Stunning. If you have any interest in ancient history, the ancient Greeks, history in general, warfare, or just plain good writing, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

I don't want to be long winded here, because I think most of the other reviews for this book do it justice already. But what Pressfield does here is nothing short of masterful. This is truly his magnum opus. The way that he builds up the suspense to the final, horrifying, and shocking calamity that is Thermopylae, is incredible.

This is a book that doesn't gloss over the horror of warfare.

Reading this is like reading All Quiet on the Western Front but in ancient times.

This is not a tale of braggadocious hollywood heroes.

I was dumbstruck when the battle finally began.

I won't spoil anything (though anyone who knows even the very basics of this story knows how this will all go down), but this is a description of ancient warfare at its finest.

Ancient warfare was not, as many movies and even books would like us to think, a glorious and colorful event. And in his book, Pressfield makes this abundantly clear.

Men piss themselves.

Their legs quake with fear in the silent dread that comes right before battle.

Men cry.

Hoplites walk around in a daze, half-crushed helmets hanging off their heads limply.

Some are blinded.

Some go mad with fear.

The horrors of battle even drive the greatest veterans to the breaking point.

I don't know if a movie could ever do this book justice.

This might be, in my humble opinion, the definitive fictional work about Thermopylae.

An awesome piece of historical fiction!

I chose this book reluctantly from my library's audiobook shelf. I thought I should read it because my knowledge of ancient history was pretty gap-filled, and because at some point I'm planning to rent "300" and this would be good background. I always pick up books I "should" read with grudging feelings.

Well. I was foolish to have hesitated over it, because this book is excellent. I'm just a few tracks from the end, and I feel wrecked by it. Knowing the outcome makes no difference--and even those who know nothing of Thermopylae will know the ending, because the book is told looking back in time.

The story is told my one survivor found by the Persians after the fateful battle. On the Persian king's orders, he tells not only the tale of the battle from the Spartan side, but also the culture, training, and beliefs of the Spartans and some of their Greek allies. It's the latter topics which take up most of the book, and which draw the reader in. Despite knowing how it comes out, the book is suspenseful as well as dramatic and moving. It's quite funny, in parts, as well.

I find myself wishing the author had written a book twice as long. I highly recommend it.

Gates of Fire is one of my favorite books...ever. I first read it back when I was in the Marine Corps. It was on the Commandant’s Reading List for a time - required reading for any motivated teufelhund. The author himself is a former Marine, and draws upon his experiences to create a compellingly insightful look at the mental and psychological makeup of a soldier. The concepts of self-sacrifice, service, community, camaraderie, and duty are the thematic core of this historic novel.  Steven Pressfield does more than just tell the story of what happened during the battle of Thermopylae (which in and of itself is a phenomenal story), he uses it as a backdrop for studying the psychological makeup of what a soldier should be. There is more philosophy in this book than one would expect from a war novel, but this is why I consider it both insightful, and at times inspiring…even after the fifth read. This is a great book for anyone who is thinking of, or soon will be joining military service. Anyone wishing to gain insight on how a military is supposed to function should read this book. Anyone wishing insight to the mind of a soldier should read this book. Those who are confused as to why a friend or loved one wants to join the military can very likely gain their answers from this book.

3.5

«Οι πύλες της φωτιάς»

Μια ωραία προσέγγιση που αφορά στην επική μάχη των Θερμοπυλών! Ενώ κυλάει γρήγορα σε δυσκολεύουν τα ονόματα και οι ιδιότητές τους. Επίσης, κάποια κεφάλαια μου άρεσαν αρκετά κ σε κάποια χάθηκα, κουράστηκα! Περίμενα βέβαια, κ οι περιγραφές κ οι αφηγήσεις της μάχης να είναι πιο λεπτομερείς.

Παρ’ όλα αυτά είναι ένα βιβλίο που προτείνω να διαβαστεί από αναγνώστες που αγαπούν τα ιστορικά μυθιστορήματα! Θα το απολαύσουν!

Xeon es un superviviente que narra la batalla de las Termópilas (en griego 'puertas de fuego'), en que un grupo de Espartanos opusieron una resistencia legendaria al avance de las tropas persas de Jerjes contra Grecia. Películas o cómics como ‘300’ han popularizado este episodio de la antigüedad y el resultado es bastante conocido.

Lo que más me ha interesado son las descripciones detalladas sobre la vida en Esparta, una sociedad totalmente enfocada a la guerra. Toda la primera parte del libro, sobre las costumbres y las leyes de estos guerreros, es lo que explica la batalla final.

En general me ha resultado un poco largo, unas 500 páginas, y las descripciones de batallas y violencia se me hacen un poco excesivas, aunque entiendo que son el tema principal del libro.
3,5*

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.

4,5* είχα ακούσει τρομερές κριτικές γιαυτό το βιβλίο και δεν μπορούσα να επικεντρωσω τι ήταν αυτό που είχε ενθουσιάσει τόσο πολύ κόσμο.... Δεν είναι οι περιγραφές της μάχης... Είναι όλο το πακέτο... Σε κάποια σημεία πιάνεις μυρωδιές άσχημες από πτώματα.. Δεν σου χαρίζεται αυτό το βιβλίο... Το ζεις μέσα στην φρίκη και το παράλογο του πολέμου... Δεν είναι ιστορικό είναι η ψυχολογία του θανάτου που έρχεται με φόντο ένα Λαμπρό δείγμα ανδρείας από την αρχαία ιστορία μας...δύσκολο βιβλίο... Επιλεγετε το μόνο συνειδητά

Easily in my Top 3 of his-fic.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest books ever written. Every page, every word feels as if it is a part of something truly special. The history, the characters, the philosophy and the heartbreak amounted to the perfect book.

«Ξένε ανήγγειλε στους Λακαιδομόνιους πως κειτόμεθα εδώ, πιστοί στους νόμους τους». Έτσι λιτά και… λακωνικά τίμησαν οι αρχαίοι τους πεσόντες στις Θερμοπύλες.

Η άποψη μου για το βιβλίο θα είναι εξίσου λακωνική, όπως του αρμόζει.
Μακάρι η «αναγνωστική» χρονιά να συνεχιστεί με τέτοιου επιπέδου βιβλία!! Μόνο αυτό…

Highly recommended to me, but highly disappointing. This is a romanticized historical fictional account of the Spartans' stand at Thermopylae against the massively superior forces of Xerxes. It does offer a depiction of the warrior culture of Sparta. But the writing: trite, tedious, melodramatic, sometimes overly flowery faux archaic, and at others base sixth grade genital/excrement humor. One of the major humor touchstones was a character whose catchphrase was "Wake up to this", which cracked everyone up because it sounded like "Weck up to thees". Not only is that not that funny, but it doesn't really work for me because it takes me away from picturing these guys speaking Greek, and becomes a comedy of guys talking in amusingly accented English like Cheech and Chong. I'll allow a star for the research the author did for the background for the book.