The story is framed by Grandfather Jason's narration. His grandson asks who he thinks is the noblest of the Greeks. "Alcibiades," Grandfather answers immediately. Grandson asks who he thinks is his 'most unforgettable character'. "Polemides, the son of Nicias...the man who assassinated Alcibiades," Grandfather replies. Thus begins Grandfather's narration, which is italicized. It alternates with Polemides's narration, which is set in a regular serif typeface. Polemides, erstwhile captain of marin...

This is an inspiring book. It's also a great big sloppy train wreck of a book!Normally it's fun to trash a book as awful as this one, but TIDES OF WAR is a very special case. Steven Pressfield wrote GATES OF FIRE first, and it's a classic. GATES OF FIRE is all about Spartans, while TIDES OF WAR is all about Athenians. It's not hard to see why a conservative Vietnam War veteran like Pressfield intuitively grasps Spartan discipline and totally fails to capture the greatness of Athenian democracy.

Historical fiction, It brought an era to life, and provided an alternative insight. I love reading the historical genre because it gives me a base of knowledge about the history that has formed the world we're stuck in. I don't enjoy textbooks or dry non-fiction, so I turn to writers like Steven to personify history for me. I've found it enlightening to read books like Tides of War, then read about the historical accuracies and inaccuracies in them. A well written historical novel can be as ente...

This requires one to be a little bit of a history geek. It's an epic set in the Peloponnesian War. The narration style can be a bit confusing, and some momentum is lost by the end, but the characters are intriguing, and Pressfield's writing style falls somewhere comfortably between classical and modern. The chapter detailing the disastrous Athenian invasion of Sicily is mesmerizing, and pretty much worth the whole read.

I loved this book. Of the three Pressfield books I've read, I think this is my favorite, quite simply because of the character of Alcibiades. The idea that such a character may have existed in reality is an enticing and exciting thought, and his journey from Athenian general to Spartan advisor to Persian courtier reads like some sort of war time Jack Sparrow adventure set in ancient Greece. The character's tragic end felt very earned, as someone this larger than life can't simply retire, and the...

Tides of War is a good historical novel. However, it's for readers that can tolerate a complex narrative that describes events over the 27 year span of the Peloponnesian War (431 to 404 BCE). The story is told through three narrators; a man interviewing his grandfather Jason who in turn was a lawyer who many years earlier represented Polymides who was a close confidant of Alcibiades. In other words, it's a description of an interview in which an older person is describing earlier conversations w...

Brilliant historical fiction, obviously heavily researched combined with excellent storytelling. Glimpses of Socrates and early democracy give the book an intellectual aspect often not found in a war novel.

One of the most loved and hated at the same time personalities of Ancient Athens, Alcibiades, is the main character of this book. A great leader with great ambition. The book is fast paced and describes in an enjoyable manner the character of this man and his "achievements" through the "eyes" of his friend and co-warrior. It also provides a good context which help us understand why Athenians both hated and loved Alcibiades. And as Steven Pressfield always does even the fictional characters and e...

Absolutely the best fiction based on the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). Well researched and grounded in history, with interesting characters galore. Alcibiades is one of my favorite historical figures and this book really brings him to life.

I can honestly say that I gave the book a fair chance but I'm not likely to finish it, so there it is: a DNF. Utter disappointment after Gates of Fire.

Having recently read about the classical age of Europe I found a gap in my knowledge of Ancient Greece, that of the Peloponnese wars that raged over a few decades in Greece & the surrounding Aegean Sea. The author Steven Pressfield has also been on my radar for a while too so a perfect combo?Oh dear..... my first dnf of the year at around 90 pages. The endless narrative (from two different persons) is jus not for me & was bored beyond believe with no dialogue/interaction......... I actually didn...

Read this book in 2011, and its another terrific standalone book , this time about the Athenian Greek, Alcibiades.Set between the year 431 until 404 BC it will tell us the triumphs on land and sea in the Peloponnesian War, his ultimate downfall and banishment, followed in the end by subsequent exile in the Achaemenid Empire.All battles he fought for Athens he won, but as a Statesman, orator and General and during the Peloponnesian War he has defected several times, from Athens to Sparta, from Sp...

First-person narrative Sword and Sandal historical fiction centered around the historical figure Alcibiades and the Peloponnesian War. Greek/Macedonian Phalanx My audiobook was seven (7) hours long. Derek Jacobi was the narrator. A dead tree copy is 426 pages. The original US copyright was 2000.Steven Pressfield is an American historical fiction and non-fiction writer. He has nine (9) historical fiction books published. Most are set in ancient times and have military themes. He also has the s...

mp3Read by George Guidell. Peloponnesian Wars = Athens v Peloponnesian League fronted by SpartaStarring Alcebiades on Death Row: From wiki: c. 450–404 BC), was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last famous member of his mother's aristocratic family, the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War. He played a major role in the second half of that conflict as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician......he was a tricky custome...

DNF @ 29%. Too boring and too jarring unfortunately, because the subject is totally in my Hist Fic wheelhouse: the story of Alcibiades, the greatest general of Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars. The novel is structured as the memoir of Jason, a fictional character who interviewed Alcibiades' assassin from jail before he was executed. Now much older, Jason is retelling Polemides' story to his grandson. The narrative goes into long passages of philosophical dialogue about the nature of man, war...

Not enough of best boy Theramenes but still good

Bought this at a library cast-off yard sale, thinking it would fit into my genre of historical fiction which I can both enjoy and learn something from - however unlike most of that type of novel I've read, I knew almost nothing about the subject (the Peloponnesian Wars), having only covered it briefly in high-school history as another example of Sparta vs. Athens.And at first, I thought I'd made a big mistake - it was a very slow start, with cumbersome language, difficult names of both people an...

It took me quite a while to work out whether I liked this book or not. Certainly the pace is slower than Pressfield's epic "Gates of fire", but that in itself is no major issue. Tales worth retelling have their own pace and rhythm and should not, therefore, be rushed.POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNINGHistorical fiction is a genre plagued by spoilers. There is no mystery to the outcome of the Pelopponesian war or fate of Athens. Likewise, the rises and falls of Alcibiades' star will not prove mysterious to...

I am not too big a fan of battle scenes in historical novels. So if they are among the best parts, it means either that they are awesome or that the book is just not that good. Sadly, it is the latter here. Let's start with the things that are not so good: The main character Polemides is an utterly stereotypical tough-soldier-dude as they litter Bernard Cornwell's books and those of his epigones. The only thing more stereotypical is the portrayal of women in the book. Greek culture is reduced to...

This was a real marathon, I've never looked up so many words for a book before. I feel it's a real accomplishment getting through it... but now I need something light!