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Summary: Simply Wonderful
Review: When 300 Spartans stood against the armies of Persia to defend all of Greece and it was thought the story ended with their destruction. One of the soldiers had already survived and he has an intriguing story to tell the king. This book is an excellent representation of the Spartan Culture. It does a wonderful job of weaving the characters together, some fictional some not. It actually becomes a wonderful microchasum of the historical Greece of the time. With parts that will have you both laughing and crying you will be glad that you brought this book. Overall-Probably the most original and hard hitting military fiction I have read in the last five years. I do not have enough words in my vocabulary to explain to you how great this book is.
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Summary: Best Historical Fiction I've Ever Read...
Review: Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" is by far the best Historical Fiction I've ever read. The dialogue is properly realistic and easy-to-follow, but still sounds archaic enough to fit the story. The action is...gut wrenching--imagine the visuals from "Saving Private Ryan" in prose and you've got the battle scenes in "Gates of Fire." The plot is epic, based on the bold Greek defense of the Hot Gates (Thermopylae) from the invading Persians. I only wish that Mr. Pressfield would write a book on Marathon.
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Summary: The Best book ever!
Review: When i first picked up this book, I thought it was just going to be another one of those books that you can't get past the first page it is so baddly written. I was truly wrong by all means. I could hardly set it down.
After I finished it I went online to numorous sites to look at the history of the Battle of Thermopylae. I found very few historical mistakes were made. Only one that really made a difference. That was that the General of the Spartan army in the book was crusified by the Persians, and in history he died the day before the battle was finished. Other than this small error there were very few others that even mean anything.
To tell you a little about the book if you plan on buying it, it starts out with a young boy named Xeo. His village gets attacked and his parents die, so he is forced to find new lodgings. At first he is set on going to Athens to become one of their glorious marines. But at the last moment he changes his mind and goes to Sparta, to be a infantry man so to speak. This is not as easy a task as he thought it would be. During his basic training there are some pretty difficult scenes to get over. The drill instructors are very hard on the new recruits.
Well i don't want to tell you to much about the book. I just hope you enjoy, it and finish it.
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Summary: History brought to life in vivid fashion
Review: Pressfield's recounting of the Battle of Thermopylae was told in an incredible fashion. Pressfield uses a battle squire in captivity to tell the story of the Battle of Thermopylae. From the moment I picked this book up, I had difficulty putting it down. I was instantly captivated by the POW's tale. Pressfield involves us not only in the captives life, but of those around him. He gives background information and a life to his characters. While reading this book you could picture the Spartan King Leonidas, and pull for him to crush the Persians. His battle details were graphic, yet done in a way that made this one of the best battle books ever written. Pressfield get's all the senses involved when describing the horrors of ancient warfare. This book takes you through some brief history of Sparta and the characters, and is well worth the read. My only advice is buy it in hardback, because you will read it again!!!!
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Summary: Great reading
Review: The book was exciting and kept me glue to every page. Now I cant wait to read other books by this author
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Summary: This Novel Takes You There
Review: Having just finished Mr. Pressfield's Tides of War, I was anxious to start this novel. I have not been disappointed - in fact, Gates of Fire is much better, and Tides was very good. Great characteriztion, great scene description, and thorough historical background literally takes you to circa 490 BC. This book is also extremely suitable for young teens - a fantasy epic as good as anything by Tolkien. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing less than perfect
Review: When I got this book for Christmas I was excited to start it, and once I did I couldn't put it down. Me being a relatively slow reader (it takes me about two to three months to finish a book), it was earth-shaking that I finished it in one week. It might sound a little dry to some people but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The characters are real and inperfect, the narration is fresh and engaging. There's nothing negative I can say about this book at all, it's perfect, enough said.
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Summary: The spiritual heir to Starship Troopers
Review: There's a pretty good novel in this book, swaddled in pages upon pages of simplistic political yammering about the greatness of the warrior ethic. The book raises some troubling questions about its rah-rah Spartan ethic - why, for example, should such a noble culture /need/ a squad of assassins to take care of internal dissidents - but doesn't bother to answer them. Instead, everything gets drenched in blood and rhetoric about how great it is to be a dead Spartan. When Pressfield abandons the demagoguery, the book is a pleasure to read. Unfortunately, that's only about a third of a time.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely riveting
Review: I read this in a night (and it's a long book). The story is gripping and deeply moving. The main character is not all that well developed and the book may glorify a society -ancient Sparta- that was more bad than good. But these are minor flaws in an otherwise excellent novel.
Rating:
Summary: More than adventure
Review: A compelling read, the language of this book in many respects echoes the poetic style of the Greek classics. The story itself drives the reader. One knows the end but getting to it in this personal story captivates. On the surface, you'll leave this book knowing that "real" people, with affections, dreams, faults and smarts were at the battle. Underlying, however, one comes away with an understanding of what drove the characters, that being successful (even in defeat) is a disciplined effort. And through Zeo, seeing his home and family destroyed, one understands the consequences of not knowing one's enemy.
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