Gates of Fire

Ok this novel was just badass. It was brutal, beautiful, and satisfying story telling. Steven Pressfield paints a vivid story of ancient Greece during the time of King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans. There's a lot of details about this story that the ancient historians left out, and Pressfield takes the artistic liberty of filling in these gaps.

This is a book I read for my book club Opus Sodalicum. Check it out here.

Following the life of a fictional battle squire names Xeones, we are plunged into the polis of Sparta. Early on we are told that Xeones is the sole survivor of the battle of Thermopylae and has been captured by the Persians. King Xerxes, just like millions of people to come, is fascinated by the strength, resilience, and sacrifice of the "300" Spartans. (The total number was more like 1,000. There 300 Spartan &qot;Peers"). So Xeones is brought before Xerxes and told to tell his story. Xeones, a firm believer in the gods, thinks that he has been saved by Apollo Farstriker so that he can tell his story and honor the legacy of the Spartans.

Xeones is not a true Spartan himself, he found refuge in the city only after a childhood of grief, desperation, and lost love. In Sparta he finds a brutal society, but also a community that is so bonded together you can't help but be drawn to the characters. The people are a mix of ancient prejudices and historic virtues, but as a whole they represent a society with a singular, almost divine sight. You can certainly say that Pressfield romanticizes the Spartans in the novel, but I don't think that's a bad thing. (He certainly wouldn't be the only historian to do so).

One thing that I thought Pressfield did well was how he highlighted masculinity vs femineity. There's obviously a lot of masculinity in the book. There's also a lot of strength that the Spartans draw from women. The women form the backbone of the society. They are the ones that have to bear the weight of war the most, as they lose fathers, husbands, and children. A quote from Leonidas illustrates this well when he is asked why he chose the 300 Spartan Peers that would march to their death.

I really appreciates the blend of fiction and fantasy in this book. There are remnants of reality that have been left to us by Herodotus and others, and Pressfield takes full advantage. Multiple times I found myself picking up my phone and going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole, which just goes to show how much research Pressfield did for this novel.

Growing up, I spent a sizable amount of time learning about Greek mythology. As a boy, stories like this captured my imagination. Multiple times I found myself reminiscing about how my dad and I would watch the History Channel when I was younger. We would watch shows about things like the Battle of Thermopylae. Now as a grown adult, Xeones' story has done the same thing. I look forward to reading more from Pressfield in the future.