Steven Pressfield – författare

In the Sunday Times bestseller Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield tells the breathtaking story of the legendary Spartans: the men and women who helped shaped our history and have themselves become as immortal as their gods.'Breathtakingly brilliant . . . this is a work of rare genius. Savour it!' DAVID GEMMELL'A tale worthy of Homer, a timeless epic of man and war, exquisitely researched and boldy written. Pressfield has created a new classic' STEPHEN COONTS'A really impressive book - imaginatively framed, historically detailed and a really gripping narrative' ***** Reader review'Beautifully written and a great joy to read' ***** Reader review**************************Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,That here, obedient to their laws, we lie.480 BC: At a bleak pass in a far-flung corner of eastern Greece, three hundred Spartan warriors faced the army of King Xerxes of Persia, a massive force rumoured to be over a million strong.Their orders were simple: to delay the enemy for as long as possible in order to buy time for the main Greek armies to mobilize. For six days the Spartans held the invaders at bay. In the final hours - their shields broken, swords and spears shattered - they fought with their bare hands before being overwhelmed . . . It was battle that would become synonymous with extraordinary courage, heroism and self-sacrifice.It was a battle called Thermopylae.

From the pen of Steven Pressfield, author of The Sunday Times Bestseller Gates of Fire comes a captivating, gripping and atmospheric novel of military might and war."Awesome...this is an extraordinary work - an instant classic." -- DAVID GEMMELL"Gripping, moving and literate...rarely does an author manage to recreate a moment in history with such mastery, authority and psychological insight." -- NELSON DEMILLE"No one writes better historical fiction than Steven Pressfield" -- VINCE FLYNN"This book doesn't 'grab you from the first page'; it slowly envelops you in silken claws until you realise that this story owns you" -- ***** Reader review"Powerful and insightful" -- ***** Reader review"Absolutely brilliant" -- ***** Reader review********************************************************WHAT LENGTHS WILL THEY GO TO TO ACHIEVE VICTORY? 330 BC: Alexander The Great launches his bloody and brutal campaign in the Afghan Kingdoms...Among the ranks of Macedonian infantry is Matthias. The youngest of three brothers, he is eager to prove himself, but as he joins the front-line, he comes to realise that warfare has changed. The Macedonians face a new kind of enemy, and must learn to fight a new kind of war.Experiencing fear, euphoria, horror and shame, Matthias and his comrades undergo a rite of passage as they, soldiers of a Western force whose code is secular and humanist, confront a proud Eastern warrior people who possess a fervent willingness to die for their cause.Just to survive, Alexander's men must shake off the trappings of 'civilization' and adopt the same unorthodox and barbaric tactics as their foe - but is that a price worth paying?

An “inventive [and] epic” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) novel of the ancient world that breathes life into the grand myth of the ferocious female warrior culture of the Amazons, from the bestselling author of Gates of Fire“Thoroughly gripping [with] the best battle scenes I’ve ever read.”—Diana GabaldonIn the time before Homer, the legendary Theseus, king of Athens, set sail on a journey that brought him into the land of tal Kyrte, the nation of proud female warriors whom the Greeks called Amazons. The Amazons, bound to each other as lovers as well as fighters, distrusted the Greeks, with their boastful talk of “civilization.” So when the great war queen Antiope fell in love with Theseus and fled with the Greeks, the mighty Amazon nation rose up in rage.In the eternal clash between freedom and civilization, love and loyalty, man and woman, lies a masterful tale of war and revenge with the power to enchant, seduce, and inspire.

The “master storyteller” (Publishers Weekly) and bestselling author of Gates of Fire, The Afghan Campaign, and Killing Rommel returns with a stunning, chillingly plausible near-future thriller about the rise of a privately financed and global military industrial complex. The year is 2032. The third Iran-Iraq war is over; the 11/11 dirty bomb attack on the port of Long Beach, California is receding into memory; Saudi Arabia has recently quelled a coup; Russians and Turks are clashing in the Caspian Basin; Iranian armored units, supported by the satellite and drone power of their Chinese allies, have emerged from their enclaves in Tehran and are sweeping south attempting to recapture the resource rich territory that had been stolen from them, in their view, by Lukoil, BP, and ExxonMobil and their privately-funded armies. Everywhere military force is for hire.  Oil companies, multi-national corporations and banks employ powerful, cutting-edge mercenary armies to control global chaos and protect their riches.  Even nation states enlist mercenary forces to suppress internal insurrections, hunt terrorists, and do the black bag jobs necessary to maintain the new New World Order.  Force Insertion is the world''s merc monopoly. Its leader is the disgraced former United States Marine General James Salter, stripped of his command by the president for nuclear saber-rattling with the Chinese and banished to the Far East.  A grandmaster military and political strategist, Salter deftly seizes huge oil and gas fields, ultimately making himself the most powerful man in the world.  Salter''s endgame is to take vengeance on those responsible for his exile and then come home...as Commander in Chief. The only man who can stop him is the novel''s narrator, Gilbert "Gent" Gentilhomme, Salter''s most loyal foot soldier and as close to him as the son Salter lost. As this action-jammed, lightning fast, and brutally realistic novel builds to its heart-stopping climax Gent launches his personally and professionally most desperate mission: to take out his mentor and save the United States from self destruction. Infused by a staggering breadth of research in military tactics and steeped in the timeless themes of the honor and valor of men at war that distinguish all of Pressfield’s fiction, The Profession is that rare novel that informs and challenges the reader almost as much as it entertains.From the Hardcover edition.

New York murder detectives James Manning and Covina “Dewey” Duwai have been called in to investigate a string of bizarre deaths with scant leads. But when they apprehend a rabbinical scholar fleeing one of the crime scenes, they’re brought face-to-face with the shocking truth: the Jewish legend of the hidden Righteous Men, the 36 who protect the world from destruction, is no legend at all. They are real, and they are being murdered. Manning and Dewey must save the last of the Righteous Men from a killer who may or may not be supernatural and who won’t stop until he has brought the whole world to an end.

Jerusalem and the Sinai desert, AD 55. In the turbulent aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus, agents of the Roman Empire receive information about a pilgrim bearing an incendiary letter from a religious fanatic calling himself Paul the Apostle to insurrectionists in Corinth. What’s in the letter could bring down an empire.The Romans hire a former legionary, a solitary man-at-arms named Telamon, to intercept the letter and destroy the courier. Telamon fights for money, not principles. He’s been promised a rich reward; should he fail, the punishment is death by crucifixion. But once he meets the courier, Telamon experiences an extraordinary conversion and instead of carrying out the mission, takes on the Empire. In his first novel of the ancient world in thirteen years, the best-selling author of Gates of Fire and Tides of War returns with a gripping saga of conquest and rebellion, bloodshed and faith.

Jerusalem and the Sinai desert, first century AD. In the turbulent aftermath of the crucifixion of Jesus, officers of the Roman Empire acquire intelligence of a pilgrim bearing an incendiary letter from a religious fanatic to insurrectionists in Corinth. The content of this letter could bring down the empire. The Romans hire a former legionary, the solitary man-at-arms, Telamon of Arcadia, to intercept the letter and capture its courier. Telamon operates by a dark code all his own, with no room for noble causes or lofty beliefs. But once he overtakes the courier, something happens that neither he nor the empire could have predicted. In his first novel of the ancient world in thirteen years, the best-selling author of Gates of Fire and Tides of War returns with a gripping saga of conquest and rebellion, bloodshed and faith.

The Peloponnesian War, one of history’s most pivotal conflicts, comes to vibrant life in this “unabashedly brilliant, epic, intelligent, and moving” (Kirkus Reviews) novel from the bestselling author of Gates of Fire.“Pressfield’s battlefield scenes rank with the most convincing ever written.”—USA TodayBrilliant 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 is an epic saga of an extraordinary century, a war that changed history, and a complex leader who seduced a nation.

Told by Alexander the Great himself, this “sharp and colorful” (Washington Post Book World) novel presents a stunningly intimate account of the battles, the loves, the triumphs, and the tragedy of a man who conquered the world, from the bestselling author of Gates of Fire.“Simply superb . . . Its expert pace, its vivid detail, its bone-crushing action, and its occasional piercing insights of sad eloquence make [The Virtues of War] an absolutely gripping read.”—Seattle TimesI have always been a soldier. I have known no other life.So begins Alexander’s extraordinary confession on the eve of his greatest crisis of leadership. By turns heroic and calculating, compassionate and utterly merciless, Alexander recounts with a warrior’s unflinching eye for detail the blood, the terror, and the tactics of his greatest battlefield victories. Whether surviving his father’s brutal assassination, presiding over a massacre, or weeping at the death of a beloved comrade-in-arms, Alexander never denies the hard realities of the code by which he lives: the virtues of war. But as much as he was feared by his enemies, he was loved and revered by his friends, his generals, and the men who followed him into battle. Often outnumbered, never outfought, Alexander conquered every enemy the world stood against him—except the one he never saw coming. . . .

___________________'A marvellous, life-affirming book' Mark McCormack'Golf and mysticism...a dazzler and a thought-provoker' Los Angeles Times'Good stuff...a philosophical fantasy imagined on a golf course, heavy with fog, storm, fireworks and the howling winds of supernatural forces' New York Times Book Review___________________In the Depression year of 1931, on the golf links at Krewe Island off Savannah's windswept shore, two legends of the game - Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen - meet for a mesmerizing thirty-six hole showdown.They are joined by another player, a troubled war hero called Rannulph Junah. But the key to the outcome lies not with these golfing titans but with Junah's caddie and mentor, the mysterious, sage and charismatic Bagger Vance - for he is the custodian of the secret of the Authentic Swing...____________________Written in the spirit of Bernard Malamud's The Natural and sharing the magic of the celebrated Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams, Steven Pressfield's first novel reveals the true nature of the game. Page-turning, spellbinding and affecting, it is a novel for golfers and non-golfers alike - a story in which the search for the Authentic Swing becomes a metaphor for the search for the Authentic Self.

A dazzling and profoundly moving tale of love and war, honour and revenge from Steven Pressfield, author of the Sunday Times Bestseller Gates of Fire. "Beyond the best battle scenes I've ever read - brutal, bloody and thoroughly gripping" -- DIANA GABALDON"Steven Pressfield...makes the distant past seem real and immediate. This is historical fiction elevated to the status of myth." -- DANIEL SILVA"Pressfield writes with a quality and style akin to classical legend...a joy to read" -- JOHN WHITBOURN"A gripping, un-put downable read!" -- ***** Reader review"Great reading. Thrilling, exciting and then some." -- ***** Reader review***************************************************TO THEM HONOUR AND LOYALTY WERE EVERYTHING...1250 BC: Theseus, king of Athens and slayer of the Minotaur, set sail on a journey that brought him to the land of 'tal Kyrte', the 'Free People', a nation of fiercely proud and passionate warrior women whom the Greeks called 'Amazons'.Lovers and fighters they owed allegiance to no man and distrusted the Greeks with their boastful talk of cities and civilization. When their illustrious war queen Antiope fell in love with Theseus and fled to Athens with the king and his followers, so denying her people, the Amazon tribes were outraged. Seeking revenge, they raised a vast army and marched on Athens. History tells us they could not win, but for a brief and glorious moment, the Amazons held the Attic world in thrall before vanishing into the immortal realms of myth and legend.

Steven Pressfield, author of the Sunday Times bestseller Gates of Fire, brings us an intimate and revealing portrayal of Alexander the Great: legendary hero and leader of men. "A cracking, fast-paced contemporary retelling of the legend that is Alexander" - MANDA SCOTT"An all conqueringly glamorous an account as Alexander himself" -- SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE"Deeply researched, dashingly written...this is a terrific performance" -- INDEPENDENT"Nothing short of an excellent read" - ***** Reader review"This was simply beautiful, 100% recommended, there was a literal lump in my throat when I came to the end, absolutely glorious." -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************EVERYTHING IS THERE FOR THE TAKINGHe ascended to the throne of Macedon at the age of nineteen.He conquered the seemingly invincible Persian Empire before he was twenty-five.He died at the age of thirty-two, undefeated by any enemy.His reputation as a warrior and leader of men remains unsurpassed in the annals of history. We remember him as Alexander the Great...Epic in scope and magisterial in tone, Steven Pressfield's breathtaking novel tells the story of this legendary colossus of the ancient world who was driven - and ultimately undone - by his insatiable lust for glory.

An unputdownable and incredibly evocative military novel full of thrilling battle scenes and flesh and blood characters from Steven Pressfield, author of The Sunday Times Bestseller Gates of Fire. "A terrific read...this is historical fiction at its very best." -- JAMES HOLLAND"A splendid tour-de-force...it should not be missed" -- WASHINGTON POST"Both a captivating history lesson and rousing guts-n-glory saga" -- ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY"Compelling...the narrative is a page turner" -- ***** Reader review"Mr Pressfield is a true craftsman in the best possible way. You LIVE the story while he is telling it" -- ***** Reader review"Simply a brilliant read" -- ***** Reader review****************************************************NORTH AFRICA, 1942. AN ELITE BRITISH ARMY UNIT IS ON A DEADLY MISSION. Autumn, 1942: Hitler's legions have swept across Europe. Soviet Russia reels under the German onslaught while across the channel, Britain struggles on.And in North Africa, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps have routed the 8th Army, threatening the oil fields of the Middle East. The war hangs in the balance...Out of this, the British hatch a desperate plan - to send a small, highly mobile fighting force behind enemy lines to strike a blow that will stop Rommel's army in its tracks. It is to be called the Long Range Desert Group and its exploits will become the stuff of legend.Based on real events, Steven Pressfield's bold novel brings to pulse-racing life the ingenuity and daring of this maverick commando unit - a disparate, dedicated 'band of brothers' who sacrificed so much for the sake of freedom...

“A brilliant look into the psyche of combat. Where he once took us into the Spartan line of battle at Thermopylae, Steven Pressfield now takes us into the sands of the Sinai, the alleys of Old Jerusalem, and into the hearts and souls of soldiers winning a spectacularly improbable victory against daunting odds.”—General Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army, ret.; author of My Share of the TaskJune 5, 1967. The nineteen-year-old state of Israel is surrounded by enemies who want nothing less than her utter extinction. The Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army has massed a thousand tanks on the nation’s southern border. Syrian heavy guns are shelling her from the north. To the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving mechanized brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt’s President Nasser has declared that the Arab force’s objective is “the destruction of Israel.” The rest of the world turns a blind eye to the new nation’s desperate peril.June 10, 1967. The Arab armies have been routed, ground divisions wiped out, air forces totally destroyed. Israel’s citizen-soldiers have seized the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan. The land under Israeli control has tripled. Her charismatic defense minister, Moshe Dayan, has entered the Lion’s Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem to stand with the paratroopers who have liberated Judaism’s holiest site—the Western Wall, part of the ruins of Solomon’s temple, which has not been in Jewish hands for nineteen hundred years.It is one of the most unlikely and astonishing military victories in history.Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with veterans of the war—fighter and helicopter pilots, tank commanders and Recon soldiers, paratroopers, as well as women soldiers, wives, and others—bestselling author Steven Pressfield tells the story of the Six Day War as you’ve never experienced it before: in the voices of the young men and women who battled not only for their lives but for the survival of a Jewish state, and for the dreams of their ancestors.By turns inspiring, thrilling, and heartbreaking, The Lion’s Gate is both a true tale of military courage under fire and a journey into the heart of what it means to fight for one’s people.

The time: 1931. The place: the golf links at Krewe Island off Savannah''s windswept Atlantic shore. The event: a once-in-a-lifetime 36-hole match...in which the stakes are higher than anyone imagined. In Steven Pressfield''s richly imagined, vividly detailed story, golf legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen are joined by a local unsung opponent, the troubled war hero Rannulph Junah. Played above raging Atlantic surf and under gathering storm clouds, their match is thrilling competition. But the key to the outcome lies with Bagger Vance, a caddie who carries the secret of the Authentic Swing. His mysterious powers guide the play and leave a lasting imprint on the lives he touches that day and in years to come. A sports fable worthy of comparison to The Natural, The Legend of Bagger Vance reveals that, in life as well as golf, the real battle is not with outside opponents but with oneself.

New York homicide detectives pursue a serial killer in this apocalyptic thriller.

Spain in the 1500s. The Iberian Peninsula is fractured, faiths collide and war brews. Into this world rides Telamon—soldier, killer, eternal outcast—drawn into a brutal conflict between Portuguese invaders and desperate Andalusian defenders. But he is not alone. Travelling with him through time and lifetimes are others—comrades, lovers, enemies—each reborn in a new guise, all of them entangled in a tale of cosmic justice. Steven Pressfield, the renowned master of the historical epic, poses questions that every warrior confronts: Can a man born to fight ever lay down his sword? And is redemption possible after so many lifetimes soaked in blood? A gripping standalone novel, as grounded in gritty realism as it is in the mysticism of the ancient Greek world, The Arcadian is a tale of war, fate and the search for release from a cycle as old as time itself.Steven Pressfield’s 36 Righteous Men was praised as:“Pressfield keeps the revelations coming at an apocalyptic pace in this page-turner.” —The Wall Street Journal

From the pen of Steven Pressfield, author of The Sunday Times Bestseller Gates of Fire comes a captivating, gripping and atmospheric novel of military might and war."Awesome...this is an extraordinary work - an instant classic." -- DAVID GEMMELL"Gripping, moving and literate...rarely does an author manage to recreate a moment in history with such mastery, authority and psychological insight." -- NELSON DEMILLE"No one writes better historical fiction than Steven Pressfield" -- VINCE FLYNN"This book doesn't 'grab you from the first page'; it slowly envelops you in silken claws until you realise that this story owns you" -- ***** Reader review"Powerful and insightful" -- ***** Reader review"Absolutely brilliant" -- ***** Reader review********************************************************WHAT LENGTHS WILL THEY GO TO TO ACHIEVE VICTORY? 330 BC: Alexander The Great launches his bloody and brutal campaign in the Afghan Kingdoms...Among the ranks of Macedonian infantry is Matthias. The youngest of three brothers, he is eager to prove himself, but as he joins the front-line, he comes to realise that warfare has changed. The Macedonians face a new kind of enemy, and must learn to fight a new kind of war.Experiencing fear, euphoria, horror and shame, Matthias and his comrades undergo a rite of passage as they, soldiers of a Western force whose code is secular and humanist, confront a proud Eastern warrior people who possess a fervent willingness to die for their cause.Just to survive, Alexander's men must shake off the trappings of 'civilization' and adopt the same unorthodox and barbaric tactics as their foe - but is that a price worth paying?