Gates of Fire
#834 of 2,654 all-time
Gates of Fire
Steven Pressfield
8 people recommended it in 6 threads, 2011–2020.
1 commenter pushed back on it — worth reading the threads.
What people on Hacker News said
I already knew a lot about the Spartan philosophy and outlook on life before I started reading it (both from 300, comics and movie, and non-fiction books), but I was really surprised how well he described the combat scenes, with all the feet churning in the dirt of shield wall, and so on.
Gates of Fire - Historical fiction that tells the story of the Spartan 300 and the battle of Thermopylae. Lived up to it’s high recommendation.
Steven Pressfield also wrote 'The Legend of Bagger Vance' and Gates of Fire (Spartan 300 kind of book but way deeper).
It gives a glimpse in the mindset of how the Spartans viewed life and how disciplined they were. Its a really inspiring book in the sense that it gives you a view of how they (supposedly) viewed life while knowing they will probably die in battle.
Gates of Fire, by Steven Pressfield, because I realized how simple are my own troubles compared to those 300 spartans that faced death against a force that easily was 1000 times bigger.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life? 2020 · 3 recommendations
- Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020? 2019 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2018? 2018 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life? 2018 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift? 2016 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011 2011 · 1 recommendation