At the Hot Gates

It is the year 480 BC and the greatest army ever gathered in the ancient world is on the march to conquer all of Greece. An irresistible force, they destroy whatever dares to stand in their path. One man steps forward to stop them, followed by 300 companions. His chances are next to nil, yet he goes without hesitation. This man is a king. His name is Leonidas. And his companions are Spartans. They go to stop the Persian advance and meet their destiny at the narrows known as the Hot Gates. This is the account of the battle of Thermopylae. A small contingent of 300 Spartan warriors will hold off the thrust of the Persian invasion for three days of intense battle. We witness these events through the eyes of the twelve-year old Spartan boy, Agis, who has followed his father into battle and is eventually invited by Leonidas to take his rightful place in the battle at the Hot Gates.

Donald Samson Donald Samson grew up in the mega-urban environment of Los Angeles at a time when the smog was thick and the freeways were flinging their tentacles throughout the city.   After expanding his horizons through study at UC Santa Barbara, he sought fresh air and adventure.  He set off for a dozen years of travel, living as an expat first in Greece, then for a long stretch in Germany, and finally landing in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. Upon returning to the States, he learned the art of teaching children, and was a Waldorf class teacher for nineteen years. It was during this time that he developed his love for storytelling. His first books owe their origin to stories he told to one of his classes. It was his students' persistent requests (badgering, really) to read the stories he had told that led him to write them down.  He currently lives in western Colorado working as the educational director of a public charter Waldorf school.