Gates of Fire

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… show more.

This has to be one of–if not the–greatest single book I’ve ever read about war in the ancient world. I read the first ten pages, and I was interested; then I read the next forty, and I was utterly hooked. As a description of an elite military force holding out against overwhelming odds it fascinated me, but as a human story of the way Spartan society worked to produce those warriors, imbued with heroism, honour and humour in equal amounts I was simply blown away.

It’s fair to say that this book has been my greatest influence all the way… show more.

Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.

This novel also reminds me of an Italo Calvino book, Invisible Cities. In that story, Kublai Khan has captured Marco Polo, who must regale the Khan with stories about his empire's cities, or face death. In this novel, Xerxes has captured Xeo, the last surviving warrior from the Spartans. He must tell the Persian emperor how 300 Spartans and their allies managed to keep the mighty Persian army at bay for a week.

Rich with history and detail, the novel uses a series of flashbacks… show more.

Forget the film 300. The Battle of Thermopylae has never been described with more power and authenticity than in Pressfield’s 1998 novel.

His immense knowledge and understanding of the era are evident on every page, and any reader will swiftly find themselves alongside Xeones, Leonidas, and the outnumbered Spartans as they defend their homeland against the Persian invaders. This is a bloody, brutal, brilliant classic of the historical fiction genre. 

We all know the story of Thermopylae: 300 Spartans fight heroically for three days against an overwhelming Persian force, with the Spartans all killed during the three-day fight as Greece used their lives to buy time to successfully defend itself. But historical fiction Gates of Fire adds a new twist: as the Persians are pulling the bodies off the battlefield, they find a sole wounded Spartan, and after nursing him back to health, have him recount the battle from the Spartan viewpoint.

Author Steven Pressfield, a former Marine, is a superb storyteller as he describes the battle – and Spartan… show more.

I chose this for an essential component of historical fiction: giving face and voice to historic characters.

Pressfield transforms the legendary warriors of the Battle of Thermopylae into relatable, three-dimensional characters with depth, emotion, and motivation rarely found in history books. For example, Pressfield imagines Leonidas selecting the men that make up his three hundred Spartans based on the strength of their wives, because the king knows these women will have to endure being widowed.

The battle scenes are epic, describing the terror of standing in the shield wall and finding the courage to face death. The modern city of… show more.

From the moment Xeones uttered his first line, “I had always wondered what it felt like to die,” I was hooked.

Ancient Sparta is brought to life through the characters of this book. We see their motivations, their training, their society, and what, in essence, makes them Spartans. Xeones isn’t a native Spartan, but his admiration for their society and his devotion to his comrades-in-arms makes him the ideal choice to tell their story.

This book had so many things I like in a good novel: history, life-like characters with great arcs, action, and quotable lines.

Before Gerard Butler played Leonidas I in 300, Steven Pressfield wrote his version of the historical event of the Battle of Thermopylae. I loved this book because it does not hide the darker side of the 300 Spartans’ heroism as they stand to fight for their home. This is a well-researched novel about the invading Persians and the significantly fewer number of defenders who held them off long enough for the Greek navy to defeat the Persians at sea and save Greece.  

“Stranger, go tell the Spartans here we lie, faithful to their command,” is the inscription on the stela that marks the battlefield which is the book’s focus. Pressfield’s is not merely to show that 300 Spartans would stand and die or even why. His interest is in what kind of society produces such men. He shows us that.

The Battle of Thermopylae is the story that first set off my profound interest in history. Nothing surpasses the courage and drama of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans who stood against Xerxes’ overwhelming force during the Persian Wars of 480BC. As far as I’m concerned, the only author who has done the stirring tale true justice is Pressfield.

I heard this story for the first time when I was a child of five, oddly enough at Sunday School, and was awestruck.  It was repeated by chance when I was 13 watching the Hollywood movie, The 300 Spartans with Robert… show more.