These are really minor critiques. And yes, I understand this is a novel with a very specific storyline. Still, it bears mentioning, if only because this is a very good piece of historical fiction, and when historical fiction is really, really good, you sometimes start to forget it’s fiction and believe it's historical. But while heavily researched (with the inclusion of more maps than you get in typical history volume), it is, when all is said and done, a product of imagination. By the end of this book I felt I knew all these men as intimately as I know friends I’ve known for decades. It is as if Shaara raised them from the dead, one by one. They are talking skeletons with nothing but truth rattling through their teeth. Their souls are showing through their pale gray ribcages enscrolled with their most intimate thoughts. They hid nothing from Shaara not their fears or their desires. The war has never been more real to me. Highly recommended!

According to a NY Times opinion piece by Phil Leigh, ‘Making ‘Killer Angels’’ dated June 28, 2013, Michael Shaara spent seven years of meticulous research, delving into old diaries and private memoirs and letters to fashion something new in the world of historical fiction. He uses actual and fictional dialogue to create the perspective of actual participants. While I appreciate Shaara’s rendition of The Battle of Gettysburg, I appreciate even more the necessity to use it as a springboard for more research into accounts that are strictly historical, balancing each added piece of information against others. In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fight for two conflicting dreams. One dreams of freedom, the other of a way of life. More than rifles and bullets are carried into battle. The soldiers carry memories. Promises. Love. And more than men fall on those Pennsylvania fields. Bright futures, untested innocence, and pristine beauty are also the casualties of war. Ah, but seriously folks…. Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War in which the Union forces defeated Robert E. Lee’s invading Confederate troops, but this isn’t a non-fiction book about the battle. Instead it’s a historical fiction in which author Michael Shaara used research and literary license to put us into the minds of several key figures so that readers experience the fight through their eyes. While the North lightly interpreted the United States Constitution, and while pursuing industrialization and the expansion of cities, the South remained mostly agricultural. During this period in America, it seemed as if there was a major divide in the country and even completely different cultures had evolved that despised one another. The abolishment of slavery was the mechanism for which the North tried to change the South into a more modern society without the use of slave labor, which eventually caused the Civil War to be fought.

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Quite simply, this is an extraordinary novel. However, for two completely subjective (and probably unfair) reasons, I have elected to only rate this as a very strong 4 stars. Reason #1: is that the Civil War is not favorite period of American history and so my juices don’t flow as strongly when reading stories from this time as others more smitten with the events. Reason #2: goes by the name of Ken Burns and his brilliant mini-series, The Civil War. That masterpiece has ruined me for all other depictions of the conflict. Jubera, Drew (October 9, 1993). "GETTYSBURG: Ted Turner, a cast of thousands and the ghosts of the past". Baltimore Sun. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014 . Retrieved October 12, 2011. A stage adaptation by Karen Tarjan was originally produced at Lifeline Theatre in Chicago in 2004, and again in the Fall of 2013. The adaptation was subsequently produced at Anchorage Community Theatre, the Wayside Theatre in Virginia, the Heritage Theatre in Maryland, Mother Road Theatre in New Mexico, and Michigan Shakespeare Festival. One of my favorite historical fiction novels of ALL TIME. I read this with my 13 year-old son and 12 year-old daughter and it was amazing. My kids loved it just as much as I did. It was tight, character-driven, and dramatic. Imagine my surprise when my kids are discussing the virtues of Team Chamberlain (smart, honorable, thoughtful, a natural leader) VS Team Longstreet (Brilliant, ahead of his time, brooding, quiet).

This is a different kind of army," Chamberlain explains. "If you look at history you'll see men fight for pay, or women, or some other kind of loot. They fight for land, or because a king makes them, or just because they like killing. But we're here for something new. I don't...this hasn't happened in the history of the world. We're an army going out to set other men free." An excellent rendering of the days of the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania by author, Michael Shaara. His lively and intuitive prose brings the principal players to life and gives insight into the men of the blue and the gray. There’s a portentous aura in Shaara’s portrayal of the men and their thoughts as the battle approaches. After all, I know how it turns out. When an author writes, “he was thirty-eight and that was as old as he would ever be”, clouds gather and grow dark with the knowledge of the fate of all that are to die in what is known as the bloodiest battle on American soil. As the sword of Damocles is unsheathed, lives are held in the balance without regard for politics or affiliation. These thoughts predominate throughout my reading. Jubera, Drew (October 9, 1993). "Gettysburg Ted Turner, a cast of thousands and the ghosts of the past". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved April 28, 2022.The Killer Angels was the title of the 2013 album by Swedish heavy metal artists Civil War, which included the song "Gettysburg", a song about the Battle of Gettysburg. The Killer Angels" has been followed by two related novels from the author's son, Jeffrey Sharra. "Gods and Generals" is a prequel to the events of the Civil War, while "The Last Full Measure" begins where "The Killer Angels" leaves off. The action in both novels occurs through the experiences of the same characters used by Michael Shaara in "The Killer Angels." Still, there is some validity in the point. The Killer Angels is decidedly old-fashioned. It has none of the cynicism or darkness of modern war novels. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a pro-war book, but it embraces martial virtues with both its arms. In the world of The Killer Angels, when the characters aren’t thinking about duty, loyalty, and honor, they are giving speeches about it.

This is a different kind of army. If you look at history you’ll see men fight for pay, or women, or some other kind of loot. They fight for land, or because a king makes them, or just because they like killing. But we’re here for something new. I don’t … this hasn’t happened much in the history of the world. We’re an army going out to set other men free.”The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22 . Retrieved 2015-12-11. Shaara depicts Lee as being the most loved man on both sides, but I don’t learn quite enough about why this is so. It’s obvious the Confederate soldiers are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to serve him and ‘The Cause.’ ‘The Cause’ is voiced as being states’ rights which includes the right to own slaves. Gods & Generals felt a little too appologetic for the Southern states. It was, afterall, really about slavery, no matter how much some might want to white-wash this as state's rights. Maybe it felt that way because the folks in charge of the Union's army were complete bumbling idiots, compared to the Southern generals.