Review: Persian Fire
Avis de journaliste - Kirkus ReviewsWhy do they hate us? That's what Herodotus wanted to know, and this lively history of the Persian Wars ventures a few answers. Indeed, writes historian/novelist Holland (Rubicon, 2004, etc.), if history begins with Herodotus, then that question is the foundation of history. "Why, he wondered, did the peoples of East and West find it so hard to live in peace?" Herodotus thought it might have had something to do with the business of kidnapping princesses, or the savage attacking of Troy. Holland takes a longer view, writing of restless tribes of Central Asians and their push-pull migrations, of power-hungry satraps, of great emperors. The first was Cyrus, who dominated all of southwestern Asia. His lieutenant Harpagus seems to have had it in for the Greeks who lived along the coast of what is now western Turkey: "City by city," Holland writes, "he brutally subdued them all," except the lucky ones who fled to Greece and farther westward to Italy and Sicily. The Persians seem to have taken a liking to the things of Greece, and they pushed ever westward, led by the great general Xerxes. Cyrus knew of the Greeks; a delegation from the mainland once came to his palace and told him bluntly that they had better leave them alone, or "he would have to answer to those who sent them—the Spartans." The Greeks apparently thought that mention of the Spartans was enough, but Cyrus and company were undeterred—and, to their sorrow, they learned their lesson in battles at places like Marathon, Salamis and Thermopylae. Holland's descriptions of these epochal battles are suitably stirring, and if his East-versus-West notion is just a touch anachronistic, it points to all the misunderstandings, ambition and ignorance that have characterized that struggle ever since. A welcome popularization of ancient history, with a nicely vengeful cliffhanger of an ending that begs for a sequel.
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Thomas - GoodreadsI found this a fairly accessible of the history of early Greece. The technique of first describing the formation of the Persian Empire (Cyrus>Darius>Xerxes), then the development of the Spartan city ... Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Jonfaith - GoodreadsBought Persian Fire in Heathrow returning from Morocco. We had spent the night before with my wife's brother in Reading. Having returned from the dually (you know what I mean) arid Marrakesch, we ... Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Sander Moorees - GoodreadsInformative, fast-paced, and well written. Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Mike Garcia - GoodreadsThe only book I've ever thrown into the GARBAGE Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Errol Orhan - GoodreadsGreat story, awesome paralells with American foreign policy and, marvelously written. The Dutch translation, however, is annoyingly bad. Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - George de Armas - GoodreadsSpanning the origins of the "Persian empire" from Cyrus through Xerxes, the author frames the narrative as the clash of cultures between the Persians and the fractured Greek city states. Well written and insightful. Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Derrick - GoodreadsAmazing, amazing book. It's non-fiction, but reads like a novel. I couldn't put put it down. Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Andrea - GoodreadsI wanted to know more about the Persian civilization. This book talks about Cyrus and his successors. It also talks about the Spartans and their mentality which I found fascinating. The idea is that ... Consulter l'avis complet
Review: Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West
Avis d'utilisateur - Selaine Henriksen - GoodreadsPersian Fire Tom Holland Written by Selaine Henriksen Monday, 15 October 2012 01:38 I love to read history books that stick to the facts yet manage to tell a thrilling story. This is one of them. I ... Consulter l'avis complet
