David L. Robbins and George Guidall - War of the Rats: A Novel

Pros: The story. Made me do extra research on my own after I finished reading it.
Cons: Some facts are disputed by historians.

Stalingrad, 1942. The bloodiest and the most destructive battle in history. The final toll on both armies was an estimated 1,109,000 deaths. Just one of many tragedies in a war in which the Soviet Union lost over 20 million people—more than 10 dead...

Pros: Realistic battle scenes and good characterizations
Cons: None really

War of the Rats is a great read. Basically that's all that needs to be said, but I guess I better justify that somewhat. The "novel" by David L. Robbins is based on a true story of a duel between two master snipers, one Russian and one German.
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Pros: makes you really glad that you weren't there
Cons: lots of little technical and historical errors

Set during the Battle of Stalingrad, War of the Rats is based on the real-life sniper duel and battle of wits between Vasily Zaitsev, a sergeant from Siberia who started an impromptu school for snipers during the battle and Heinz Thorvald, a German...

Pros: Excellent story about the Battle of Stalingrad
Cons: German sniper's character was a little overdone

This World War II historical thriller tells the (mostly true) cat-and-mouse story of 2 snipers -- one German, one Russian -- hunting each other against the backdrop of Stalingrad. During the German siege of the city, the Russian, Zaitsev, becomes a...

Pros: Absorbing characters
Cons: none

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD:

This book is a great representation of war and what it does to the people involved. On the surface, it's a book about a top German sniper vs. a top Russian sniper during WWII in Stalingrad. At its heart, it is about...

Pros: Good story. Interesting view of the battle for Stalingrad.
Cons: Inaccuracies.

This is an interesting view of the battle for Stalingrad. The city is described in amazing detail that gives the real impression of being on the front lines. Character development was excellent, making the main characters come alive as few authors seem...