Rating: 
Summary: This is how historical fiction should be written.
Review: I've grown tired lately of what the big name writers are offering as so-called "historical fiction". It's beginning to remind me of DAYS OF OUR LIVES in uniform. I recently went to hear John Edwards give a talk on his new book CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE. He mentioned that while writing the book he had been greatly influenced by Shaara's THE KILLER ANGELS. I don't consider myself much of a Civil War buff, but I like Edwards' book so much, I wanted to see what he was talking about. Shaara definitely managed to capture the human side of combat. You almost feel like you personally know Lee, Chamberlain and the other commanders at Gettysburg, as well as the common foot soldiers who fought and died that day. Perhaps if more world leaders--especially those who have not seen combat up close and personal, and therefore have no clue as to the real horrors of war--would take the time to read this book, the foreign affairs between nations would be conducted somewhat differently. Killer Angels tells it like it really is. Maybe along with Dickens, Orwell, and Hawethorne, Michael Shaara should also become required high school reading.
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Summary: The Battle of Gettysburg
Review: The Killer Angles by Jeff Shaara is the most interesting book on the Civil War I have ever read. The author gives you a detailed description of the Battle of Gettysburg from both the Union and Confederate viewpoints. You get into the shoes of the 5 most important generals of the Battle : Lee, Longstreet, Chamberlain, Buford, and Pickett. Not only does the author reveal the gererals moves on the battlefield, but he also reveals the generals feelings about the war in gerneral and the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history. The book is filled with heart-pounding descriptions of the Battle, especially Chamberlain his 20th Maine holding the Union line at the Battle of Little Round Top. to help you understand the positioning of the armies, there is a detailed map of the area around Gettysburg in just about every chapter.
If you are looking for a fast-paced easy reading book about the Battle of Gettysburg then the Killer Angels is for you.
Rating: 
Summary: You Can Smell the Gunpowder
Review: You can almost smell the gunpowder. Michael Shaara brings the Battle of Gettysburg to life in this thrilling, Pulitzer prize winning dramatization of the Civil War's most famous battle. Each chapter focuses on the perspective of one of the Battle's key leaders - Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Chamberlain and Hancock. In preparing to write this novel, Shaara researched the personalities of each of these men. He tells us not only how they thought, but how they felt. For example, Shaara reveals Longstreet's grave doubts regarding the wisdom of the attack and Robert E. Lee's leadership during the days and hours preceding the battle.
The battle itself is described with such vivid imagery you can almost feel the fear of the men who know they are about to die. Like a spy moving from one side to the other, Shaara takes us behind the lines of both camps.
More American men died in this single battle than this country lost in the entire Vietnam War. Shaara reveals that Robert E. Lee, in spite of his reputation as one of our country's great generals, ordered his men to fight a battle that even his right hand man, General Longstreet knew had little chance of success. The book is well-researched, but its' true strength is Shaara's ability to place the reader in the middle of the battlefield and help us appreciate the true horror of the Civil War.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, historically accurate.....
Review: Shaara brings to life the infamous personalities of the Confederacy and Union at Gettysburg. From his research he puts together the personalities and behavior of those historical figures and defines them at one of their most famous moments. What I can't quite buy though is that just about all of the Confederate officers depicted, they all seem to be highly emotional and constantly worried what their cohorts are thinking. Like a bunch of schoolgirls on Prom night. Did they all break down crying like described with Longstreet and many others throughout the book? Lee is constantly whining about being old and not feeling good,(at least in his head). Many anguish constantly about their betrayal of their cohorts and their decision to join the secession. Most likely they came to terms with these things long before Gettysburg. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book and it's historical accuracy. After reading Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction, you get a bit spoiled.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Accurate
Review: This novel was, to this day, the most historically accurate I have ever read. It brings to life the lives of Robert E. Lee and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain in the midst of the largest battle ever fought on American soil. The story becomes so real and so accurate, that it is hard to label it as historical fiction. The Battle of Gettysburg is brought to life in the story, and the reactions of the men who were there are very real. What I personally like about this novel is that it is based not on history books, but on the writings of those who were actually there. The author, Michael Shaara, used the diologue to fill in the blanks and bring a feeling of realism to the story. There were no good guys or bad guys, but Americans doing what we have always done; fight for what we believe in. This book is a very moving novel, one which will make you think. I am sure this book is on every Civil War buff's shelf. Actually, it was this book that got me into reenacteing the Civil War.
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Summary: The Killer Angles Review
Review: Gettysburg, 1863- The sight of the three bloodiest days in American history. We've read about it thousands of times, in practically every American History book. But what was it like for those in charge of the chaos? Michael Shaara tells us his interpretations, through great story telling, and amazing description in his 1974 classic, The Killer Angels. This is a historical fiction book that is both imaginative, and innovative. We've heard stories of what it was like before. We've all heard of the booming cannons, the deadly gunshots, the restless hospitals, and the dying men. But what about the men in the headquarters? Shaara does a great job of expressing the emotions of the leaders. He describes what they felt towards their men, and what they went through with every decision they had to make. Shaara also does a great job putting emphasis on the little know historical facts, such as John Buford, a Union general who was never given credit for choosing the ground at Gettysburg. In addition to his great characterization, Shaara does not slack on the description end. "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".
The exceptional emotion and description is what makes The Killer Angles a classic that is near impossible to put down. It shows what America's deadliest war was like from another view, thus innovating a new style, which will later be used in such novels as we were Soldiers Once, and Young. I found The Killer Angels to be both entertaining, and informative. This is a must-read for anybody who likes drama, action, adventure, and history.
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Summary: Great treatment of the battle of Gettysburg
Review: The events of the battle of Gettysburg come alive in this historical novel. Shaara tells the story with precision. The focus of the book is not so much on the battle itself as on the men who fought the battle. With a unique style, Shaara weaves pieces from several commanders (on both sides) together to form a clear look at what happened during those fateful three days and, more importantly, how those involved felt about it. Shaara makes the narrative flow with surprising fluidity, despite the less-than-adequate writing style and his obsession with adverbs. With Shaara, any (and every) adjective can be used as an adverb, and he uses them shamelessly. Try as I might, I cannot picture a man who "sat whitely" or "responded blearily." These abuses of the English language are a dime a dozen, and men do things guiltily, fatly, and blackly.
His odd writing style ignored, Shaara has done a great job on this work. The dialogue is believable, the characters vivid, and the detail precise, even down the many, many maps showing positions at different stages of the battle (for which I was very grateful). It seems his research was exhaustive and, while everything may not be completely accurate, he has done a great job of giving us a feel for what happened in this tremendous battle.
Anyone interested in the Civil War will definitely like this book. If you enjoy historical fiction or American history I would recommend it as well.
Rating:
Summary: The best civil war novel ever written
Review: In my opinion Michael Shaara has created a masterpiece that has no equal. He explains in such detail the events of the battle of Gettysburg, But at the same time shows us the people, not just a number on a casualty report but the way the people were when they wern't off fighting and being brave and dying valiantly for what they believed to be right and just.
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Summary: The historical novel that made history
Review: The ¡°Killer Angel's,¡± Jeff Shaara's compelling character-driven narrative of Gettysburg, the battle that decided the Civil War and the fate of the United States of America, belongs to a very small and select group: literary military history novels. Yes, this is a work of fine literature. Shaara delivers a compelling set of characters, Longstreet, the general cursed to see things clearly; Chamberlain, the professor who finds his love of battle equals his love of the classics; and Lo Armistead, a fierce general who is almost too sensitive for war. As a history, the work has refocused, for good or bad, the narrative of Gettysburg for our generation. How many historical novels can you say that about? For me, Shaara's greatest accomplishment was the deft way he answered for the thorny question of why they fought, from Union Generals to the barefoot Confederate enlisted men from Texas. For some it was a simple professional obligation; they are soldiers and there is a fight to be fought. Some Southern foot soldiers insisted they were fighting for their "rats," though they were not able to articulate these rights to the Yankees when they were captured. But the Union men are not immune from Shaara¡¯s razor-sharp sense of irony. Some of the boys in blue were outright racists. In one scene, they meet a runaway slave that has been shot by a good woman of Pennsylvania for the crime of walking down the street. Yet, despite all this, Shaara does not judge the men on either side too harshly and one comes away feeling that those on both sides died for noble reasons. The book is a work of remarkable economy. It was able to fit a laundry list of characters and a complex three-day battle into just over 300 pages. For some, especially hardcore Civil War buffs who feel Shaara gave short shrift to certain key players, this is a an unforgivable shortcoming. Still, the book never pretends to be the final word on those fateful days in July that decided the course of American history. It does, however, succeed marvelously in its aim: capturing the human side of this extraordinary and tragic and glorious event.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Phenomenal!
Review: I love The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane as well as Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden, but I place The Killer Angels at the top of my war novel list. ...The vivid descriptions of battle, the candid emotions of the soldiers and generals, the emptiness of defeat intertwined with the elation of victory are all so aptly described by Michael Shaara in this Pulitzer Prize winner. I felt as if I were alive right there in Gettysburg as an omnipresent bystander witnessing the greatest and most momentous battle ever fought on American soil. Thanks to the amazing character development and extraordinary description and dialogue, I came to know the heroic Joshua Chamberlain, the intrepid George Pickett, the indecisive Richard Ewell, the gruff James Longstreet, and of course the revered Robert E. Lee - just to name a few. A must read for anyone even remotely interested in The Civil War or just war or history in general. Simply phenomenal.
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