"Persian Fire"

Persian Fire: The first World Empire and the Battle for the West (Tom Holland)

A look at the famous clash between the Persian empire and the Greek city-states, running up through the Persians ultimate defeat at Platea. This is a famous story, one I'm sure you already know the broad strokes of, either from school or 300. Even being familiar with the story, I really enjoyed this book. Holland is a great storyteller, and instead of jumping right into the fighting, he instead carefully sets the scene, delving into the history of the Persian empire and to a slightly lesser extent the Greek states, so that by the time the clash actually comes, both combatants are familiar, and it's understandable how the badly outnumbered Greeks routed the Persians with almost no casualties. Perhaps the highest tribute I can offer the book is that even knowing the events it was covering and how each battle was going to turn out, I never found my attention or interest wandering. Recommended.

History Nerd Grade: A
Normal Person Grade: B