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Conn Iggulden

The Gates of Athens Kindle Edition

by Conn Iggulden (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4,807 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Athenian

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Evoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World—the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae—The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel.

In the new epic historical novel by New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden, in ancient Greece an army of slaves gathers on the plains of Marathon . . .

Under Darius the Great, King of Kings, the mighty Persian army—swollen by 10,000 warriors known as The Immortals—have come to subjugate the Greeks. In their path, vastly outnumbered, stands an army of freeborn Athenians. Among them is a clever, fearsome, and cunning soldier-statesman, Xanthippus. Against all odds, the Athenians emerge victorious.

Yet people soon forget that freedom is bought with blood.

Ten years later, Xanthippus watches helplessly as Athens succumbs to the bitter politics of factionalism. Traitors and exiles abound. Trust is at a low ebb when the Persians cross the Hellespont in ever greater numbers in their second attempt to raze Athens to the ground.

Facing overwhelming forces by land and sea, the Athenians call on their Spartan allies for assistance—to delay the Persians at the treacherous pass of Thermopylae . . .

Print length

447 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Pegasus Books
Publication date

January 5, 2021
File size

2747 KB
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Books In This Series (2 Books)

Complete Series

Athenian

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1
The Gates of Athens
Conn Iggulden

(4,807)

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$9.99
2
Protector: A Novel of Ancient Greece
Conn Iggulden

(3,981)

Kindle Edition

$9.99

Conn Iggulden
3,981
Kindle Edition
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Conn Iggulden
310
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Conn Iggulden
2,797
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Conn Iggulden
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Conn Iggulden
2
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Conn Iggulden
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The great moments of your life are still ahead. Yet if you only take a step when you are certain you are right, you will never move at all.
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Time hung heavy on a man with no purpose. He had never understood before what a punishment too much time could be.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Conn Iggulden is one of the most acclaimed authors of historical fiction writing today. Among many other bestselling novels, he is the author of The Abbot’s Tale, The Falcon of Sparta, The Gates of Athens, Protector, and The Lion, all available from Pegasus Books. Conn lives in London.

Review

Praise for Conn Iggulden:

“Conn Iggulden is a grand storyteller.”, USA Today

"A well-researched tale of heroism and hardship, honor and betrayal in which anyone's life can disappear. Exciting fare, a yarn well-spun.", Kirkus Reviews

"A rousing retelling of a singular event, as seen through the eyes of three leaders on a momentous trek, this latest historical novel by Iggulden will be of interest to both young and old readers of military and ancient history.", Library Journal

"Having already taken on Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and the War of the Roses, Iggulden successfully dramatizes the life of Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury. Immerses the reader in tenth-century England.", Publishers Weekly

"Superbly plotted and paced. An absolutely cracking story. The pace is nail-biting and the set dressing magnificent. Iggulden has created an intriguingly complex saint—flawed, spiteful, and unreliable as the teller of his own tale. Through his eyes we watch the story of the making of England.", The Times (London) --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08C1MJ17P
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pegasus Books (January 5, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 5, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2747 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 447 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #167,623 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #96 in Ancient Historical Fiction
- #144 in Ancient History Fiction (Books)
- #698 in Military Historical Fiction

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Conn Iggulden

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Born in London, Conn Iggulden read English at London University and worked as a teacher for seven years before becoming a full-time writer. Married with four children, he lives in Hertfordshire. Since publication of 'The Gates of Rome', Conn has written a further twenty books including the wildly successful 'The Dangerous Book for Boys', ‘The Double Dangerous Book for Boys’ and his most recent series, set in the Athens of Pericles.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

4,807 global ratings

5 star		64%
4 star		28%
3 star		7%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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M. Cotone

Good history, good fiction

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 28, 2021

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Iggulden has done his homework very well, There are only a few historical errors and no howlers (as we used to call them long ago) in his book, although I am baffled by his wish to introduce Rome into the story. At the time, it was a only small town in western Italy, probably unknown to any Greeks, even those in Italy, and had no impact on the Persian Wars whatsoever. Our author has, however, gotten a firm grasp on a piece of history which has significance for everyone living or thinking in, or making assumptions about, the western cultural tradition. The decade in Greek history between 490-479 B.C. was foundational for the political and cultural direction of western Europe and its offshoots for the next two and a half millennia. And Iggulden has told its story well. Those who pursue their personal or familial ancestry would do well to undertake the same search for the cultural tradition in which they live and about which they rarely ask similar questions. This book, and its soon-to-be-released sequel, are an easy place to start. "We are," after all, as Shelley said, "all Greeks." If the history is solid, the characters are largely historical and are drawn in ways that are engaging and realistic, i.e., people whom the reader can identify with, admire, feel concern for, reject, or even despise. The story, as it is presented and developed, draws one in, even those of us for whom it has long been an object of study. Simply put, "The Walls of Athens" is a darned good read.

9 people found this helpful

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joseph smith

solid read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 23, 2022

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I enjoyed it. We’ll put together and flowed very nicely. Finished the climax of the book on a road trip while taking my turn in the passenger seat. The miles flew by while my nose was in the book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 9, 2021

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This book starts in 490 B. C. in Athens, Greece, after the battle of Marathon. This is the second of three attempts the Persians made to invade Greece. The author is a master at giving real characters and real events a life that is not told in straight history. The Persians, under King Xerxes, came at Greece by land and sea with a far superior navy and army. The Greeks combined their city-states to make a proud showing. Spartan King Leonidas held the Persians at the Thermopolae to the death. Xanthippus and Themistocles waged a bitter battle on water. At the book's end, Persians was burning Athens, but many of the citizens were rescued. The author wrote about the Assembly and how laws came from the people.

The book had a slow start that did not last long. On target, the author had my emotions and interest in his hand. I had trouble with pronouncing Greek names, but was my fault. I think

2 people found this helpful

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KD

A veritable build up to the inevitable

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 24, 2022

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Knowing how this story ends does not take the edge out of the retelling. The author reflects the perspectives of the protagonists and their pursuers in a compelling manner that keeps you climbing, page after page until - there's no more. About to grab the next book in the series!

2 people found this helpful

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Bruce Turry

you are there !

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2022

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Iggulden has the rare ability to let the reader feel as if they are actually experiencing the historical events depicted in his books !

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Anne Windisch

excellent quality and service - could not have done better

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 1, 2022

nice job

Excellent tale of history

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 9, 2022

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Drawing of ancient sources the author fills in the missing parts to the tale and gives convincing account of the men and the perils of the times.

One person found this helpful

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Peter K.

A small democracy standing up to an autocratic empire. How familiar.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 27, 2022

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A small democracy standing up to an autocratic empire. How familiar. History does repeat itself. In a comparative study of all the inefficiencies and failures of a democracy the Greek's still chose democracy over the brutality of an autocracy, the Persian Empire, and fight for their lives in protecting it. The struggle still rings true nowadays. I good reminder for those who chose to learn nothing from history. Oh, and the battle segments are masterfully done.

4 people found this helpful

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Clemens A. Schoonderwoert

A Most Epic Athenian Begin!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 19, 2020

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This absolutely fascinating book is the 1st volume of a new series called "Athenian", from the acclaimed author, Conn Iggulden, and it describes in a very spectacular fashion the atmosphere and people of the ancient world of Athens, and Greece as a whole.

At the beginning of the book you'll find firstly two quotes of Homer and Aristophanes, followed by three well-drawn maps, of Athens, the "Battle of Marathon", and movement of Persian Forces between 490-480 BC, ending with a list of Pronunciation of Military terms, Locations, Characters, Additional words and the Ten Tribes of Athens.

At the back of the book you'll notice a very well documented Historical Note, in which the author explains the historical details concerning this story in a most splendid fashion.

Story-telling is as always of a top-notch quality from this author, all characters, whether real historical or fantastic fictional, come vividly to life, and the atmosphere of Athens and the great Greek/Persian conflict come superbly off the pages.

The book starts off with a prologue that is set around Sardis, in Lydia, which is part of the Persian Empire, and it figures the High King, Darius, and his son and heir, Xerxes.

The book is divided into two parts, with part one starting off in 490 BC, and the "Battle of Marathon", with most prominently featuring the main figure of the book, the righteous and courageous strategos, Xanthippus, his wife, Agariste, and their children, Ariphron, Eleni and Pericles, the last one a name to remember, and Xanthippus's young friend, Epikleos, and not to forget of course the Hero of Marathon, Miltiades, his son, Cimon, Aristides the "Just", and lastly the ambitious and cunning, Themistocles, and with most of them in part two still in action in 480 BC against the Persians in an effort to save Athens.

What is to follow is a most astonishing novel, and one that I would like to address as very much in comparison with the American author, Christian Cameron, and his Long War series, but Conn Iggulden has given his own interpretation of events between Greece and Persia in a most convincing and compelling fashion, and in such a way that the reader will be attracted in a most fervent manner towards this action-packed story, with lifelike actions and ferocious battles that will bring the Ancient World of Greece v Persia very much alive.

Highly recommended to everyone, I myself look very much forward to the next instalment, and what this first Greek episode is concerned, I want to call it: "A Most Epic Athenian Begin"!

26 people found this helpful

Darius

Not the usual level of brilliance.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 15, 2020

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It must be extremely difficult for an author to source material that is 2500 years old. Of course Conn being a top historical fiction author managed to write an interesting account about the heroes during the Greek-Persian Wars of 480-490 BC. However, there was a lack of detail in the key battles. I'm not sure that it was justified to fit 3 famous battles; Marathon, Thermipolye, Salamis (part 1) into one novel. These battles, in my view, deserve much more narrative than approximately the 100 pages in total which the author devotes in describing all 3 battles. They were almost in the background of the story whereas the book concentrates mainly on the political haggling and power struggle in between the wars. It's interesting to read but not "can't put down" quality. It was a relief to learn that the next book will continue with the conclusion of the Battle of Salamis and I hope the book will be more dynamic and action-packed in comparison to "Gates of Athens". CI is my very favourite Hist. Fiction writer and only a 4 star rating from me is unheard of (with the exception of a boring "Dunstan"). Let's hope the sequel will bring back the very best of Conn Iggulden.

10 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Not my favourite from him

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 16, 2020

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Liked the beginning of book , but as got further into the book seemed to dwell too much on the politics rather than tell a entertaining and gripping tale. Not a patch on novels about Caeser and Gengis Khan .Have read recent fantasy novels and they were more gripping than The Gates Of Athens. Hopefully as this is only book one, the ones that follow will live up to expectations. Overall I think Conn Iggledon is an excellent writer and i have read nearly all his novels and look forward to the next instalments.

11 people found this helpful

G T McGhie

Escape Covid by going back to Ancient Greece!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 13, 2021

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I bought and read The Gates of Athens in paperback form in order to get the background to the "The Protector". I find it impossible to read historical fiction in any other way. The first novel was excellent as is the second in the series. I really rate Conn Iggulden as an author: all the books which I have read written by him are top notch. Great research, believable characters take you back to the times of Ancient Greece. I would thoroughly recommend the series to all lovers of historic fiction..

3 people found this helpful

Mr. T. A. Fenton

Slow, steady, overly detailed but still a good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 10, 2022

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I feel after reading this book that although it covered a lot of events, at times, there was simply far too much detail about the characters, conversations and situations that were not at all gripping or interesting. It was a slow start, then a climax with the battle of marathon, and then it didn't really get gripping again until 2/3rd's the way through. This is disappointing considering I loved the Caesar and Khan books, and it seems the author has changed his style... But, it seems to be very well documented and it felt like I was there, witnessing history due to the incredible research, hence why I'm providing 4 stars and not 3. Plus, I will definitely buy the next in the series

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