The Killer Angels

Rating:
Summary: Angels in the Battlefield
Review: Confusing and boring, I thought Killer Angels by Michael Shaara was an ok book. The story seemed to drag on at some points, but usually got back up to pace. Being a person who doesn't really like history novels, I do believe that this one was one of the better ones I have read though.
The story is about the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. Each chapter is about the two different sides and the different generals in command. The thing I like about this book is that it explains each general differently and gives what their thought might have been during this time. This aspect of the book made it a little easier to follow. Though the different chapters were laid out according to the generals, I thought some chapters were a little confusing and dragged on.
Even though I rated this book only three stars, I did learn more about the Battle of Gettysburg. I wouldn't recommend it to many people, only those who like boring history books about the Civil War.

Rating:
Summary: Best historical fiction book of all time
Review: This has to be the best historical fiction book I have ever read. It makes the events of Gettysburg seem more real. You get to follow the men who made history during those 3 days in July and it makes the battle seem much more than a few paragraphs in a history book. There is little doubt in my mind why this book won the Pulitzer Prize. Great book even for Non-History junkies.

Rating:
Summary: The American Classic
Review: The Killer Angels is a fantastic book, in my words. It shows the grim reality of the civil war and even more importantly it showed what each army was fighting for. The Union side was fighting for freedom of many things and the Confederate side was fighting for their way of life. This book put you into the shoes of the generals on each side, which really grabs your attention and keeps you interested. Michael Shaara gave this book outstanding character development, believability, plot, and the slang language that was used back in the days of the civil war. The character development in this book almost made you feel as if you already knew the person the author was talking about.

When the book starts out it puts you in the shoes of a spy. Spies were very hated through out the laps of the civil war because they were not to be trusted. As the book progresses, it starts to talk about the generals and their feelings toward each other. General Robert E. Lee is one of the most highly respected men on the Confederate side. In some portions of the book, Lee will be resting inside of his tent and then something important will come up but his officers are leery of waking him because of his health conditions. General Longstreet is another main character on the Confederate side. He has a well developed character; he shows extremes of emotion. He thinks that his opinion should be trusted to the highest and taken into consideration; that is where he tends to fight with General Lee.
Chamberlain and Buford are well known on the Union side. They all act as if they were brothers just in the way they talk to each other. This book likes to give out various viewpoints of the Union and Confederate participants. In one section, Chamberlain is talking to the Maine boys and telling them they do not have to fight if they do not want to. But, it would be greatly appreciated if they would help because Chamberlain needed the men. One of the Maine boys speaks up for the entire regiment and he tells Chamberlain what they have all been through in the past week. The Maine regiment saw some of the heaviest combat in the civil war. During this section of the book, there are many emotions happening. The story is constantly changing places as both armies' move from place to place. Awareness and tensions are always running high do to the thought of war. The high officers are always strategicly planning something and opinions tend to clash. The book also gives you pictures to depict whose brigade is positioned where. The book covers the days Monday, June 29, 1863, through Friday, July 3, 1863. These four days were the most memorable of the battle of Gettysburg. So many men gave their lives for a cause they truly believed in. The whole book seems to just come alive in front of you. The language that the men talk, the sounds of battle that were made, like the artillery and burst of gun shots, and the heartbreaking emotion of loosing a friend right in front of your eyes. Near the end of the story, there is one obsolete general who has been given a very specific order that he must try to fulfill. If he succeeds, it could possibly win the war for the Confederate side; however, if he fails there will be nothing left of his regiment and the Union army will prevail. This grand general is George Pickett and he is the end of the civil war.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the stories of war. This book has very detail descriptions of each general and the various things that ran through their heads at specific times. I think that even a person who does not like to read would find this book enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Book Review: The Killer Angels
Review: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is a book about the battle of Gettysburg, June 1863 to July 1863. This book gives a good all around description of the three days of battle in the form of a story. It tells the story of the battle from both sides, Confederate and Union. It shows the feelings of the officers and soldiers battling with their emotions, due to the fact that they were not fighting enemies; they were fighting friends and family. For example, when General Armisteat said on page 350,"... will you tell General Hancock how very sorry I am." Generat Hancock was a Confederate officer who was once friends with the Union General, General Armistead.

This book does a good job emphasizing that the Civil War was not just about slavery, it was a war about people's belief and rights. In the bloodiest battle on American soil, Gettysburg, thousands of men died for almost nothing but beliefs that they had their rights and nobody else had the right to persecute them for them.

According to other reviews, many books about Gettysburt are just biographies about the battle and commanders, but The Killer Angels makes the battle and commanders come to life. I love this book and its detailed descriptions of the battle, commanders, and the soldier's feelings about the war. It is really easy to read if you have a good knowledge of the Civil War and its commanders, because it jumps around form side to side and doesn't tell you when it is happening. I give this book four stars.

Rating:
Summary: Superb novel of the Gettysburg battle
Review: The Killer Angels is a novel of an actual event, the battle of Gettysburg, which was the biggest overall clash of the Civil War, and a major turning point. In this book the views of several characters are shown, most particularly Longstreet of the Confederacy and Chamberlain of the Union. For those who are familiar with the Civil War, this book sheds some insight into the characters involved, as well as fodder for endless discussion as to how certain moves could have changed the whole battle. For those not familiar with the details of the war, it is a very informative introduction to it. It is less about tactics and weaponry and more about the people involved, what they were feeling and how they acted under great adversity.

Longstreet is seen as a general who knows that things will turn out badly, and he was ahead of his time in many ways about the changing face of warfare. Frontal assaults like Pickett's Charge were the byproduct of another era, but such was the success of Robert E. Lee, and the deserved admiration that his soldiers felt for him that it was hopeless that it the results of Gettysburg could have turned out any other way. Lee is shown to be a compassionate, dignified, yet resolute man, who must get rid of "those people" in their heavily fortified positions no matter what the cost.

Chamberlain is the citizen/soldier who was a professor in civilian life, and finds his Maine regiment at the extreme end of the flank and is in some of the heaviest action. His fear, his doubts and his bravery under pressure makes him a very human figure. Others in the novel who are prominent are the Union cavalryman Buford, the British observer Fremantle who is still living in the world of Waterloo; Lew Armistead, who was leading his brigade into battle against the army of his dear friend Hancock, and Pickett who is a flashy roguish figure seemingly out of another era. There are many debates about the nature of the war and what it was about, and what it meant to all the principals involved. For some it was a righteous cause (Chamberlain), for others a defense of states' rights, for others their professional duty (Longstreet).

The movie Gettysburg is based on this novel, and focuses primarily on Buford's first day, Chamberlain on Little Round Top and Pickett's Charge. The book goes into more detail about other events in the battle, Devil's Den, Culp's Hill etc. Again, it is presented in a very accessible style, and the final picturesque yet terrible charge by the rebels is a thrilling climax.

Rating:
Summary: KIller Angels
Review: The have been a variety of books written about the Civil war and particular battles fought during it, but Michael Shaara's book The Killer Angels tells a two stories. One is from the side of the South and the other is the point of view from the North during the Battle of Gettysburg. Each chapter is from one of three generals from each side. Because of this aspect of the book, the reader gets an idea that the generals were not that different. Generals from both the North and South have the same emotions and ideas about the war. The only difference between generals is what color their uniform is.
Michael Shaara provides deep insight to the characters emotions during the war. He shows the worries of the generals throughout the day and night with specific details and imaging. For example, General Longstreet is a particularly interesting character because of the intense emotional descriptions Shaara depicts. Longstreet is ordered to make a very important decision during a particularly intense time of fighting, which in turn amounts for the outcome of the war. Shaara does an excellent job in describing the characters thoughts externally and internally.
Another aspect Shaara includes in his book, are the scenes of the battles that happened. He recreates the battles in a very realistic way that is easy to read and picture. He brings alive the environment of a Civil War battle in a very unique and fascinating way. The reader can picture every aspect of the battle from the horrific scenes of suffering men to the triumph after an especially immense victory. Shaara describes the confederate army marching up the hill with their bayonets fastened, yelling and firing from behind trees. The passages that describe the fighting are some of the most detailed and enjoyable passages the reader will encounter in any book about the Civil War. He keeps the battle scenes flowing and intense throughout the book and unlike many other books, each battle has its own unique style.

Besides brilliantly written material, Shaara also provides very useful images depicting the exact location of each army. These pictures provide a useful visual that the reader can glance back if he/she finds the writing confusing, which comes in very handy when describing the locations of the armies.
The language that Shaara provides throughout his book makes the book even more enjoyable. The immense detail and thought put into this book are enhanced by Shaara's beautiful language and style. He writes with a unique style, unlike any other I have read. "There were a few groans; most dead sounds from dying earth most of them soft and low. There was a fire far off, a large fire burning in the grove of the trees, men outlined against a great glare; a band was playing something disorient, something unrecognizable". Though horrific, Shaara describes the Battle of Gettysburg in an intriguing way.
The Killer Angels is one of the best Civil War books ever written because of its immense detail and character emotion. Michael Shaara does a fantastic job in enhancing the battle with his detailed sentences and thoughts. His maps provide and easy way to relate to his writing and he does an over all great job in describing each character in every chapter.

Rating:
Summary: War is Hell
Review: Michael Shaara takes us through the Battle of Gettysburg in sharp detail from start to finish. Not knowing that Ted Turner's film Gettysburg was based on this book, it became obvious after just a few pages. As I recall, the film is true to Shaara's book. Shaara's characters are presented brilliantly from start to finish; these are the men who defined the course of our nation during this bloody encounter in Pennsylvania. Shaara's novel is a painless way for us to learn about this important event in American history. When all is said and done, Shaara's book reminds us at a time when we sit on the brink of war that, as always, "war is hell."

Rating:
Summary: A beautifully moving book about men and war
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant......
Review: This is the most fascinating blend of history and storytelling I have ever read. Shaara draws you into the scenes and makes you realize how very differently the war would have ended if one or two things hadn't happened. He touches on many themes, including duty and honor, which the Army of Northern Virginia has in spades. Joshua Chamberlain is portrayed excellently, and the battle of Little Round Top sends excitement up your spine, which is something not many books can do. Also, the last line of the book stands out to me. It speaks of irony and redemption, and how the tide of the war was irrevocably changed after July 3, 1863:

"The next day was Saturday, the fourth of July."

Rating:
Summary: A classic that will never die
Review: I was told I could read this book for extra credit by my College American History Professor. The only reason I read it was because I wanted the extra credit to get an "A" in the class. Not only did I end up getting an "A" in the class, but I got pulled into, page by page, the greatest battle in American History. The Battle of Gettysburg.

This book was wonderful. The battles, vivid and real, make you feel like you are on the battlefield fighting on whichever side you agree with.

The book is written, chapter by chapter, in the views of the major players in Gettysburg, and the Civil War. You get to know these American greats on a personal level and understand how they feel.

The movie based on this novel, entitled, "Gettysburg", is just as powerful and does a great job of following the novel.

Although Michael Shaara is not around anymore, his son Jeff Shaara has continued, with his fathers writing style, this wonderful saga with the battles before Gettysburg, in "Gods and Generals" and the battles after Gettysburg, in "The Last Full Measure". Do not pass this wonderful piece of literature up. You will walk away from this book with a real sense of knowing about our American Civil War.

Enjoy