Michael Shaara - The Killer Angels: a novel of the civil war

Pros: Real page turner you'll enjoy even if you know nothing else about the Civil War
Cons: None

We've been a little Civil War crazy around here lately. Pookster was reading a 1000 page tome called Battle Cry For Glory, while I fought through The Killer Angels. Plus we rented the entire Ken Burns Civil War miniseries-docu-letter-reading thing,...

Pros: Shaara's keen attention to detail, the personal thoughts of various soldiers
Cons: none that I could perceive

All I wanted to do was find a good book to read. Instead,
I found a supreme masterpiece about how war can be so unkind to those who dared to experience it.

A few years ago, I was looking through my local Blockbuster for something I...

Pros: Brilliant historical fiction; details about major events and characters in a new way
Cons: May not be historically accurate or fair...don't let that stand in your way.

Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels is a riveting piece of historical fiction, detailing the days prior to the Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle itself. Going into the minds of these historical characters, creating internal and external...

Pros: excellent historical novel
Cons: lengthy at times

I am an avid history fan. I love to learn about American History in particular. The civil war was a violent and bloody part of our country’s history. In class, we started to study the Civil War. Our professor, as an early Christmas gift, assigned us...

Pros: Moves smoothly, good balance of strategic war facts and character development.
Cons: The book ends too soon, you expect there to be more after it's over.

This book was suggested to me by an employee of Blockbuster, which may very well be the only time that they've gotten something right (strange it would be a book and not a movie, isn't it?). I had seen the movie version (Gettysburg) long before I...

Pros: true story, well written and reasearched
Cons: none

I have to say that this has to be on of the best books ever written.
It is about the Battle at Gettysburg.

It tells you about all the battles of this 4 day run in this Pennsylvania town. It covers both the North and South, both sides,...

Pros: Breathes life into the Battle of Gettysburg like no other book!
Cons: Possibly mis-leading and seems to overlook Sickles folly

Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, is one of the most thorough and well-written works of historical fiction ever published. It is a well-crafted novel, drawing from the written accounts, diaries and letters of the soldiers and civilians who were present...

Pros: Character development
Cons: Not a Full Account or totally accurate

I am a history buff with a special interest in the American Civil War. I actually saw the movie Gettysburg before I read this, but I still love both the book and movie. From that moment on, Chamberlain became my hero for his courage in the battles. Until...

Pros: Easy to read, detailed, but not wordy. Lots of action
Cons: slow beginning...get through the first chapter and you are good to go!

Michael Shaara's THE KILLER ANGELS is one of the finest pieces of historic fiction I have ever read. The book is narrated by living the battle through the minds of the Union and Confederate generals. Each of the three days, from the battle on Cemetary...

Pros: Excellent character development and insights, Historically accurate.
Cons: None!

The Killer Angels is an excellent work of historical fiction! Absolutely the BEST historical novel on the Civil War I have ever read. This book should be required reading in America's high schools, no question.

Shaara's characters have been...

Pros: realistic, view of Civil War battle
Cons: none

Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the Battle of Gettysburg makes any avid civilwar junky cringle with enthusiasm. I read the book my freshman year at college and immediately fell in love with it. Shaara brings you a realistic...

Pros: Excellent characters, historically accurate.
Cons: We all know the ending.

The ability to articulately define characters and develop a human dimension to historical icons is demonstrated with great agility by Shaara in this classic tale based around the Battle of Gettysburg. I have read this book half a dozen times and each...

Pros: A great re-creation of an important battle in American history, The story comes alive, Easy to read and understand
Cons: None

Michael Shaara's account of the four days surrounding the Battle of Gettysburg is amazing. He makes the battle and the people come alive. He vividly describes the feeling, the sensations, and the emotions of such a great battle in American History....

Pros: A wonderful rendition of what the Civil War FELT like.
Cons: I didn't want to put it down! I didn't want it to end!

This is my favorite book of all time. The movie 'Gettysburg' was based on this book. It tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg in an interesting way. It truly illustrates the Civil War as a "gentleman's war".

This book is...

Pros: Easy to read and understand
Cons: Ended too soon - I want more!

I love to read about the Civil War, especially when it deals with people more than battles. I always thought the battle scenes were boring. Until now. This book has great characterization, yes, but the description of Gettysburg was awesome! The book...

Pros: Great Maps and great characters
Cons: I can't think of any.

Michael Shaara's book about the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War is the most detailed book about war that I have ever read. Im not alone in my opinion, General Norman Shwarzkopf said that it was the best book about war that he has ever read....

Pros: captivating
Cons: none

THis is my all time favorite book. I read it only after I had seen the movie Gettysburg. This book did so much for the reputation of the forgotten civil war general James Longstreet. It was the first time that a positive account was written about him and...

Pros: Excellent Portrayal of "brother against brother" conflict
Cons: Took a long time to read

I've read all three books in this series. Killer Angels was written by Michael Shaara and his son Jeff wrote the other two books in the series - "Gods and Generals" and "The Last Full Measure".

I found the two books...

Pros: Lifelike and accurate
Cons: None

This book is incredible. I am a fan of the Civil War mostly as a result of reading this book. What a great account of the war that tore the nation apart.
This book is more than a statement of what happened during the battle of Gettysburg....

Pros: The book is just like it is in the history book
Cons: There are some personalities that some individuals will not be able to identify

The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. The real battle takes place not between two opposing armies, but inside of the men that fought in it. This is an outstanding book for the Civil war enthusiast as well as the...

Pros: A great book. It seems so real.
Cons: I hated the ending. I feel that their should have been more.

I had to read this book for a class at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. At first, I couldn't get into the plot, but as I read on...I couldn't put it down.

This book is phenomenal. The Killer Angels is written in the characters...

Pros: Very interesting through character portrayal
Cons: none

Let me start off by saying I love the American Civil war. Even though I've never been to any of the battle sites, I read, watch movies and documentaries and do everything I can to obtain more knowledge. The fact that there were no video cameras in the...

Pros: Detailed Description on the Civil War given from every view.
Cons: None

The Killer Angels was a very good book and a very important book in understanding the civil war. Even though the book is based on diaries of Confederate and Union Generals, it touches base with my favorite man, Colonel Chamberlain. He seems to find...

Pros: Very Readable, Great Plot, Impossible to put down
Cons: May be hard to understand for non-Civil war buffs

The Killer Angels is one of the best books I have ever read. I love how it gives detailed discriptions of Lee, Longstreet, Chamberlian, etc. It gives great third-person accounts of before the battle and during the battle. It is action-packed segments...

Pros: Great plot, developed characters, historically accurate
Cons: None found.

This book is an interesting tale of the battle of Gettysburg. It is told through the eyes of the generals and commanders on the battle field. The book is absolutely a must read for anyone who enjoys reading about wars, and more specifically the civil war. The novel starts one day before the battle of Gettysburg and continues all the way to the day after. It gives a look at what the battle was like on both the Confederate's side and the Union side. It portrays the views of each of the commanders, and even includes accurate names of soldiers. I had to read this for summer reading for school and it turned out to be one of the best books I have read all summer.