Whilst Frank Miller's 300 may have captured the spirit of the battle of Thermopylae - elephants and wizards not withstanding, Steven Pressfield takes a much more realist approach. Greece in 480 BC is presented as a place of constant warfare united only by the prospect of imminent Persian invasion. The Spartans are as brutal and oppressive as they are stoic and courageous, so much so in fact that the Persians seem a relatively civilised and cultured lot in comparison. Despite the repugnance much of Spartan life may arouse in the modern mind, it's hard not to feel some admiration for their utter refusal to accept subjugation in any form. History lessons aside, it's in the battle scenes that this book really comes to life, the physical strain and merciless nature of close quarters fighting in the age of the hoplite has never been more vividly captured, even without the battle elephants.

n  n    “Victory cannot simply be declared, it must be won.”n  n

We all know how this battle ended, so I was ready for heartbreak from page one. And still that first description of the surprise attack in the tent left me speechless, I only there realized truly that our heroes whom I came to know here are not immortal.

Alexandros captivated me the most (with the narrator Xeones being close second). It’s crazy to think how young they were even at the end, at least by today’s standard.

“There is a proverb in Lakedaemon, ”the reed beside the staff“, whose meaning is that a chain is made stronger by its possession of one unproven link.”

This book sat on my TBR shelf for 6 years; I think I was avoiding it because of its obvious tragic ending. Now I feel just as sad as I thought I would before I even read the first page.

“The gods make us love whom we will not,” the lady declared, “and disrequite whom we will. They slay those who should live and spare those who deserve to die. They give with one hand and take with the other, answerable only to their own unknowable laws.”

There were so many quotes that I loved but this one was by far my favorite:

“The opposite of fear,” Dienekes said, “is love.”

Nemerljivo dobra knjiga. Nikada nisam volela ratne knjige, ali Ognjena kapija je mnogo više od toga. Probudila je u meni mnoge emocije, pred očima mi tako živo prikazala život i borbu Spartanaca da je zaista jako teško oceniti je samo peticom. Da mogu dala bih joj ocenu 20.
Knjiga je prepuna hrabrosti, borbe, poraza, pobede, ljudskih odnosa, životnih mudrosti, surovih scena i tužnih priča. Velika preporuka!
"Reći ću njegovom veličanstvu šta je kralj. Kralj ne ostaje u svom šatoru dok njegovi ljudi krvare i umiru na razbojištu. Kralj se ne gosti dok njegovi ljudi gladuju, niti spava dok oni bde držeći stražu na zidinama. Kralj ne nameće svojim ljudima odanost strahom niti je kupuje zlatom; on zaslužuje njihovu ljubav oznojenim leđima i bolom koji trpi radi njih. Najgore breme kralj prvi ponese i poslednji spusti. Kralj ne zahteva službu od onih koje vodi, već je pruža. Služi im, a ne oni njemu."

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.

An excellent first-hand account of Spartan life and training, culminating with the epic battle of Thermopylae. As much a novel as history.
Well researched and gives an insight into a society built around its military. As a former Special Operations soldier, I found the details about how the Spartans trained fascinating; it's intriguing how some thing don't change in the warrior profession.

Πάρα πολύ ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο,από αυτά που δεν σε αφήνουν να το αφήσεις.Ειλικρινά,αισθάνεσαι πως είσαι μέσα στη μάχη και παρακολουθείς τα τεκτενόμενα από πρώτο χέρι!

An awesome piece of historical fiction!

Kada znas kako se bitka zavrsava, ali ti likovi toliko prirastu za srce, da se nadas nekom preokretu u zelji da prezive

Δεν είμαι ιδιαίτερα φαν βιβλίων με θέμα μάχες και πόλεμο αλλά μου άρεσε αρκετά η ιστορία αυτή! Άνετα τη προτείνω σε αναγνώστες που θέλουν αναλυτική περιγραφή μιας μάχης και να μάθουν για την εκπαίδευση των Σπαρτιατών αλλά και τι τους ενέπνεε για να πολεμήσουν!
Μου άρεσε πιο πολύ η ιστορία και ο χαρακτήρας του Διηνέκη και η σύζυγος του Αρέτη έθεσε κάποια ερωτήματα περί θανάτου που ομολογώ έχω σκεφτεί και εγώ έχοντας χάσει αγαπημένο μου πρόσωπο! Επίσης πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα η στάση και ο χαρακτήρας των γυναικών που έστελναν τους συζύγους και τα παιδιά τους στον πόλεμο και πως αντιμετώπιζαν την πιθανότητα του χαμού τους!
Μια γενικά πολύ καλή ιστορία!

Wow, I loved this. To imagine the reality of this tale to be rooted in real history is beyond my ability. I’m writing this short and inconsequential (in historical perspective) review with tears in my eyes, tears of awe and respect for the warriors of Sparta. May the memories of their deeds of honor, bravery and valor never be lost. This particular telling (and the audiobook) is terrific. If historical fiction is something you might enjoy, do not miss this book. 5.0/5.0 stars.

Todos sabemos lo que pasa y como pasa, pero Pressfield lo narra de forma excepcional.

This book is too long. It took me four days to clear.

It's also spiritual. I couldn't understand the story though