The Killer Angels

The Classic Novel of the Civil War

By: Michael Shaara

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

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

Great book!!

Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" won a Pulitzer and hit the top of the best-seller list, and it deserved both honors.

The Killer Angels tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg (a key turning point in the US Civil War) as a *story.* Not exactly history, since Shaara spent a lot of time with internal narration relating the characters' mindset and history and since he admits that he modernized some of the dialogue and omitted a few minor characters. Not exactly a novel, since the story is real, the people are real, and many of their actions, words and thoughts were recorded at the time.

Shaara's writing is excellent and the story is gripping. And, I think that to truly understand the United States of today, you need to start with understanding the US Civil War and how the two sides viewed that fight.

I have fewer superlatives for Hoye's narration. It's pretty good, but I think he over-emoted during some of the battle scenes. He also tried to distinguish the characters by regional accent (Lee with his Virginia drawl versus Chamberlain with his New England twang), and it semi-worked.

The print edition has drawings to show the orientation and position of the two armies which are, of course, missing from the audiobook version. I'm not sure how much of an issue that was, but there are some good maps on Wikipedia's Battle of Gettysburg page for reference.

Worthy of its Pulitzer and long overdue acclaim

What did you love best about The Killer Angels?

The personal nature of the story-telling, the author's ability to recount (accurately, I think) the impressions of key leaders on each side of the battle.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Spoiler alert: Lt Col Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine.

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

Stephen Hoye's voice characterizations were uniformly superb, whether Yankee, Virginian, or British.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I have recommended it, personally, to anyone who will listen to me. Reading this has enhanced my reading of The Education of Henry Adams and will inform my re-reading of Team of Rivals. In the same way that Melville is able to instill the reader with sympathy for the whale (and THE Whale), Shaara is able to instill sympathy for all the characters - making the battle, itself, therefore, the human tragedy that it was and to this day remains.

Any additional comments?

One of those books that you wish was a never-ending story.

Oh, crud, am I giving this five stars?

What did you like best about this story?

I don't like to give anything five stars but this was a darned good experience for me on many levels - the history, the entertainment, and the example of good writing - moving tales engaging characters on both sides, a well-architected story in which the characters remained amazingly distinct and clear, plus some great American English prose. Hearing the history presented this way brings it to life and makes these characters and events recognizable when I see them in other venues - much more than simply reading a dry paragraph in a textbook. An enjoyable, expanding, and worthwhile investment.

What does Stephen Hoye bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good voices that helped keep the large cast of characters clear in my head. Enough accent to provide color and atmosphere to the reading. Not overacted, which is appreciated, but enough.

Great Read Before Heading To Gettysburg

I read this book in preparation for a guided tour at the Gettysburg National Park and I have to say that it really enhanced my understanding of the tour and of what transpired there.

It's truly difficult for us today to imagine what life was like back then, and what war and hand-to-hand combat was like during the Civil War. The book did a very good job of giving us both a battlefield perspective, as well as the overall strategic perspective of why certain things happened that day and why others did not, and how it all came together to determine the outcome of the battle.

I didn't care much for the overly theatrical reading of the book (complete with different voices for the characters, with accents), but the content of the book remained untarnished by the reading, and I enjoyed it very much, especially when it was followed up by the tour at Gettysburg.

War is Hell on Earth

I don't think this is a book that one enjoys, but rather learns from. I study wars because I want to understand them. I can see that the Civil War had to happen when it did and all that, but the more I study war, the more I hate it, despise it and wish it did not exist. The biggest lesson learned from this book, which is written, btw, from the point of view of the South, is that whichever side you are on in a war, you generally believe you are in the right. Why would you risk the lives of so many people, not to mention your own, if you did not believe in why you were doing it? I understand that the men fighting for the South loved their leaders and their comrades in arms as much as those fighting for the North. They thought their cause was just. So did the North. It is a sticky situation. Gettysburg was a slaughter of many good and honest men on both sides. It breaks my heart to think of all the loss of good lives and the heartache it brought to so many families. I am grateful my sons did not have to go to war.

I did not care for the narrator, Stephen Hoye, at first, but after a couple of hours of listening, he grew on me, and I ended up enjoying his narration a lot. He just never quite got the southern accent down in my opinion.

Will always be my favorite book

I read this book every year and this is the first time hearing it as an audio book. Very well done performance on the various characters, including great accents.

WOW!!

Getting ready to head to Gettysburg for a weekend and my brother suggested I read this. I was very hesitant but finally gave in and boy was I glad!
The story, from the view of the various participants in the war, gave me a lot to think about and had me googling a lot of things.
Most of all the narrator - he was FANTASTIC! I admit, if I was "reading" this rather than listening to it I would probably have skipped a number of paragraphs and pages but the narrator was so good he kept me listening to every word.

Outstanding Book

As the second part of a trilogy, even though written years before the first and third books and by the father of the writer of the other two, it is a brilliant personalization of arguably the most important battle of the American Civil War! It is told as the events might have been experienced by some of the most important characters in the event! It is intensely enjoyable if tragic! I felt that I was experiencing the battle through the characters! I have already listened to it twice and will probably listen again! I read it and also the first and third books in the trilogy!

Fabulous!!!!!

One of the Great pieces of Literature! My 3rd time. There will be many more.

Living History

Loved it. Even if you already know the history, see what it was like to be there.