The New York Times bestselling prequel to the Pulitzer Prize–winning classic The Killer Angels In this brilliantly written epic novel, Jeff Shaara traces the lives, passions, and careers of the great military leaders from the first gathering clouds of the Civil War. Here is Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, a hopelessly by-the-book military instructor and devout Christian who becomes the greatest … Christian who becomes the greatest commander of the Civil War; Winfield Scott Hancock, a captain of quartermasters who quickly establishes himself as one of the finest leaders of the Union army; Joshua Chamberlain, who gives up his promising academic career and goes on to become one of the most heroic soldiers in American history; and Robert E. Lee, never believing until too late that a civil war would ever truly come to pass. Profound in its insights into the minds and hearts of those who fought in the war, Gods and Generals creates a vivid portrait of the soldiers, the battlefields, and the tumultuous times that forever shaped the nation.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Jeff Shaara’s Blaze of Glory.
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One of my favorite books. Reading this made me want to write historical fiction myself. Brings our history alive and is a great gift for young people to spark their love of American history. Highly recommended!
Excellent, well written book. The author tells the story of pre-civil war up to Gettysburg, the battle that changed the course of the war. I suggest you read this book first and then immediately read the authors father’s book, Killer Angels, that takes up where Gods and Generals stops. Both are excellent books!
These are the types of books that …
Jeff Shaara’s technique is to combine historical records with imaginative but plausible interactions between famous military and political figures. He is a master of historical fiction, providing information along with engrossing entertainment. In “Gods & Generals” he presents character studies of several military giants of the Civil War. The …
A great introduction to some of the great captains of the American Civil War. Should be required reading in high school.
If you like books about the Civil War, this is worth the time to read.
I read this book years ago and I have found that at the time I read it, it was good and still is a book. The author takes you through the events leading up to the beginnings of the war and also some of the Generals who would fight in the war. Who they were, most knew one another for they had either gone to school together at West Point or they …
Excellent historical fiction!
Fantastic
Factual, accurate, maintains a great flow.
Interesting and a great follow up (as I read Killer Angels first).
Having enjoyed Killer Angels, I thought I’d read what was billed as a “pre-quel”, though written by a different Shaara. It provided a close-up perspective on the individuals you’ve always heard of, but probably don’t know much about — Robert E Lee, Hancock, Stonewall Jackson etc. I thought it was a fun read, though the carnage and stupidity of …
Great book in the tradition of Angels of Death.
Very interesting but not up to the same level as the Killer Angels. I feel like it could have been trimmed down in some areas.
Take history from being boring to interesting. The character are no longer names on a page but become human with human talents, flaws and beliefs. It becomes easier to understand why things happened. But best of all, it is done in a fashion that will keep you throughly entertained. And, as a special bonus, it may ignite a deep interest in this …
Wonderful. Very well researched. Well written, very informative, lots of not readily available facts.
Sharrah’s novelizations of history are always a pleasure to read. Not just a ‘historical novel’, but as close to history as possible with the undocumented gaps filled in imaginatively and respectfully.
Amazing story of the battles leading up to Gettysburg during the Civil War! Definitely recommend this for anyone who loves history/war/people.
Although historical, it is still fiction as through his research, Shaara gives us a glimpse into the minds of four major Civil War characters. This adds an additional dimension to the historical narrative; one that I love.
I give few books 5 stars only if they keep me engaged to the point I can’t put them down. Jeff Sharra does this in spades. He takes a few major battles, characters,places and digs into them with a great descriptive and intense emotional story development. Of all the many dry and chronological histories of the Civil War, this one stands out as the …
Shaara brings to life the dilemma of the junior officers during the Civil War, who bore the brunt of failed decisions.