Recently, I saw Mr Pressfield's name mentioned about some books he wrote about Alexander the Great and his campaign through Afghanistan. As you may be aware by some of the recent book reviews I have written, I have read alot about Afghanistan. So I decided I would read one of Mr Pressfield's other novels. After having looked through his writings, I harkened back to a talk I saw Victor Davis Hanson give about Greek history, so I decided to pick this book.
A little while after I ordered it, I saw the movie trailers for 300 and I knew I needed to start the book as soon as possible.
I was certainly not dissapointed. Gates of Fire is the story of the Greeks' standoff with the invading Persian Army. After a Persian emmisary met with the Spartan king, Leonidas, and threatened to invade Sparta unless they submitted to the will of the Persian king, Xerxes. The Spartans found this ultimatum inconsistent with their tradition of freedom and looked for a battle which would offer them a chance versus the enormous, conscripted Persian army (thought to number 2 million). Thermopylae was this place. However, the Persians were advancing too fast for the Greeks to amass an army here. Therefore, King Leonidas chose 300 Spartans with male heirs (the cream of their fighting crop) to fight alongside Greeks from other city states (Thebes, Athens, etc.) against the Persians.
What follows is one of the most heroic battles of all time against all odds, with all the gore and courage one could hope for. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in military history and one of the most epic battles in the history of mankind.
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