Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield

Gates of Fire

By Steven Pressfield

  • Release Date: 1998-10-20
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 636 Ratings

Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this “powerful, historically accurate novel” (The New Yorker), the sole Spartan survivor recounts the bloody and epic battle of Thermopylae that decimated his fearsome society.

“Vivid and exciting . . . Pressfield gives the reader a perspective no ancient historian offers: a soldier’s-eye view.”—The New York Times Book Review

At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army.

Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces. Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and unmatched battle skill, the Spartans would be remembered for the greatest military stand in history—one that would not end until the rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured Spartan squire to tell the tale. . . .

Reviews

  • Highly Recommend

    5
    By pbGuy
    Written as a narrative story form that personalizes the main, Greek characters as well as principal Persians. Battles are described with bloody details one would expect from this ancient period; but care is taken to overlay with descriptions of battle formations & tactics that enliven these scenes in one’s mind. Combined, the story is a compelling read with great poignancy & an ending that elicits emotions one wouldn’t expect from such a story.
  • Great read

    5
    By 12trbldg
    Great read! The nature of war is explored in great detail.
  • Mhmm

    5
    By Dadwig
    It’s on the Commandants reading list for a reason. It’s a good read.
  • Boring

    2
    By Longhorn5555
    Plodding. Filled with irrelevance.
  • Awesome read

    5
    By Bdhdjxhsxn
    Read this book 3+ times over.
  • One of my favorite books

    5
    By Mac656
    Pressfield never misses! Awesome book!
  • Amazing

    5
    By kunal00
    Amazing level of detail
  • Great

    5
    By Steve King (not the author)
    Great story. Great for any soldier or cop.
  • Brillant

    5
    By DZPyke
    I love historic fiction and have read probably hundreds of such novels. This is best historic fiction I have ever read.
  • Excellent Read

    5
    By Band4music
    A great read into the minds of the Spartan warriors and Ancient Greek culture. 😊

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