Joel's review
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield (Goodreads author!)
Joel's review
rating:
recommended for: Anyone interested in historical fictions.
status: Read in June, 2007
rating:
recommended for: Anyone interested in historical fictions.
status: Read in June, 2007
This was a great read. The author researched a lot of hoplogical topics in order to present the battle scenes to be as realistic as possible for ancient Spartan warfare. Of course, he has to take some creative freedoms here and there, after all it is a fiction. However, he really does bring home the impact of war upon individuals, societies, and institutions (such as a nation's military). And those impacts aren't just destructive ones in the physical sense. Most of all, he relates the impact of war upon the family of the individual who is sent off to do battle. Some people may not see this or understand this, however, if you have ever served in the armed forces for your own country you will understand the self-sacrifice involved by all the people connected with the soldier. Sometimes the scars of war are worn just as deeply on those who stay at home.
