Leonidas of Sparta: A Peerless Peer

I actually read both Leonidas of Sparta books in 4 days on my Kindle. They are amazing! Ms Schrader shows you aspects of Spartan culture as a whole not just the popular military. I am a homeschooling mom of two boys ages 6 and 9, and although I did not read these books to them, it gave me a greater understanding of what to discuss with them when they ask questions. History is one of our favorite subjects and we are all very interested in Spartan life and culture. A heartfelt thankyou to Ms Schrader for her work on these books. We are anxiously awaiting book 3!

A wonderful book by a master story teller. I read the entire series and it completely changed my understanding of Sparta, one of the most influential city states of both archaic and classical ancient Greece. The author is a well respected historian who has brought to life the story of Leonidas of Sparta, the legendary heroic general who fought against the Persians at Battle of Thermopylae.

Doctor Helena P. Schrader is an accomplished historian and author of both non-fiction and fiction books. She also owns land in what was once known as Laceadeamon, or Sparta and writes about the place as if she can visualize it outside her front porch. In this, the second entry in her trilogy on Leonidas, she again hits the mark and builds even further upon what was a stellar entry in Leonidas of Sparta : A boy of the Agoge.The first book took us through the early years in the life of Leonidas, focused as the title would indicate largely on the agoge and the various rituals and training regimes that young men in Sparta undergo. It also let us know how romance and family relations in the city functioned, and how the perioiki and helots worked into this social system and structure. Now Leonidas is a grown man, a member of a mess, and a soldier in the army. He has taken it as his mission to become the "Peerless Peer" that the title aludes to, and we are given the opportunity to understand how a man could grow into one who would willingly sacrifice himself for his country.We are given opportunity to see how the vaunted army functions, and how the kleros that is to maintain Spartan society actually works. For a city that strove towards an idillyic distribution of property that would make everyone equal, Schrader lays bare how one cannot legislate against greed and the machinations of the human spirit to protect ones family and build ones own assets. There are villains and there are saints in Sparta, and Leonidas encounters them all.The system of two kings is a recurring issue as well, in how it affects what is never more then a small city. The fact that Spart was not always on a war footing comes up, and how families dealt with fathers who basically were never around until they hit the age of thirty. It is a history book wrapped around a story that touches upon all the facets of the ancient world that one does not think about when envisioning such a place, but which make that place a real location that we visit through her writing. This is outstanding work, and we can all only hope that there is more to come.

I was pleasantly surprised with Helena P. Schrader's storytelling capabilities. I didn't expect a historian to be able to tell a quality story. She explains her candid fictional history style and adds where history is unclear to make Leonidas' story more engaging and complete than our current historical records.My only complaint would be that the story drifts a little too much from Leonidas at some points.

I highly recommend these series. The depiction of Sparta is based on actual historical data - the author provides historical notes at the back of the book, giving historical references and works used as a foundation for her presentation of Sparta. As any historian he must make assumptions due to the lack of historical data. I find the assumptions and extrapolations Helena makes from available historical data to be very logical and sensible. And I especially like about her works is that she doesn't exclude common sense and human nature when she constructs her historical view of a society. It results in a very probable depiction of a society which feels natural and real.The books are also incredibly detailed in the description of what was going on in and outside of Sparta at the time. It gives a wide view on Spartan society - army, marriage, education, political struggles within the country as well as outside of it, everyday life of people, etc. You feel really immersed into that period and society as you read the books.The books also reference life in other contemporary Greek cities, especially that of Athens. Sparta is often judged outside of its time and context, while I think it is important to consider what was going on in the world around it and how people - children, woman, slaves, etc. were treated outside of Sparta, by other Greek cities. Having this information gives a more balanced view on things.As far as fiction aspect of the books - the characters are very engaging. The events that take place throughout the book make you keep reading chapter after chapter. I really enjoyed it!

Interesting topic, thoughtfully dealt with, but too many pages where not much happens or where the action is pretty dry. It’s not exactly full of excitement, so unless this is a period and topic you’re really interested in, it might not whet your appetite.

It was sometimes a littler trashy and you can notice that a woman has written it. I think sometimes she concentrates too much on relationships, typical female problems, childbearing and this stuff. Nevertheless a well researched book and a good reading!

An excellent second book in the trilogy, paints a fantastic picture of what life may have been like in Sparta and drawn from from credible sources

Fine book