Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels is a historical novel set during the Civil War, focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg. This decisive and historic battle has since determined the course of events in American history, leading to the eventual abolition of slavery and demise of the Confederacy. In fact, with its direct references to actual events and people, The Killer Angels blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction. The narrative is told from the perspectives of Generals Lee and Longstreet of the Confederate Army and Colonel Chamberlain of the Union Army. Without taking sides or offering any kind of moral or opinionated argument, Shaara simple shows what each side was considering, what their values were at the time, what was expected of them as leaders, and their political motives. Shifting back and forth permits a broad and balanced perspective that focuses on the types of decisions military leaders make, their reasoning and strategies, and their different leadership styles. Most readers will know the events in The Killer Angels, albeit the author has changed some details changed for effect. Nevertheless, the main trajectory of the war is true to fact, with the Union's skillful tactics outwitting the South and making for one of the most...

There are indeed times at which the South appeared poised to win the battle but they ultimately succumb, and this historic event is provided nuance and personal effect to a degree often absent in history textbooks.
Therefore, The Killer Angels deserves to be red alongside documentary evidence and historiographical data. It might not provide the means by which to account for facts and figures but it does capture the spirit and essence of the spirit under which each side fought.

One of the core strengths of The Killer Angels is that the novel places the reader in the battlefield with the military generals, so while there is no glossing over the grim details, Shaara wants to focus more on the strategies and overarching issues of military leadership rather than on the individual soldiers' perspectives fighting on the front lines. In this way, The Killer Angels is unique among war narratives. It is particularly unique in the way Shaara preserves the real names of his historical characters and yet changes the details of their life experiences.

Shaara was born in New Jersey, attended Rutgers, and taught creative writing at Florida State University ("Michael Shaara,"…