Tides of War

By: Steven Pressfield

Narrated by: Derek Jacobi

Brilliant at war, a master of politics, and a charismatic lover, Alcibiades was Athens’ favorite son and the city’s greatest general.

A prodigal follower of Socrates, he embodied both the best and the worst of the Golden Age of Greece. A commander on both land and sea, he led his armies to victory after victory.

But like the heroes in a great Greek tragedy, he was a victim of his own pride, arrogance, excess, and ambition. Accused of crimes against the state, he was banished from his beloved Athens, only to take up arms in the service of his former enemies.

For nearly three decades, Greece burned with war and Alcibiades helped bring victories to both sides - and ended up trusted by neither.

Narrated from death row by Alcibiades’ bodyguard and assassin, a man whose own love and loathing for his former commander mirrors the mixed emotions felt by all Athens, Tides of War tells an epic saga of an extraordinary century, a war that changed history, and a complex leader who seduced a nation.

©2000 Steven Pressfield (P)2000 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Pressfield’s battlefield scenes rank with the most convincing ever written.” (USA Today)

“Unabashedly brilliant, epic, intelligent, and moving.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Pressfield’s attention to historic detail is exquisite.... This novel will remain with the reader long after the final chapter is finished.”(Library Journal)

Fantastic Journey

I recommend this to all who seek adventure and want to be immersed in what was, Greece.

An interesting tale

Great, lively writing and a terrific performance. Pressfield and Jacoby bring to life what must have been like to be a citizen/soldier of Athens during the Peloponnesian war.

Amazing book except that it’s ABRIDGED

I recommend you buy the book in print instead of audio. This is one of my favorite books, and Derek Jacobi does an incredible job as the narrator.

Sadly, its heavily abridged to the point that many crucial parts of the story and character development have been cut. Despite incredible narration, this was a big disappointment. I’ve read the print edition a few times and the story is much worse off without the missing parts.

A master storyteller

Steven Pressfield is better known for another great story, The Legend of Bagger Vance. In Tides of War, Pressfield also shows that he is a masterful storyteller, with history, characters, plots and sub-plots all entertwined but all progressing throughout the story.

high-quality fiction

Pressfield brings Alexander to life in bright detail. Perhaps his Alexander is more perfect than the real specimen - but if so, it is only justifiable in service to Alexander's daimon.

Excellent story, wonderful language

The writing was just as good as Robert Graves. My only criticism is that it was abridged.

Different Themes than Gates of Fire

Another excellent book by Steven Pressfield. But this time instead of dealing with the the themes of might and valor, Tides of War deals with betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness, and not just of others, but of one's self.

As the narration bounces from sources at the beginning, the story is a little hard to follow. But this only lasts for a short period of time. Then the story takes off.

The cascading effects of the wrongs people do against one another is at the forefront of this whole story. It's a vicious cycle that no one can stop.

A bit hard to follow.

I love Steven Pressfield and this story, but I found it kind of hard to follow. Giving the author the benefit of the doubt, I wasn't paying extremely close attention, but still the story seemed to bounce between a few characters and scenes. I have a general idea of what happened, but often had no idea what was going on.
I probably need to become a mature reader though.

Great novel of an epic time

The structure of this book is a bit odd. Characters telling the stories of other characters. Listening to it, it got confusing at times. When Pressfield's other book, The Last of the Amazons, was recorded they smartly used multiple voices when he used a similar technique. Be that as it may, the book was still wonderful. It might work better reading it. I wish it wasn't abridged.

Good, but doesn't sparkle.

Pressfield writes well and researches professionally. "Gates of Fire", the book before this one (though not necessary to read first) cracked with an energy that "Tides of War" never quite achieves. This book is interesting in its exploration of the wide canvas that was the Peleponisian (sp?) War, and of the character of Alcibiades, who, thorough cunning and generalship, fought for all three sides in the 30-year conflict, making each love him and despise him. However, the narrative device of telling the story through the remove of not one but two recollections tends to make the story less urgent and more "historical" feeling, rather than "immediate drama". While I loved the setting and the details of the story, I found it was easy to hit the "pause" button whenever something else called my attention. If you liked "Gates of War" this book might indeed be for you, although I wonder if it isn't better read than listened to. Those who like military themes, historical narratives and anything having to do with Ancient Greece will enjoy this book.