Staff Pick: Gods and Generals

In his 1974 epic novel, The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara focused on the Battle of Gettysburg and the four men two Union, two Confederate who led their men in bloody battle. Twenty-two years later, Shaara's son follows the same four men, Lee, Jackson, Hancock, and Chamberlain, through the years leading up to that pivotal battle. Shaara captures Lee's and Hancock's disillusionment over their early careers, Lee's conflict in loyalties, 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. Considered together, the two novels by father and son present a powerful portrait of the generals who won and lost the Civil War.
Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews