancient city or the social structure of this momentous culture. One of the few antiquarian marks of the civilization that has survived lies scores of miles away from Sparta, at a narrow Greek mountain pass called Thermopylae.It was there that three hundred of Sparta's finest warriors held back the invading millions of the Persian empire and valiantly gave their lives in the selfless service of democracy and freedom. A simple engraved stone markstheir burial ground.Inspired by this stone and intrigued by the lore of Sparta, author Steven Pressfield has brilliantly combined scholarship with storytelling. Narrated by the sole survivor of the epic battle--a squire in the Spartan heavy infantry--Gates of Fire is a mesmerizing depiction of one man's indoctrination into the Spartan way of life and death, and of the legendary men and women who gave the culture an immortal gravity.Culminating in the electrifying and horrifying epic battle, Gates of Fire weaves history, mystery, and heartbreaking romance into a literary page-turner that brings the Homeric tradition into the twenty-first century. The tale is not plotted in any formal sense but proceeds in flashback, a hackneyed but effective mechanism here as we see the story unfold, both on the level of a life remembered and through the eyes of the Persian court in the midst of their final Greek campaign. The battle scenes are redolent with the misery and gore of real warfare, too, yet reverberate with the mystery of transcendency -- the real stuff of living and, of course, of dying. There is both an earthiness and a metaphysical element to this finely told tale of heroism in the face of overwhelming odds in a place and time which changed the flow of history as we know it. The characters are as real to us as the flesh and blood we see burning and wallowing in death upon the fields of Thermopile. And we care about them, which, in the end, is what a book like this must be about. This is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: A gripping historical tale for a modern audience
Review: What the Battle of the Alamo is to American tradition, the Battle of Thermopylae is to Greek-based Western tradition. In 480 B.C., during the attempted invasion of Greece by the Persian empire ruled by Xerxes, an outnumbered force led by the Spartan King Leonidas fell defending the pass of Thermopylae in northeastern Greece against vastly greater numbers of elite Persian troops. Needless to say, the Spartans did not turn the Persians back. But the courage of Leonidas and his outnumbered troops has never been forgotten. In "Gates of Fire," Steven Pressfield takes on the task of retelling this ancient story for a modern audience. An author of historical fiction has to avoid certain traps. A major one is anachronism, which usually takes the form of creating premodern characters with modern attitudes. A good example of this would be the racially integrated American frontier depicted by the politically corrected Hollywood. Pressfield avoids this lie, thank goodness. His Greeks and Persians come across as the real thing, not as Hollywood historical revisionism. The need for exposition presents another challenge. In a historical novel (and in fantasy and science fiction as well) the writer must create a world, as well as a set of characters. But the temptation to lecture must be avoided. Pressfield cleverly manages to solve the problems of exposition and point of view with the same device: The novel is presented as testimony of an interrogated Spartan prisoner of war, Xeones, supplemented by official documents of Persian officials. Xeones is a type familiar in historical fiction -- the minor character who witnesses the deeds of the great. The need for the captured Greek to explain Hellenic customs to the Persian king provides Pressfield with an excuse for the necessary exposition. Perhaps the ultimate test of an epic historical fiction is the description of warfare. In particular, the climactic conflict has to be worth the price of the book. Unlike most of his characters, the narrator survives the Battle of Thermopylae and provides a plausible and exciting description of the desperate last stand of the Spartans. The subject is Homeric, and Pressfield concludes the battle with an elaborate Homeric simile that begins: "As when a hailstorm descends unseasonably from the mountains and hurls from the sky its icy pellets upon the husbandman's newly- sprouted crop, so did the bolts of the Persians in their myriads thunder down upon the Spartans and Thespians. . . ." All in all, "Gates of Fire" certainly makes for gripping reading.
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Summary: Simply Spectacular!
Review: Thank you Mr. Pressfield! What an amazing tale of valour and self-sacrifice... I will mostly focus on the emotions I felt after reading the book... I can not even explain the chills I got while reading this book through. It is a tribute to a society and culture we owe SO much to! The Greeks advanced humaity more than we can imagine, and in this book, 300 of them made the ultimate sacrifice, to Greece, civilisation, and humanity! I personally feel that the citizens of Greece today should each write a personal letter to Mr. Steven Pressfield thanking him for the tribute he made them andtheir ancestors. A truelly awe-inspiring feat by men who can rarely be found today. A truelly magnificent book on them and their values and morals. READ this book. I promise you, it will make you want to go all the way to Greece and pay your respects at the great man's (Leonidas, King of Sparta) statue! So, after reading this epic tale, I know very well that we should be gratefull for what we take for granted today! Thank you Leonidas. Thank you Greece. Thank you Mr. Pressfield.
Rating: 
Summary: steven pressfield is sad
Review: Dear Friends and Readers, Any contact with this book should be considered septic. I suspect Robert E. Lee and U.S. Grant would throw this book upon the ground simply because it is so demeaning to their considerable gentlemanly demeanor, afforded them by West Point training, as well as their simple good taste. I have searched this sad thing far and wide for any redeeming value- and as yet have found none. Every sentence is automatically filled with stupid choices. A writer, such as Mr Pressfield, has choices to make, which make reading a great joy, or a descent into stupidity. This so-called historical novel is fully-leavened with a bestial engorging of sick, stupid, humanity- debasing philosophy. Under the conceit of portraying Spartan history, Mr Pressfield has dragged all who entered this mess into a dark rathole. The Great and Profound Logic, Theater, Science, Poetry, Architecture, Astronomy, Geometry, Physics, Metaphysics, Politics, Analytic Geometry, of the Greeks, have No Place in Mr Pressfield's World. What a Sad Joke. Mr Pressfield is a simpleton. Dan
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Summary: One of the pooest written books I've read.
Review: I have been studing ancient warfare for five years and I find a history book more entertaining then this. This book remains entirely on the surface and never penetrating into any deeper meaning. The characters are too one dimensional and dry, the descriptions, except for the battle, are almost embarrassing to read. I'm sorry, but a star higher then one is just not suitable for this book, and I by no means care what other people say about how great it is; this book is poor. Where have all the great writers gone to?
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Summary: Laconians Arise! To the gates!
Review: In 480 BC, led by the Persian king Xerxes, son of Darius, the Persians arrived on the border of Thessaly and Greece with an invading force totalling over 2 million. Here, at a mountain pass called Thermopylae, 300 Spartan warriors + a handful of squires and allies made one of the most valiant stands in military history. The Lacedamonians held the pass for the better part of a week, slaying something like 20,000 Persians (of which roughly 18,000 were university of Michigan fans). The title of Pressfield's book is appropriate as in Greek Thermo = "hot" and Pylae = "gates." The battle is recorded in Book VII of Herodotus' "Histories." When the Spartans repeatedly repel Xerxes' stunned forces, Herodotus details the scene thus: "...it became clear to all, and especially to the king [Xerxes], that though he had plenty of men, he had but very few warriors." (Histories, Book VII, trans: George Rawlinson). The text centers around a fictional Spartan squire named Xeones, the lone Laconian warrior to survive the battle (albeit with a multitude of serious wounds). In reality, the only Spartan to survive was a fellow named Aristodemus. Supposedly, he was a messenger who tarried along the path to Thermopylae and missed the battle. He spent the rest of his life in disgrace in the eyes of his fellow Spartans, despite a heroic showing at the battle of Plataea (the decisive battle of the Persian war). Back to Xeones. Pressfield's presentation of the story is nothing short of brilliant. Captured by the Persians, Xerxes orders his personal historian to record the infantryman's story. Through the persona of Xeones, we are informed of events in the Persian war before, during and after the battle of Thermopylae. Xeones interacts with historical figures on both sides of the war, such as the Spartans Leonidas and Dienekes, as well as Xerxes, Orontes and Artemisia. In this way, the book is much more than simply a narrative on the battle itself. We are invited to glimpse the rigid lifestyle of a Lacedamonian warfighter. The Spartans were able to relentlessly pound their adversaries into submission, but not with superior numbers. Rather, they relied on a brutal training regimen which instilled within their men an exemplary discipline and code of honor. Today, it takes 6 months for an individual to earn the Trident and Eagle of a U.S. Navy SEAL; the most respected fighting force of the present world. 2,500 years ago, it took 13 YEARS for a Spartan youth earn his place as a Lacedamon warrior (7-20), + another 40 years of military service to his country (20-60). Thanks to an obviously arduous scholarly research, Pressfield does a magnificent job of describing for us the extreme dedication that was entailed within this rigorous lifestyle. This is a must-read book for anyone who is even vaguely interested in military or classical history. It is also a refreshing text for everyone who tires of the modern military climate where political correctness and social engineering projects are deemed more important than combat readiness. I would recommend this book to all history buffs, anthropologists, classical scholars and students / fans of Michigan State University! I will leave you with a passage from Nietzsche which glazed thru my mind over & over as I was reading this book. It engages the austere life of the gallant warrior: They call you heartless: but you have a heart, and I love you for being ashamed to show it. You are ashamed of your flood, while others are ashamed of their ebb. -"Also Sprach Zarathustra," first part, section 10: "On War and Warriors," trans: Walter Kaufmann of Princeton university. This book is a tremendous feat. All the texts bearing the name "Gates Of Fire" will exalt all who have the ability to read: MOLON LABE!
Rating:
Summary: A great book on Ancient Greece!
Review: I was really impressed by this novel! What I didn't realize when I was buying this was that the battle is just an anchor for the story. The book includes a very well-thought-out frame story about several intertwining lives in ancient Greece. It tells you not only about the individual warriors in the battle, but also how they came to be there, what motivated them to sacrifice themselves for the good of all their unappreciative Greek brethren. This book stirred up a lot of emotions, and was so well written I could empathize with many of the characters. It's definitely something you can use as a measuring stick with which to judge any other historical fiction you may read!
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