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Conn Iggulden
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The Gates of Athens Kindle Edition

by Conn Iggulden (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,800 ratings
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Evoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World—the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae—The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel.

In the new epic historical novel by New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden, in ancient Greece an army of slaves gathers on the plains of Marathon . . .

Under Darius the Great, King of Kings, the mighty Persian army—swollen by 10,000 warriors known as The Immortals—have come to subjugate the Greeks. In their path, vastly outnumbered, stands an army of freeborn Athenians. Among them is a clever, fearsome, and cunning soldier-statesman, Xanthippus. Against all odds, the Athenians emerge victorious.

Yet people soon forget that freedom is bought with blood.

Ten years later, Xanthippus watches helplessly as Athens succumbs to the bitter politics of factionalism. Traitors and exiles abound. Trust is at a low ebb when the Persians cross the Hellespont in ever greater numbers in their second attempt to raze Athens to the ground.

Facing overwhelming forces by land and sea, the Athenians call on their Spartan allies for assistance—to delay the Persians at the treacherous pass of Thermopylae . . .
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Athenian
  2. Print length
    447 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Pegasus Books
  6. Publication date
    January 5, 2021
  7. File size
    2747 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
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  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Superbly plotted and paced. An absolutely cracking story. The pace is nail-biting and the set dressing magnificent. Iggulden has created an intriguingly complex saint—flawed, spiteful, and unreliable as the teller of his own tale. Through his eyes we watch the story of the making of England." ― The Times (London)

"A well-researched tale of heroism and hardship, honor and betrayal in which anyone's life can disappear. Exciting fare, a yarn well-spun." ― Kirkus Reviews

"A rousing retelling of a singular event, as seen through the eyes of three leaders on a momentous trek, this latest historical novel by Iggulden will be of interest to both young and old readers of military and ancient history." ― Library Journal

“Conn Iggulden is a grand storyteller.” ― USA Today

"Having already taken on Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and the War of the Roses, Iggulden successfully dramatizes the life of Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury. Immerses the reader in tenth-century England." ― Publishers Weekly

Praise for Conn Iggulden:

About the Author

Conn Iggulden is one of the most acclaimed authors of historical fiction writing today. Among numerous bestselling novels, he is the author of The Abbot’s Tale, The Falcon of Sparta, The Gates of Athens, Protector, The Lion, and Empire, all available from Pegasus Books. Conn lives in London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08C1MJ17P
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pegasus Books (January 5, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 5, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2747 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 447 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,800 ratings

About the author

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Conn Iggulden

Conn Iggulden

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Born in London, Conn Iggulden read English at London University and worked as a teacher for seven years before becoming a full-time writer. Married with four children, he lives in Hertfordshire. Since publication of 'The Gates of Rome', Conn has written a further twenty books including the wildly successful 'The Dangerous Book for Boys', ‘The Double Dangerous Book for Boys’ and his most recent series, set in the Athens of Pericles.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
5,800 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

jhbandcats
5.0 out of 5 stars Really, really good
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024
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I was so delighted at how well-written, informative, and fascinating this book is that I’ve just bought the sequel. (I usually only read library books so that’s a statement of my enthusiasm.) This is a book for people who love ancient history and the history of warfare. The battle scenes are so clear that you know exactly what’s going on. That said, the book would benefit from having maps of troop and fleet movements.

The book opens and closes with battles between the attacking Persians and the defending Greeks. In between is character development as well as descriptions of everyday life in Athens between 490-480 BC. We learn how the newly formed democracy works - and doesn’t - and how votes are taken. We learn about family life, political rivalries, and the preparations for war.

The author fills in the broad outlines of what is known in the historical record about the main characters’ real lives. Considering this period was 2500 years ago, a surprising amount is known, not just speculated, about ancient Greece. Sparta, usually a deadly rival of Athens, participated in the defense in the second Persian invasion. The Battle of Thermopylae, known from the 2006 Gerard Butler movie “300,” is a large part of the last section.

I fear I’m not articulating how very, very good I found this book. Looking forward to what happens in the sequel.
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Preparedandloyal
4.0 out of 5 stars Above average
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2021
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Not his best book/ series…. Beginning and ending are good, however, the story drags… to much narrative. His history is accurate…. I will buy the next book in the series.
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M. Cotone
5.0 out of 5 stars Good history, good fiction
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2021
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Iggulden has done his homework very well, There are only a few historical errors and no howlers (as we used to call them long ago) in his book, although I am baffled by his wish to introduce Rome into the story. At the time, it was a only small town in western Italy, probably unknown to any Greeks, even those in Italy, and had no impact on the Persian Wars whatsoever. Our author has, however, gotten a firm grasp on a piece of history which has significance for everyone living or thinking in, or making assumptions about, the western cultural tradition. The decade in Greek history between 490-479 B.C. was foundational for the political and cultural direction of western Europe and its offshoots for the next two and a half millennia. And Iggulden has told its story well. Those who pursue their personal or familial ancestry would do well to undertake the same search for the cultural tradition in which they live and about which they rarely ask similar questions. This book, and its soon-to-be-released sequel, are an easy place to start. "We are," after all, as Shelley said, "all Greeks." If the history is solid, the characters are largely historical and are drawn in ways that are engaging and realistic, i.e., people whom the reader can identify with, admire, feel concern for, reject, or even despise. The story, as it is presented and developed, draws one in, even those of us for whom it has long been an object of study. Simply put, "The Walls of Athens" is a darned good read.
11 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars good historical fiction
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
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Very entertaining and based on history with some dramatic effects, I suppose. A different view of both Marathon and the Pass at Thermopylae.
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KD
4.0 out of 5 stars A veritable build up to the inevitable
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2022
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Knowing how this story ends does not take the edge out of the retelling. The author reflects the perspectives of the protagonists and their pursuers in a compelling manner that keeps you climbing, page after page until - there's no more. About to grab the next book in the series!
2 people found this helpful
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Erik Martenson
5.0 out of 5 stars The 300 Spartans Revisited
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2023
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In 2007 I was on the Greek island of Samos, and I was reading Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield. It was an excellent book, and most of the pages were used on that one battle. Now, The Gates of Athens is different, in a good way. It doesn’t dwell too long on one battle, but spends more time on the whole picture. It explains the Hellenic society and the laws of Athens. It starts with the Battle at Marathon and tells of the years between, before the son of Darius, Xerxes, gathers an army one million strong, at least several hundred thousands of men, and hundreds of ships, to crush the Greek once and for all. In an engineering feat of the century, they build a floating bridge and marches across the Hellespont. The battle is fought on land and sea, and I think the sea battles were the most important ones.

Conn Iggulden is no stranger to me. Many years ago I read the books on Rome, and then the books about Genghis Khan. The author knows history and writes well. I will continue to read his books until there are no more.

It also helps that I’ve been to the city of Athens, and the harbor at Piraeus. From there we took the ferry to Crete, and visited Knossos, the labyrinth of the Minotaur. For 2,500 years most of mankind prospered under the same democracy, but now we’re moving toward a globalistic technocracy, and it makes me sad. Maybe if more people read history like this, they would stop voting for corrupt politicians?
4 people found this helpful
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A Winnetka reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Before Rome there was Athens
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
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Eminently readable historical novel on Ancient Greece, specifically Athens. Excellent depictions of two legendary battles: Marathon and Thermopylae. As well as at the true democracy of Athens (each Greek City/State had its own form of government).
How does a true democracy go to war? By a majority vote with all citizens voting.
Had to buy book two (The Protector) and will also buy book 3. Iggulden is a great story teller, creates very plausible as well as interesting characters.
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stevenweiss
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
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Over-simplified historical events. 2-dimensional characters, poor descriptive abilities, unimaginative conversation. I couldn't wait to finish so I could move on to something more interesting.
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Top reviews from other countries

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BARRY GARDNER
5.0 out of 5 stars The Gates of Athens
Reviewed in Canada on January 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great writer
One of the five best writers out there of Historical Fiction of all time
Ingullen. Cameron. Gilman. Cornwell. and not forgeting the late great Penman
all the best of the best
Conn's new series about Ancient Grecce two thumbs up... also check out his War the Roses series
if not already.
Keep it up love you all ....
One person found this helpful
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Sri
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in India on April 6, 2022
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People who have read Greek & Spartan history before would know the story, but the way it has been presented is excellent. A fantastic fast moving story with enough twists to keep the pages flowing..
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Clemens Schoonderwoert
5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Epic Athenian Begin!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2020
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This absolutely fascinating book is the 1st volume of a new series called "Athenian", from the acclaimed author, Conn Iggulden, and it describes in a very spectacular fashion the atmosphere and people of the ancient world of Athens, and Greece as a whole.

At the beginning of the book you'll find firstly two quotes of Homer and Aristophanes, followed by three well-drawn maps, of Athens, the "Battle of Marathon", and movement of Persian Forces between 490-480 BC, ending with a list of Pronunciation of Military terms, Locations, Characters, Additional words and the Ten Tribes of Athens.

At the back of the book you'll notice a very well documented Historical Note, in which the author explains the historical details concerning this story in a most splendid fashion.

Story-telling is as always of a top-notch quality from this author, all characters, whether real historical or fantastic fictional, come vividly to life, and the atmosphere of Athens and the great Greek/Persian conflict come superbly off the pages.

The book starts off with a prologue that is set around Sardis, in Lydia, which is part of the Persian Empire, and it figures the High King, Darius, and his son and heir, Xerxes.

The book is divided into two parts, with part one starting off in 490 BC, and the "Battle of Marathon", with most prominently featuring the main figure of the book, the righteous and courageous strategos, Xanthippus, his wife, Agariste, and their children, Ariphron, Eleni and Pericles, the last one a name to remember, and Xanthippus's young friend, Epikleos, and not to forget of course the Hero of Marathon, Miltiades, his son, Cimon, Aristides the "Just", and lastly the ambitious and cunning, Themistocles, and with most of them in part two still in action in 480 BC against the Persians in an effort to save Athens.

What is to follow is a most astonishing novel, and one that I would like to address as very much in comparison with the American author, Christian Cameron, and his Long War series, but Conn Iggulden has given his own interpretation of events between Greece and Persia in a most convincing and compelling fashion, and in such a way that the reader will be attracted in a most fervent manner towards this action-packed story, with lifelike actions and ferocious battles that will bring the Ancient World of Greece v Persia very much alive.

Highly recommended to everyone, I myself look very much forward to the next instalment, and what this first Greek episode is concerned, I want to call it: "A Most Epic Athenian Begin"!
27 people found this helpful
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MWTH
5.0 out of 5 stars Spannend wie bisher alle Bücher von Conn Iggulden
Reviewed in Germany on September 17, 2020
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Wie immer super spannend, gut zu lesen und reich an interessanten Charakteren. Freue mich auf die nächste Folge. Fand es trotz allem schade, dass die berühmte Passage der 300 am Pass es bisschen zu kurz kam und man nur erahnen kann, was hinter dem Pass mit dem Landheer passiert ist, da der Fokus in dem Teil des Buches auf den Hauptcharakteren auf dem Meer lag.
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Carlos BONAFONTE CIMIANO
3.0 out of 5 stars S peor libro.
Reviewed in Spain on September 4, 2020
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De todos los libros de Conn Igguldden (Los he leído todos ) este es el mas aburrido . Varias veces , durante la lectura , pensé abandonarlo pero ya que lo tenia lo acabe . Lo dicho
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