La battaglia delle Termopili non ha bisogno di presentazioni. Se ne è parlato molto, forse anche a sproposito: un gesto inutile? Da un punto di vista pragmatico, forse sì, ma questo libro riesce a coglierne e svelarne al lettore il significato più profondo.

La battaglia delle Termopili fu un simbolo, un sacrificio rituale come talvolta si ritrovano nella Storia antica (basti pensare alla Devotio romana) che permise alla civiltà greca di sopravvivere e perpetuarsi, non solo negli atti, ma anche nella memoria. Il sacrificio di un pugno di guerrieri spartani, tespiesi e altri alleati provenienti dalle altre poleis, stretti in quel passo angusto alle Porte di Fuoco, rallentò l'avanzata dello sterminato esercito persiano e risollevò il morale degli altri milioni di greci che, rimasti a difendere le loro città, udirono il racconto della loro strenua resistenza.

Come dice Leonida in questo libro, fu un gesto che segnò il trionfo della libertà sulla schiavitù, che impedì all'Ellade di diventare una provincia periferica dello sconfinato impero. Ma soprattutto, impedì alla secolare identità ellenica di venire inghiottita dal crogiolo persiano, dove già diversi popoli avevano perso la loro autonomia.

Tutto questo, Steven Pressfield riesce a ricrearlo tra le pagine di questo libro. Ricostruisce le condizioni estreme della battaglia, il loro impatto sul morale degli uomini e lo spirito che li ha portati a resistere fino all'ultimo. Ci restituisce i costumi spartani, scava a fondo nella loro mentalità, nella concezione di regalità comune agli antichi popoli europei, e analizza le sfaccettature del coraggio e della paura. Parla di uomini e donne che sanno essere eroici nelle loro fragilità, non perché non abbiano debolezze, ma perché riescono a domarle.
E ci fa capire che forse, se gli Spartani e i loro alleati greci non avessero ottenuto questa vittoria simbolica alle Termopili, adesso la storia europea sarebbe molto diversa.

The qualities of a good battle squire are simple enough. He must be dumb as a mule, numb as a post and obedient as an imbecile. In these qualifications, Xeones of Astakos, I declare your credentials impeccable.

This is how Xeones, one of the main characters of the book, is described at some time in the story. Ironically the entire book revolves around this helot character who ends up being an eye witness of the battle of Thermopylae. The book itself tries to be an historical reference intercalated with a fictional plot. The use of Greek words in their Anglicized form makes the atmosphere of the book even more credible but sometimes this could confuse the reader. As an example take “katalepsis “ who according to the author means: ‘possession, meaning that derangement of the senses that comes when terror or anger usurps dominion of the mind’. The problem was that I knew the word to mean grasp or comprehension but who knows may be it is a homonym.

The story is complex and engaging, the characters credibly portrayed and the environment vividly described. But the dialogs are the ones which make the book entertaining. The combined extrospection and introspection of each character which is exteriorized through words tries to be deep and profound but at the same time laconic as the Spartans usually like it:

- Answer this, Alexandros. When our countrymen triumph in battle, what is it that defeats the foe?
- Our steel and our skill.
- These, yes but something more. It is that …
- Fear, their own fear defeats our enemies
- Now answer. What is the source of fear?
(no response)
-Fear arises from this: the flesh. This is the factory of fear.

At the same time the book exposes the difference between the cultures of some ancient Greek city-states. For example the oligarchic Sparta is compared with the democratic Athena so that the Spartan way of leaving is better contoured. At some time one can even perceive a cult of personality created around one of their original law makers Lycurgus:

We have embraced the laws of Lykurgus, and they are stern laws. They have schooled us to scorn the life of leisure, which this rich land of ours would bestow upon us if we wished, and instead to enrol ourselves in the academy of discipline and sacrifice.

And which is more they see themselves different from the others because they think they found a way to overcome some of the flows of the human being usually by having 3 main principles: peer equality, military discipline and austerity. In their opinion the human character is by default corrupt:

Man is weak, greedy, craven, lustful, prey to every species of vice and depravity. He will lie, steal, cheat, murder, melt down the very statues of the gods and coin their gold as money for whores. This is man. This is his nature, as all the poets attest.

Because their society is built on some form of military philosophy most of the males are trained, early in their lives, to be soldiers through a program called agoge. They realize that in order to have the best army the need some principles to breed one. So they start at the roots, the babies.

After birth the babies are thoroughly scrutinized and if they don’t fit the pattern they are left to die. This cruel way of filtering can be easily viewed as an early form of eugenics and is mostly missing from the book. (at least don’t remember it )

But to have strong offspring in the first place they believe they need strong mothers. In order to achieve this they tolerate a wider independence level for females than it’s usually seen in the other Greek poleis( city-states). Spartan women are also encouraged to walk through the city or do gymnastics:

They were dams, these ladies, wives and mothers whose primary calling was to produce boys who would grow to be warriors and heroes, defenders of the city. Spartan women were brood mares, the pampered damsels of other cities might scoff, but if they were mares, they were racers, Olympic champions. The athletic glow and vigour which the gynaikagoge, the women’s training discipline, produced in them was powerful stuff and they knew it.

Religion is an absolutely important aspect of their society and to be somehow agnostic or even an atheist is rarely seen. This is superbly presented at some time in the book :

Dekton was the first person I had ever met, man or boy, who had absolutely no fear of the gods. He didn’t hate them as some do, or mock their antics as I had heard the impious freethinkers did in Athens and Corinth. Dekton didn’t grant their existence at all. There were no gods, it was as simple as that. This struck me with a kind of awe. I kept watch, waiting for him to be felled by some hideous blow of heaven.

In the end the book turned out to be an incredible ride through the first part of the second Persian invasion of Greece. Because of the historical references and the emotion behind the brother-in-arms phenomenon it can’t be easily forgotten. Ironically the “few stand against many “ concept reflected at Thermopylae blends perfectly with their oligarchical (Spartan) system, where oligarchy means: power in the hands of the few. But we are lead to believe that this few really deserve it

A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men’s loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them. He serves them, not they him.

“You have never tasted freedom, friend," Dienekes spoke, "or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.”

Poignant and powerful words from an equally cutting, poignant and powerful book. Pressfield writes of the Battle of Thermopylae not as a glorified, exploitative war novel, but delves into deeper humanistic themes and commands excellent character development. Through the account from a unique character’s point of view, we see the training and psyche of a soldier, the gravitas and sacredness of service, community, family, and self-sacrifice.

As this book had been recommended to me, I now recommend it to you. -Sara S

One of the best book I've read lately. With ease, I was drawn into the story of Spartans. In my head, I imagined each piece of equipment and felt the anticipation of oncoming battles that have become legends. No one can remain indifferent to the heroism of the Spartans who opposed the massive Persian army.

A few years ago I read and loved Pressfield's The Afghan Campaign, which is apparently one of his minor works, so I expected to be blown away by this one. Unlike most readers, though, while I think it's competently written, I was never able to enjoy it.

Gates of Fire is primarily about the battle at Thermopylae, as told through the eyes of Xeones, a young squire. Much of the book deals with Xeones's life, Spartan military training, and the lead-up to the famous battle, but the battle itself definitely gets its share of attention.

First, the good stuff. Gates of Fire is a decently written book, without fluff, and at his best Pressfield deals with intensely emotional moments in a very effective understated way. Although this book was apparently part of the inspiration for that ridiculous movie, 300, it's not stupid or over-the-top. Pressfield deals with war in such a way that you can see how people come to diametrically opposed conclusions about it--why some people think it's glorious and want to be part of it, and why others think it's hell. And while I wasn't a stranger to these historical events before reading the book, I still learned some things from it (did you know the Spartans had allies at Thermopylae? Me neither).

And now, the problems:

1) It's very heavy on the history, at the expense of the fiction. Pressfield gives us info-dumps about Spartan culture, for instance, rather than weaving it into the story. And there's also long narrative stretches about military strategy and training and so on. If you're like me--you like historical fiction, but don't read history books for fun--it can be rough going. Especially since much of it is quite densely written, with lots of names and Greek terms thrown at the reader without any context.

2) Relatedly, the book doesn't really have a main character, or anyone I was able to connect to. Xeones is the narrator, but not really the protagonist (unlike the narrator in The Afghan Campaign); he tends to disappear into the background and narrate in the third person, and sometimes it's not even clear if he's present or not. And while there are some decent secondary characters, like Dienekes and Alexandros, none of them are the protagonist either. I'm sure this is intentional: it's a book about a group, not about an individual, and the Spartans fought as a unit; focusing on individual heroics might seem to cheapen that. But when the main character is "the Spartans" and there's less focus on individual character development, again, it makes the book feel more like history than fiction. As is, everybody died (including Xeones) and I didn't give a flip, which is kind of lame. I don't expect or want to be crushed by every major character death in a book that I read, which would be exhausting, but this kind of drama ought to have summoned a least a little emotion.

3) Finally, the book is told in a circuitous way; I found the jumping back and forth in time a bit distracting, but more off-putting was the way Xeones would forecast an event or subplot before narrating it in detail later. Already knowing how Thermopylae turned out, I was hoping for some suspense in the details, but there too Pressfield tells us the end before getting started on the story.

So in the end, while I wouldn't call this an objectively bad book, I didn't find it particularly compelling or rewarding, and was glad to be done with it. Obviously, tons of people love it, and if you are a military history buff you should definitely give it a try. And it's definitely more male-oriented, so if you're a guy you probably shouldn't let my review turn you off. But it may be disappointing to the casual reader, especially the casual female reader. It certainly was to me.

Review of Kindle edition
Publisher: Bantam
January 30, 2007
ASIN: B000NJL7QO
531 pages

Like G.K. Holloway's 1066: What Fates Impose, this novel by Steven Pressfield is what historical fiction should be. Well researched story of Thermopylae, true to the time and place, informative, excellent character development and a well written, engrossing story.

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.

About ten years ago I watched a movie titled House of Flying Daggers that my friend said was "a feast of the senses." I thought that was kind of a melodramatic and corny way to describe a movie but after watching it I understand exactly what he meant and it remains one of my favorite films to this day. The sets, scenery, costumes, and colors were beautiful, the script and pacing were a perfect blend of action, intrigue, drama, and romance, and the fighting scenes were well choreographed and edited perfectly for sound and sight. A truly remarkable movie. That brings me to this book. I cornily pronounce this book to be a feast of the senses. I could feel the blood-soaked dirt between my toes, I could hear the clash of bodies and armor, I could smell the blood, piss, and shit on the battle fields, and I could see the carnage of it all. But in between the battles the author does such a spectacular job bringing these historical figures to life I could feel their emotions and I experienced their pain, courage, love, loss, and fear. This was an amazing reading experience and I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Βιβλίο που πρέπει να διαβαστεί από όλους!!!

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.

Ένα βιβλίο πραγματικός θησαυρός! Στίβεν Πρέσσφιλντ, ο σύγχρονος Ομηρικός συγγραφέας.