GATES OF FIRE

Gates of Fire takes the listener back in time to the battle of Thermopylae (480 B.C.), in which a tiny force of Spartans fought to the last man to hold off a huge force of invading Persians. Derek Jacobi is brilliant--his soldiers are terrifyingly gruff, and his breathless account of the fighting is so vivid that one can almost smell the blood. With a lesser reader, the novel's structure might have been confusing, but Jacobi's ability to subtly alter the timbre of his voice and the style of his delivery to differentiate narrators makes it perfectly clear. All in all, a masterful feat of storytelling. Homer would have been proud. D.B. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 99]