Rating: 
Summary: Thumbs Down for the Abridged Audio Version
Review: I read "Gods and Generals" about two years ago and liked it pretty well. I bought the abridged audio version recently, but don't like it at all. The abridgment is pretty severe (there are only four cassettes). It's read by Stephen Lang, who, I'm sure, is a fine actor (he played Pickett in "Gettysburg," I believe) but who doesn't do the different voices very well. Everyone is a bass or a baritone, and they all sound like they're trying very hard to stifle English accents. I understand that Lang is to play Stonewall Jackson in the film version of "Gods and Generals"; I hope he gets his mountain accent up to snuff, 'cause his Jackson on this tape don't talk like no mountain boy!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, but the person in back of me be ign'ant
Review: This is a great book and I have read it two or three times already. This is a book about people rather than merely war. While I have nothing against war, and in fact think it a fine pursuit for every man, woman and child, I believe that having deep characterization helps. Well, anyway, the previous reviewer seems to think that Jeff Shaara made up the facts in this book out of the clear blue air. Some of the characters are not in this book as much as Killer Angels because, pray tell, they did not have as big roles in the early civil war. Lee actually did catch John Brown, so not necessarily impractical seeing as it actually did happen. The reason Jackson was mad at Garnett was because Garnett was not aggressive enough at the battle of Kernstown, I think. This person's complaints about the lack of explanation of certain battles would be valid if this book was meant to be a straight retelling of battles, but as it isn't, and is in fact a book of characters, these complaints aren't very cogent. It's almost as if this person did not know he was reading a novel with historical characters. Well, I hope I have proven myself to be a complete donkeyhole.
Rating: 
Summary: A huge disappointment
Review: "Gods and Generals" is the worst book in the Civil War trilogy. I'll prove my point in the following arguments, although I assume most people who have read or plan to read this book have read "The Killer Angels."The beginning descriptions are also not very good. Instead of the single short, but telling paragraph about the major characters, there are huge biographies of the four main characters: Chamberlain, Jackson, Lee and Hancock. Although they are more informative, they really don't give that much more, and perhaps even less, insight than the single paragraphs did. KA took place over a span of a few days, covering a single battle in great detail. G&G begins in the late 1850's and ends right before Gettysburg. Because of this, the book is about twice as long as KA and has a large cast of easily confused and usually minor characters. Because of the huge length of G&G, a battle usually gets only a few chapters (if that). To make things more confusing, an enormous cast of generals seem to be moving various brigades/divisons/corps all over an unclear battlefield. In KA, a lot of that was solved by the heavy use of maps. In G&G, there aren't any maps to show the positions and the lay of the land, although there are in "The Last Full Measure." Another huge problem I had with this book are the characters. They all act like clones on ritalin. If they didn't tell you who the characters were, you'd probably get them all mixed up. Also, none of them have the charisma to command your admiration, compassion, etc, etc. Sure there are some slight differences, but nothing like the dynamic characterizations from KA. And from what I've heard about Jackson, even from KA, the character in G&G is a pale shadow of the sinister mark he left in everyone's memory. Beyond that, the structure isn't terribly good. The beginning, about the years before the war, is so incredibly dull that almost anyone would want to stop reading it. The concept of having John Brown's capture by Lee is intriguing to say the least, but it isn't very pracctical. It was a little interesting to see how these people lived before the war divided them, but it could have been less than the 200+ pages devoted to the pre-war period that are in this book. Also, Chamberlain is in one beginning chapter, and then he disappears for a really long time. One of the biggest disappointments for me was that none of the characters from KA had very big roles, except for Lee and Chamberlain. Even Hancock had a relatively small role in KA. Stuart, Pickett, Buford, Tom Chamberlain, Garnett, Armistead, Longstreet, Hood and Hill are mentioned, but none of them have very major roles. (On a nitpicker's note, I'm pretty sure Hood was described as dark and lean in KA, but he is suddenly a bulky blond in G&G.) That leads into a few more unexplained mysteries of G&G. In KA, they made a mention of Buford heroically holding off a huge army with his small cavalry force, but that whole, possibly exciting part gets a whole paragraph in G&G. And for some bizarre reason, Jackson is in Bull Run, but they decide not to show how he proves himself to be a "Stone Wall", and instead have Lee and Jefferson Davis riding around and hearing rumors. Another thing I wanted to find out was more detail on the terrible mistake that destroyed Garnett, and even though Jackson was supposedly barking mad with him, it doesn't even get a passing mention. However, to Jeff Shaara's credit, "The Last Full Measure" showed great improvement. And to be fair, KA would be really hard for anyone to measure up to. If you give this book time, it does start to pick up, especially during the battle scenes. However, it is not necessary reading for people who loved KA (like I did), as it isn't much of a prequel, but more of a remake set earlier.
Rating: 
Summary: Jeff Shaara's best book yet, an extraordinary feat
Review: When I heard that Jeff Shaara was planning to continue his father's memorable work, I was a little tense. "Gods and Generals" dispersed any fears I might have had. Taking Civil War literature to the next level, the young Shaara follows the exploits of four leading (or soon-to-be leading) men of the conflict. Continually shifting points of view between Union and Confederate, East and West, battlefield and city offices, during a time period spanning from early stages of the secession crisis to the great turning of the tide at Gettysburg, his accomplishment in creating an accurate, concise, and balanced view of history has not been, and it is likely never to be matched in a fictional work. With a lively format, good mapwork, and a subtle but powerful style of writing, "Gods and Generals" cannot be compared to "The Killer Angels", but, then again, what can be? Michael Shaara would have been proud of his son's work.
Rating:
Summary: Fun in some parts, and boring in others
Review: I would recommend this book to another reader, but not as a first read about the Civil War. I felt like the book didn't give adequate background information about the Civil War for the reader. Moreover, if a reader had a grasp on the battles and incidents of the war it would help in understanding the book. I also hoped for a little more about Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson when I bought this book, but he is limited until near the end at his death.
Rating:
Summary: It gave me chills...
Review: Any time words give me chills, it makes me think I'm that character. I was Thomas Jackson for over 400 pages. I died when he died. Enough said!
Rating:
Summary: Not usually a fan of war novels, but Shaara has a gift
Review: When I was in high school, I was forced to read the Killer Angels for my AP US History class...and subsequently didn't like it because it was being shoved at me. Recently, however, my sister, a history major, gave me Gods and Generals to read, and I was amazed at how little I remembered about Jeff Shaara's skill for depicting war. Gods and Generals gives the reader a wonderful sense of each character's motives and makes one feel as if they can smell the smoke from the battle. As it covers the Civil War before the battle of Gettysburg, I will now be reading the Killer Angels again, since I am positive that I must have missed something the first time around.
Rating:
Summary: A good historical rendition of the actual events
Review: I have read many histories of the events comprising this fine historic novel, including works by Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote, James McPherson as well as by lesser known authors. I am satisfied that Mr. Shaara, through fiction, gave an accurate overview of the broader historical events. Indeed, he did not overdramatize, but rather at times understated the dramatic unfolding of events. For example, during the battle of Chancellorville, General Darius Couch was stunned when his commander, General Hooker ordered him to withdraw from his position when he seemed to have the upper hand. The novel covers this well but Foote's history dramatizes Couch's disbelieving reaction even more. Additionally, both Catton and Foote have dramatized the Union troops reaction to Jackson's surprise attack more than Shaara does. This slight understating by Shaara is good because the history of the war makes for exciting reading. Shaara. therefore, created a page turner by masterfully blending in the actual page turning events without resorting to historically inaccurate hyperbole. The events are not really fictionalized. The fiction is the conversations and thought processes of the characters. However, the events are historical fact. A good work of historical fiction is not a bad sid to learning history and this book is great in this regard. The fiction helps to humanize the central figures. It is not always clear how accurate the details of the central characters' personalities are, but Shaara gets the reader emotionally involved. We almost get to know Lee, jackson, Couch, Hancock et al. The book also includes Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain as a key figure but, this was probably done more as a prelude to the next volume, "The Killer Angles." in which Chamberlain's heroics at Gettysburgh are legion. His father's "The Killer Angels" is a modern classic and he has done the family name proud with this great effort. The Killer Angels was made into a fabulous movie and I think this book is adaptable to the silver screen too. I highly recommend this wonderful novel.
Rating:
Summary: Strong History, Not So Strong Fiction
Review: A recent visit to Civil War sites in Virginia prompted me to begin this first volume of the Shaara Civil War trilogy. I read the middle volume years ago, by Jeff Shaara's father, Michael, shortly after it won the Pulitzer but was frankly skeptical of the ability of Jeff to fill his father's shoes. While I was generally pleased with the book and very glad to have read it, I came away with a few disappointments. Shaara's historical research and accuracy are outstanding. I was fascinated with the stories of these four generals, Chamberlain and Hancock, Lee and Jackson, and how converging tracks lead them eventually to Gettysburg. But I was somewhat disappointed with a narrative style that resulted in often wooden conversations. Were these individuals really that formal? Were their interactions always so wooden? Interestingly I found the postcript to be the most fascinating part of the book. I was amazed to learn of the fates of these key players in the years following the Civil War. Many of these men ran for (and sometimes won) public office and the stories of their wives is equally fascinating. Will I go on to read book number three in the trilogy? Absolutely. There are no perfect books but there are some awfully good stories. This was a good one and it left me wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: Like Father, Like Son
Review: I purchased Jeff Shaara's "Gods and Generals" at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a year before I cracked its spine. When I did, I was on my way to a military operational research symposium in England. I'm sorry I waited so long. "Gods and Generals" is a slam-bang precursor to his father's "Killer Angels," and I for one am hard-pressed to say which I enjoyed more. True, the father and son have written historical novels -- but what history! What great stories! For the first time readers are given an impression, a direct feel, for the personal, psychological and behavioral bent of the main characters in this drama of the American Civil War. I only wish that the son had addressed Buford in his work. I've walked the battlefields of Fredericksburg and the Wilderness. Jeff Shaara brings them to life, and tells a compelling tale of the principle actors on those bloody stages. The religious fervor Shaara imputes to the commanders, particularly Jackson and Lee, is a commentary on the war fervor of the South in general. How could one fight to dissolve the Union without God on one's side? If you have read "Killer Angels" then you must read "Gods and Generals." If you have not, then read "Gods and Generals" first, then immediately go to the father's work. Enjoy.
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