A Heroic King (Leonidas of Sparta)

Engaging and well-written story that takes historical events and understanding of the time and brings them to life in a fantastic story. I was sad to have it end and almost emotional because I became so attached to the characters. Incredible writing. Highly recommend.

I have been an avid reader of historical fiction for fifty years, and I have never encountered a work as exciting, fascinating, satisfying and well-researched as Helena Shrader’s trilogy about Leonidas of Sparta.In this third book of the series Shrader portrays Leonidas in his mature years, his marriage to his niece Gorgo, his travels to Athens and other places and his rise to become one of the two Kings of Sparta. She recounts the events of the ill-omened Persian embassy to Sparta, in which the Persian ambassadors demand that the Spartan give them earth and water as a sign of submission. The Spartans respond by throwing the Ambassadors in a deep well, telling them that they will find all the earth and water they need there. The Spartans realize that they have offended the gods by this act and a few years later they sent two volunteers to the Persian King Xerxes to expiate the deed with their live. Xerxes rejects the offering, warning that the Spartan debt to him remains unpaid.Xerxes plans a massive invasion of Greece with one million troops. The fate of Western civilization hangs in the balance. The Athenians, under Themistocles, have built a fleet of triremes to counter the Persian fleet, but it is up to King Leonidas, his bodyguard of 300 Spartans, and 6000 allied troops to hold the narrow pass at Thermopylae so that the rest of the Spartans and their allies can mobilize. The prophesy from Delphi states that in the coming conflict Sparta will either mourn one of its Kings, or it will be destroyed.After a day of battle a herald is sent from the Persian King to Leonidas: “The Great King Xerxes, son of Darius, offers to King Leonidas, son of Anaxandridas , of Sparta the following: If he give up this pointless resistance against the forces of Civilization and the true God Ahuramazda, if he takes the hand outstretched in friendship by his most gracious Majesty, the merciful and generous Great King, if he puts his arms in the service of His Magnificence, the Joy of Ahuramazda, joining the invincible multitude of a thousand nations, then Xerxes, King of Kings, will make Leonidas, son of Anaxandridas, Kng of all Greece.”Who would reject an offer like that?Leonidas’ reply: “Tell your master that if he understood honor, he would not lust after what does not belong to him. I, Leonidas of Sparta, would rather die for the freedom of Greece than rule it in subjugation!”The Spartans and their allies successfully held the pass for two days, but a Phocian traitor revealed a goat track to the Persians, over which the Immortals, an elite Persian unit, could cross and attack the Greeks on their unprotected flank. When it became clear that their cause was lost, Leonidas sent the bulk of the allies away, determined to hold the pass long enough to allow them to escape.The Persian King sent another herald: “The Great King offers you your naked lives, if you surrender your arms.”Leonidas replied: “Come and take them!”In the ensuing battle Leonidas and all but one of his remaining men are slain. After Leonidas falls his compatriots try desperately to shield his body, but in the end Xerxes obtains it and mounts Leonidas’ head on a stake.Leonidas’ sacrifice is not in vain, however. It buys the Greeks time and ultimately the Persians are defeated on land by Leonidas’ nephew Pausanias, and at sea by the Athenian Themistocles.Shrader has a gift for making her characters vivid and human, and she is a consummate story-teller. She ranks high in my pantheon of great historical fiction authors.

I approached this finale of Helena Schrader's Leonidas trilogy with some trepidation, as a sampler to see if I'd want to invest in the others (at three volumes and around 1500 pages, no small investment) or if it would prove to be a sad disappointment as so much modern print-on-demand historical fiction has been. I opened the book to random chapters and sections and to my joy and delight, discovered a very fine tale indeed. The first two volumes are now on order and I look forward to reading these in their entirety, displaying them on my shelves, and recommending them to others.The reign of Leonidas and the events of the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC form the subject matter and a mix of historical and fictional characters bring this dramatic period to life. Dr. Schrader's prose is pleasingly vigorous and sturdy, her dialogue relaxed, and her background research impeccable. While many liberties are taken to fill in the gaps of what ancient historians and modern scholars tell us about Sparta at this time in order to construct a rounded novel and populate it with suitable characters, nothing feels forced or artificial to me. And as someone who has studied Spartan history and society for decades, I can find very little to nit-pick here (apart from the description of the Thermopylae battlefield in one respect: I do not know where any recorded or geological evidence attests to a "cliff" on the seaward side of the pass); on the contrary, this book encompasses a wealth of detail and accuracy yet in a naturalistic and brisk style that is remarkable. Even the conjectural leaps are carefully considered and presented, and indeed offer much food for thought for even academic historians. Dr. Schrader's website offers a number of essays and discussions on various aspects of Sparta that have obviously informed this book, as have her travels to the locations mentioned and her keen observations of ancient Greek life and thought.Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in Spartan history, often centered around the battle for Thermopylae (which naturally forms the vivid denouement of A Heroic King), with new nonfiction books and documentaries as well as cheesy and dishonest efforts such as the deplorable "300" and the grossly overrated, disturbing, tiresome, and crypto-fascist (in my opinion) Steven Pressfield novel Gates of Fire, which cannot hold a candle to this book. Readers looking for an engaging and informed recreation of life in Sparta at the beginning of the classical era and how this remote city-state came to lead the defense of the West can ask for no better novel.

In writing the third volume of her Leonidas trilogy, Helena Schrader finds herself, paradoxically, to some degree constrained by the wealth of ancient sources at her disposal---Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plutarch above all (the last, particularly, in his sayings of the Spartans and Spartan women). Schrader more or less has to get all of this evidence in somehow---it wouldn't do to leave out a real live attested utterance of Leonidas or Gorgo---so she finds herself with the task of devising situations to account for these apothegms, to some degree to the detriment of her narrative flow. Sometimes, as we all know, less is more and more is less, even when historical (or quasi- or putatively historical) sources are concerned. That said, though, she does her usual good job. As a confessed Spartanophile---I just finished teaching a course on Athens and Sparta---I find her vision of Sparta, by and large, and, indeed, more than by and large, persuasive. I think she gets the tone of things pretty much right. The glittering reputation of Sparta was not based on nothing, and it has long been to me very striking that, so far as we can tell, for virtually all of the late 500s and for most of the 400s as well the other poleis of Greece very clearly and very strongly favored and respected Sparta more than they did Athens. From a contemporary vantage point that seems almost inconceivable, but Schrader does a fine job of suggesting why it may have been---and justly been---so.

This is a well-written novel - based on known historical characters and events - concerned with King Leonidas' rule of Sparta. The story explores Leonidas' rein over his small Greek kingdom, and the seemingly inevitable path taken towards war with invading Persia. Leonidas is represented as a man who accepts his destiny, although someone who did seek to avert war if possible. Ultimately, he views his position as protector of Sparta and of wider Greece - and is willing to sacrifice himself if necessary.The story that unfolds does so over a number of years, allowing Leonidas to acquire experience as King - and gain the respect of his army. The book is the final instalment of a trilogy - and the other two parts are:  Leonidas of Sparta: A Boy of the Agoge  and  Leonidas of Sparta: A Peerless Peer . While each of these novels is interesting, it's the last one that's most fascinating. This is the story of the mighty Persian forces entering Greece so as to conquer Europe ... and Leonidas holds off the Persians for a short time, allowing Greece to recognise the threat it faced and prepare for war. Moreover, Leonidas and his '300' send a clear message: Greece will not bow. And if just a few Spartan soldiers can withstand - and slaughter - so many Persians for 3 days, so Sparta as a whole is something to be greatly feared.For a historical novel, this is a good read. Leonidas of Sparta: A Boy of the AgogeLeonidas of Sparta: A Peerless Peer

Like the first two books on the life of Leonidas it gives a realistic presentation of what the man and the world he lived in was like. The character is well developed and the story is absorbing.

Brilliant and moving conclusion to a great trilogy about Sparta's most famous son. Brings back a long lost time to vivid life.

Excellent read