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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780451217127
ISBN number: 0451217128
Label: Signet
Manufacturer: Signet
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: December 06, 2005
Publishing house: Signet
Sale Popularity Level: 134876
Studio: Signet
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Brief Book Summary:
It is a tale of two cities--the legendary duel between haughty, democratic Athens and brutal, unbeaten Sparta. After seven years of bloody conflict, a barren island in a remote corner of Greece becomes the stage for what promises to become a second Thermopylae. Four hundred Spartan soldiers are cut off by enemy ships on a narrow strip of land, starving, without supplies, yet sworn to uphold their indomitable heritage. Meanwhile, all around them, the powerful Athenian Navy masses for the inevitable assault.
As the war of nerves wears on, Spartan nobles and Athenian demagogues maneuver in the background--and two estranged Spartan brothers serve together for the very first time. The eldest, Antalcidas, is a legendary warrior hobbled by a damaging secret. His brother Epitadas is envied, popular, and cruel. Together they must overcome a lifetime of hostility to survive the battle of their lives.
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Rated by buyers 
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The saddest thing about this novel is that it is based on a serious inaccuracy: that the survivors of Sphacteria were humiliated on their return to Sparta. They were not. The most significant historical aspect of this tragic incident is that it revealed Sparta's desperation to bring her young men home, her willingness to accept any terms to save the lives of the captives, and the fact that Spartan rhetoric about "with your shield or upon it" was wildly exaggerated. The young men who survived their captivity in Athens were NOT treated as "tremblers" at all but completely re-integrated into Spartan society.
More distrubing, however, is that the portrayal of Spartan women in this novel is a travesty. It is based on Athenian wartime propaganda intended to turn Spartan women (particularly mothers) into monsters. Nothing was more hated in Athens than the educated and emancipated women of Sparta, and this was the reason that the Athenians liked to portray them as heartless and unnatural. A careful examination of Spartan history and sources such as Herodotus or Xenophon (who knew the Spartans personally) reveals the absurdity of the Athenian image. Particularly ridiculous in this novel is the idea of a Spartan woman admiring Athenian literacy and learning. Athens as a whole may have been more focused on learning, philosophy and the arts, but Athenian women were treated much as the women of the Taliban are in Afghanistan today. They were completely uneducated and illiterate and were locked very first in their father's and then their husband's home - literally cut off from exercise and sunlight - with no opportunity to participate in ANY aspect of Athenian intellectual life. Spartan women by contrast were well fed, healthy, educated, literate, free to move about the city and all of Lacedaemon and economically powerful. No Spartan woman ever admired or envied her oppressed Athenian sisters - certainly not for a literacy they did not have! It is time modern novelists stopped perpetuating such grotesque distortions about the nature and lives of Spartan women. For any one interested in more accurate novels, read either Helena Schrader Are They Singing in Sparta?, Spartan Slave, Spartan Queen: A Tale of Four Women in Sparta, The Olympic Charioteer or Jon Edward Martin In Kithairon's Shadow: A Novel of Ancient Greece and the Persian War, Shades of Artemis: A Novel of Ancient Greece and the Spartan Brasidas or The Headlong God of War:: A Tale of Ancient Greece and the Battle of Marathon
Rated by buyers 
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I was looking for a historically accurate story about Spartan warriors' fabled training methods and their legendary battlefield heroics. Nicastro delivered both of those things in this compelling novel that was as entertaining as it was informative.
This fast-reading book was centered on the Peloponnesian battle (Sparta versus Athens) over the small island of Sphacteria in 425 B.C. Much more than just a battlefield novel, Nicastro provided detailed insights into Spartan culture, including daily life, socio-economic norms, and the politics of the day. Set in the sixth year of the Peloponnesian War, I enjoyed the unexpected similarities between Nicastro's Greek world and the United States yesterday after six-plus years fighting the war on terrorism: dedicated warriors; a tough, protracted war; and the people and politicians divided over the future of the war.
Nicastro's well-researched understanding of Spartan life and his lively, easy-to-read writing style brought to life the story of this little-known but strategically important battle. I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially military history buffs or those who enjoy reading about heroic warriors and their ways.
Rated by buyers -
Mr. Nicastro is an excellent writer, one of the best I've read in the genre of historical fiction. However, without giving away the story, I must admit I found the resolution and conclusion to be disappointing and weak, especially after such a strong start.
The book is good at depicting the culture of Sparta. The characters are interesting and have some depth. The battle sequences are also quite good. However, if one invests time in reading a story, the ending is also important, and the ending in this book disappointed me.
Suffice it to say that the most deserving characters get no love from their creator, while the least sympathetic come out big winners. Why? I've thought about it, and I can't find a good reason.
Rated by buyers 
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Unfortunately I don't think Nicastro really presents us with anything new. If he does, it is in the interactions between Spartans and helots, which are largely undocumented and, where examples exist, bias casts a strong shadow. The affection bewteen Antalcidas and Doulos was nice, as well as the moral issues presented when the Messenians tried to liberate some of their fellow countrymen on the island, mistakenly killing them in the process. My real gripe with Nicastro is that he didn't show us anything we didn't already know. I suppose, for someone not as well-versed in Greek history, this would be an exciting story with a suspenseful ending. However, I suppose I expected a bit more: more insight into the character of Epitadas and Antalcidas; more politics perhaps, or maybe just a more focused story that didn't seem to jump forward and back in time. It is confusing when, in Book II, we jump forward 30 years, to introduce the setting of Sphacteria, before coming back to the Rearing. The confusing sense of time and the lack of depth made this book stand out as an example of lackluster historical fiction. Also, the details of the earthquake's immediate aftermath, as well as some discusion of the future would have been welcome. Nicastro takes a great story and retells it, just not well enough for my taste. Gates of Fire is a far superior book about the Spartan Rearing and their view on war.
Rated by buyers -
I love good fiction the more believable it is. I love authors who respect my intelligence, but don't write like they're trying to overpower me with theirs. I love ANY book, or any other form of entertainment for that matter, that entertains me while taking me out of all the usual ruts.
This book does all that, and much, much more. After exhausting Mary Renault's books, I've been been waiting for an author to take her place.
Nicastro has my vote.
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