Episode 115: Gates Of Fire by Stephen Pressfield
This episode opens with a pair of great emails, one regarding a past book club selection and another discussing the challenges of editing for self-published authors. But the bulk of this episode revolves around Steven Pressfield's epic "Gates Of Fire", a historical fiction novel about the legendary Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae. It's a book that Dietrich deeply loves, and that Josh is quite impressed with. From some fascinating decisions on the part of the author, including timeframe and narrator, to the gritty realism, this one's a hit all around. In addition, Dietrich discusses a book about the origins of the periodic table that he loves, despite some major reservations, and Josh talks about the new Stephen King book "Joyland". Finally, the pair discuss some independent video games, the temporary change in hosts on The Daily Show, and two new releases in theaters, one predictably formulaic and the other surprisingly good. You can send questions or comments to questions@thelibrarypolice.com.
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What We've Been Reading0:00 to 26:48
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Gates Of Fire26:48 to 1:16:50
This week, we take a look at Stephen Pressfield's Gates of Fire, an account of the famous battle of Thermopylae (you may know it from its depiction in the film 300). It's a book that succeeds in no small part thanks to a lot of wise choices on the part of the author - choices ranging from the choice of narrator to the choice of timeframe for the story. It's a book that Dietrich has loved for many years, and it's a book that won me over in spite of a lot of doubt before I got started on it. We discuss the book, the storytelling choices, and how much it does well as a piece of historical fiction. |
Off The Bookshelves1:16:50 to 1:43:03
It's a veritable smorgasbord of topics this week in Off the Bookshelves, with a little bit of something for everyone. Want new releases? Both of us cover you there, from the utterly formulaic The Internship to the insanity of This Is The End. Want TV? We take a look at John Oliver's first few days as Daily Show host and review a few returning favorites. Need game thoughts? As usual, Dietrich's your man. Want our thoughts on the recently finished season of Game of Thrones? Um...okay, for that one, you'll have to wait until next week. |