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Title: Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield ISBN: 0-553-58053-1 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 31 August, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.43 (430 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A truly "epic" novel
Comment: In "Gates of Fire" Steven Pressfield does for the Battle of Thermopylae what "Saving Private Ryan" did for the D-Day invasion. In a novel of breathtaking power he tells the tale of a battle that literally altered the course of civilization, and the stories of the men who fought it.
The most striking thing about this book is how well researched it was. There is a level of complexity in every character and setting that could not have been achieved without the most rigorous study. In particular, he goes a long way towards dispelling the myth of the Spartan automaton. While their society is not one that we would necessarily want to live it, it is remarkably rich and multi-layered, and Pressfield does a superb job of presenting it. Furthermore, in addition to an eye for historical detail, Pressfield has captured something of the style of the ancient epics. While by no means on par with the Odyssey or the Iliad, Pressfield's choice of language and pacing echoes these masterworks of western literature
Where this novel truly shines, though, is in the battle scenes. The reader can almost smell the blood and sweat, feel the choking dust and crash of bodies and hear the awful screams of the wounded. I have read a lot of military fiction, but I have never been as captivated by anything in the genre, as I was by this novel. The author is able to accomplish this because he writes characters possessed of great humanity and pathos. One can feel and fear for them because they are so fully realized. Pressfield's attention to characterization makes the scenes of carnage and inevitable defeat all the more poignant.
Ultimately you can read "Gates of Fire" on two different levels. First, you can approach it as a straight adventure story, and you will come away satisfied. The battles are as fast-paced and as well described as any you will find in writing. The second level is to consider this novel as a work of literature and history. I learned a tremendous amount in the reading of this book, and I was already fairly well versed in Greek history. Also, as I mentioned before, Pressfield's writing and choice of language perfectly captures the period. In the end, either way you choose to approach this novel, whether you take it at face value, or dig a little, you will certainly not be disappointed.
Enjoy!
Rating: 5
Summary: A great tale of what happens in the wall of battle.
Comment: I have always wondered about what the experience of battle was like, and whether my own experiences in military training were universal, not only throughout the world but through time. If Pressfield has given us a true picture then my answer to the second question is yes, and this is the first time I have actually felt as if I could understand what happens in the wall of battle. It isn't pretty, heroic, or glorious, but those terms are reserved for the ones who remain- and the ones who sacrifice themselves on the field. I found the characters so real, the dialogue so unexpectedly well-drawn, and the events depicted so riveting, I read the book in a few hours without rest. My favorite scene is when an Egyptian unfolds his map of the Persian empire to impress upon the characters the futility of resistance: land upon land is revealed with stranger and stranger names till finally, the seat of empire is revealed... And Hellas, land of the Greeks, is a puny spot on the other end. Scenes like that made it a wonderful page turner. Tom Clancy couldn't write this.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great
Comment: This is one of the best books i have ever read. It tells about a spartans life and has really cool battles. I really suggest this book but it is a very hard book.
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Title: Tides of War by STEVEN PRESSFIELD ISBN: 0553381393 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 28 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Ten Thousand : A Novel Of Ancient Greece by Michael Curtis Ford ISBN: 0312269463 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Pub. Date: 13 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Last of the Amazons by Steven Pressfield ISBN: 0553382047 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Thermopylae: The Battle for the West by Ernle Bradford ISBN: 0306805316 Publisher: Da Capo Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1993 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece, from Utopia to Crisis and Collapse by Paul Cartledge ISBN: 1585674028 Publisher: Overlook Press Pub. Date: 15 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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