One of the most enjoyable books I've ever come across! Pressfield is a fantastic writer. I could hear, feel, and see the events taking place in my mind as I followed the story. I can't outright recommend this book for Christian readers because of some graphic language and violence, but if you can look past that, "Gates of Fire" is an excellent novel. Pressfield delves deeply into the philosophy and mindset of the soldier as well, and has probably the best description of servant leadership that I've ever seen.

One of our favorite reads! It is one we often loan out and it always seems to strike a chord with everyone we have lent it to. So much so, our original copy never made it back home to us forcing us to pick up another one recently. After all we have to have it on hand to loan out, don't we? Our friend's 13 year old son is next.

We can't say why is it such a popular read, only that it is compelling, gut wrenching, mind searing battle scenes and simply, moving. It is moving in how it shows the friendship between these warriors, the families waiting for their return and the incredible effort of so few against such odds. It has plenty of action and adventure for male readers and plenty of depth and heart. That's not always an easy thing to accomplish to keep both sides in the mix.

We rate this a solid 4. Why not 5? Honestly, because it has been awhile since we have read it. We are going off of our fond remembrances and we all know how they can affect ones perception, so we want to leave room for error. Upon a re-read that could easily change.

So we will say it again, it is simply a powerful and moving read, but also an ever moving book, from one set of hands to another. If you get a chance to grab it when it comes along, do so.

This was quite a magnificent read. I would give it strong 4.5, because I quite did not like the form. It might be because I listened to the audiobook, but the form of a chronicle or witness recording was sometimes a huge obstacle. This was especially salient during dialogues, which felt a bit crippled and without the necessary flow. The form also did not give a space for many descriptions of the setting. However, these are my only complaints. The book is truly a masterpiece, and I have to say I really enjoyed even the Greek vocabulary that was used throughout the story. A must read for any fan of historical fiction.

2nd read: 4.9 stars.

Historical fiction at its finest, this novel recounts the fames Battle of Thermopylae, when a vastly outnumbered group of Greek soldiers took a heroic stand against the powerful Persian Army.

Should've been the source material for 300.

Steven Pressfield writes fantastic historical fiction. I have read a few of his books, and i think this is my favorite so far. He finds a way to tell a story in great detail without being laborious from a unique perspective without being obvious or cheesy. He is masterful and the story is powerful.

Considering going into this book I knew what was going to happen historically, I'm not fussed in ancient history, and the format in which the book was using to tell the story didn't appeal to me; that should tell you a lot about how well written this book is that I gave it five stars. A brilliant story about love, grief and sacrifice. How a small force of men in a brotherhood willing to sacrifice their lives for the love of each other, for country and for freedom against an empire. The only thing missing is the fact that it happens half a millennia before Easter becomes a thing lol

The characters are so well realised, the prose is so well written and I was half in tears by the end, even though I knew the ending from the start. Strongly recommend this book.

5 stars - English Paperback - I have dyslexia -
In an older notebook I found this lines:
Much surpriced by this book. A slave who' s hometown is distroyed by the spartans, but becomes one of there worriors because he admires them so much. The fight agains the Persians. Loved it.

Si te gusta la épica esta novela es sin duda espectacular, no hay otras palabras para definirla.

Pressfield es capaz de coger una historia conocida por todos, que incluso puede llegar a ser aburrida, y a base de épica y una gran carga emocional, la convierte en una de las mejores experiencias lectivas que he tenido en mi vida.

Su gran punto fuerte, pues que el autor es capaz de humanizar a los legendarios espartanos y convertir a estos en simples seres humanos, en vez de los acostumbrados héroes.

Todo ello lo hace con una prosa ágil y bien cuidado, en la que destacaría por encima de todo las escenas de acción, narradas con una gran maestría.

Resumiendo, libro muy recomendable si te gusta la épica y el trasfondo militar. Sino es el caso, creo que sigue mereciendo la pena por su calidad, aunque seguramente no llegue a encandilarte del todo.

Os dejo el enlace a mi blog para que leáis la reseña algo más completa que hice allí.

http://fantasiascifiymuchomas.blogspo...

One of the finest retellings you’ll ever read about one of the most remarkable, historically pivotal battles in history. This is my second reading of this book and it won’t be my last.

I am so surprised that I liked this book so much.

I generally don't like historical fiction or stories about war. I had to read them in school and never really liked them. For several years now, I have been trying to broaden my reading horizons and try different genres that I don't usually read. Now, many years after I finished my school education, there came time for a historical novel, and one in which a lot of space is devoted to the war. Interestingly, this story includes one more thing that I do not like in my books - it is the story of the main character's life from his childhood to the moment he is now. So I am really surprised how interested I was in this story and how much I enjoyed it.

This is a male book. I can't say exactly why. But reading, or actually listening to the audiobook, I thought it was a book written by a man for men. It wasn't something that bothered me as a woman, but it was part of the experience.

Steven Pressfield narrates the events that led to the Battle of Thermopylae in an amazing way. His story is both extremely real and has something imaginary about it, something out of a fairy tale. Perhaps because it tells about events that happened hundreds of years ago that they seem unreal to us today. On the other hand, it is not a story of a battle or of political events, but of people who fought with their closest friends in a battle that was lost from the very beginning. In some respects, it reminds me of World War II uprisings (including the Warsaw Uprising), fired with no chance of victory, but only to choose the type of death.

This is a truly amazing story and wonderfully told. I am so happy that I read it. That's why from time to time I like to read something I don't usually read, because I can have that unique experience. I definitely recommend this book to those who are interested in ancient Greece and those who like stories about people caught up in a whirlwind of true historical events.

Συμπαθές ανάγνωσμα, γραφή που κυλάει ευχάριστα και πλοκή που αιχμαλωτίζει τον αναγνώστη. Ένα τίμιο page-turner, αλλά μέχρι εκεί. Τίποτα περισσότερο, τίποτα λιγότερο.