The Killer Angels: A Novel - Softcover

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.

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.