Gates of Fire : An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae, Stephen PressfieldGo tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie. Nearly 2,500 years ago, in 480BC, at a bleak pass in a far flung corner of eastern Greece, three hundred Spartan warriors faced the army of 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 while the main Greek armies mobilized. For six days the Spartans held the invaders at

rooted in on-the-ground reporting

But he is also joined by Hopeful and Faithful

the queen had at last found his replacement

each other

a beautiful young Englishman

Now Robert is riding north to Winterfell

hedge funder Justin Price

As the search closes in

by turns comic and enraged

contemplative travelogue

From the self-mocking haikus of Zen masters on their deathbeds to the last words of Christian saints and modern-day sages

But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be