The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War (Civil War Trilogy) - Hardcover

Shaara, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345444124 ISBN 13: 9780345444127

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2001

Synopsis

After more than a quarter of a century and three million copies in print, Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War classic, The Killer Angels, remains as vivid and powerful as the day it was originally published. This handsome new hardcover edition introduces a whole new generation to Shaara’s masterpiece–and offers readers everywhere a literary keepsake for years to come.

July 1863. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is invading the North. General Robert E. Lee has made this daring and massive move with seventy thousand men in a determined effort to draw out the Union Army of the Potomac and mortally wound it. His right hand is General James Longstreet, a brooding man who is loyal to Lee but stubbornly argues against his plan. Opposing them is an unknown factor: General George Meade, who has taken command of the Army only two days before what will be perhaps the crucial battle of the Civil War.

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.

The Killer Angels is unique, sweeping, unforgettable–a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America’s destiny.

About this title

Review

This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara's account of the three most important days of the Civil War features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of volunteers held the Union's left flank on the second day of the battle. This unit's bravery at Little Round Top helped turned the tide of the war against the rebels. There are also plenty of maps, which convey a complete sense of what happened July 1-3, 1863. Reading about the past is rarely so much fun as on these pages.

From the Publisher

It's hard to limit myself when talking about this book because it is simply one of the best books I've ever read. But it wasn't until the second reading that I appreciated this. I read it in college, among the million other books an English major must read, and I liked it. Then, when we published Gods and Generals, I figured I'd read Killer Angels again, just to refresh my memory. And it was if I'd never read it before. Names and places that had simply been history before now took on new meaning and importance. It gave me a whole new understanding of the Civil War and the why's of it all. Killer Angels is simply a book that everyone should read.
Lisa Congelosi, Ballantine Sales Rep.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0345444124
• ISBN 13: 9780345444127
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368