Holiday gift suggestion

[John_Clements]

This holiday season I want to recommend a 1998 novel I am enjoying, which is one of the best I have ever read. "Gates of Fire - An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae" by Steven Pressfield. It's a fictionalized account of the 300 Spartans against the massive Persian invasion of Greece in the 5th century BC. I cannot express how much I've enjoyed it and how many ideals related to our discipline are included. Very inspiring and relevant to our modern times as well. Pick it up used & cheap this month as a stocking stuffer for your friends or training partners or just yourself.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553580531/

[Gene Tausk]

Completely second this recommendation. It is a fantastic novel and Steven Pressfield is to be congratulated.

Frank Miller, the graphic artist (known for "Sin City") made a semifictionalized account of the Battle of Thermopolye in his graphic novels "300." These are also recommended. A film is currently in production of "300."

------------>>>>>>>>>>gene tausk
SFS
Study Group Leader - Houston ARMA Southside

[JeanryChandler]

The old film of the same name from the 60's isn't too bad either, perhaps as a complimentary or warm-up for any of the above mentioned. I particularly liked when the spartans suddenly fell on their backs to allow the Persian cavalry to pass over, then jumped up, split their ranks with one facing out and one facing in, and annihilated the now trapped cavalry.

Don't know if it's an apocryphal story or not but it was a neat looking bit of tactics.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001NBMDK/qid=1133888849/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-7928038-9820868?n=507846&s=dvd&v=glance

Jr

[David_Knight]

Yes, Gates of Fire is indeed an incredible book. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I have an autographed hardcover that I would defend to the death against all enemies, Persian or domestic.

I have seen it assigned as required reading in the military (something for the LTs in ARMA to consider).

However, instead of buying a used copy, I would suggest that you spend the extra $5 to buy a new paperback and support the author, Steven Pressfield. He definitely deserves it.

As an aside, Mair (in typical Renaissance fashion) asserts that his polearms system descended from the Romans, who adopted it from the Greeks and brought it to Germania during Julius Caesar's campaigns. Ergo, by the scholarly standards of the 16th century, Gates of Fire is directly relevant to our studies <img src="/forum/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

[John_Clements]

By all means, purchse the book new in hardback, it's worth it, or even in new paperback. But, if need be, for multilple gifts, used paperbacks are acceptable in my opinion.

I also see the same author did a tale about the Pelopenesian war but it got mixed reviews.

I have Miller's graphic novel too, but I feel he took many silly liberties with history. Still, a nice work.

JC

[Ben Way]

A good friend of mine read it and said it was a great book. He really enjoyed it as well. In fact we picked the name "Skiritai" as our new clan name recently when we merged with another PC Gaming clan.

[Craig Peters]

I would have never guessed that Frank Miller would have turned up in discussions on the ARMA forums.

What sort of liberties does he take John?

[Casper Bradak]

Yeah, I read that one a couple of years back. I thought it was pretty good, other than the usual cliches of 20 pound shields and 80 pounds of armour (in reference to spartans, no less).