A Review: "Gates of Fire"

"Tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie."
So reads the epitaph on the stone memorial left at Thermopylae. That phrase sums up the Spartans quite nicely. In his book, Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield crafts a breathtaking, brutal, and captivating tale of one of the greatest military stands in history. It is the tale of the stand of the three hundred Spartans at the pass of Thermopylae against the vastly more numerous Persians.

Pressfield retells a tale of these ancient people that is brutal, and compelling, heartbreaking, and heroic. His descriptions are expertly detailed, even the gory battles. This detail allows for a vivid recreation of a moment in history. I thought the characters were believable and human despite the almost super-human feats that are expected of the Spartans. The Spartans live a brutal life with each man being trained for and serving in the military nearly all their lives. However, these hardened soldiers also reveal moments of tenderness.

There is a good deal of scholarship woven into the story of the book. The reader learns a lot about Spartan warfare and culture almost without realizing it. As mentioned before, Pressfield presents detailed descriptions of the Spartan’s training, armor, and livelihood. The story is told from the mouth of a slave who was the only Greek to survive the fight. This helps the author teach his reader about Spartan culture since a man who was originally an outsider of Sparta narrates. The narrator is able to give an outsider’s view on the Spartan people.

Mixed with the history lesson is a dramatic story that is difficult to put down once it’s begun. The book is essentially a tale of war, but woven through are stories of love, friendship, loyalty, and heroism. This makes for a book that is not a quick read. It takes time to get through, but it’s well worth the effort.