The Gates of Athens

Book One in the Athenian series

By: Conn Iggulden

Narrated by: George Blagden

Brought to you by Penguin.

Devour the latest epic tale of ancient Greece and Sunday Times top 5 bestseller from the author of War of the Roses.

On the plains of Marathon an army of slaves gathers . . .

Under Darius the Great, King of Kings, the mighty Persian army - swollen by 10,000 Immortal warriors - have come to subjugate the Greeks.

In their path stands an army of freeborn Athenians, and among them is fearsome and cunning soldier-statesman, Xanthippus.

Knowing defeat means slavery lends keenness to his already sharp blade . . .

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, when the Persians cross the Hellespont in ever greater numbers 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 . . .

© Conn Iggulden 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Critic reviews

Thrilling retelling . . . It's a brilliant read, and his description of the Battle of Thermopylae is simply a stunning - and inspiring - piece of writing

Praise for Conn Iggulden (:)

An absolutely cracking story. The pace is nail-biting and the set dressing magnificent (-)

Absorbing and bloody (Antonia Senior)

Peopled with characters so finely honed the story becomes a gripping and glorious legend. Brilliant! (-)

Breathes new life into the darkest and most dramatic of times (-)

Fantastic

This was my first Iggulden book in 10 years, and he hasn't lost a step. This is as good as the opening to Emperor or Conqueror.
The narrator lifts the story as well

A great start to another series by Conn Iggulden!

I thoroughly enjoyed this, both the story and the narration. I've read the previous historical series by Mr. Iggulden - Emperor, Conqueror (an absolute favourite of mine) and Wars of the Roses, all of which have been excellent. This one does not disappoint either. Fast paced without feeling rushed, full of historical details without overwhelming even a reader unfamiliar with the subject, great characters and lots of drama.

A very solid narration as well, particular praise for the consistent pronunciation of names and locales.

I can thoroughly recommend it, and I am about to get the next book!

OK

Having just re-listened to the Genghis series to my surprise I found this one pretty boring and I'm not sure why. I didn't find the Genghis series at all dull and was involved in all the subplots etc from the first chapter. This one left me restless and I didn't finish it.