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The Killer Angels, published in 1987, is a beautifully written, historical fiction novel of the three days of Gettysburg, four days if you count the minor skirmish the day after, which happened to be July 4th, during the Civil War. The book itself was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Best Fiction, and I believe that it fully deserved such an award. The Four Days of Gettysburg were among the bloodiest days of the Civil War, and Michael Shaara recreated such an emotional and important time with more humanity and feeling than a textbook could ever muster.
The book is written in a 3rd person omniscient manner: it assumes the viewpoints of some key figures from Gettysburg -- General Robert E. Lee, General James Longstreet, George Pickett, Richard Ewell, Lewis Armistead, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and many more are among those picked for their unique stance and view on their role during the Battle of Gettysburg. What impresses me is that Shaara manages to humanize them, and capitalize on the actual person rather than what they did -- throughout the book, for example, General Lee's days are marked, as he feels his body slowly weaken. Longstreet is constantly seeing the mental visage of his predecessor, the famous "Stonewall" Jackson. In full, this book fleshes out the individuality of the men, how each had his future and his past.
Brief Intro: A spy for the Confederacy marks out the Union position, which is frighteningly close, which leads General Lee to move and cut off the Union from Washington. A separate Union force moves into Gettysburg, and the two armies meet and ready themselves for the next four days, perhaps the hardest days they've ever seen, or perhaps their last days.
This book is undeniably unforgettable, with a page-turning urge with every word. I rate this, easily, a 10 out of 10.
The book is written in a 3rd person omniscient manner: it assumes the viewpoints of some key figures from Gettysburg -- General Robert E. Lee, General James Longstreet, George Pickett, Richard Ewell, Lewis Armistead, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and many more are among those picked for their unique stance and view on their role during the Battle of Gettysburg. What impresses me is that Shaara manages to humanize them, and capitalize on the actual person rather than what they did -- throughout the book, for example, General Lee's days are marked, as he feels his body slowly weaken. Longstreet is constantly seeing the mental visage of his predecessor, the famous "Stonewall" Jackson. In full, this book fleshes out the individuality of the men, how each had his future and his past.
Brief Intro: A spy for the Confederacy marks out the Union position, which is frighteningly close, which leads General Lee to move and cut off the Union from Washington. A separate Union force moves into Gettysburg, and the two armies meet and ready themselves for the next four days, perhaps the hardest days they've ever seen, or perhaps their last days.
This book is undeniably unforgettable, with a page-turning urge with every word. I rate this, easily, a 10 out of 10.
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