Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield (1999, Paperback, Reissue)

As a grad student in ancient history, and an avid reader of historical fiction, I would hope I am a reliable judge of quality hisfic. But I would like to point out that you don't need a Ph.D. or a special interest to enjoy this work - it is a wonderful account of one of the most important battles in history, written with both depth and humor.

For those rare few who are not familiar with the battle of Thermopylae, tradition tells us that 300 Spartan warriors (Sparta was a polis, or city-state on the southern peninsula of Greece, the Peloponnesus) stood their ground, with the aid of a few thousand squires and allies, against an invading Persian army of over a million men. The Spartan force knew from the start that they were on a suicide mission, and chose the most highly defensible pass into mainland Greece they could find: Thermopylae, a narrow gap between mountain and sea, which allowed the Greeks to use their superior military training to fullest advantage.

But enough about the history. It's the pace, rhythm, an style of writing that pulls this novel together. The soldiers speak like soldiers (so conservative parents might want to pre-screen this one for their young children), and no detail is spared in camp life. It is a quick-paced narrative, told in the form of a frame story, as related by one Greek who had fought at Thermopylae and was dying of his wounds in the Persian camp.

What always impresses me most about great historical fiction is an author's ability to stay true to the history without engaging in meaningless exposition, or out-of-nowhere information dumps (if you wanted a textbook, you would have bought one, right?). Pressfield manages to relate the important details, imply that which is less important, and really takes care to tell the stories of the inividuals, the rank-and-file men, who spilled their blood to buy the Hellenes time to concentrate their defenses.

If I were to make an analogy with a more contemporary work, I would say it is the "Band of Brothers" of the ancient world. True, the story is told from only one point of view, but the Spartan lifestyle was communal, and so the men shared everything with each other, making it reasonable for one man to know the intimate details of his fellows' lives.

If there was a 6 out of 5 option, I would have ranked it thus (like I said, I'm a student of ancient history, not math!). =)

If you enjoy this book as much as I did, you might also try (ranked in order of my preference): "Pompeii," by Robert Harris; "The Ten Thousand," by Michael Curtis Ford; or "Roman Blood," by Steven Saylor.