(384 pages)
Greek survivor at Thermopylae is asked by Xerxes, seeking understanding about the courage of the Spartans, to tell the story of the battle as he understood it. A Persian historian records the tale.
A good job of moving back and forth in time. Weaving in early childhood experiences of the survivor (and his sister), his incorporation into Spartan ways.
I wasn't as interested in the battle sequences though no doubt they are rendered effectively.
This kind of fighting - no drones; no gunfire from a distance.
Descriptions of the Spartan training. Their superiority. Selection of the 300; their known fate.
I appreciated that the author typically presented the Persians, even their auxiliaries, as courageous fighters.
Ending phases of the book are remarkably good. The speeches of King Leonidas and others on the final morning of the battle. The type of brotherhood of these men in arms; echoes of similar stories from wars throughout history; very effective. A relationship unlike any other.
This is an idealized presentation of Sparta as I understand things - though that's OK, the focus here is military matters and it seems Sparta very much excelled there.
Courage of the Spartan women is presented, an interesting angle that I hadn't previously seen; how their support mattered.
Good discussions of courage and fear; "there are rooms we must not enter" - courage doesn't mean absence of fear.
Well worth reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment