The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Killer Angels
Book Review: Remarkable!
Summary: 5 Stars
An accomplishment of the highest order!
- T. K. Marion, author of KILL THE DEVIL
Book Review: The Best Civil War Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
This review will be extremely short. This is, without a single doubt, the BEST Civil War novel that I have ever read and perhaps the BEST book that I have ever read. I only wish that Mr. Shaara had lived long enough to write others. If you only read one Civil War book in your life, please make it this one.Book Review: The Killer Angels
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a must read for history lovers. While the book is not literally true in all aspects, I believe Shaara captures the spirit of the characters and provides the reader with a look into a brutal, unforgiving and heroic period of our nation's history. If you like this novel, move on to Shaara's son Jeff's companion pieces, Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. Jeff also wrote books on the the Mexican-American, Revolutionary and both World Wars. Enjoy the whole set, but The Killer Angels is the keystone.Book Review: The Worst Book Ever written
Summary: 1 Stars
I despised this book! It was absolutely horrible! It was assigned as a summer reading book and it was just so bad! I enjoy reading books, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, and even nonfiction! It was really really bad. I never want to read another book by Michal Shaara ever ever again! I never even want to hear or see the words Killer Angels again.Book Review: The greatest Civil War novel that will ever be written!
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Killer Angels" is probably the greatest Civil War novel that will ever be written. Rarely does a novel so thoroughly capture the story, people, and struggles surrounding a great event. Shaara's characterizations of Joshua Chamberlain, James Longstreet, and other key figures of the Battle of Gettysburg are unforgettable. Shaara's novel splendidly tells the story of two great armies, both motivated and fighting for what each believes is a great and just cause, as they come together to fight the biggest battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere. Shaara's telling of that portion of the battle which occurred on Little Round Top fully impresses upon the reader that this was one of the pivotal moments of history where quite possibly the Union Army and perhaps the entire Union cause turned on the heroism of a few men and the clear thinking of one man. This is a great story.This is a great novel of leadership, hardship, and history. It does not demonize the Confederate side, but instead, without being pro-Southern, respectfully informs the reader that the key ingredient that made the Confederate Army one of the great armies of all time was the fact that to a man the Confederates truly believed in the justice of their cause; that they were fighting for their homes and hearths, or as they put it, "for our rahts..." For all this, the novel does not ignore the contradictions in the Confederate cause. The Union cause is similarly respectfully presented, and Joshua Chamberlain's speech to the 2d Maine mutineers (no spoiler here) is a great summary of the Union cause.
This novel utterly succeeds at both entertaining the reader, which is after all the first task of any novel, as well as telling a great story from history. The reader will come away from the novel with much greater insight as to how the Battle of Gettysburg was truly the pivotal battle of the American Civil War. Shaara fully faults General Robert E. Lee's failure to learn the lessons of the earlier Confederate victory at Fredricksburg as the reason for the outcome of the Gettysburg battle, and his analysis is pursuasive and fascinating.
This novel was an instant classic when it was published and it will always, in my opinion, be THE classic novel of the Battle of Gettysburg. It is quite simply unforgettable.