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Product Description
Product Description
After more than a quarter of a century and three million copies in print, Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War classic, The Killer Angels, remains as vivid and powerful as the day it was originally published. This handsome new hardcover edition introduces a whole new generation to Shaara’s masterpiece–and offers readers everywhere a literary keepsake for years to come.
July 1863. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is invading the North. General Robert E. Lee has made this daring and massive move with seventy thousand men in a determined effort to draw out the Union Army of the Potomac and mortally wound it. His right hand is General James Longstreet, a brooding man who is loyal to Lee but stubbornly argues against his plan. Opposing them is an unknown factor: General George Meade, who has taken command of the Army only two days before what will be perhaps the crucial battle of the Civil War.
In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fight for two conflicting dreams. One dreams of freedom, the other of a way of life. More than rifles and bullets are carried into battle. The soldiers carry memories. Promises. Love. And more than men fall on those Pennsylvania fields. Bright futures, untested innocence, and pristine beauty are also the casualties of war.
The Killer Angels is unique, sweeping, unforgettable–a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America’s destiny.
July 1863. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is invading the North. General Robert E. Lee has made this daring and massive move with seventy thousand men in a determined effort to draw out the Union Army of the Potomac and mortally wound it. His right hand is General James Longstreet, a brooding man who is loyal to Lee but stubbornly argues against his plan. Opposing them is an unknown factor: General George Meade, who has taken command of the Army only two days before what will be perhaps the crucial battle of the Civil War.
In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fight for two conflicting dreams. One dreams of freedom, the other of a way of life. More than rifles and bullets are carried into battle. The soldiers carry memories. Promises. Love. And more than men fall on those Pennsylvania fields. Bright futures, untested innocence, and pristine beauty are also the casualties of war.
The Killer Angels is unique, sweeping, unforgettable–a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America’s destiny.
About the Author
Michael Shaara was born in Jersey City in 1929 and graduated from Rutgers University in 1951. His early science fiction short stories were published in Galaxy magazine in 1952. He later began writing other works of fiction and published more than seventy short stories in many magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, and Redbook. His first novel, The Broken Place, was published in 1968. But it was a simple family vacation to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1966 that gave him the inspiration for his greatest achievement, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Killer Angels, published in 1974. Michael Shaara went on to write two more novels, The Noah Conspiracy and For Love of the Game, which was published posthumously after his death in 1988.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've written several reviews for Amazon panning books I don't like so I thought I'd better write one about a book I do thoroughly recommend. I came to this book knowing Gettysburg was important but not much else. It worked for me on several different levels.
First, it was a brilliantly clear and concise account of the fighting; I have tried reading some of the history books on the subject since and I can see that Shaara probably tied things up a bit but whose account do I have in mind as I write this, Shaara's or the "real" historians' version? No contest, Shaara wins hands-down. Did he "rewrite" history? I am sure he did to some extent - for example, in reading a "real" history I was surprised by how little mention there was of Joseph Chamberlain who is one of the heroes of the novel. Do I care? Not much.
Second, the insights into the commanders who were there. As a study in human strengths and frailties it is one of the best things I have ever read (the only historian I have read who is on a par is John Keegan). These men were humans, not supermen and seeing things through tired eyes and minds was so much superior to a dry historical explanation of units manoeuvring around a map. The scenes between Lee and Longstreet on the second and third day are absorbing as the arguments ebb and flow. (And if, like me, you desperately wanted Longstreet to prevail then get yourself a copy of Newt Gingrich's book; you won't be disappointed.) The description of Pickett's Charge has stayed with me and is so familiar from descriptions of First World War battles.
Third, the clever way Shaara brings in the different opinions about the Civil War either through Freemantle listening the discussion at the CSA camp or Chamberlain recalling an uncomfortable dinner with pro-southerners before the war started. For someone with little reading in the area it was pitched at an ideal level.
No review of mine would be complete without a few minor quibbles and this time it is one or two of the minor characters. Buster Kilrain must be one of the most one-dimensional characters ever (the only way he could be more stereotypical is if he said "Begorrah" a lot and kept Guinness in his hip flask. It's also frustrating that the superb description of the viewpoint and motivation of a few commanders leaves so many others still in the dark. What WAS Ewell thinking about on the first evening? (Gingrich's book is better on this than Shaara's, I think) And where is AP Hill coming from??? And it would have been nice to see the battle through the eyes of a CSA regiment, to balance the account of Chamberlain's regiment. Of course, that would have made the book longer but when it's this good, who cares?
Overall, this book would be cheap at twice the price. I can read it over and over again. Thoroughly recommended.
I agree with other reviewers that if you enjoy this you will also enjoy Jeff Shaara's prequel and sequel, as well as the film "Gettysburg". And if you don't know the battlefield already, go to the PBASE photo website and type "Gettysburg" into the search engine to give you some excellent snaps of how the area looks today.
First, it was a brilliantly clear and concise account of the fighting; I have tried reading some of the history books on the subject since and I can see that Shaara probably tied things up a bit but whose account do I have in mind as I write this, Shaara's or the "real" historians' version? No contest, Shaara wins hands-down. Did he "rewrite" history? I am sure he did to some extent - for example, in reading a "real" history I was surprised by how little mention there was of Joseph Chamberlain who is one of the heroes of the novel. Do I care? Not much.
Second, the insights into the commanders who were there. As a study in human strengths and frailties it is one of the best things I have ever read (the only historian I have read who is on a par is John Keegan). These men were humans, not supermen and seeing things through tired eyes and minds was so much superior to a dry historical explanation of units manoeuvring around a map. The scenes between Lee and Longstreet on the second and third day are absorbing as the arguments ebb and flow. (And if, like me, you desperately wanted Longstreet to prevail then get yourself a copy of Newt Gingrich's book; you won't be disappointed.) The description of Pickett's Charge has stayed with me and is so familiar from descriptions of First World War battles.
Third, the clever way Shaara brings in the different opinions about the Civil War either through Freemantle listening the discussion at the CSA camp or Chamberlain recalling an uncomfortable dinner with pro-southerners before the war started. For someone with little reading in the area it was pitched at an ideal level.
No review of mine would be complete without a few minor quibbles and this time it is one or two of the minor characters. Buster Kilrain must be one of the most one-dimensional characters ever (the only way he could be more stereotypical is if he said "Begorrah" a lot and kept Guinness in his hip flask. It's also frustrating that the superb description of the viewpoint and motivation of a few commanders leaves so many others still in the dark. What WAS Ewell thinking about on the first evening? (Gingrich's book is better on this than Shaara's, I think) And where is AP Hill coming from??? And it would have been nice to see the battle through the eyes of a CSA regiment, to balance the account of Chamberlain's regiment. Of course, that would have made the book longer but when it's this good, who cares?
Overall, this book would be cheap at twice the price. I can read it over and over again. Thoroughly recommended.
I agree with other reviewers that if you enjoy this you will also enjoy Jeff Shaara's prequel and sequel, as well as the film "Gettysburg". And if you don't know the battlefield already, go to the PBASE photo website and type "Gettysburg" into the search engine to give you some excellent snaps of how the area looks today.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book came out during a period when I had no time to read. Then when the time came along, it was next to impossible to find a copy. I finally did track one down and was blown away. I adore Scottish History, but since I was raised part time in the States, I grew to love the complexities of the Civil War (in the South US it's called the War Between the States). The reasons for the war, the motivation for people to fight their neighbour, often their own brother or family members was mesmerising. Bruce Catton gave me such insight into all the factors through his marvellous works, so I thought no writer could touch him in making you feel, see and understand the men, the generals, the affect the Civil War had on a nation.
However, a writer did, and oddly enough with fiction. Michael Shaara won a Pulitzer Prize for the moving work that focuses on the one pivotal battle, the high-water mark of the War Between the States. He gives you the frustration of men driven to kill their brothers, of the futility, the waste. Centring on Lee, floundering at the loss of his right hand Jackson, of being cut off from screening and blind without information because Stuart was on one of his glory rides, of one general who could not follow orders, of another, Longstreet, who followed them to the letter knowing he was sending his 'boys' to their death in the glorious, yet ultimately disastrous Pickett's charge.
But it through Col. J.L. Chamberlain where Shaara succeeds the most, in giving you the humanity, the nightmare, the pathos, of the men of 20th Maine regiment, volunteers who held the Union's left flank on the second day of the battle at Little Round Top.
The book is so moving, so touching that it makes you view the war in a way you never have before. If only, he had included Captain James Hall of the 2nd Maine Battery...
This was turned into the wonderful film GETTYSBURG, which I also recommend highly with some truly memorable performances. However, be sure to read the book as well, for you will never forget the beautiful prose of Shaara.
Also recommended are Jeff Shaara his son's books that form a trilogy with Gods and General the prequel and The Last Full Measure the Ending.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This Pulitzer Prize winning novel retells the Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) from the viewpoints of the major participants, both North and South. It falls into the category of historical fiction and is based on well researched facts, to be precise *seven* years of research and writing revisions (as stated on the jacket cover). It depicts actual events with the imagination of the author filling in the feelings and thoughts of General Robert E. Lee, Colonel Chamberlain, Buford, Longstreet, Ewell, Pickett, Armistead, during key positions and outcomes of this most important battle during the American Civil War. Highly acclaimed by both, Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf and filmaker Ken Burns, this book deserves a wider reading audience.
Similar to "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Red Badge of Courage", the reader is given a first hand account of what it is like to have lived through this major historical turning point of the war. What would otherwise be dry, cold hard facts becomes a living event, felt and experienced in all of its glory, gory details, and sadness. The human emotions of hope, longing, courage, deprivation, fatigue, love, loyalty, regrets and faith in God is clearly shown. Anyone who wants to learn more about the Civil War but was hesitant ... should read this book, which makes history come alive. I was so capitvated, I bought the sequels, written by the author's son, Jeff Shaara, who continued the writing tradition started by his late father. One readily appreciates how fragile a gift is freedom and democracy, it is not to be taken for granted. The United States as a nation underwent one of the most tragic events in its history ... to maintain unity and integrity ... this should never be forgotten.
Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wonderful Book
It isn't often you come across a book that you hate getting to the last page of - but that's exactly what 'The Killer Angels' offers. Read more
Published 12 months ago by CorkRebel67
The American Civil War
I first heard about The Killer Angels when researching the American Civil War. There were numerous refrences to the work and I thought it would be out of print. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2009 by P. McCormac
Stunning novel of sacrifice at Gettysburg
This novel won the pulitzer prize for fiction and for good reason. It's superbly written with a keen eye for military and character details. Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2008 by Kendra
Killer Novel
I found this book hard to put down - I learned more than I every would have hoped and was transported to a place of bravery and hell. But in a good way. Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2007 by Cliff Jones
A must for history lovers
The author brings the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War to life in this wonderful novel. He uses the alternating views from the officers of both sides of the conflict, thus... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2007 by Misfit
A Wonderful Insight into the Minds of some of the Leaders of the...
After visiting the Gettysburg battle site on an excellent trip to America, I was thrilled when I learnt that a film had recently been released (Gettysburg). Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2006 by Ricardigan
The best novel about war ever
I've written several reviews for Amazon panning books I don't like so I thought I'd better write one about a book I do thoroughly recommend. Read more
Published on 1 May 2006 by Andrew Walker
Eyewitness Accounts about the Battle for America
This Pulitzer Prize winning novel retells the Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) from the viewpoints of the major participants, both North and South. Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2006 by Erika Borsos
The Battle of Gettysburg seen through the eyes of generals
I am one of those people who first read Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" after seeing the film "Gettysburg. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2005 by Lawrance M. Bernabo
As good as it gets.
Michael Shaara's superb novel about his country's civil war puts it's focus on the people caught up in the great battle of Gettysburg. Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2004 by Mr. Patrick M. Vincent
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