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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
If you enjoyed Robert Harris's Imperium and Lustrum then this is probably for you. I'm a big fan of Conn, but felt I found all the politicking, while necessary for the eventual narrative, a little tiresome and a departure from his usual style, which is probably why it took me two weeks to get through it.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
490 B.C. The Persian army is ready to invade Greece. In Athens, they won’t welcome another dictator as they have beaten the last one decades ago with Sparta’s help. Now every free man has a vote in their democratic political system. Xanthippus, Aristides, Miltiades and Themistocles are all ‘strategos’ who will lead their people to war. They send word to Sparta and the other Greek cities for help. The two armies will meet at the battle of Marathon. It’s the start of a war between two kingdoms and a power struggle between Athens and Sparta that will have a mark on Greece for years to come.
I loved Iggulden’s Emperor series about Caesar and Brutus so much that I definitely want to reread it someday. But strangely, I haven’t picked up any other book from this author until now. Not even his books about the Wars of the Roses.
The gates of Athens is the first part in a new series about the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, although in this book the focus is on the war with king Darius and his son Xerxes of Persia. I’m not quite familiar with this history and haven’t studied Greek in high school (only Latin). So it took me some time to get to know all the names and the setting.
The story focuses on two great battles, and thus reminded me of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon series. The battle of Marathon is the big event during the first 100 pages. After the battle, we go back to Athens and the story starts focusing on the lives of the main characters and the political intriges in the city. This was the part I enjoyed most as I learned a lot about how the democracy in Athens worked. I found the voting system, where every free man could write a name on a piece of broken pottery to banish him for 10 years, especially interesting.
The story is a bit slow and I read this one in a week that I couldn’t really focus on anything, so I couldn’t give it all the attention it deserved. But that isn’t Iggulden’s fault. He’s a great storyteller. His battle scenes are epic and his character development is terrific.
No doubt, I’ll pick up the next book in the series, but in the meantime I might finally start with Stormbird, his first book about the Wars of the Roses.
Dutch review:
Xantippus is getrouwd met Agariste, zij is deel van een familie met hoog aanzien in de stad omdat ze de democratie in Athene mee hebben uitgewerkt - de democratie waar Xantippus zo trots op is. Maar wanneer de Perzen dreigen met oorlog komt alles in de weegschaal te liggen. Op het slagveld van Marathon vechten de loyale Xantippus, de rechtvaardige Aristides en de self-made men Themistocles voor alles wat hun lief is: de vrijheid van Athene.
Ik genoot enorm van Iggulden's boeken over Caeser maar kwam er nog nooit aan toe om iets anders van hem te lezen. Zelfs niet zijn serie over de Engelse Rozenoorlogen. The gates of Athens is het eerste deel uit een gloednieuwe serie over de oorlogen tussen de Grieken en de Perzen en de strijd tussen Athene en Sparta.
In tegenstelling tot Rome, ken ik amper iets van de geschiedenis van Athene dus ook alle namen en veldslagen zijn nieuw voor mij. Om die reden moest ik er even inkomen.
Het boek focust op twee grote veldslagen waarbij Marathon al meteen de sfeer zet. Maar in between is er veel aandacht voor de personages en hun onderlinge relaties, de politieke spelletjes van de democratie in Athene en de subtiele machtsstrijd met Sparta.
Ik kwam heel traag door dit boek wegens weinig concentratie, anders zou ik er meer van genoten hebben. Want het is goed geschreven en ik heb er veel uit opgepikt.
De Caesarboeken vond ik misschien nog net wat meeslepender en rauwer ofzo. Ik ben zeker ook van plan om het vervolg ooit te lezen. En dan moet ik misschien toch eens starten met zijn serie over Engeland.
I loved Iggulden’s Emperor series about Caesar and Brutus so much that I definitely want to reread it someday. But strangely, I haven’t picked up any other book from this author until now. Not even his books about the Wars of the Roses.
The gates of Athens is the first part in a new series about the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, although in this book the focus is on the war with king Darius and his son Xerxes of Persia. I’m not quite familiar with this history and haven’t studied Greek in high school (only Latin). So it took me some time to get to know all the names and the setting.
The story focuses on two great battles, and thus reminded me of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon series. The battle of Marathon is the big event during the first 100 pages. After the battle, we go back to Athens and the story starts focusing on the lives of the main characters and the political intriges in the city. This was the part I enjoyed most as I learned a lot about how the democracy in Athens worked. I found the voting system, where every free man could write a name on a piece of broken pottery to banish him for 10 years, especially interesting.
The story is a bit slow and I read this one in a week that I couldn’t really focus on anything, so I couldn’t give it all the attention it deserved. But that isn’t Iggulden’s fault. He’s a great storyteller. His battle scenes are epic and his character development is terrific.
No doubt, I’ll pick up the next book in the series, but in the meantime I might finally start with Stormbird, his first book about the Wars of the Roses.
Dutch review:
Xantippus is getrouwd met Agariste, zij is deel van een familie met hoog aanzien in de stad omdat ze de democratie in Athene mee hebben uitgewerkt - de democratie waar Xantippus zo trots op is. Maar wanneer de Perzen dreigen met oorlog komt alles in de weegschaal te liggen. Op het slagveld van Marathon vechten de loyale Xantippus, de rechtvaardige Aristides en de self-made men Themistocles voor alles wat hun lief is: de vrijheid van Athene.
Ik genoot enorm van Iggulden's boeken over Caeser maar kwam er nog nooit aan toe om iets anders van hem te lezen. Zelfs niet zijn serie over de Engelse Rozenoorlogen. The gates of Athens is het eerste deel uit een gloednieuwe serie over de oorlogen tussen de Grieken en de Perzen en de strijd tussen Athene en Sparta.
In tegenstelling tot Rome, ken ik amper iets van de geschiedenis van Athene dus ook alle namen en veldslagen zijn nieuw voor mij. Om die reden moest ik er even inkomen.
Het boek focust op twee grote veldslagen waarbij Marathon al meteen de sfeer zet. Maar in between is er veel aandacht voor de personages en hun onderlinge relaties, de politieke spelletjes van de democratie in Athene en de subtiele machtsstrijd met Sparta.
Ik kwam heel traag door dit boek wegens weinig concentratie, anders zou ik er meer van genoten hebben. Want het is goed geschreven en ik heb er veel uit opgepikt.
De Caesarboeken vond ik misschien nog net wat meeslepender en rauwer ofzo. Ik ben zeker ook van plan om het vervolg ooit te lezen. En dan moet ik misschien toch eens starten met zijn serie over Engeland.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last because it's brilliant.
I loved the plot that kept me hooked, the well researched and vivid historical background and the fleshed out characters.
I traveled to ancient Athens and it was liked being there.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved the plot that kept me hooked, the well researched and vivid historical background and the fleshed out characters.
I traveled to ancient Athens and it was liked being there.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Full Review Here
I was introduced to Conn Iggulden through his fantasy fiction and subsequently discovered he’s a historical author. I was eager to try his other work and The Gates of Athens seemed a suitable place to begin.
Despite being interested in the setting, it’s the characters who engage you. We’re first introduced to Xanthippus as he prepares to march to the defence of his home and family. From there, we follow his journey through exile and battle. Xanthippus is a steady man: he doesn’t get overexcited, or overestimate his position. He’s solid, and while likeable, it took a while to warm to him.
Xanthippus is the main character but the narration is split across several. Themistocles is ambitious; more than anyone knows. His motives are initially blurry and it feels he could be a villain of the story. But he proves his worth and shows his dedication to his home, even if not his friends. Additional information is provided through snapshots from lesser characters, but in an expositional manner rather than character development.
We also follow the Persians as they prepare to make war. Their king is a self-centred, selfish man, believing in his own divinity and adamant everything will go as he dictates. You want him fail just to picture the look on his face. Less page time means you don’t connect with these characters in the same way, making it easy to manipulate the reader’s loyalty.
The Gates of Athens is a slow-paced novel, set over several years as the characters deal with threats to their beloved Athens: both internal and external. The book opens with the key players marching off to battle, then the pacing slows and it introduces a political element. There’s a lot of time dedicated to understanding how Athens was governed which, while interesting, made the pacing feel it was dragging for a while. Connecting with the characters was also harder when they aren’t given the chance to develop: you want to know how they’d react.
Although the first part wasn’t as engaging as I would have wanted, the second half more than makes up for that. Once everyone gets into position and they realise the threat, the pacing and the tension increase ten-fold. It’s a race against time to be ready to meet the Persians and it sweeps the reader up in that momentum, eagerly page-turning to see if they will make it.
The battles were clearly written, despite following sea warfare. You root for your favourites; you fear for them; and you’re relieved if they survive. You know you’re immersed when the bittersweet ending hits you on an emotional level and you’re ready for the sequel to find out what happens to these characters next.
An enjoyable and engaging book. The fast-paced start twisted my expectations, but understanding the slower pace makes this a strong read that draws you into the world of Ancient Greece.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction or this time period. I’ll certainly be continuing this adventure.
I was introduced to Conn Iggulden through his fantasy fiction and subsequently discovered he’s a historical author. I was eager to try his other work and The Gates of Athens seemed a suitable place to begin.
Despite being interested in the setting, it’s the characters who engage you. We’re first introduced to Xanthippus as he prepares to march to the defence of his home and family. From there, we follow his journey through exile and battle. Xanthippus is a steady man: he doesn’t get overexcited, or overestimate his position. He’s solid, and while likeable, it took a while to warm to him.
Xanthippus is the main character but the narration is split across several. Themistocles is ambitious; more than anyone knows. His motives are initially blurry and it feels he could be a villain of the story. But he proves his worth and shows his dedication to his home, even if not his friends. Additional information is provided through snapshots from lesser characters, but in an expositional manner rather than character development.
We also follow the Persians as they prepare to make war. Their king is a self-centred, selfish man, believing in his own divinity and adamant everything will go as he dictates. You want him fail just to picture the look on his face. Less page time means you don’t connect with these characters in the same way, making it easy to manipulate the reader’s loyalty.
The Gates of Athens is a slow-paced novel, set over several years as the characters deal with threats to their beloved Athens: both internal and external. The book opens with the key players marching off to battle, then the pacing slows and it introduces a political element. There’s a lot of time dedicated to understanding how Athens was governed which, while interesting, made the pacing feel it was dragging for a while. Connecting with the characters was also harder when they aren’t given the chance to develop: you want to know how they’d react.
Although the first part wasn’t as engaging as I would have wanted, the second half more than makes up for that. Once everyone gets into position and they realise the threat, the pacing and the tension increase ten-fold. It’s a race against time to be ready to meet the Persians and it sweeps the reader up in that momentum, eagerly page-turning to see if they will make it.
The battles were clearly written, despite following sea warfare. You root for your favourites; you fear for them; and you’re relieved if they survive. You know you’re immersed when the bittersweet ending hits you on an emotional level and you’re ready for the sequel to find out what happens to these characters next.
An enjoyable and engaging book. The fast-paced start twisted my expectations, but understanding the slower pace makes this a strong read that draws you into the world of Ancient Greece.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction or this time period. I’ll certainly be continuing this adventure.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, we’ll, well, what do we have here? Political intrigue, history, war, family, naked running? Yes, I think I’m rather interested in that, tell me more!
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last because it's brilliant.
I loved the plot that kept me hooked, the well researched and vivid historical background and the fleshed out characters.
I traveled to ancient Athens and it was liked being there.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I loved the plot that kept me hooked, the well researched and vivid historical background and the fleshed out characters.
I traveled to ancient Athens and it was liked being there.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.