Αυτό το βιβλίο είχα την εντύπωση ότι ήταν μια περιγραφή της πορείας του Αλκιβιάδη σε πρώτο πρόσωπο. Όταν κατάλαβα ότι δεν ήταν κάτι τέτοιο απογοητεύτηκα λίγο και η συνέχεια του βιβλίου μάλλον δεν με αποζημίωσε επαρκώς. Παρ' όλα αυτά η μέσω τρίτων αφήγηση της πορείας του Αλκιβιάδη καταφέρνει να δημιουργεί μια σχεδόν ολοκληρωμένη αφήγηση και μια μυθιστορηματική σκιαγράφηση του χαρακτήρα του, ενώ η έξοχη απόδοση της εποχής - παρά τις διάφορες υπερβολές - και οι συναρπαστικές περιγραφές των μαχών σώζουν την κατάσταση.

Bought this at a library cast-off yard sale, thinking it would fit into my genre of historical fiction which I can both enjoy and learn something from - however unlike most of that type of novel I've read, I knew almost nothing about the subject (the Peloponnesian Wars), having only covered it briefly in high-school history as another example of Sparta vs. Athens.

And at first, I thought I'd made a big mistake - it was a very slow start, with cumbersome language, difficult names of both people and places, and just no familiarity on my part with which to mentally anchor the story.

By the time I'd finished, I couldn't put it down - a VERY good story on a remarkable (true!) character - Alcibiades - whom I confess I'd never heard of prior to this book. And while I've picked up a little bit of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, the use of a trireme, etc, this novel paints a picture of ancient warfare that both humanizes it, and modernizes it, in a way that allows you to identify and understand tactics and warfare from the perspective of an individual warrior. You perceive war as a clash of people, regardless of the technological differences.

And in an indicator of the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction, the drama associated with Alcibiades' hubris, his alteringg allegiances, and the responses of the people drawn to his charismatic leadership is almost unbelieveable. But its truth, and the way in which Pressfield uses the narrator (his assassin Polemides) to convey the attitudes of the Greeks (both Spartan and Athenian) and Persians, Thracians, etc, throughout, go beyond helping you understand why such changing tides were possible, but also paint a broader portrait of Greece at large.


As a result, it did just what I'd hoped - provided a much-appreciated education, and a great read!

Harder read than I have had lately. Maybe it just looks bad in comparison to the other books I've read lately. Learning more about the Peloponnesian War was fun, and Telamon is Judge Holden's little brother. The twist at the end seems abrupt and random and the jailers just let them do it?

Türkçe çevirisi berbat olmasına rağmen çok beğendim.

Ένα υπέροχο βιβλίο, το διάβασα βέβαια πριν αρκετό καιρό οπότε ίσως ξεχνάω κάτι. Πραγματικά ένιωσα πως βρίσκομαι σε εκείνη την εποχή. Ως μεγάλη "φαν" του Αλκιβιάδη, λάτρεψα τον τρόπο με τον οποίο τον απέδωσε ο Πρέσσφιλντ σε αυτό το βιβλίο. Νομίζω πως ήταν μια δίκαιη απεικόνιση, αφού τόνισε τα προτερήματά του χωρίς να κρύψει τα αρνητικά του χαρακτήρα του. Ο βασικός αφηγητής (ο δολοφόνος του, όπως λέει και στο οπισθόφυλλο), ήταν ένας εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον χαρακτήρας, και ενώ προσωπικά στην αρχή τον αντιπάθησα, κατέληξα να τον αγαπήσω πολύ, όπως και ο άλλος αφηγητής του βιβλίου. Ωφείλω να αναφερθώ και στις περιγραφές μαχών. Ήταν τουλάχιστον συναρπαστικές, ειδικά στο κομμάτι που αναφερόταν στη Σικελική εκστρατεία (έκλαψα προς το τέλος του κεφαλαίου). Δε θα πω τίποτα άλλο, εάν όμως σας ενδιαφέρει εκείνη η ιστορική περίοδος (πελοποννησιακός πόλεμος), αξίζει πραγματικά!
(Προτείνω να το διαβάσετε στα ελληνικά, γιατί χρησιμοποιείται δύσκολο λεξιλόγιο.)

Absolutely a must for anyone interested in Ancient Greece, yet the book also has its attractions to the rest. Pressfield writes in a very knowledgeable way - his books could almost be Non-fiction. This is the story of a man who turns against his own and, in doing so, opens the Pandora's box of war, chaos and self-destruction. In one word, Hubris!

Con Vientos de Guerra, Steven Pressfield regresa a la Grecia clásica que tan buenos resultados le dio en Puertas de Fuego, y el resultado es igual de excelente. Aunque me costó meterme en la historia, esta historia novelada de Alcibiades en la guerra del Peloponeso es tan bueno que al final del libro estaba enganchado de forma irremediable. Muy buenas las descripciones de las batallas y, sobre todo, esos diálogos que capturan perfectamente la época y sus valores. Me ha encantado.

Great novel, but difficult to read. Lots of different characters and moving pieces. I'll read it again soon.

This isn’t as good as Gates of Fire, but it’s still fantastic. For me anyway. There was less action, of course, and Pressfield does excel at action, but the detailed world and vivid characters were great.

This has more speeches, but they do a great job of articulating the different values and conflicting forces among the different factions.

Pressfield does a great job of getting the reader to think of Alcibiades as a god among men and a third rate huckster at the same time. It’s kind of stunning to have, simultaneously, such a high and low opinion of a character.

Great story telling as always.

This is an inspiring book. It's also a great big sloppy train wreck of a book!

Normally it's fun to trash a book as awful as this one, but TIDES OF WAR is a very special case. Steven Pressfield wrote GATES OF FIRE first, and it's a classic. GATES OF FIRE is all about Spartans, while TIDES OF WAR is all about Athenians. It's not hard to see why a conservative Vietnam War veteran like Pressfield intuitively grasps Spartan discipline and totally fails to capture the greatness of Athenian democracy.

But there are other problems. GATES OF FIRE is about a single battle, Thermopylae. And it covers many years of the hero's life, yet the climax is one explosive battle. TIDES OF WAR drags on for years, as the Athenians fight the Persians (and the Spartans) in a long, inconclusive naval war that see saws back and forth. There's no one lovable hero, and there are many, many villains. And while the women characters of GATES OF FIRE are amazingly strong and well defined, the women in TIDES OF WAR are silly and weak-willed even by the standards of right wing war novels.

It's inspiring to see that one author can write a classic novel and a disaster back to back. You never know who might come up with a masterpiece!

The story is framed by Grandfather Jason's narration. His grandson asks who he thinks is the noblest of the Greeks.
"Alcibiades," Grandfather answers immediately.
Grandson asks who he thinks is his 'most unforgettable character'.
"Polemides, the son of Nicias...the man who assassinated Alcibiades," Grandfather replies.

Thus begins Grandfather's narration, which is italicized. It alternates with Polemides's narration, which is set in a regular serif typeface. Polemides, erstwhile captain of marines, is in prison awaiting execution: not for the murder of Alcibiades, but for treason and the trumped-up charge of a boatswain's murder. Polemides tells both his own life's story and that of Alcibiades, commander of the Athenian fleet. The novel tells of the "thrice times nine year" Peloponnesian War; the rise of both men; Alcibiades's defections; defeat at Notium; final fall from grace; exile to Phrygia; and assassination.

Polemides states, "...Necessity would bring him low...but it was my hand which drove the fatal blade."

Later, a mercenary soldier, Telamon, gives Grandfather Jason a gold coin from Phrygia. The soldier calls it an 'alcibiadic'. The coin is good throughout all Asia. So we see people still remember and admire Alcibiades.

The sections explaining the different armies, the navy, and tactics were very well done. Because of Pressfield's vivid descriptions, I felt as though I had put on my kit and was an ordinary soldier or sailor back in the ancient world. Pressfield has a special knack for writing about military life and both land and sea battles. I liked Pressfield's contrasting the soldier's life with the farmer's life. I liked his description of Spartan society. There was a torture scene, as well as description of the manner of Polemides's execution, both of which I felt were too gruesome.

Alcibiades is commander of the Athenian fleet and an excellent tactician. He's also arrogant, lustful, ambitious, vain, impatient, and exploitative. He's charismatic but can also be demagogic or Machiavellian. Some of his ideas expressed in various letters could be straight out of The Prince. The women are colorless except Eunice, the only one showing any gumption and personality. Polemides functions mainly as a foil to Alcibiades.

I learned something more of the Peloponnesian War, which I studied long ago in school and only remembered vaguely. Alcibiades was only a dusty name until I read this novel.

Highly recommended for all who like ancient world military fiction!

Σχετικά συνεπής εξιστόρηση της εποχής του Πελοποννησιακού πολέμου (ειδικά για Αμερικανάκι) και μέρους της ιστορίας του πιο αμφιλεγόμενου προσώπου της εποχής (Αλκριβιάδης) μέσα από... δύο αφηγητές. Ο ένας αφηγείται τι του αφηγήθηκε ο άλλος. Πονηρό τέχνασμα ίσως του Πρέσφιλντ για να δικαιολογήσει ανακρίβειες και ανακολουθίες.
Δε θα ενθουσιάσει, ούτε θα απογοητεύσει, ενώ μερικές φορές νομίζεις ότι τους διαλόγους τους έχει γράψει ο Δαλιανίδης ή ο Φώσκολος, παρ' όλ' αυτά, όχι μόνο αποφεύγει τον πάτο των μονάστερων, αλλά σώζεται με ένα αξιοπρεπέστατο τριάρι.