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This book was excellent! It grabbed my attention in the beginning and only got better and more exciting as it continued.
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Last of the Amazons
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TO THEM HONOUR AND LOYALTY WERE EVERYTHING...
1250 BC: Theseus, king of Athens and slayer of the Minotaur, set sail on a journey that brought him to the land of 'tal Kyrte', the 'Free People', a nation of fiercely proud and passionate warrior women whom the Greeks called 'Amazons'.
Lovers and fighters they owed allegiance to no man and distrusted the Greeks with their boastful talk of cities and civilization. When their illustrious war queen Antiope fell in love with Theseus and fled to Athens with the king and his followers, so denying her people, the Amazon tribes were outraged. Seeking revenge, they raised a vast army and marched on Athens.
History tells us they could not win, but for a brief and glorious moment, the Amazons held the Attic world in thrall before vanishing into the immortal realms of myth and legend.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,2002
This edition
- Format
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400 pages, Paperback
- Published
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July 1, 2003 by Bantam
- ISBN
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9780553382044
- ASIN
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0553382047
- Language
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English
About the author
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I was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943 to a Navy father and mother.
I graduated from Duke University in 1965.
In January of 1966, when I was on the bus leaving Parris Island as a freshly-minted Marine, I looked back and thought there was at least one good thing about this departure. "No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, no one can ever send me back to this freakin' place again."
Forty years later, to my surprise and gratification, I am far more closely bound to the young men of the Marine Corps and to all other dirt-eating, ground-pounding outfits than I could ever have imagined.
GATES OF FIRE is one reason. Dog-eared paperbacks of this tale of the ancient Spartans have circulated throughout platoons of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan since the first days of the invasions. E-mails come in by hundreds. GATES OF FIRE is on the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Reading list. It is taught at West Point and Annapolis and at the Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico. TIDES OF WAR is on the curriculum of the Naval War College.
From 2nd Battalion/6th Marines, which calls itself "the Spartans," to ODA 316 of the Special Forces, whose forearms are tattooed with the lambda of Lakedaemon, today's young warriors find a bond to their ancient precursors in the historical narratives of these novels.
My struggles to earn a living as a writer (it took seventeen years to get the first paycheck) are detailed in my 2002 book, THE WAR OF ART.
I have worked as an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout and attendant in a mental hospital. I have picked fruit in Washington state and written screenplays in Tinseltown.
With the publication of THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE in 1995, I became a writer of books once and for all.
My writing philosophy is, not surprisingly, a kind of warrior code — internal rather than external — in which the enemy is identified as those forms of self-sabotage that I have labeled "Resistance" with a capital R (in THE WAR OF ART) and the technique for combatting these foes can be described as "turning pro."
I believe in previous lives.
I believe in the Muse.
I believe that books and music exist before they are written and that they are propelled into material being by their own imperative to be born, via the offices of those willing servants of discipline, imagination and inspiration, whom we call artists. My conception of the artist's role is a combination of reverence for the unknowable nature of "where it all comes from" and a no-nonsense, blue-collar demystification of the process by which this mystery is approached. In other words, a paradox.
There's a recurring character in my books named Telamon, a mercenary of ancient days. Telamon doesn't say much. He rarely gets hurt or wounded. And he never seems to age. His view of the profession of arms is a lot like my conception of art and the artist:
"It is one thing to study war, and another to live the warrior's life."
I graduated from Duke University in 1965.
In January of 1966, when I was on the bus leaving Parris Island as a freshly-minted Marine, I looked back and thought there was at least one good thing about this departure. "No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, no one can ever send me back to this freakin' place again."
Forty years later, to my surprise and gratification, I am far more closely bound to the young men of the Marine Corps and to all other dirt-eating, ground-pounding outfits than I could ever have imagined.
GATES OF FIRE is one reason. Dog-eared paperbacks of this tale of the ancient Spartans have circulated throughout platoons of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan since the first days of the invasions. E-mails come in by hundreds. GATES OF FIRE is on the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Reading list. It is taught at West Point and Annapolis and at the Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico. TIDES OF WAR is on the curriculum of the Naval War College.
From 2nd Battalion/6th Marines, which calls itself "the Spartans," to ODA 316 of the Special Forces, whose forearms are tattooed with the lambda of Lakedaemon, today's young warriors find a bond to their ancient precursors in the historical narratives of these novels.
My struggles to earn a living as a writer (it took seventeen years to get the first paycheck) are detailed in my 2002 book, THE WAR OF ART.
I have worked as an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout and attendant in a mental hospital. I have picked fruit in Washington state and written screenplays in Tinseltown.
With the publication of THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE in 1995, I became a writer of books once and for all.
My writing philosophy is, not surprisingly, a kind of warrior code — internal rather than external — in which the enemy is identified as those forms of self-sabotage that I have labeled "Resistance" with a capital R (in THE WAR OF ART) and the technique for combatting these foes can be described as "turning pro."
I believe in previous lives.
I believe in the Muse.
I believe that books and music exist before they are written and that they are propelled into material being by their own imperative to be born, via the offices of those willing servants of discipline, imagination and inspiration, whom we call artists. My conception of the artist's role is a combination of reverence for the unknowable nature of "where it all comes from" and a no-nonsense, blue-collar demystification of the process by which this mystery is approached. In other words, a paradox.
There's a recurring character in my books named Telamon, a mercenary of ancient days. Telamon doesn't say much. He rarely gets hurt or wounded. And he never seems to age. His view of the profession of arms is a lot like my conception of art and the artist:
"It is one thing to study war, and another to live the warrior's life."
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Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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Steven Pressfield has written many books, greatest among them, Gates Of Fire, the epic fictional tale of the 300 Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae. This book, Last Of The Amazons, is just as good in every detail. At first I was not sure, the beginning was slow and his wordplay hard to follow. After a couple chapters though the magnanimity of Pressfield’s brilliance shines through. The attention to detail is spectacular. Both of these books prove that as a historical fiction author Steven Pressfield is among the very best. I can not stress enough how good these books are and that you should read them. (BrianBoy)
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Όταν τελείωσα το βιβλίο ένιωσα κανοποίηση για την επιλογή μου να εμπιστευθω ξανά τον Pressfield.
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Amazing how Pressfield created a whole culture!!! He must have taken elements from every steppe culture he read about and added a big dollop of imagination. The way he kept changing from narrator to narrator was very confusing, but I did enjoy the basic story. If you've never read any other Pressfield, this might be more enjoyable, but there is no comparison with Gates of Fire!
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I beg the would be reader to notice that the majority of people who have given this book a one star rating did not finish it. My husband also took this book up and became so instantly frustrated with it that he didn't even make the hundred page mark. The reason is the writing style of this work (sorry Steven you know I love you but this is true) was absolutely atrocious. It was VERY choppy, especially at the start. He changes perspectives faster than the reader can get into the characters. However, with this in mind I must say the book is still amazing. What I would recommend would be a quick read of about the first half. Do a speed read so you know the characters and you get the idea of the plot. Then really indulge in the last half. The last half paints some entirely world wide heroic pictures of these amazon warriors. He unleashes them with serious force. The one on one combat scene between the queen of the amazons and Theseus is probably one of his best written battles that I have read, and the riding out and clashing of arms is epic in scope. The story involves sisters and is well thought out and complex. But damn Steven the perspective was so off on this one. A birds eye view or a single storyteller would have made this work amazing. Be warned, this book is bloody like his others, and frankly the choppiness may ruin it for you. If you can get past that you will have some very amazing images of warrior women running around in your head after reading this one. Choose to pick it up accepting this as it is or don't bother.
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Wonderful tale
Equal to Gates of Fire in its telling of ancient Greece and the legend of the Amazons. Revealing in its stories of man and woman, civilization and savagery.
Equal to Gates of Fire in its telling of ancient Greece and the legend of the Amazons. Revealing in its stories of man and woman, civilization and savagery.
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2*t
Passado em 1250 a.C. - uma geração antes da famosa Guerra de Tróia - esta obra descreve o conflito entre os Atenienses e as Amazonas; a organização da futura pólis vs as estepes das mulheres livres e indomáveis.
É também a história de amor entre Teseu, o famoso herói grego que derrotara o Minotauro de Creta, e de Antípe, a rainha Amazona.
2*t
A constante alternância de perspectivas, apesar de conferir dinamismo à narrativa ,também suscita alguma confusão até entendermos qual a personagem que narra os acontecimentos..
Não consegui gostar e nem consegui perceber o porquê, mas foi uma leitura que não fluiu.
Talvez numa releitura venha a dar o devido valor a esta obra – ou não. Mas para já não me conseguiu cativar e li por ler. Fiquei muito desapontada porque achei que ia amar este livro visto tratar-se da história das míticas Amazonas, ou melhor, as tal kyrte.
Passado em 1250 a.C. - uma geração antes da famosa Guerra de Tróia - esta obra descreve o conflito entre os Atenienses e as Amazonas; a organização da futura pólis vs as estepes das mulheres livres e indomáveis.
É também a história de amor entre Teseu, o famoso herói grego que derrotara o Minotauro de Creta, e de Antípe, a rainha Amazona.
2*t
A constante alternância de perspectivas, apesar de conferir dinamismo à narrativa ,também suscita alguma confusão até entendermos qual a personagem que narra os acontecimentos..
Não consegui gostar e nem consegui perceber o porquê, mas foi uma leitura que não fluiu.
Talvez numa releitura venha a dar o devido valor a esta obra – ou não. Mas para já não me conseguiu cativar e li por ler. Fiquei muito desapontada porque achei que ia amar este livro visto tratar-se da história das míticas Amazonas, ou melhor, as tal kyrte.
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a 400 page comicbook
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