Steven Pressfield

Chronicles the battle of three hundred Spartan warriors against a huge force of Persian soldiers in 480 B.C. against the background of life in ancient Sparta and its extraordinary culture.

An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae

Gates of Fire

Christian Bager Bach Houmann

I had initially put the book down. I often find fiction boring to read, so I quickly discarded this book, without giving it much of a chance.

However, after listening to Pressfield talk about his writing process, and later about the Battle of Thermopylae, combined with my fascination with the ancient Greeks, I knew I had to give it another go.

Gripping is how I'd describe it. This is a fantastic work that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

Scott Wilson

A very compelling read on the Battle of Thermopylae - the subject matter of the 300 and the 300 risen movies. Mr. Pressfield has done a very nice job of providing historical context for the philosophy and education of the Spartans which ties in very nicely with the roles and obligations of a citizen of Sparta. The main tale is told by a prisoner of King Xerxes who wants to understand how 300 could have possibly stood up to such overwhelming odds - so from a place of respect.

Well written and a page turner.

Taylor Murphy

Brock

Patrick

Max L

Andrew John Kinney

Akinwale Oshodi

Tomek Skupiński

Ben Radford

Evil Lizzard

Sara Piteira 

Bob Ackerly

Hailed as 'breathtakingly brilliant' by the late, great David Gemmell . . . Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here, obedient to their laws, we lie. Nearly 2,500 years ago, in 480BC, at a bleak pass in a far-flung corner of eastern Greece, three hundred Spartan warriors faced the army of Xerxes of Persia, a massive force rumoured to be over a million strong. Their orders were simple: to delay the enemy for as long as possible while the main Greek armies mobilized. For six days the Spartans held the invaders at bay. In the final hours - their shields broken, swords and spears shattered - they fought with their bare hands before being overwhelmed. It was battle that would become synonymous with extraordinary courage, heroism and self-sacrifice: it was Thermopylae. ________ In Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield tells the epic story of those legendary Spartans: the men and women who helped shaped our history and have themselves become as immortal as their gods.

Gates of Fire An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae

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