Tides of War: A Novel of Alcibades and the Peloponnesian War by Steven Pressfield is a book that I picked up at the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival book sale. This is the same author who wrote, "The Legend of Bagger Vance," although I didn't know that when I picked up the book. The line across the top which said that his battle scenes were the "most convincing ever written" caught my attention and led to my picking up this book.
Started: 5/29/2016
Completed: 12/10/2016
Recommendation: Recommended, good read
Recommended By: Nobody
Words for which I sought help:
circumvallate -- to surround with ramparts
encomiast -- a person who publicly praises or flatters someone else
gimcrack -- a cheap and showy ornament; a nick-nack
importunity -- troublesomely urgent or persistent in requesting; pressingly entreating.
miscegenate -- to breed with someone of another race
panygeric -- a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something
penteconter -- a ship with fifty oars
probity -- the quality of having strong moral principals, honesty, and decency.
Review:
For the most part, I found the battle scenes to be pretty basic--though clearly carefully well conceived. I am not certain that they are the "most convincing ever written." The book as a whole, however, is a much easier read than Thucydides and does offer insights into the working man's life in a Greek army. I enjoyed the book and found it to be something of great interest. I think it is likely that the book was rushed at the end as it felt as though there were two to three more books of equivalent size that were briefly summarized in the last 50 or so pages. Linking the book to Socrates and his days in jail awaiting the hemlock was a good device and made the book even more interesting to me.
For the most part, I found the battle scenes to be pretty basic--though clearly carefully well conceived. I am not certain that they are the "most convincing ever written." The book as a whole, however, is a much easier read than Thucydides and does offer insights into the working man's life in a Greek army. I enjoyed the book and found it to be something of great interest. I think it is likely that the book was rushed at the end as it felt as though there were two to three more books of equivalent size that were briefly summarized in the last 50 or so pages. Linking the book to Socrates and his days in jail awaiting the hemlock was a good device and made the book even more interesting to me.
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