Title: Gates of Fire
Author: Steven Pressfield
Genre: Historical Fiction
I finished the book this week. The ending of this book is so full of valor, courage, and sacrifice, it was overwhelming. This novel ends at the end of the Battle of Thermopylae. The main characters are Spartans. They, and their other Greek allies, numbered only 5400 soldiers against a million Persians. 300 out of those 5400 were Spartans, and all those picked were those that had already had sons so that their family line would not die. The Spartan king was among them. He knew that all 300 men from Sparta would die, but that they would die holding back Persia, and preventing the Persian emperor from gaining control over Greece. The battle only lasted for about a week, but in that week, hundreds and thousands of men were slain.
When the author describes the battle, he tells it from the perspective of the squire of one of Sparta's greatest captains. The way they fight is illustrated so well, it just comes alive in your head. The Greeks are so much better at fighting than the Persians, but in the end, they are overwhelmed by sheer force of numbers. The comradeship described between the soldiers is such a strong, unbreakable bond, it was hard for me even to imagine. One soldier will give his life for another whose face he has seen for the first time just a few minutes ago. All of them, especially the Spartans, were made out to be so loyal, and good, and strong, that it seemed that it was a crime that they were all killed. In the book, the Spartan king, Leonidas, was such a great leader. He knew how to rally his men and keep their spirits up, even as they were being slaughtered. His men would not give up fighting until they fell down dead. If they lost an eye, a limb, shattered their bones, got shot through with arrows, they would keep on fighting until the end. Towards the end of the battle, a group of 11 Spartans snuck into the Persian emperor's tent to kill him. They didn't succeed, but most of them got back alive. In the final battle, all of the main characters who still survived were killed. I cried at the end of the story, because I had grown so attached to these people.
In my mind, the characters in the books are true heroes. They didn't fight for glory or fame - they fought for Greece. They knew that they would die, and they were terrified, but they conquered their fear, and went into battle willingly. The strength of the bond between the soldiers was so clear that it was overwhelming. The understanding of what these men were willing to do, and what they were going through took my breath away. This book was excellent.
Author: Steven Pressfield
Genre: Historical Fiction
I finished the book this week. The ending of this book is so full of valor, courage, and sacrifice, it was overwhelming. This novel ends at the end of the Battle of Thermopylae. The main characters are Spartans. They, and their other Greek allies, numbered only 5400 soldiers against a million Persians. 300 out of those 5400 were Spartans, and all those picked were those that had already had sons so that their family line would not die. The Spartan king was among them. He knew that all 300 men from Sparta would die, but that they would die holding back Persia, and preventing the Persian emperor from gaining control over Greece. The battle only lasted for about a week, but in that week, hundreds and thousands of men were slain.
When the author describes the battle, he tells it from the perspective of the squire of one of Sparta's greatest captains. The way they fight is illustrated so well, it just comes alive in your head. The Greeks are so much better at fighting than the Persians, but in the end, they are overwhelmed by sheer force of numbers. The comradeship described between the soldiers is such a strong, unbreakable bond, it was hard for me even to imagine. One soldier will give his life for another whose face he has seen for the first time just a few minutes ago. All of them, especially the Spartans, were made out to be so loyal, and good, and strong, that it seemed that it was a crime that they were all killed. In the book, the Spartan king, Leonidas, was such a great leader. He knew how to rally his men and keep their spirits up, even as they were being slaughtered. His men would not give up fighting until they fell down dead. If they lost an eye, a limb, shattered their bones, got shot through with arrows, they would keep on fighting until the end. Towards the end of the battle, a group of 11 Spartans snuck into the Persian emperor's tent to kill him. They didn't succeed, but most of them got back alive. In the final battle, all of the main characters who still survived were killed. I cried at the end of the story, because I had grown so attached to these people.In my mind, the characters in the books are true heroes. They didn't fight for glory or fame - they fought for Greece. They knew that they would die, and they were terrified, but they conquered their fear, and went into battle willingly. The strength of the bond between the soldiers was so clear that it was overwhelming. The understanding of what these men were willing to do, and what they were going through took my breath away. This book was excellent.
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