Rating: 
Summary: Key leaders come alive.
Review: This is the first solo book by Jeff Shaara to follow the Killer Angels, written by his father and made even more famous by the movie Gettysburg. Many history books get too bogged down in the day-to-day details of recounting history. Shaara makes the historical events come alive by re-telling history through the lives of key players...in this case, Lee, Hancock, Jackson and Chamberlin. History is made by people and these four men certainly influenced history greatly. Learn history like you never have and re-live the time building up to the Gettysburg battle. I highly recommend the reading to those that enjoy biographies or want to learn more about history without becoming a history buff.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Storytelling
Review: As someone who would read almost anything related to the Civil War, I was very disappointed by this book. I read and loved The Killer Angels because that book gave such a sincere look into the lives of the generals. But Gods and General's attempt was much too heavy handed. The book is overly sentimental, and badly written. The generals all seem to be suffering from acute martyr complexes. At some point, the writer seems to have forgotten that these were real people with (at least some) pedestrian human concerns. Instead, he seems to focus on the dying and martyring part alone. The generals no longer seemed real... they were too noble, even their flaws seem more idealistic heroic than human. And their triumph and failures read more like a Greek tragedy than a novel concerned with historical accuracy.
Additionally, the writer seems to have missed on that day where elementary writing classes emphasized the importance of "show not tell". There is no need to infer the meaning of his character's motivations--Jeff Shaara bashes his message through with a hammer.
I think what disappointed me the most was the underlying story in there that was struggling to get out. The book covers a fascinated time populated by extraordinary people. Their actions spoke volumes for their character, there really was no need to force the issue by overtly explaining and filling their every decision with melodrama.
Rating:
Summary: Holding My Breath
Review: The coming movie is directed by the same guy who directed Gettysburg. Gettysburg was the worst Civil War movie I have ever seen. Martin Sheen was totally miscast as Lee. The silly accents and constant saluting would have made me laugh had I not been so let down by the poor quality of the whole production. Robert Duvall may be able to overcome this director's inadequacies with his excellent abilities. We shall see.
Rating: 
Summary: Good History, and a Well Told Story
Review: The Civil War might have been the last armed conflict that was decided or prolonged by the personalities and abilities of the generals. Contrary to modern warfare, where the commander might be tens or hundreds of miles removed from the battlefield, the leaders of the Union and Confederate troops were never far from the very thick of the fight and often in harm's way. The timidity of a George McClellan compared with the ferocity of a Stonewall Jackson was transferred to their troops, with strategic decisions being reinforced by the personalities of the officers involved. Jeff Shaara understands that and communicates it brilliantly in Gods and Generals. Modern war stories tend to be best told from the view of the individual soldier, the person that is continually confronted with the blood, the noise and the horror. But Shaara uses the generals and their staffs to give nuance and illumination to a conflict that was much more complex in it's origins than the common perception of it being a war abolition versus slavery. He takes the reader into the strategy counsels of the various combatants, where the stoicism of Robert E. Lee stands in marked contrast to the flamboyance of his cavalry commander, J.E.B. Stuart. While across the lines, field generals like Winfield Hancock strive to support their troops while following ill-considered tactical decisions of Generals McClellan, Burnside and Hooker. This is a prequel to the Killer Angels, the earlier masterpiece of Michael Shaara, Jeff's father, that so adroitly told the tale of the battle of Gettysburg. After Michael's death, Jeff was persuaded to expand his work with this novel that covers the years before the war, and the early battles in Virginia. Prior to the 1860's, war was perceived by much of the public as contests of honor fought on far away battlegrounds, under arcane rules that belied the fact that blood was shed and men died. Consider the gentry of Washington D.C. that took their carriages to picnic and watch the battle of Antietam; expecting to see a quick and orderly end of the rebellion, only to find themselves fleeing in panic before the ill-equipped but motivated troops of the Confederacy. In a similar dichotomy, the reaction of the Confederate troops to the Union's shelling of the town of Fredricksburg seems disproportionate to that of losing comrades to enemy fire. Jeff Shaara is every bit the story teller that his father was. He paints a vivid and compelling portrait of perhaps the most complex and important times within American history.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous prequel to The Killer Angels
Review: You always have to question a sequel or prequel to any classic. Is it an attempt to cash in on the original novel? Is it an attempt to manufacture a "franchise"? The last option is always the best and most elusive; it's an attempt to recreate the power of the original work with something as bold and interesting. Jeff Shaara's epic Gods And Generals falls into the latter category. His prequel to his father's monumental novel The Killer Angels manages to connect to the real life characters from this time period in just the same way. These people become flesh, blood and bone again with all the flaws and greatness inherent in the flesh. Shaara manages capture the little moments that made of the story of the men who eventually fight in the Battle for Gettysburg. Shaara captures the human core that suffers and falls during the chaos of war. Perhaps every bit the equal of The Killer Angels (only time will tell if it ages as well), Gods And Generals allows us a window into the minds of those who participated in a pivotal moment in American history. What's most impressive is the fact that Shaara manages to capture all the flavor of the original novel without stuping to imitation. His prose is fluid and beautifully structured. A pity that the novel has segregated to the historical novel genre; it's much more powerful, horrorfying and touching than that. It's a crime to confine such a well written novel to such a small literary ghetto.
Rating:
Summary: Astounding prequel to father's Killer Angels!
Review: My first love is Scottish History, but since I was raised on both sides of the pond, I grew to have a great love for the complexities of the War Between the States in the US. So, it was great pleasure I read this book. Shaara, in this case Jeff, the son of Michael, had a hard act to follow. His father was the author of Pulitzer Prize Winning Killer Angels (1974). Killer Angels looked at the high watermark of the Confederacy which ended with the battle of Gettysburg. That was the single most important event of the whole War Between the States, in a war that shaped the United States. It gave such insight, such reality into the horror, the glory, the humanity and inhumanity of war, of Generals Lee, Hancock, Pickett and Chamberlain. Shaara's words brought alive the battle and made you feel it all, the anticipation, the frustration, the fear and the anger. In Gods and Generals, Jeff picks up his father's pen and gives you another masterpiece. Though father and son, both have a different writing voices. Jeff picks up the threads of what happened before Gettysburg, a prequel to his father's award winning novel, giving you insight into the men facing what would be their hardest trial. He again centres on the driven Lee, the bumbling Chamberlain, the dashing Hancock, but we also see Jackson, the man who could march his men 40 miles in a day and then fight a battle, one of the most efficient Generals of the whole war on either side, yet overwhelming a religious man. What interested me most, was his portrait of Lee, his dedication to the Confederacy winning and yet the pain of being torn by his loyalty to the Union army he once served and likely of which he would have been General had he not resigned his commission. A tour de force for a first time writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but not scholarly.
Review: This is good entertainment for any Civil War buff, filled with insight and anecdotes into a few of the leading characters of each side of the conflict. In fact, the author takes us through the steps that lead four great men to their armies and onto the battlefield: Generals Lee & Jackson for the Confederacy and Generals Hancock and Chamberlain for the Union. As such, it is a limited work that, not surprisingly more a novel than a work of history. Perhaps that's why it's about to make it to the Silver Screen, and no doubt shortly after that, to your local video store.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!! This is the best Civil War book that I have ever read.
Review: I just finished reading God's and Generals for the 2nd time. I was struck by the powerful message of two separate sides both looking for God's will through course of the war. Both the North and the South were fighting and giving their lives for a cause that they strongly believed in. Jeff Sharra does and incredible job portraying the commanders of both armies as real men. He shows the weaknesses and the strengths of these great men. He portrays the struggles and the triumphs in an amazing way. Sharra, shows the pain, the joy, and the pride of both Southern and Northern Soldiers. He brings them together in a completely un-biased way. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good Civil War read. Don't forget to also read "Killer Angels" and "The Last Full Measure"
Rating:
Summary: Not the chip off the old block
Review: Jeff Shaara make a game effort, but his is simply not the storyteller his father was. On it's own, it stands weakly to "Killer Angels". Realizing full well this book is not history, it is a novel - a story based on historic events great dramatic license must be granted. Unfortunately that allowance greatly stretched credibility in the actions and personality of the characters and particular events. Shaara might been have written on his own of characters of his creation and not under the shade of his father's literary skill. If you are a fan of historical fiction, this might be your book. If you are new to the genre, pass this book and go straight to "Killer Angels". If you are knowledgeable of the period, this book will greatly disappoint if not irritate you.
Rating: 
Summary: co-opted by the Lee-Jackson mafia
Review: The wretched Jeff Shaara, trying to find out how to make a living and deeply jealous of his father's abilities, went to Lexington Virginia when he started to research his (first) novel. He promptly fell under the spell of the Sons of the Confederacy and was lost forever. Michael Shaara's Killer Angels had plenty of historical inaccuracies, but it was full of profound truths about men at war. Longstreet, Lee, Chamberlain, Buford were real, flesh and blood, minds and hearts. Jeff Shaara writes Ol' South windbag history for wooden puppets. He should be ashamed of himself. He should limit himself to writing novels for the 10-17 boy market, since they seem to be his most enthusiastic fans. Awful book, soon to be an awful movie.
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