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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780345422477
ISBN number: 0345422473
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 512
Printing Date: April 29, 1998
Publishing house: Ballantine Books
Release Date: April 29, 1998
Sale Popularity Level: 19602
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The heartbreaking saga of the years preceding The Killer Angels
'SHAARA'S BEAUTIFULLY SENSITIVE NOVEL DELVES DEEPLY in the empathetic realm of psycho-history, where enemies do not exist--just mortal men forced to make crucial decisions and survive on the same battlefield. . . . [He] succeeds with his historical novel through fully realized characters who were forced to decide their loyalties amid the horrors of their dividing nation.'
--San Francisco Chronicle
Amazon.com Review:
In a prequel of sorts to his father Michael Shaara's 1974 epic novel The Killer Angels, Jeff Shaara explores the lives of Generals Lee, Hancock, Jackson and Chamberlain as the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg approaches. Shaara captures the disillusionment of both Lee and Hancock early in their careers, Lee's conflict with loyalty, Jackson's overwhelming Christian ethic and Chamberlain's total lack of experience, while illustrating how each compensated for shortcomings and failures when put to the test. The perspectives of the four men, particularly concerning the battles at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, make vivid the realities of war.
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Rated by buyers 
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In the Shaara family, the acorn did not fall far from the tree. "The Killer Angels" is one of the best books I have ever read. This one is almost its equal. By getting inside the heads of key officers--both Confederate and Union--"Gods and Generals" examines the war in general by focusing on the war in northern Virginia. It begins in 1858 when the specter of secession was heating up, and it follows the officer corps through the pains of secession and the very first half of the war. It ends as the troops leave the bloodbaths of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and head on to Gettysburg.
The views of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are enlightening. Lee of course is still considered one of the finest officers (and gentlemen) ever produced by West Point. He dedicated his life to the military at great personal cost. Then, at the end of his career, he had to choose between commanding the Union Army and fighting against his homeland (Virginia), or revoking his vows to the Union and joining "the glorious cause." He truly was a man of honor who was viewed as a god by his troops. Shaara examines Lee and his leadership qualities in detail.
Jackson was also a highly talented general who was revered by his men. Religious to a fault, he is shown to be a man haunted by many demons .....actually somewhat of a madman.
The Union side is shown primarily through the eyes and minds of Joshua Chamberlain and Winfield Scott Hancock. Chamberlain joins the army as a Lt. Colonel and advances to Colonel. Hancock begins the book as a Captain and advances to General. Both are talented and dedicated, but they and their troops are victimized by the Union's abysmal Commanding Generals--especially Burnside and Hooker. Chamberlain's decision process in leaving a promising professorship at Bowdoin College to join the army is a very enlightening section of the book. The horrible field decisions by Burnside and Hooker at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville are mind boggling and almost criminal.
Were it not for the incredible carnage which is described in considerable detail, one could say this is a beautiful book. It flows well, and the reader gets a real feel for the causes and the facts of the war including the mindsets of its leaders and the details of its battles. But the carnage was depressingly real (20,000+ deaths in each of the major battles, and many more savagely wounded) , and it had to be included. So instead of being beautiful, it is simply an excellent historical novel that is a fascinating and informative read. One of the best!!!!
Rated by buyers -
this book is awesome. non-stop carnage. the absolute worst thing that ever happened to America, 620,000 men died out of 13 million in the country at the time. senseless, pointless, merciless, and too many other -lesses to list here. author jeff shaara's father wrote the masterpiece "the killer angels". this book is almost as well written, with a lot more cheap thrills. the movie was so bad that i couldn't fall asleep and had to walk out during the intermission.
Rated by buyers 
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I must be one the few that did not read Killer Angels before reading Gods and Generals. So what I'm about to say has nothing to do with any comparison to a work by this author's father.
The Civil War should be a very rich backdrop for any historical fiction book. It has everything that an author would need to write a compelling novel. However, I must agree with the other criticisms of this work. Without knowing the names of the Generals, and there were what seemed like hundreds of them, there is no way to determine who is talking. I have never read a book where the characters were so intermixable. Not one character had any charisma or even a distinguishing trait. I couldn't tell Lee from Jackson or Jackson from Hancock. Not one of the starring Generals has any personality that manifests throughout the book. The tone was constant, droning without excitement. There was no interest to get back to the book in any hurry. I've read nonfiction with much more movement and pizzazz. This was downright disappointing. With all of the hype and potential, the author has failed to attract me to another of his works.
It might be that this is the author's very first book and maybe he didn't receive the better editors and such, but my recommendation is to skip this book and move on to something else.
Rated by buyers -
This is primarily the story of 4 generals of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, Winfield Scott Hancock and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Shaara closely follows the history of the Civil War, but from much research reading diaries and other documents he assumes the dialogue of the generals and other men and women and this part of his writing is fiction. He does a masterful job and you feel like the dialogue is what really took place. It is though he recorded the conversations. His accounts of the battles of Williamsburg, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville pick up the feeling of how it really was. You feel like you are there.
Rated by buyers -
Let's face it, "The Killer Angels" was a great book and you'd have to be crazy to try and follow an act like that. I would like to thank Jeff Shaara for trying to follow his father's book. "Gods and Generals" is worthy of being a prequal to "The Killer Angels." Jeff has the same style as his father and if you loved the feeling you got when reading Mike's book, then you need to buy this book. This book primarily follows Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Winfeild Scott Hancock, and Joshua Chamberlain. "Gods and Generals" begins in 1858 when war is looming and the four above mentioned must make sacrifices that bring them to the armies. You get the feeling that you're a participant in the Peninsula Campaign, Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and the march leading up to Gettysburg. You feel the frustration at failed oppurtunities, the difficult decisions they're forced to make, and the courage that you find in the midst of battle. To sum it up, if you were a fan of "The Killer Angels", then you need to buy this book.
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