Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae

by Steven Pressfield (Goodreads author)

book data

1,675 ratings, 4.30 average rating, 335 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		50%
4		33%
3		12%
2		2%
1		0%

edit

published

September 27th 2005 (first published 1998) by Bantam

binding

Paperback, 400 pages

characters

Leonidas, Xerxes

setting

Greece

isbn

055338368X (isbn13: 9780553383683)

description

Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.

Thus reads an ancient stone at Thermopylae in northern Greece, th

...more

[close] Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.

Thus reads an ancient stone at Thermopylae in northern Greece, the site of one of the world's greatest battles for freedom. Here, in 480 B.C., on a narrow mountain pass above the crystalline Aegean, 300 Spartan knights and their allies faced the massive forces of Xerxes, King of Persia. From the start, there was no question but that the Spartans would perish. In Gates of Fire, however, Steven Pressfield makes their courageous defense--and eventual extinction--unbearably suspenseful.

In the tradition of Mary Renault, this historical novel unfolds in flashback. Xeo, the sole Spartan survivor of Thermopylae, has been captured by the Persians, and Xerxes himself presses his young captive to reveal how his tiny cohort kept more than 100,000 Persians at bay for a week. Xeo, however, begins at the beginning, when his childhood home in northern Greece was overrun and he escaped to Sparta. There he is drafted into the elite Spartan guard and rigorously schooled in the art of war--an education brutal enough to destroy half the students, but (oddly enough) not without humor: "The more miserable the conditions, the more convulsing the jokes became, or at least that's how it seems," Xeo recalls. His companions in arms are Alexandros, a gentle boy who turns out to be the most courageous of all, and Rooster, an angry, half-Messenian youth.

Pressfield's descriptions of war are breathtaking in their immediacy. They are also meticulously assembled out of physical detail and crisp, uncluttered metaphor:

The forerank of the enemy collapsed immediately as the first shock hit it; the body-length shields seemed to implode rearward, their anchoring spikes rooted slinging from the earth like tent pins in a gale. The forerank archers were literally bowled off their feet, their wall-like shields caving in upon them like fortress redoubts under the assault of the ram.... The valor of the individual Medes was beyond question, but their light hacking blades were harmless as toys; against the massed wall of Spartan armor, they might as well have been defending themselves with reeds or fennel stalks.

Alas, even this human barrier was bound to collapse, as we knew all along it would. "War is work, not mystery," Xeo laments. But Pressfield's epic seems to make the opposite argument: courage on this scale is not merely inspiring but ultimately mysterious. --Marianne Painter

[close]

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | compare prices…

new topic
discuss this book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Novel Ladies: What are you doing right now?	1113	60	46 minutes ago
Gigi's Company: The Last Letter Game (Book Titles)	606	276	2 hours, 33 min ago
The Next Best Boo...: Your Latest Splurge	5978	6326	5 hours, 8 min ago
Novel Ladies: Rachael's Reading Log	14	37	2 days ago, 01:36AM
The Complete Idio...: Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield	1	4	20 days ago, 03:13PM

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

Best Historical Fiction

834 books | 2525 voters

Best Book Cover Art

697 books | 728 voters

More lists...

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2,288)

sort: default (?) | date
filters: all | text-only

01/26/08

Randy rated it:

bookshelves: military

Read in January, 1991

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 ...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

2 comments

10/10/07

Richard rated it:

Read in April, 2000

recommends it for: Those interested in Greek History, Military History, Historical Fiction

Steven Pressfield's first foray into historical fiction is a masterful account of the battle of Themopylae (thermos = hot, warm, fire; pylos = spring or gate; hence "Gates of Fire").

Told from the perspective of a captured, critically wounded Spartan helot (all the Spartans died, after all) who is being questioned by Xerxes (King of Persia) for information about the Greeks, the story presents a sympathetic, insider view of Spartan society and accurately presents the values o...more Steven Pressfield's first foray into historical fiction is a masterful account of the battle of Themopylae (thermos = hot, warm, fire; pylos = spring or gate; hence "Gates of Fire").

Told from the perspective of a captured, critically wounded Spartan helot (all the Spartans died, after all) who is being questioned by Xerxes (King of Persia) for information about the Greeks, the story presents a sympathetic, insider view of Spartan society and accurately presents the values of Greek civilization in contrast to that of the Persians. Pressfield is intimately familiar with the major historical accounts of the battle and fills in the many gaps with events and conversations that could have, and possibly should have, happened.

Leonidas, one of two kings of Sparta, leads 300 Spartans to Thermopylae in the attempt to delay the Persian army from reaching Greece before the Greeks have time to prepare the resistance. In ancient times, Thermopylae was the site of a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea, only wide enough for a few men to walk shoulder to shoulder. Joined by allies from other Greek cities (Argos and Thespis, as I recall), the total number of fighting men was approximately 1,200 to face Xerxes mighty army, which ancient accounts number in the millions. The Spartans use superior technology (bronze armor and weapons), superior training, and superior tactics (the deadly phalanx) to hold the Persians for three days. Even Persia's elite fighting force, the dreaded Immortals, are unable to defeat the Spartans.

Treachery, however, proves the undoing of the Spartans. Ephialtes (not the misshapen expatriate Spartan of the moview "300") sells information to the Persians, revealing a hidden path through the mountains. Surrounded, the Spartans refuse to surrender, preferring to fight to the death in order to demonstrate their superiority and to strike fear into the hearts of the Persians, who will soon have to face larger Greek armies. The death toll for the Persians is in the high thousands.

(Although not in the book, the sacrifice of the Spartans ultimately pays off. For, after sacking Athens, Xerxes is defeated in two decisive battles: Salamis, in which the Athenian navy destroys the Persian fleet, deprives Xerxes of much needed supplies; Plataea, in which the combined armies of Sparta and other allies defeats the Persian army. Greece, and along with it, Western Civilization is saved from Persian slavery, and the path is paved for the Golden Age of Athens.)

The book is an incredibly good read. I have recommended the book to many different people of various backgrounds and interests. None have been able to put it down.(less)

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

1 comment

07/20/08

Smokey rated it:

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Smokey by: Gift from a friend
recommends it for: Service members and those who wish to understand them

Soldiers are philosophers by trade, as opposed to nature. Whether they are gifted logicians or readers or not, their profession demands a close association with death and life, fear and courage, love and hate, joy and sorrow. A soldier gets acquainted with these, not as abstract ideas, but as intimate realities which are a part of the day-to-day environment.

When faced with such larger-than-life concepts, though, words often fail, no matter how important or meaningful a place they hol...more Soldiers are philosophers by trade, as opposed to nature. Whether they are gifted logicians or readers or not, their profession demands a close association with death and life, fear and courage, love and hate, joy and sorrow. A soldier gets acquainted with these, not as abstract ideas, but as intimate realities which are a part of the day-to-day environment.

When faced with such larger-than-life concepts, though, words often fail, no matter how important or meaningful a place they hold in every day life. I've tried once or twice to put some of this/these into words myself, because I felt a need to share with people outside my line of work just what it is that goes through our heads. We service-folk aren't mythical or demonic, we aren't legendary or infamous, we are neither "The Greatest Generation," nor the worst. But having tried to communicate something of what I've seen and felt, I realize now just why so many who served so honorably chose to remain so silent as to their experiences.

This book, Gates of Fire, says all of those things I couldn't say.

As you may guess, the book centers upon the Battle of Thermopylae, the same subject as the movie 300. As you read through the book, you will see why that movie treated it the way it did. The heroism on display at that time in that place makes any comic book superhero look silly by comparison; it's only natural that Leonidas & Co. should have their own line of action figures. Seriously.

But the book goes further than just the names, dates, and places; it is not "history" in the strictest sense, though it strives for such accuracy as historical records can offer. More so Gates of Fire delves into the why and the wherefore: why did these men go, knowing they would die? how were they able to stand and fight knowing that eventually they would be butchered where they stood? what could possibly have motivated the greatest "Alamo" the world has ever known? The book excels in this effort, bringing the concepts of the heroic into terms that the average reader can immediately grasp, or at least imagine.

The book also shows quite graphically the scenes of warfare. As one seasoned veteran asks a shaken youngster "What did you expect? What sort of wounds did you suppose the sword and spear would cause?" But it also shows in painful detail the moments of poignancy: the moments spent at home with loved ones, carved indelibly into the soldiers' hearts; the moments after the battle when soldiers realize they have survived the carnage to live once again; the unbelievable courage of the families they leave behind.

I have never marched in a phalanx with spear and shield. I have never truly closed with the enemy, or grappled with him in anger. But if you want to know what a soldier thinks, lives, and feels, read this book. The times and technologies have changed, but the principles have really not. Thank you, Mr. Pressfield for writing this.(less)

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

6 comments

09/23/08

Emily rated it:

Read in November, 2008

There I've finished it *loud triumphant music.*

I had to read this book for a Global class and the moment Sparta and Thermopylae were mentionesd I could feel the resentment rising in the pit of my stomach. I have nothing personal against the Spartans, except that battle strategies and armorments are not as interesting as they may sound.
I wasn't impressed with the lengthy descriptions of violence in the book. Mind you, I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan... but no one really needs e...more There I've finished it *loud triumphant music.*

I had to read this book for a Global class and the moment Sparta and Thermopylae were mentionesd I could feel the resentment rising in the pit of my stomach. I have nothing personal against the Spartans, except that battle strategies and armorments are not as interesting as they may sound.
I wasn't impressed with the lengthy descriptions of violence in the book. Mind you, I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan... but no one really needs entire paragraphs entirely dedicated to the grissly and slightly nauseating deaths of many soldiers. It's a respect thing, those soldiers died admirably... spare us the details of how exactly a soldier's head was cut off.

I also was not impressed with the Spartan commander's choice of..um...language.That may sound childish, being against the "mature" language but I believe that it's immature and rather unnecessary despite the opinions of others. It could have been immensley better if a certain part involving soldiers and trees was left out.

Other things that I found quite unpleasant, were the many confusing (not to mention extremely hard to pronounce) names. I can't keep everyone straight!
My final problem with the book was how it jumped from different points in time and between different narrators.
Despite all of the resentment that is attatched to this novel, there were a few admirable scenes.
1. When Leonidas mentions that the Spartan women have more courage than they themselves. They are forced to handle the pain of seeing their husbands and sons to war, and are forced to go against there nature and conceal all emotion.
2. When Arete saves Rooster's son from the soldiers who are on the brink of murdering him... now that's what I call brave.
3. When Xeones stays in battle although he has the chance to flee.
4. When the reader dicovers the opposite of fear.:)

So, there were several great parts of this book, but they were ultimately drowned out by the swearing, violence, hard to pronounce names and all together cofusing and disorderly plot line.

For Those in global:
Liked the "Clan" much better. (less)

Like this review? yes

17 comments

03/08/08

Cranky rated it:

Read in April, 2008

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 outco...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

07/16/07

Max Stone rated it:

Read in July, 2007

There are few subjects more naturally interesting than the contrasting / co-existing / conflicting (most of the time) societies of Athens and Sparta.

Athens, having all the good authors, good architects, good artists, good philosophers, etc. has tended to get portrayed pretty well.

Maybe it is just my ignorance, but this is the first thing I read which dealt at length and basically lovingly (in a violent sort of way; this is Sparta after all) with Sparta. I thought the...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

04/19/07

Wægmunding rated it:

Read in May, 2007

It's not "300' and that's a good thing. Steven Pressfield's "Gates" follows the events of the Battle of Thermopylae as described by Herodotus closely. He provides a landscape of Spartan daily life through the recollections of a squire, mortally wounded in the battle. The depictions of Spartan life made in the book are mostly accurate, though Pressfield largely overlooks the extent of state-sponsored pederasty, which was a staple of Spartan society, something that Miller ignore...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

01/10/09

Ross A. rated it:

Read in March, 2008

The action is a pulse-pounding, intense-type awesome whirlwind that will make history rise from the ashes of ages past, grab you by the throat, and shake the hell out of you. But it is much more than that. This novel is epic in a real sense, in that sense of choosing to be swept up into a world much larger than the selfishness of personal endeavors. It inspires thought.
The graphic novel/movie 300 was based heavily on this book and they were more about telling the myth that became of the ba...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

01/18/08

Matt rated it:

recommends it for: everyone/especially military

Everyone should read this book in order to gain an understanding of what it really means to love and be committed to ones country. All military leaders should read it and pay attention to the Leadership of the Spartan Army. Technology has not changed the necessity for strong leaders in the modern Army. The Spartan officers put their Soldiers first and led from the front. They suffered with their Soldiers, receiving no special preference for their rank, only more responsibility. The Spartan ...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

06/13/09

Trevor rated it:

recommended to Trevor by: Richard

This was an interesting book. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it and had thought it would be a book of history, but was actually a work of historical fiction. It was well told and, from what I know, an accurate enough telling of the story of the 300. Herodotus also tells this story in his histories and it is hardly surprising that a tale of so few holding off an army of so many should be remembered as one of the great military stories of all time. This one is told through the eyes of a c...more This was an interesting book. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it and had thought it would be a book of history, but was actually a work of historical fiction. It was well told and, from what I know, an accurate enough telling of the story of the 300. Herodotus also tells this story in his histories and it is hardly surprising that a tale of so few holding off an army of so many should be remembered as one of the great military stories of all time. This one is told through the eyes of a captured assistant to the Spartans who is asked by the Persian king to tell his story and who does so in quite some depth and detail.

The odd thing was that this story is told really by an historian of the Persians, and normally this would, within the context of the novel, raise concerns over the accuracy of the story as told and translated from the Greek and into Persian for the king. I guess I’m too aware of concerns for such distortions as this wasn’t something that was really played with at all by the author. The convoluted process involved in the telling of the story was not really to get the reader to question the accuracy of what was being told, but rather to find a way to get many of the threads in the story to all line up.

This book is apparently taught at West Point http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gates_of_Fi... and I found that very interesting. This is a story about bravery and what it takes to be brave, and I guess that is exactly the sort of thing people in the army would expect to learn. I couldn’t help reflect while reading this book how often when America is involved in military adventures overseas they are much more likely to see themselves as the 300, and therefore acting to defend their homeland, rather than as the Persian invaders. This is interesting, as it does involve some fascinating mental gymnastics.

This is a remarkable story and well told here in a way a modern audience would be much more likely to enjoy. Many of the famous lines are all here, from fighting in the shade (due to the number of arrows the Persians would be able to fire) to telling the emissary of the Persians 'to come and get them' referring to the Greek weapons after being asked to hand them over. Boy’s own stuff this. I kept thinking that it was odd that it was mostly told in first person, as generally these stories are told in omniscient narration, and this made me think that perhaps modern tellings of stories like this are much more likely to be told through the eyes of an individual.

Anyway, I enjoyed this more than I thought I might.

(less)

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

2 comments

05/27/09

James rated it:

Read in November, 2008

Gates Of Fire was a great book by Steven Pressfiled about the few Spartans that fought off a million Persians in the battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece. What I really liked about this book was how vividly Pressfiled described the battle sequences throught the novel and how he seemed to be able to bring them to life right out of the pages. The main reason I was atrracted to this book was after watching and loving the movie 300 I wanted to explore the life of Greece,Spartans, and the legendar...more Gates Of Fire was a great book by Steven Pressfiled about the few Spartans that fought off a million Persians in the battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece. What I really liked about this book was how vividly Pressfiled described the battle sequences throught the novel and how he seemed to be able to bring them to life right out of the pages. The main reason I was atrracted to this book was after watching and loving the movie 300 I wanted to explore the life of Greece,Spartans, and the legendary battle of Thermoplyae. Yes, some of it is pretty gory and bloody but it almost needs to be if it is to seem truly realistic. The book was a little slow at first but it soon picks up pace and flows well all the way to the end (which was spectacular). Any fans of the film 300 or war buffs would love the book but it's definatly not for everyone. The book is similar to the movie 300 but different in how the Persians are portrayed. In 300 they are seen in quite a negative point of view, but in Gates Of Fire they are simply an enemy or a threat that must be removed. After reading the book it encouraged me to go out and learn more about the battle of Thermopylae and the Spartans that fought it. I went online and read some various articles about it and learned quite a bit. While I was researching it I found that the book was quite accurate to the actual events which made me appreciate it even more knowing that it was true and acurate to the real life event. One thing about the book that I disliked was that I wish the author had allowed the readers to get to know the characters a bit better. I felt somehow disconnected from them and what they looked like in the novel. I think that area of the book could have been improved, thats one of the things that I really liked about the Harry Potter series was how well you felt you knew all the characters and what they were like. Thats the only reason Gates Of Fire recieved four stars from me, a lack of character development. Overall however it was a great novel that I would reccomend to people for its great creativity of the battle sequences and how well described the events are.(less)

Like this review? yes

add a comment

04/07/09

Rachael rated it:

bookshelves: read-in-2009

Read in April, 2009

Gates of Fire is not generally the type of book I choose to read, but I had to read for a class. It took me nearly 150 pages to become interested, and that only lasted about another 100 pages or so. I felt that the descriptions were very long and drawnout, and most seemed unnecessary. I wasn't fond of how the book kept going back and forth between past, present, and even farther past.

With all that said, I did enjoy the story. I liked the fact that Xeones, a foreigner to the Spa...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

11/15/08

Tad rated it:

Read in November, 2008

My reason for helping launch a "book club for men" in my neighborhood was to find books I would love but wouldn't stumble across on my own.
Bingo. "Gates of Fire" is a fantastic book, but it's not something I ever would have picked up without the prodding of our group. I haven't previously embraced historical fiction, but this account of the subject matter of the recent movie "300," the Battle of Thermopylae, is much, much more than the story of how 300 S...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

05/15/08

Marcelle rated it:

This book is so moving, so inspiring. It is about more then sacrafice and honor, it is about what it means to be a part of something. A city, a country.
No only men who fight are charactized as brave, but the women who give birth, raise, then send off to war are considered brave, tough, virtous for the role they play in society.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

04/21/08

Smaaron rated it:

I generally have three basic needs from a book. Let's run through the checklist here for this book.

Violence? Check.

Plot? Check.

Realistic dialogue? Check.

That pretty much covers it here.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

12/05/08

Graham rated it:

(review of isbn 0553812165)

bookshelves: ancient, historical, war

Read in May, 2007

I'd just seen 300 at the cinema and I was eager to find out more about Thermopylae, so I ordered this book. What a find! It's a tremendous read, building up to the most definitive retelling of a famous battle that I've encountered. It's also even better than the film!

Pressfield has a great eye for historical detail and his emphasis on the starkness of Spartan life makes for intriguing reading. The last part of the book is the battle itself and totally mind-blowing; the finest thing I...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

08/06/08

rachel rated it:

Read in August, 2008

recommended to rachel by: my husband
recommends it for: interested in history and good novels.

it took my breath away. it's an epic, a piece of history, but still very intimate and philosophical. the spartan life and the war for a free greece in 480 b.c. is completely absorbing and fascinating.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

03/24/09

Ricky rated it:

Read in January, 2007

This one almost wasn't fair.

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. The battle of the pass at Thermopylae still stands as one of the most awe inspiring tactical encounters the world has ever seen and proof that often the truth is more incredible than fiction.

The story follows a young man who grows into adult-hood and follows him into the epic battle itself, one of the fight's sole survivors. Asked to retell his life's story to the Persian's after the fight. It's this story ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

03/31/09

Rick Shores rated it:

(review of isbn 0553580531)

One of the best books I've ever read... up there with Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the Perelandra series, the L'Engle 'Wind in the door' books...

This was an incredibly vivid, incredibly gory, incredibly well written book, describing a fictionalized account of the battle of Thermopylae, written from the perspective of the sole survivor from the Greek side of the battle. It covers the (gently fictionalized, but not much, from other reading I've done) training that Spartan warriors went...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

03/19/09

Kevin "El Liso Grande" Sprinkle rated it:

Read in March, 2009

This was a very good book. One of those that I couldn't wait to pick back up and read. Steven Pressfield does a very good job of telling the story through a series of unique perspectives. It read like a history book while still being fun enough for fiction. I did keep comparing things I was reading to 300 and that may have made it tougher to read. I thought there may have been cases of anachronism with the language and that distracted me a bit but then again, if it were written all in Greek coll...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 114 115 next »

polls

What Are We Going To Read Next?

Here are a list of several books nominated or mentioned as future group reads. This poll is to get a sense of what we'd like to read.