Athenian

Evoking two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World the Battle of Marathon and the Last Stand at Thermopylae The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling by a well acclaimed master of the historical adventure novel. In the new epic historical novel by New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden, in ancient Greece an army of slaves gathers on the plains of Marathon... Under Darius the Great, King of Kings, the mighty Persian army swollen by 10,000 warriors known as The Immortals have come to subjugate the Greeks. In their path, vastly outnumbered, stands an army of freeborn Athenians. Among them is a clever, fearsome, and cunning soldier-statesman, Xanthippus. Against all odds, the Athenians emerge victorious. Yet people soon forget that freedom is bought with blood. Ten years later, Xanthippus watches helplessly as Athens succumbs to the bitter politics of factionalism. Traitors and exiles abound. Trust is at a low ebb when the Persians cross the Hellespont in ever greater numbers in their second attempt to raze Athens to the ground. Facing overwhelming forces by land and sea, the Athenians call on their Spartan allies for assistance to delay the Persians at the treacherous pass of Thermopylae...

Themistocles stands as the battle-scarred leader of Athens. Yet he is no nobleman and is distrusted by many. But those who stand against him cannot argue with two things: his victories as a warrior, and the vast Persian army heading their way… And so Themistocles must fight. Fight the invaders. Fight the allies who despise him. Fight for his city. As the Persians draw close, he must prove himself again and again in battle. Because history belongs to the courageous…

The new novel in master storyteller Conn Iggulden's bestselling series tells the story of Pericles amid the battlefields of the Peloponnesian War. After the gods, after the myths and legends, came the world of men - and in the front rank stood Pericles. Enter Pericles - the Lion of Athens. Behind him lies the greatest city of the ancient world. Before him stands the ferocious Persian army. Both sides are spoiling for war. But Pericles knows one thing: to fight a war you must first win the peace. It's time for a hero to rise. For his enemies to tremble. And for a city to shine like a beacon...