About Gates of Fire
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield recreates the defense of Thermopylae in 480 BCE through the account of a survivor. The novel follows the training, friendships, and obligations that give a desperate military stand its human meaning.
Courage and Community
Read with attention to how soldiers learn to face fear together. Pressfield connects battlefield courage to the loyalties formed before combat: between comrades, within families, and toward a community. His historical fiction invites discussion of what a military institution asks of individuals, and what those individuals owe one another.
Discuss the Book
- How does the survivor’s perspective change your understanding of a familiar battle?
- Where does the novel draw the line between discipline and loyalty?
- How do friendship and responsibility shape the characters’ responses to fear?
Book Details
Steven Pressfield. Doubleday hardcover, published October 20, 1998. 400 pages. ISBN 9780385492515. Later paperback editions have separate publication dates and ISBNs.
Explore the Gates of Fire book page for edition information and retailer options.