Search - Gates of Fire : An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae

This is NOT 300! No disrespect to that terrific graphic novel. This is a work of historical fiction that rings with authenticity. Pressfield, as he does in all of his books, lets the characters speak for themselves seamlessly blending the real historical words of the characters themselves (where possible) with the contemporaneous philosophical details that lets you see the world through their eyes. He does this while creating a novel of compelling action. The story is told in the voice of a mortally wounded Spartan helot the fictional last survivor of the battle of Thermopylae to the Persian king Xerxes. This is a great book for those who find great words and ideas as compelling as great history.

This book is an excellent description of the Battle of Thermopylae written by the fictitious only survivor of the battle. As a historian I found the novel extremely well written and a great counter point to the cartoonish movie "300 Spartans" of a few years ago. The blood and gore are still there, but the warriors are made human by an gifted author in Pressfield. We're always told that history needs to come alive to be appreciated. This book does it better then anything I've ever read.

This is an amazing story. The Battle of Thermopylae is recounted by the main character of Xeones, a man who was not a Spartan but joined their ranks and learned their ways. This gives us a great perspective as we see the Spartans from the inside with an outsider's perspective. The bulk of the novel consists of painting a picture of just who the Spartans were before the battle at the hot gates and does a wonderful job developing intense and deep characters. Pressfield does a great job here.

Very good book.

My husband (a Navy SEAL) and sons love this book!

An amazing tale. Really takes you back to the days of this battle to understand the Spartans and the world they lived in. Characters that come to life. Hard to put down. Gory and realistic war scenes that are hard to read yet not gratuitively violent. Highly recommended.