Persian Fire

It is a testament to Holland's superlative powers as a narrative historian that he brings this tumultuous, epoch-making period dazzlingly to life -- William Napier * Independent on Sunday *
Holland has a rare eye for the detail, drama and the telling anecdote... A vibrant, bloodthirsty popular history, told with a rich sense of irony and irresistible narrative timing * Daily Telegraph *
Magisterial... told with great authority and a novelistic colour and verve * Independent on Sunday *
A page-turning account of a conflict that genuinely was one of the pivots on which world history has turned... His descriptions of the great confrontations of the war provide miniature masterclasses in the art of exciting historical writing... This is a terrific book, combining impeccable scholarship with the narrative drive of a fine novel -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *
This book is an unequivocal argument for the relevance of ancient history... Holland never strains for modern references; they are implicit in the stories he tells with such scholarship and flair * Observer *
Excellent... Holland is a cool-headed historian who writes no less authoritatively and engagingly on classical Greece than he did on ancient Rome -- Mary Beard * Sunday Times *
Ambitious... a sweeping popular account that seems destined to become a classic * Seattle Times *
A welcome popularization of ancient history, with a nicely vengeful cliffhanger of an ending that begs for a sequel * Kirkus *
In the sweep and vividness of his prose Tom Holland does the subject proud, and he is also good at trying to look at the conflict as much through Persian eyes as Greek, and at getting inside the psyche of Darius and Xerxes * Literary Review *
Holland doesn't impose a modern sensibility on the ancient civilizations he describes, and he delves into the background histories of both sides with equally fascinating detail... the story of the Persian empire should be fresh and surprising to many readers, while Holland's graceful, modern voice will captivate those intimidated by Herodotus * Publishers Weekly *
Thrilling... a fascinating insight into Europe's development * Guardian *
Gripping and authoritative ... An awe-inspiring story of the struggle for freedom * Express *
Confident, fluent and accessible, and with salutary lessons for our own times, this is history at its best * The Times *