Rating: 
Summary: You can start the trilogy with this one.
Review: This is a great book about the civil war, balanced and very interesting. I'm now reading the second book (which was published first by the author's father) and looking forward the the third. I found myself carrying this book everywhere, even if I knew I'd only have time for a couple pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Cashing in
Review: Having loved Killer Angels I was eager to begin this book, and enjoyed the first few chapters. Gradually though, I began to see that although the format and overall style of this Gods and Generals was designed to match the original book it had none of the substance. Killer Angels used historical data, fleshed out for readability, to challenge the myths grown up around the civil war in general and the Confederate generals in particular. The approach taken in Gods and Generals seems a bit different. The characterizations here seem to be designed to appeal to the Son of the Confederacy and other such groups. Or perhaps they were take from the Civil war coloring books you can purchase at places like the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond VA. Gods and Generals flatly contradicts the portraits of Jackson and Longstreet painted in Killer Angels. Longstreet has stopped being a tactical visionary and become merely timid, and Jackson no longer "knows how to hate", an incident specifically quoted in Killer Angels is recast in lines more favorable to Jackson. Jackson's accusations against Dick Garnett play an important role in Killer Angels, but are not mentioned. It seems that the author & publisher decided that the most profit could be made by using the reputation of Killer angels to broaden the appeal of a book designed to enhance the dearest myths of the confederacy. Basically it boils down to this. Killer Angels was originally given to me to read by a history professor in upstate NY. Gods and Generals might be handed out by Jesse Helms or at the Virginia Military Institute.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Work! Deserves our full attention.
Review: This book brings to live an extraordinary time in american history. The first book i read about the american civil war was Michael Shaara's Killer Angels, and finaly i started to understand what caused this conflict, but being a foreing to american history it caused my thirst for knowledge to grow, luckily, Jeff decided to complete his fathers work, and did a magnificent job. Finally i got a glimpse at the causes of this conflict, brought to live by a wonderfull, vivid, description of the early stages of this war, done from the point of view of the men who fought it, the soldiers. Jeff masterfully describes the horrors, the anguish, the antagonizing feelings that turned brother against brother, father against son, north against south, creating a wonderfull tapestry of scenes that brought to live this periode. Now, forgive me for living, but the next book in this marvelous father-son trilogy awaits me, bringing to conclusion this wonderfull, historical "tale".
Rating:
Summary: This was a very good read.
Review: I enjoyed this book to the point that I could not put it down. I was mildly disappointed, at times, that the coverage of some events was either not there or covered only lightly. One of the reasons I think I enjoyed it so much was that I was able to connect with the characters to the extent that I was horrified to "watch" Chamberlain and Hancock attack the hills beyond Fredericksburg. Only a short time later to be a saddened to the point of tears at seeing Jackson fall. Some will not doubt cry about historical accuracy which may or may not be true, but I enjoyed the read very much. On to Killer Angels.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent civil war novel in it¿s own right.
Review: You may be aware or indeed unaware that Jeff Shaara, the author of 'Gods and Generals' is the son of the late Michael Shaara who in turn is the author of 'The Killer Angels' which is acknowledged as one of the best civil war novels written. 'Gods and Generals' is very much a prequel to 'Killer Angels', describing the war up until the battle of Gettysburg (the subject matter of 'Killer Angels'). While 'Killer Angels' is indeed a wonderful civil war novel I feel to continuously mention both books in the same sentence does each a dis-service. Jeff and Michael Shaara, although father and son, are different people and consequently different authors. Thus to review 'Gods and Generals' from the shadow of 'Killer Angels' is not something I wish to do here. Therefore this is a review of 'Gods and Generals' as a stand-alone novel. First time author Michael Shaara has written an excellent account of both the pre-war and early war years. The novel offers an insight into the lives and motivations of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson of the Confederacy and Winfield Scott Hancock and Joshua Chamberlain of the Union. Shaara uses the experiences of these men in a skilful manner to elaborate and expand on the politics and events that occurred during the years 1858 to 1863. In doing so he is able to bring these four into contact with many figures that played a role in the war; Longstreet, Davis, Hooker, Burnside and so on. The result is a believable and comprehensive account that enables the reader to stay closely involved with the decision-makers of the war. Shaara is also able to write convincingly of the internal beliefs and philosophies that motivated individuals to take up arms against their fellow Americans. At times I would have liked a little more detail regarding the early battles of the war. However, the accounts of Second Manassas and in particular Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville and extremely well written, deep in detail and convincing in action. Jeff Shaara is a talented writer, not only with regards to battles but also with reference to emotions. I found his account of Jackson's deathbed to be as moving and respectful as his battle scenes were exciting and horrific. I recommend this book to you and encourage you to read it not as an add on to 'The Killer Angels' but as an excellent civil war novel in it's own right.
Rating: 
Summary: Killer Angels is good....
Review: Killer Angels is a great book. Gods and Generals...well, again Killer Angels is a great book! Gods and Generals is the most boring Civil War book I have read out of thousands! The battles are there, somewhere, but the description we are waiting for is dry. The generals do participate in the battles, but its nothing noteworthy. The descriptions are not the author's strong suit. I guess I will give the author one last chance with Last Full Measure, but as for his newest Gone For Soldiers about the Mexican War, no thank you! The family name is being driven into the ground depeer and deeper, I see. BOTTOM LINE ON GODS AND GENERALS: SKIP THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Eating the Civil War "elephant"
Review: I was addicted to Civil War (er, "The War of Northern Aggresion") stories as a boy. With the 100th anniversary of the war in 1960-1965 occuring duing my 5-10 age period, the whole thing was an outstanding fantasy. As I've gotten older, I've longed for a way to get back into Civil War (uh, "The War for Southern Independence") stories. Most of the stuff written for adults, though, makes it tough to get started. Books quickly veer from sensory immersion to left-brain statistical abstraction. This book has really acted like the first forkful of Civil War (I mean "The War Between the States") history and I'm ready to "eat the elephant" and take the plunge again. I've got "Killer Angels" on the bedstand -- I can't wait to see how his father writes. This book is competently written and very engrossing. Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote -- set the table!
Rating:
Summary: No Other Way to be There - Except a Time Machine
Review: Steven Lang's voice brought chills to this "feel like your there" book. I could feel the cold. I could see General Lee on his horse. I could sense the creaking of the wood as Federal troops crossed the creek for the battle of Fredricksburg. I had a clear view of the gold buttons on "Stonewall" Jackson's uniform, and I could smell the gunpowder, and see the cannon flashes. No better way to catch a glimpse into the minds of Generals on both sides of the war. Don't miss this one if you really enjoy audiobooks and the Civil War.
Rating:
Summary: Well liked by Gods and Generals
Review: Gods and Generals is a wonderful combination of fact and fiction. That was extremely helpful to me because it provided me with a lot of information about the first half of the Civil War without boring me to death. The setting is in the United States (mostly Virginia but there are a few seens elswhere) from just before the Civil War to the end of the battle of Chancellorsville. This includes such battles as Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, Antietam, and a brief acount of Bull Run. It also gives you the third person prospective of union Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, union Lt. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, confederate General Robert E. Lee, and confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. The only person who tops Jeff Sharra in writing about the Civil War is his father Michael Sharra in The Killer Angels.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite as good as The Killer Angels
Review: Assuming most readers will come to this book, like I did, after reading The Killer Angels, the Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece by Shaara's late father Michael, they will find an entertaining and well written story, but not a novel which compares to The Killer Angels. Shaara may have taken too much on here, for he is unable to really examine the issues of the Civil War as well as his father did. He does offer good recreations of the battles, but his portrayals of Civil War generals border on caricature, particularly the portrait of Stonewall Jackson as a dour puritan. Still, this book is worth the read; just don't get your hopes up.
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