11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Incredible, January 9, 2007
This review is from: Gates of Fire (Paperback)
This is quite possibly the most incredible book that i've ever read. On an epic scale, the true story told through a fictional character's eyes is spellbinding and gritty. The reality of it is difficult to grasp, but Pressfield's vivid description and brilliant conveyance of emotion is captured in each line and will keep you enthralled until the end. The beginning is a bit slow, but the rest more than makes up for it. Once you get over all the Greek names and city names that are presented in the opening set-up, the story climbs until reaching the pinnacle of which you won't be disappointed. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone that enjoys history, has been in the military, or just likes to read, it really is that good.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT STORY - BEAUTIFULLY TOLD!, June 23, 2007
This review is from: Gates of Fire (Paperback)
Everybody dies. So did these 300 Greeks. But the world will never forget their choice of death.
It is incorrect that the battle at Thermopylae changed the course of history. That was the battle at Marathon, some years before, when the Greek cities were unprepared and only the city of Athens was able to scrape a small army of conscripts which, brilliantly generaled by Miltiadis, defeated the first Persian campaign and, thus, averted the infusion of Asia into Europe.
Thermopylae was mostly a moral victory. In every sense - as well in the sense that it demoralized the Persian troops. At the same time, it bought the rest of the Greeks the time needed to organize their naval forces at Salamis, where they crushed the great Persian forces only weeks later.
Pressfield does a fair job in making his readers get a taste of the Spartan way of life. The loyalty to the city-state; the devotion to the ideals of freedom; and the personal sacrifices offered to safeguard it.
Those who would try to extract modern lessons from this historic sacrifice against the Persians should probably keep in mind that other aspects of the Spartan society have been left untold: the oppression of the older tribes - hence the need for a militaristic elite; the dissolution of democracy in any city-state conquered and the establishment of a Spartan-controlled oligarchy; the skewed morality that allowed theft and cheating as long as the final goal was achieved - and the perpetrator never got caught.
Then again, maybe modern lessons can be extracted after all...
Not to be taken as a history lesson - yet, could be a great excuse to get interested in the period that shaped the western civilization.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the heart of battles, September 22, 2008
This review is from: Gates of Fire (Paperback)
For the first time, the reality of antique battles is depicted from the inside. The clash of shields and the sheer strength... nothing like the fancy fencing we can see in too many works. The characters have substance and are made believable. This is a great lesson in history. We read about the facts, the civilization, lifestyle of the people of that time. And the storytelling is gripping, enthralling. Probably the best novel on Greece ever.
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