The Killer Angels

The Classic Novel of the Civil War

By: Michael Shaara

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • After more than a quarter of a century and three million copies in print, Michael Shaara’s Civil War classic, The Killer Angels, remains as vivid and powerful as the day it was originally published.

July 1863. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is invading the North. General Robert E. Lee has made this daring and massive move with seventy thousand men in a determined effort to draw out the Union Army of the Potomac and mortally wound it. His right hand is General James Longstreet, a brooding man who is loyal to Lee but stubbornly argues against his plan. Opposing them is an unknown factor: General George Meade, who has taken command of the Army only two days before what will be perhaps the crucial battle of the Civil War.

In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fight for two conflicting dreams. One dreams of freedom, the other of a way of life. More than rifles and bullets are carried into battle. The soldiers carry memories. Promises. Love. And more than men fall on those Pennsylvania fields. Bright futures, untested innocence, and pristine beauty are also the casualties of war.

The Killer Angels is unique, sweeping, unforgettable–a dramatic re-creation of the battleground for America’s destiny.

©1974 Michael Shaara, copyright renewed 2002 Jeffrey M. Shaara & Lila E. Shaara (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Pulitzer Prize winner, Fiction 1975

“My favorite historical novel . . . A superb re-creation of the Battle of Gettysburg, but its real importance is its insight into what the war was about, and what it meant.”—James M. McPherson

“Remarkable . . . A book that changed my life . . . I had never visited Gettysburg, knew almost nothing about that battle before I read the book, but here it all came alive.”—Ken Burns, filmmaker

“Shaara carries [the reader] swiftly and dramatically to a climax as exciting as if it were being heard for the first time.”—The Seattle Times

spellbinding, wished it never ended

Would you consider the audio edition of The Killer Angels to be better than the print version?

there is something so much better when a book is read to you. I have a tendency to skim, but narration, especilaly good narration, draws you in and keeps you in to the very end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Killer Angels?

i sobbed for the last ten minutes, just unbelieveable. truly moving experience.

Which scene was your favorite?

The end of the battle of Day One, when the Union soldiers drove downhill with just bayonets is something I will never forget, I need to go to Gettysburg just to see where it happened, to see the scale of the battlefield.

If you could rename The Killer Angels, what would you call it?

on the ground at gettysburg...

Any additional comments?

Dont miss this one!

Worth it

Didn't like the performance. He had an irritating cadence. Love the story. One of the best historically accurate novels ever written.

A book ahead of its time, but fully comfortable in ours

This book was written in a voice that fully embraces the genre of historical fiction at a time (mid 70s) that was against such storytelling. Shara was obviously a gifted storyteller and it was my privilege to live through this masterful reselling of this timeless, a tragic piece of American history.

Listened twice!

I have listened to many books written on the Civil War, this is truly my favorite! Though fiction, it reads the human spirit of conflict like a diary. Would give it more stars if I could!

Evan's review

Great historical novel with true fact. The puts the listener at Gettysburg with the character and their interactions.

Wonderful History

What did you love best about The Killer Angels?

I really appreciated how the author filled in the gaps in dialog and story. I felt right and presented the narrative from a neither Southern or Northern Point of view, but rather a human one. In the end you coming out of the book feeling the weight of human drama.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Killer Angels?

The whole book was very well done, but I am always taken in by a good introduction. This one was especially colorful to me as you begin to picture for yourself the scenery and the charterers.

Which character – as performed by Stephen Hoye – was your favorite?

They are all very well done. I have no idea how a narrator can keep consistency with so many varied charaters

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It was all very well done, but as in the movie version the gallant charge by union forces from Maine is very moving.

Excellent book

This is a marvelous book that brings to life this momentous and tragic event in our nation's history. Anyone who has visited that battlefield will benefit from reading this book, and anyone reading it who has not been to see that hallowed ground will want to go there. The book gives fascinating insights into the lives and views of the key historic figures involved, and the short summary at the end of what happened to those people after the battle was of great interest to me.

Classic, good read

This book brings to life the players of the battle of Gettysburg. It makes them more than just tactics and old photos. Overall, I feel it tells the story of the battle well, with some of the characters benefiting from the author knowledge of the outcome. Other than a slight lost cause undertone, one passage suggest that the war had nothing at all to do with slavery, the book seems to capture the thoughts of the leaders who fought the largest battle in North America.

Marvelous narrator

I'm facinated by the Civil War. This is a story about the men leading the battles at Gettysburg. I loved every minute. This story is narrated by one of the very best narrators I've every heard. I will seek other books he performs.

Truly a good book, painful

This was one of those books that I couldn't put down. I found I got attached to many of the people in the book. A side of Robert E Lee I never new.