This book is about that intrepid city state in ancient Greece, the legendary Spartans, and of course the Gates of Fire are the passes at Thermopylae where King Leonidas and his 300 were joined by other Greek contingents to face down, and stop, the mighty Persian Armies invading Greece. Following a group of key characters, Pressfield takes us deep into the Spartan culture to see what created such fierce and dependable warriors. Boys were trained from an early age to become men of steel, and on any field where a contingent of Spartan soldiers stood, their enemies quailed. The book presents two battles in gritty detail to show how the Spartans fought, and most often won their wars. Their military prowess and incredible bravery foil Xeres until a traitor reveals a hidden mountain pass the immortals can use to bypass them. I have read no other account of Thermopylae that took me right onto the bloodied field, side by side with brothers and heroes that simply refused to yield. The stirring story of this famous last stand is completely captivating, and no other author I have read has told it better.
In the Sunday Times bestseller Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield tells the breathtaking story of the legendary Spartans: the men and women who helped shaped our history and have themselves become as immortal as their gods.
'Breathtakingly brilliant . . . this is a work of rare genius. Savour it!' DAVID GEMMELL
'A tale worthy of Homer, a timeless epic of man and war, exquisitely researched and boldy written. Pressfield has created a new classic' STEPHEN COONTS
'A really impressive book - imaginatively framed, historically detailed and a really gripping narrative' ***** Reader review
The Famous “Lawrence of Arabia” has written his first hand account of his exploits in Syria and Arabia against the Ottoman Turkish Army in WWI—three times. This highly educated British Maverick, did something that no one thought possible when he lived with, and united, the many disparate Bedouin tribes in a common cause against the Ottoman Turks. Operating on General Sir Edmund Allenby’s right flank, Lawrence moved like a desert wind and smashed the railways the Turks relied upon to feed the garrisons in vital outposts like Aquaba, Medina and eventually Damascus. Here is a book that Lawrence completed, then simply threw into the fires of his hearth, being unsatisfied with his work. He then rewrote the entire 660 page tome from memory, and this manuscript was stolen in a train station while he was traveling in England. The book we have today is then his third draft of his fascinating tale, and it is a book you can get lost in. A true classic. This is a history that reads like an engrossing historical fiction, and the knowledge that this is the testimony of Lawrence himself underpins his tale with layers and layers of realism. A must read for every “desert loving Englishman” or lover of history out there.
As Angus Calder states in his introduction to this edition, 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom is one of the major statements about the fighting experience of the First World War'. Lawrence's younger brothers, Frank and Will, had been killed on the Western Front in 1915. Seven Pillars of Wisdom, written between 1919 and 1926, tells of the vastly different campaign against the Turks in the Middle East - one which encompasses gross acts of cruelty and revenge and ends in a welter of stink and corpses in the disgusting 'hospital' in Damascus.
I have loved historical fiction set in an Asian Atmosphere ever since I fell head over heels into the writing of James Clavell with books like Shogun and Tai-Pan. So I picked up Court of the Lion and fell in love again. The book recounts the fateful collapse of the Chinese Tang Dynasty during the An-Lushan rebellion, and shows how this general came in from the fringes of the empire and worked his way right into the heart of the Imperial family. With exquisitely drawn characters and prose that can be lyrical at times, the authors present the story of how An-Lushan eventually turned against the Emperor he had so dutifully served for so long, and “shook all under heaven” with his devastating rebellion. Here is another great historical novel to get lost in, all of 920 pages long.
Set in eighth-century China amidst the splendour and decadence of the court of the T'ang emperor, this tale aims to transport the reader to a mysterious and fascinating era. Cooney is a writer and painter and Altieri is a scholar of Chinese history.
This is the story of a trader, Tando Ghazi Khan, on the famed “Silk Road” who set out from the Tang Capitol of Changanin 711AD and drove his camel train west towards the formidable expanse of the great Taklamakan Desert. Coming to Miran, the road divides to go either north or south of the Taklamakan, and Tando must make a fateful choice when the Tibetan Army comes down from its high mountains to prey upon the weakened Tang Dynasty and seek control of the Tarim basin and its lucrative trade routes. Jade Ring Green, a tea of great virtue becomes a saving grace for Tando and his men. Forbidden rites of the old religion of Tibet ignite the passion and contention of rival clan leaders. A Young Tibetan General struggles for survival when treachery and betrayal threaten his mission. A Lost waif is led to the hidden shrine of a Buddhist sect, and the long guarded mysteries of the Tantra. A Tarim scout pursues an emerging love and is driven to a fateful moment at a forsaken desert outpost. Tando’s secret map leads him to a mystery at the heart of the Taklamakan where the deepest truths of Buddhism are revealed in a moment of great awakening. Inspired by books like those on this list, and by writers like James Clavell, this is my very best effort in the genre of Historical Fiction, and the book I am most proud of among the 90 novels I have published. In fine form, it comes in two volumes that comprise a tale that is over 600 pages long. Enjoy!
