[Mary Renault's colorful style in The Lion in the Gateway] imbues history with immediacy but also makes it difficult to determine fact and sequence. Major aspects of the wars are fascinatingly, although not always clearly, presented; a host of historical figures are briefly introduced. The author's prowess as a writer is not as evident here as in her fiction, yet style-conscious readers may go on to enjoy her as a storyteller.

Priscilla L. Moulton, "Early Fall Booklist: 'The Lion in the Gateway'," in The Horn Book Magazine (copyright © 1965, by The Horn Book, Inc., Boston), Vol. XL, No. 5, October, 1965, p. 510.