The Peloponnesian War

A history written by a reader's writer

Donald Kagan's rendition of this war makes one feel the blood, sweat, and tears of the men who fought the battles. Use your imagination to visualize men fighting over steep and hilly terrain either very rocky or with tons of coastal mud clinging to your feet. Imagine a battle, man on man, in which each has essentially a spear, a shield, and a sword, with little or nothing else. These were classic battles fought by the most worthy men for seemingly meaningless reasons. This is a magnificent work which should be required reading in every history class. It is money well spent to gain essential knowledge about our ancestors. These men represent the Heritage of all democracies that were to follow. Not perfect but willing to be counted.

Easy to Read for non-experts

If you are interested in the struggles of the Greeks during this era, then this is an excellent choice for the lay reader. It gets into the depth of not only the politics that create the war but the actual timelines and battles themselves. Excellent source of maps and details of who is fighting who and on which side they are on as well as the outcomes and their impact on future and current events of the time/area

in defense of the original full 4 book series

i have read the 4 book series that this is based on 2 times and it was great. it was very informative and made many arguments and critical analysis for and against many other critics and scholars in the field who have written on the subject. it was very thorough and written with such good description and clarity that even amateur history readers or those just interested in greek history can follow it with no problem, even though greek polotics and state workings in general were complicated and intricate and frail. to make a work that covers the whole war and all of the states involved as well as all of the major and minor figures in it was a monumental task that Kagan masterfully brings to life and also adds his own thoughs to what these figures may have been thinking or why the states were acting and the way the did during all phases of the war. and it helps us try to understand what may have been really going on back then and why things have ended the way they did. my apologies for commenting on the original 4 book series and not on the work in question but if the newer book as just a scaled down version that is more reader friendly than it has to be a great read well worth the time.

A Sad Story

The story of the war between Athens and Sparta is a sad and timely story of the folly of man. Kagan lays it all out in his book. I would have liked to have an appendix that would have recounted the fate of some of the main players in the war. It is not an easy read but one Americans might find timely as we engage in overseas adventures.

Read this book

I would argue that this book is good because it brings to life Thucydides account as well as the later acounts. It is far from scholarly, and therefore is excelent reading for those who have not the time to enjoy the classics in there true nature. It could be boring if one does not approach it properly. It is history, with a focus on accuracy. For fantasy one ought to check on other books, but the greatest and truest stories, I would argue, are those which involve the nature of humanity as we have experienced it. Therefore this is a great book.

fluid and dull

Althought the book was fast paced and fluid the book was boring. It was just recounting the battles and seiges, thought not in depth. the book is easy to read, but overall dull

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.