Gates of Fire Blog Post

Chapter 8, Page 72, 10-30-08

"..if Ariston was afraid of him, then he was a coward. And if he wasn't, he was reckless and ignorant, which was even worse."

Now before this sentence these exact thoughts ran through my head. When I read it I literally smiled. It was like the author was reading my mind. But the author does bring up a good point. In this type of situation it is extremely difficult to make a decision. I don't even know what I would choose. The author says being reckless and ignorant is worse, but I have to disagree. I'm still thinking about what to say in that scenario.

Chapter 9, Page 82, 10-30-08

"I swung with everything I had. Alexandros spun and dropped, face-fist into the dirt, blood and spittle slinging from the side of his mouth."

This whole scene is extremely intense. It was really one of the few moments in the book where I was not able to stop. This is near the end. After I read it I stopped and read it 3 more times. This quote is just perfect. I absolutely love how the author paints the scene. I don't know about you but I can see a young solider, tired, swinging using all of his energy, and his opponent falling down, blood gushing out of his mouth. Yes the scene sounds ugly but just read that quote again and you'll see a crisp clip playing again and again in your mind.


Chapter 10, Page 88, 10-30-08

"I fear the sea anytime, but never more than on a moonless night and in the hands of strangers."

With Halloween tomorrow, you couldn't have said it better. I actually shivered when I read this line. I personally love the sea, and would love it when the moon is out. But when that disappears and you're surrounded by strangers, it's a little spooky. I would hate to be there. But it gets worse when they are forced to swim to land. I could never survive the intense training and war based life that these people lived.