Historical Fiction · TenseFour days at Gettysburg, told through the commanders
The Killer Angels
The three days of Gettysburg, seen through the men who gave the orders
In June 1863 Robert E. Lee marches his Confederate army into Pennsylvania, hoping to draw the Union army into a battle that will end the war. The novel follows the commanders on both sides, including Lee, James Longstreet, John Buford and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, as they make the decisions that lead to the three-day Battle of Gettysburg.
More about this book
Who
Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and John Buford, with George Pickett and others appearing too.
World
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the area around it, from 29 June to 3 July 1863.
What makes it different
The story is told from the points of view of the commanders. It won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was adapted as the 1993 film Gettysburg, which uses much of its dialogue. It sits between Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure in chronological order.
Feel
Tense and focused. The pace follows the days of the battle.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Behind the book
Chamberlain's schoolboy speech, Man, the Killer Angel, was inspired by his father's remark about a line from Hamlet. The title of the novel comes from it.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- The Killer AngelsWikipedia