Gates Of Fire

In the Sunday Times bestseller Gates of Fire , Steven Pressfield tells the breathtaking story of the legendary Spartans: the men and women who helped shaped our history and have themselves become as immortal as their gods. 'Breathtakingly brilliant . . . this is a work of rare genius. Savour it!' DAVID GEMMELL 'A tale worthy of Homer, a timeless epic of man and war, exquisitely researched and boldy written. Pressfield has created a new classic' STEPHEN COONTS 'A really impressive book - imaginatively framed, historically detailed and a really gripping narrative' ***** Reader review 'Beautifully written and a great joy to read' ***** Reader review ************************** Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here, obedient to their laws, we lie. 480 BC : At a bleak pass in a far-flung corner of eastern Greece, three hundred Spartan warriors faced the army of King Xerxes of Persia, a massive force rumoured to be over a million strong. Their orders were simple : to delay the enemy for as long as possible in order to buy time for the main Greek armies to mobilize. For six days the Spartans held the invaders at bay. In the final hours - their shields broken, swords and spears shattered - they fought with their bare hands before being overwhelmed . . . It was battle that would become synonymous with extraordinary courage, heroism and self-sacrifice. It was a battle called Thermopylae .

In the Sunday Times bestseller Gates of Fire , Steven Pressfield tells the breathtaking story of the legendary Spartans: the men and women who helped shaped our history and have themselves become as immortal as their gods. 'Breathtakingly brilliant . . . this is a work of rare genius. Savour it!' DAVID GEMMELL 'A tale worthy of Homer, a timeless epic of man and war, exquisitely researched and boldy written. Pressfield has created a new classic' STEPHEN COONTS 'A really impressive book - imaginatively framed, historically detailed and a really gripping narrative' ***** Reader review 'Beautifully written and a great joy to read' ***** Reader review ************************** Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here, obedient to their laws, we lie. 480 BC : At a bleak pass in a far-flung corner of eastern Greece, three hundred Spartan warriors faced the army of King Xerxes of Persia, a massive force rumoured to be over a million strong. Their orders were simple : to delay the enemy for as long as possible in order to buy time for the main Greek armies to mobilize. For six days the Spartans held the invaders at bay. In the final hours - their shields broken, swords and spears shattered - they fought with their bare hands before being overwhelmed . . . It was battle that would become synonymous with extraordinary courage, heroism and self-sacrifice. It was a battle called Thermopylae .

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - In this "powerful, historically accurate novel" ( The New Yorker ), the sole Spartan survivor recounts the bloody and epic battle of Thermopylae that decimated his fearsome society. "Vivid and exciting . . . Pressfield gives the reader a perspective no ancient historian offers: a soldier's-eye view."-- The New York Times Book Review At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army. Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces. Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and unmatched battle skill, the Spartans would be remembered for the greatest military stand in history--one that would not end until the rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured Spartan squire to tell the tale. . . .

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - In this "powerful, historically accurate novel" ( The New Yorker ), the sole Spartan survivor recounts the bloody and epic battle of Thermopylae that decimated his fearsome society. "Vivid and exciting . . . Pressfield gives the reader a perspective no ancient historian offers: a soldier's-eye view."-- The New York Times Book Review At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army. Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces. Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and unmatched battle skill, the Spartans would be remembered for the greatest military stand in history--one that would not end until the rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured Spartan squire to tell the tale. . . .