Gates of Fire describes the battle of Thermopylae, in which the allied Greek troops had sent around four thousand Greek infantrymen. Their target? The Persian army, which had about 2 million fighters. In the front of the Greek troops were about three hundred Spartan warriors.
The Spartans were acclaimed for their military prowess, therefore went down in history. Located in Greece, Sparta was a city-state that wanted nothing to do with Athens. However, when the bigger Persian threat came, they stopped fighting amongst themselves and allied to fight the Persiand. Leading the battle of Thermoplae was about three hundred armed Spartans, who all had sons to preserve their good bloodline should they die honorably in battle.
The "Gate of Fire" referred to in the title is that of the narrow pass through which the large Persian army would have to cross to get into Greece. This was a very dangerous option, but it was the only timely route to get into Greece to attack. However, it probably would have been better spending months or even years walking around the pass, if you are familiar with the outcome of the battle.
The novel is told from the point of view of Xerxes, the profound and mighty Persian King. He wasn't at the battle, but was notified of everything happening via messenger. He was contacted and told that one of his main officers was wounded, and he told surgeons to do everything they could to save him, even though this was not an effective battle tactic.
Although this novel is fictional and a work of historical fiction, many accounts of this battle have gone down through history, making historians question how true the story is. According to legend, about three hundred vicious Spartan warriors defeated an army two million strong. Obviously, this is impossible, but to what extent is it true?
