The terrifying spectacle of classical infantry battle becomes vividly clear in his epic treatment of the Greeks' magnificent last stand against the invading Persians. Leading the Greeks are 300 Spartans who hope to delay the army enough for Greece to get together a defense plan.Pressfield's first novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was about golf, but here he puts aside his putter and picks up sword and shield as he cleverly and convincingly portrays the clash between Greek hoplites and Persian heavy infantry in the most heroic confrontation of the Hellenic Age: the battle of Thermopylae ("the Hot Gates") in 480 B.C. The Greeks have deployed a small army, 4,000 – 7,000 men against the Persians and chose to make their stand at the geographically advantageous Thermopylae. The Persian army, two million men strong, is marching onto Greece. If you were not, but ever wandered what makes the men click, this one is for you If you are, or were in a close knit combat unit, this book will bring back memories. The close brotherhood of the Spartan soldiers is something the author focuses on throughout the novel. If anything, glory in battle is rewarded after the fact, not during.
The book does not glorify battles, in fact there is much misery, stench and carnage on the battlefield. Pressfield understands the notions of honor in the context of ancient Greece and writes about it in a moving, serious way.
I truly enjoyed the fact that the author pays attention to history and imagines what it would have been like for his protagonists to prepare for battle and death. The books is a fictional account of those who are about to die, know it, and still go forward contemplating life’s big mysteries and gaining appreciation for their comrades, and those they left behind. I loved to read about the problems facing the Spartan King and his army commanders, the soldiers and their servants.
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield is an epic book, the style is sharp, the story vivid, the history pretty accurate, and the moral dilemmas are still relevant in today’s military units. The book was published in 1998.īuy this book in paper or in electronic format* Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopyla by Steven Pressfield is a historical novel that recounts the Battle of Thermopylae.
0 kommentar(er)
