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Leonidas of Sparta Trilogy #3
Leonidas of Sparta: A Heroic King
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Persia has crushed the Ionian revolt and is gathering a massive army to invade and punish mainland Greece, but in Sparta the dangers seem closer to home. The Eurypontid King Demaratus is accused of being a usurper, while the Agiad King Cleomenes is going dangerously mad. More and more Spartans turn to Leonidas, Cleomenes’ half-brother and son-in-law, to provide leadership. But Leonidas is the younger of twins, and his brother Brotus has no intention of letting Leonidas lay claim to the Agiad throne without a fight.
This novel follows Leonidas and his wife Gorgo as they steer Sparta through the dangerous waters of domestic strife and external threat, working together as a team to make Sparta the best it can be. But the forces that will destroy not only Leonidas but the Sparta he loves are already gathering – not just in Susa and Sardis, but in the hubris of a rising Athens and the bigotry and xenophobia of his fellow Spartans. The murder of two Persian ambassadors by an agitated Spartan Assembly sets in train the inevitable conflict between Sparta and Persia that will take Leonidas to Thermopylae ― and into history.
Persia has crushed the Ionian revolt and is gathering a massive army to invade and punish mainland Greece, but in Sparta the dangers seem closer to home. The Eurypontid King Demaratus is accused of being a usurper, while the Agiad King Cleomenes is going dangerously mad. More and more Spartans turn to Leonidas, Cleomenes’ half-brother and son-in-law, to provide leadership. But Leonidas is the younger of twins, and his brother Brotus has no intention of letting Leonidas lay claim to the Agiad throne without a fight.
This novel follows Leonidas and his wife Gorgo as they steer Sparta through the dangerous waters of domestic strife and external threat, working together as a team to make Sparta the best it can be. But the forces that will destroy not only Leonidas but the Sparta he loves are already gathering – not just in Susa and Sardis, but in the hubris of a rising Athens and the bigotry and xenophobia of his fellow Spartans. The murder of two Persian ambassadors by an agitated Spartan Assembly sets in train the inevitable conflict between Sparta and Persia that will take Leonidas to Thermopylae ― and into history.
584 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2012
22 people are currently reading
394 people want to read
About the author
Helena P. Schrader
38 books150 followersDr. Helena P. Schrader is a highly acclaimed author with a remarkable portfolio of six critically acclaimed non-fiction history books and twenty historical novels. A testament to her storytelling prowess, twelve of her novels have earned one or more prestigious literary awards, with three titles achieving Amazon best-selling status.
Helena's deep historical insight stems from her PhD in history from the University of Hamburg, where her ground-breaking biography of a leader of the German Resistance to Hitler earned her doctorate. Her rich experiences also include a distinguished career as an American diplomat in Europe and Africa.
Her expertise spans critical historical periods and subjects, including:
Aviation
The Second World War
Ancient Sparta
The Crusader States
Award Highlights:
Helena's dedication to historical accuracy and compelling narratives has been recognized with numerous accolades:
"Cold Peace" Won the Independent Press Award for Political Thrillers 2024 and was "Runner-Up for BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023" from the Historical Fiction Company
"Moral Fibre" won GOLD in the Global Book Awards for 20th Century Historical Fiction 2024
"Where Eagles Never Flew" won the Hemingway Award for 20th Century Wartime Fiction from Chanticleer International Book Awards 2021
"Envoy of Jerusalem": Book Excellence Award for Best Biography 2017.
As the highly respected Feathered Quill Reviews noted: "Helena Schrader’s in-depth stories, fantastic characters, and ability to write an unforgettable tale make her one of the best authors out there!”
For a comprehensive list of awards and more information, please visit her author website.
Helena's deep historical insight stems from her PhD in history from the University of Hamburg, where her ground-breaking biography of a leader of the German Resistance to Hitler earned her doctorate. Her rich experiences also include a distinguished career as an American diplomat in Europe and Africa.
Her expertise spans critical historical periods and subjects, including:
Aviation
The Second World War
Ancient Sparta
The Crusader States
Award Highlights:
Helena's dedication to historical accuracy and compelling narratives has been recognized with numerous accolades:
"Cold Peace" Won the Independent Press Award for Political Thrillers 2024 and was "Runner-Up for BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023" from the Historical Fiction Company
"Moral Fibre" won GOLD in the Global Book Awards for 20th Century Historical Fiction 2024
"Where Eagles Never Flew" won the Hemingway Award for 20th Century Wartime Fiction from Chanticleer International Book Awards 2021
"Envoy of Jerusalem": Book Excellence Award for Best Biography 2017.
As the highly respected Feathered Quill Reviews noted: "Helena Schrader’s in-depth stories, fantastic characters, and ability to write an unforgettable tale make her one of the best authors out there!”
For a comprehensive list of awards and more information, please visit her author website.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 15, 2012
I have just finished 'Leonidas of Sparta : A Heroic King' and have given it five stars. It is absolutely fantastic, like all Helena's books on ancient Sparta. Well researched, well written and peopled with wonderful characters, whom you come to love. I have to admit dragging my feet through the last bit of it not wanting it to end. Helena's description of the battle of Thermopylae is the best I have read about this famous battle. It was an overwhelming read. Highly recommended!
December 11, 2012
Leonidas of Sparta: A Heroic King is the third installment in the trilogy covering the life of the famous Spartan king, written by Helena Schrader. I have not had a chance to read the first two books but jumped at the chance to read this one because I wanted to see how Helena would approach the Battle of Thermopylae.
Helena Schrader graduated with honors in History from the University of Michigan and has earned a PhD in History from the University of Hamburg. She has published several books since 1993, both fiction and non-fiction. Among the former are several historical novels including six on ancient Sparta. She maintains a blog titled Sparta Reconsidered.
I approached A Heroic King as a person knowledgeable on the subject matter but curious about how the author would weave fact and fiction together. Would the story be convincing? Spartan names take some getting used to and I found myself struggling through the first two dozen pages as I tried to get to know the many characters – both historically familiar and unfamiliar. Knowledge of the vocabulary of Sparta was certainly helpful during this early part of the read.
Once the names were locked in, things moved along at a fine rhythm. There were many wonderful scenes -- Leonidas' election, the sacrificial ambassador’s trip to see Xerxes, and Gorgo’s shopping trip in Athens, to name a few. For a historical novel to be successful, you have to feel seamlessly transported back in time by the author. Then you can live the story and absorb the history along the way. Helena has successfully met this requirement by accurately capturing the lives and experiences of the people of Lacedaemon.
The Battle of Thermopylae was riveting – not mere choreography like the movie 300, but real tension created by 300 men trying to survive but also prepared to die. The reader has a first row seat as the realization of no escape transforms Leonidas and his men into determined heroes.
In sum, The Heroic King is a brilliantly written novel that gives life to one of the great cultures of history. Its mixture of drama and adventure can carry the reader forward at whatever pace he or she may desire.
My only concern in recommending the novel is for the reader who knows nothing of Sparta – whether they will have the perseverance to work through the new vocabulary. Like the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, I say “Don’t judge this novel by its first two dozen pages”. Acclimate yourself and move on to a great adventure.
Helena Schrader graduated with honors in History from the University of Michigan and has earned a PhD in History from the University of Hamburg. She has published several books since 1993, both fiction and non-fiction. Among the former are several historical novels including six on ancient Sparta. She maintains a blog titled Sparta Reconsidered.
I approached A Heroic King as a person knowledgeable on the subject matter but curious about how the author would weave fact and fiction together. Would the story be convincing? Spartan names take some getting used to and I found myself struggling through the first two dozen pages as I tried to get to know the many characters – both historically familiar and unfamiliar. Knowledge of the vocabulary of Sparta was certainly helpful during this early part of the read.
Once the names were locked in, things moved along at a fine rhythm. There were many wonderful scenes -- Leonidas' election, the sacrificial ambassador’s trip to see Xerxes, and Gorgo’s shopping trip in Athens, to name a few. For a historical novel to be successful, you have to feel seamlessly transported back in time by the author. Then you can live the story and absorb the history along the way. Helena has successfully met this requirement by accurately capturing the lives and experiences of the people of Lacedaemon.
The Battle of Thermopylae was riveting – not mere choreography like the movie 300, but real tension created by 300 men trying to survive but also prepared to die. The reader has a first row seat as the realization of no escape transforms Leonidas and his men into determined heroes.
In sum, The Heroic King is a brilliantly written novel that gives life to one of the great cultures of history. Its mixture of drama and adventure can carry the reader forward at whatever pace he or she may desire.
My only concern in recommending the novel is for the reader who knows nothing of Sparta – whether they will have the perseverance to work through the new vocabulary. Like the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, I say “Don’t judge this novel by its first two dozen pages”. Acclimate yourself and move on to a great adventure.
May 29, 2015
Taking Schrader's Leonidas trilogy as a whole, I was greatly impressed and consider it a genre classic.
This conclusion to Leonidas's fictional biography takes him from a Spartiate Peer to his reign as king, with ideas for reform [that he never gets a chance to carry out], and eventual willing sacrifice of his life at Thermopylae. The oracle at Delphi has said either the king or Sparta herself must be sacrificed. Leonidas embraces the "good death." The Thermopylae section was exciting and very well written; we see Leonidas's efforts to set up a coalition of City-States to fight and to delay the Persians so the Greeks at Olympia can join in after the Games. We follow the battle from the decision to fight at the particular Pass where the Greeks finally engage the Persians, strategy and tactics, betrayal and eventual complete destruction. Some of Leonidas's friends engage the enemy and we follow their thinking and that of Leonidas as he dies.
Schrader completed her story with a brilliant conclusion and epilogue, although sad. I cared about these characters. I could have read this in a much shorter time but I extended my reading to make it last.
This conclusion to Leonidas's fictional biography takes him from a Spartiate Peer to his reign as king, with ideas for reform [that he never gets a chance to carry out], and eventual willing sacrifice of his life at Thermopylae. The oracle at Delphi has said either the king or Sparta herself must be sacrificed. Leonidas embraces the "good death." The Thermopylae section was exciting and very well written; we see Leonidas's efforts to set up a coalition of City-States to fight and to delay the Persians so the Greeks at Olympia can join in after the Games. We follow the battle from the decision to fight at the particular Pass where the Greeks finally engage the Persians, strategy and tactics, betrayal and eventual complete destruction. Some of Leonidas's friends engage the enemy and we follow their thinking and that of Leonidas as he dies.
Schrader completed her story with a brilliant conclusion and epilogue, although sad. I cared about these characters. I could have read this in a much shorter time but I extended my reading to make it last.
January 6, 2013
All 3 books are worth the read. These stories do a great service to such historically renowned character as Leonidas, and give him a life to be understood by the reader. While most is conjecture on the author's part as far as the dialogue and situations, it is well researched and highly plausible. I would recommend these book for anyone interested in this historical period.
April 10, 2013
An engaging, captivating read that had me eagerly awaiting each night when I could settle in with this book. The author's style seems to grow with each book in the series. One of those books that has you always eager to keep reading, but a little sad when you reach the end, because the story has to come to an end.
October 27, 2013
i really enjoyed this series of books on leonidas was sad when i read the lost page
May 29, 2019
As good as the first book in the Trilogy. This is the part of the story that has been covered in so many other books (the best of which is Gates of Fire by Pressfield) but this does a good job of concluding Schrader's trilogy on this history of Leonidas. Good series, worth a read if you like historical fiction and the Ancient Greek history.
October 9, 2020
Outstanding
The whole series was well written and riveting from start to finish. All characters jumped off the pages as they went by a furious pace. I am a big fan of historical-based fiction and this one is right up there with my all-time favorite, Louis L'Amore's The Walking Drum.
The whole series was well written and riveting from start to finish. All characters jumped off the pages as they went by a furious pace. I am a big fan of historical-based fiction and this one is right up there with my all-time favorite, Louis L'Amore's The Walking Drum.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews