Gates of Fire

[2210]

by Steven Pressfield

historical fiction about the Battle of Thermopylae, 5th c. BC. a small contigent of Greeks, led by the Spartan military elite against about 100K Persians defending a pass in the mountains.

drama, nationalism, battling fear to be a better soldier and citizen...

read it about 5 times and have given away about 10 copies.

can't recommend it highly enough.

anyone else read it?

here's the Amazon blurb:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553580531/103-5832795-6961416?v=glance&n=283155

[Scot45]

Yup, it is an awesome book. I can read it over and over. Everyone should read this book.

[DonGlock26]

A very popular book around here and a great read.^c

[Critias]

One of my absolute favorites. Tides of War, in itself a great book (covering the Pelopene-I-can't-spell-it-so-I'm-not-trying War, about a generation later), wasn't bad, either. But, yeah. Gates of Fire is top-notch stuff.

[fnfalman]

Steven Pressfield tries to be as authentic as possible but not necessarily 100% historically accurate. But his novels are great with the character developments. Gates of Fire is the best on the Greek wars so far. I even enjoyed the one he wrote about the Amazons, alas it was a bit forgettable. Can't even remember the title.

[2210]

"Last of the Amazons"

great book.

tried "Tides of War" but just couldn't get into it. strange considering i play a Greek in my historical combat group.

[jake9]

As you can probably tell by my avatar, I'm an ancient Greek fan. I was optimistic about the book but found the parts of the Spartan women to be wholly inaccurate to the point of sillyness. It was as if Pressfield was putting them in to accomodate modern notions of political correctness and fairness to women.

I'd be more interested in Tides of War about Alcibiades. I might try it, but suspect Pressfield might be part of a trend of writers attempting to re-write history.

[2210]

agreed.

have to take any historical fiction w/ the 'grain of salt'.

[jason10mm]

Ya'll will be interested to know that "Gates of Fire" has been optioned for a movie. But Frank Miller's "300" is already being made and will beat it to the screens.

[2210]

George Clooney was behind the GoF movie, with either himself or Bruce Willis as Leonidas.

(my vote was for Terrence Stamp, but anyway.....)

it's pretty much tanked.

so '300' it is.

[fnfalman]

There has to be some truths to the Spartan women. I don't think that they were the shy, wallflower types. They were the ones that give their husbands and sons the shields and tell them to come back carrying the shields or be carried on said shields. They were mentioned in Aristophanes's Lysistrada as to be the ones who talked the Greek women into rebellion.