Rating: 
Summary: Better than I expected
Review: My interest in this book was generated from my reading Frank Miller's "300", but I didn't have a good feeling going into it. Indeed, the book does have its problems - the characters start out as somewhat flat. The narrative jumps back and forth, to the point of flashbacks within flashbacks, causing some confusion. Also, the paperback has numerous printing errors ("The city lay PROSTATE before them") - didn't anyone proofread this?However, the story is very enjoyable, especially the second half, presenting the battle in excellent detail. The characters are eventually fleshed out fairly well, more so the supporting characters than the narrator. The finale didn't pull any punches.
Rating: 
Summary: Magnificently written, outstanding point of view. Amazing.
Review: What can be said that could possibly measure up to his superb writing ability. Be sure to buy his next novel, Tides of War, also set in Greek times during the Peloponnesian War. Steven Pressfield came along at the perfect hour. When I just got interested in Greek warfare and culture, there the book was on the Wal-Mart bookshelf, and I purchased it instantly. Keep it going strong. Maybe sometime you can write something of the Roman war machine and its legions.
Rating:
Summary: Very well written, a great storytelling.
Review: Pressfield tells the story of the battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held of 3 million Persians and rallied all Greece to eventual victory, with mellifluous writing style that enraptures the reader from first page. Told through the eyes of a fictional outsider, the reader learns what it was like to live in ancient Greece's city-state system and to be a Spartan. Why would men out of duty go to fight against tremendous odds knowing they will not return? What in that society would create the kind of discipline that the example of those 300 Spartans would rally and save all Greece? Read Gates of Fire and find out.
Rating:
Summary: Go and tell the readers...
Review: This book is an excellent read. If you want to get a taste of what it must have been like training and fighting with the Spartans at Thermopylae, read this book. If you have ever served on active duty, this book will resonate across over 2,000 years of history and speak to you.
Rating:
Summary: A spiritual journey
Review: Steven Pressfield has brought souls to life here! I felt that Dienekes and Polynikes where looking over my shoulder as I read! This is done with NO sappy overindulgent characters. If you are looking for a technically excellent story which also will move you to tears and possibly enrich your faith, READ THIS BOOK. It helped me understand where the western world came from and why we are in real trouble today! "The opposite of fear is love"
Rating:
Summary: Blood, Guts, Glory & Romance
Review: Gates of Fire is a book for all readers. Not just history, but about humanity. Non-stop action told in a suberb writing style. Even the ememies are likeable, or at least understandable. There isn't a way to improve upon the story, Steven Pressfield did it all.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books i have ever read
Review: Its a very good book.I love the Chearthers in the book. This book u must buy
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, true to life drama.
Review: If you like historical novels, this is the book for you. The characters are sharply drawn, the battle scenes are thrilling, if a bit grisly. Pressfield never lets you forget the importance of this battle to Western Civilization. Even though you know the outcome, your attention is focused to the very last page.
Rating: 
Summary: Ambitious but flawed.
Review: I really wanted to like this book. Thermopylae has haunted my dreams since I was a boy and read about the three hundred who stood against the hordes of enemies to the last man. The story of Thermopylae turned me into a young Graecophile and had me reading Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War when my buddies were reading Archie comics. So, when I saw this book on the shelf and read the jacket, I bought it without checking the reviews. Not that that would have made any difference for it seems that most reviewers (at least those in here) loved the book. There are some things to like and they do go some way towards covering up the flaws but by no means do they redeem this work. Historic fiction is tricky business. You need to remain true to the events and the history and the characters and in the end you've done well if you bring to life the subject of your work. Steven Pressfield achieves that to a certain extent using first person narrative through a chronicle of the only survivor of the massacre at Thermopylae. The device works well in Pressfield's hands but the flaw is in the articulation of detail and the lack of warmth or caring in the words. Technically, everything is there. Good characterization. Plot and conflict to outdo any classic story you can think of. But the soul is missing. It's like a bronze statue of a Greek Hoplyte, detailed in every respect, shiny and impressive. But it's still not a warrior. It's still a statue. One of the problems in writing historic fiction is that often we are separated from the subject event by so much time and space that the context of our culture has no little or no common ground with the subject culture. The beliefs, traditions, daily actions and words and articulations of the characters have to be founded on some late-twentieth century relevant denominators otherwise the reader cannot connect with the novel. On the other hand, if an author wants to synthesize a believable historic reality, he needs to create an articulation of voice which the reader believes is from the era in which the novel is placed. But to do so, the author constantly runs the risk of sounding like he's pandering to his audience. Steven Pressfield wavers back and forth across this line - sometimes the narrative sounds like what the imagination believes a Greek soldier would sound like. At other times it sounds like a 20th century author's idea of what a Greek soldier would sound like. The author injects himself between the reader and the story and becomes a glaring presence in the most inopportune moments during the read. The over use in Gates of Fire of the colloquial term for fornication is one example of this. A much more balanced historic fiction read is Michael Shaara's Killer Angels. Now, granted, just out of oproximity it should be easier to replicate 19th century America than it is to bring to life a believeable ancient Peloponnesian culture. But in other respects it should be easier in that most readers would have little or no prejudice to overcome when setting up ancient history. All this to say that Gates of Fire is a decent rendering of an epic event but does not come close to being a literary classic. I hope the movie does well, though.
Rating:
Summary: Not only about war and valor but about warriors and values
Review: While vividly bringing to life the battle which played a key role in the preservation of western civilization, Pressfield has accomplished even more. He has introduced us to the timeless values of Sparta. In so doing, he challenges us to reexamine our own time, values and, most of all, ourselves.
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