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Summary: The 20th Maine are my heroes
Review: This book is one fine piece of literature. The battle scenes are very well written, as well as the chatter between them, which usually is very bland in most books. Chamberlain's speech to his men is a fine example of this. Shaara's writing style is very appealing and keeps you occupied. A must buy for any Civil War buff.
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Summary: Simply the best
Review: I have read a lot of books on the Civil War and this is simply the best. It makes the conflict and its participants come alive in a way no dry historical work can. You will really feel the ebb and flow of the battle as it is fought over every inch of the landscape of Gettysburg. Especially interesting is the account by the author of the exploits of Joshua Chamberlain, a professor of rhetoric from Maine who is one of the central heroes of the battle. The only problem with this book is that, after you finish, you will feel an overwhelming urge to jump on a plane to visit the battlefield. Don't resist -- it is a wonderful historic site that has been well preserved since the battle. It is an unbelievable feeling to look at the field where Pickett's charge took place, or to stand on Little Round Top, with the words of this masterpiece fresh in your mind.
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Summary: The Killer Angels
Review: Michael Shaara's book should be ranked as one of the best books written. It is written beautifully. It has a video called Gettysburg which is also very good. Shaara weaves his book together in an excellent manner. The best historical fiction, next to his son's book Gods and Generals, that I have ever read. I encourage everyone to read it. Excellent.
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Summary: One Heck of a Book!
Review: Michael Shaara is able to do what few writers of historical novels can: infuse characters with invented drama and dialogue without wrecking the history. His story of the three days at Gettysburg as told through the eyes of Chamberlain, Longstreet, Hancock and others is superb. His novelizatioin of their thoughts and words serve to flesh out the history -- at no point do they overwhelm it. I always go into historical novels with low expectations because too often authors flesh out their charactors in ways that seem implausable to the fan familiar with the history. Shaara does not make that mistake. The Killer Angles makes the Battle of Gettysburg come alive. I would be surprised if it takes you longer to read the novel than the time it took to fight the battle.
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Summary: Unforgettable
Review: I was first encouraged to read Michael Schara's "Killer Angels" by my high school history teacher more than 15 years ago. It remains one of my favorite historical novels.While the book is a work of fiction, it presents the battle of Gettysburg so convincingly that you will swear you are there hearing the gunfire and making the decisions right alongside the generals. The film "Gettysburg" was, of course, based upon this novel, but the book is far, far better. It's reading I would highly recommend to anyone interested in Civil War history, especially students in middle or high school.
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Summary: The War That Haunts Us Still
Review: Bear in mind that when Schaara wrote this novel, The Civil War barely registered in popular cultural interest. Also, Schaara had never addressed anything remotely close to this subject matter in his prior writings. Being a creative writer first and a historian second, he strove to tell us the story as he felt it. His accomplishment is immense. The passage that most deeply affected me personally is the conversation between Longstreet and Lee as they survey the ridge, planning for the next day's battle. Here Lee observes that in order to be a good officer, one must be willing "to order the death of that thing which he loves above all others", namely his men. Such is the terrible irony of war.
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Summary: Great Historical Fiction
Review: I am not much of a fan of historical fiction, but I make an exception for this book. Shaara is so effective at recreating the battle of Gettysburg that you often forget that its a novel. The authenticity is absolutely amazing. The book was used as the basis for TNT's superior film "Gettysburg," and it is easy to see why. Shaara's descriptions are so vivid, they're like screenwriting just waiting to be filmed. Just like the movie, Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain is the most memorable character. His story, like this book is for anyone who wants to know what it truly means to be an American.
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Summary: An awesome tale of the turning point of the war
Review: Shaara does a masterful job of helping the reader look into the minds and souls of the men, both gray and blue, who fought at Gettysburg. The story follows well-established historical chronologies of this massive, dreadful battle. The characters are real, and their attitudes, actions, and intentions are protrayed well. I was drawn into the book and the events surrounding and involved in the battle at Gettysburg. The characters became real to me, as did their suffering, defeats, and successes. If you have any interest in American History in general, or in the American Civil War (or the War Between the States, as you may prefer), I heartily recommend this book. It is captivating and well-written. Top marks! 5 stars.
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Summary: A magnificent novel of the Civil War.
Review: This is a wonderful fictionalized account of the battle of Gettysburg, told from the perspective of many of those principally responsible for fighting it. Author Michael Shaara based his characters on the actual historical figures themselves, and it's obvious that he took great pains to present his characters with historical accuracy. I really felt I got to know men like Joshua Chamberlain, Robert E. Lee, John Buford, and James Longstreet. The same is true for his descriptions of combat: they are vigorous, colorful, tough, gritty and realistic. I could almost smell the gunpowder and hear the musketry as I read along. For me, the book's greatest strength was the powerful way it conveyed the tragedy of war in general, and of the Civil War in particular. "The Killer Angels" is certainly the best Civil War novel I've ever read, and maybe the best novel about the war between the states ever written.
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Summary: A Fine Civil War Novel
Review: Michael Shaara's 1975 novel THE KILLER ANGELS won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. To be certain, it is an excellent novel, full of winning characterizations and colorful characters. Compared to other historical novels about the Civil War, this novel is somewhat more historical and less of a novel. The most impressive element of THE KILLER ANGELS was the way in which the author portrays both Northerners and Southerners as heroes and patriots, without coming off as contradictory. Shaara, a northerner, not only gives the South a fair shake, he goes so far as to make Robert E. Lee and his right-hand man, General James Longstreet, the main characters of the novel. the history is very accurate and his personifications are interesting takes on well-known historical figures. This is a novel that everyone reads in high school. However, on my second reading, I was struck by how much literary stuff I missed the first time around. For example, early in the novel a southern officer asks Longstreet, a master poker player: when is it advisable to draw on an inside flush? Any good card player knows that, although it is tempting, it is also bad poker to draw on an inside flush. Later in the novel, Lee's plan to charge the heavily fortified mountains is like drawing on an inside flush. It is a bold move, with great potential rewards, but you also risk losing very badly if you don't get the one card in the deck that would complete your hand. Both armies in the novel have foreigners. The southern foreigners are all somewhat daffy observers from Europe who wear plumed hats, heavy armor, and ridiculous facial hair. By comparison, the foreigners in the Northern army are all American citizens who have fully assimilated themselves. They help the cause and fight well, instead of sinply observing. In this fashion, Shaara represents the North as being the new America, and the South as being the old America. Its a fascinating novel.
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