[.ca] Shaara 3 copy Box set (ISBN 0345433726)

From Amazon.com:
Author Jeff M. Shaara rounds out the Civil War Trilogy started by his late father Michael Shaara, whose book The Killer Angels described the Battle of Gettysburg. While Gods and Generals covered action prior to Gettysburg, The Last Full Measure picks up with Confederate General Robert E. Lee's retreat from Pennsylvania and continues through the end of the war. The younger Shaara focuses on the characters of Lee and Union commander Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, both of whom play prominent roles in the earlier books. He also introduces a new one: Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general who would finally defeat the South--something no soldier before him could manage. The Last Full Measure is often exciting and poignant, and fans of The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals won't be disappointed. A nicely boxed edition of this classic historical fiction. --John Miller

Amazing and Thrilling Story:
Since I took a trip to Gettysburg, PA, when I was 12, I've always been quite interested in the Civil War. I saw the movie Gettysburg, and read miscellaneous articles and such online about the war. Last year I invested in Gods and Generals and The Killer Angels, both of which were phenomenol. I enjoyed Jeff Shaara's depiction of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, especially how he was as a husband, a father, a soldier, and a man. J. Shaara did a wonderful job of showing the order of events that led up to the war, including Robert E. Lee turning down command of the United States Army. "The Killer Angels" was absolutley amazing, with a slighly different style of writing than Jeff Shaara. I loved Michael Shaara's depiction of James Longstreet and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. There was never a dull moment in this novel, and it should be tought in every United States History course in the country. Shaara brings you to a swift conclusion, leaving you breathless. The sequence of events including the Battle of Little Round Top and Chamberlain's 20 Maine Regt. was fantastic, and very addicting to read. Also, Shaara's story of Pickett's Charge was very thrilling, especially his depiction of Lewis Armistead and his relationship to Winfield S. Hancock. "The Last Full Measure" was also very entertaining, with some very harsh chapters. The story of Cold Harbor and the tunnel was very chilling, and Lee's surrender is quite sad, but Chamberlain's ordering his men to salute their countrymen was quite good. Overall, I recommend this trilogy to every person who is interested in learning about the Civil War, especially the Southern Cause, and about the men that led the armies.

Truly genius works!:
I had never been much of a civil war buff until after I saw the film Gettysburg. The movie was so good that I ran out and bought the entire trilogy. I must say the the father and son duo have a gift for prose rivaled by few. The most intriguing aspect about these novels is not only are they a great story but that they are inhabited with factual characters and events. They do not read like history books rather more like a fictional novel and they are so well done you can almost believe that this is the exact way everything transpired. What ulimately gets me about these books is not the great storytelling but at the characters the Shaara's develop. The battle descriptions and plotline is adequately described but the interactions and conversations held between the main characters is amazing. Plus the Shaara's obviously studied hard and every character is based upon a historical figure. Even down to some privates. This is a unique trilogy in that it began with the middle book (The Killer Angels) written by Michael. After his death and the development of the film Gettysburgh, Jeff took over and wrote the first and last novels. Jeff not only captures his fathers writing style and character development but he also furthers it. The original novel by Michael was rather short yet still compelling. Jeff's prequel and finale are much more in depth, longer, and full of more detail. At times Jeff struggles a tad to keep some emotions in line with his fathers work and while these are not bad they tend to appear out of place in his own books. Jeff's battle descriptions are also much more in depth than his fathers. One finaly aspect that may hinder your enjoyment of Killer Angels is that the movie was pretty much taken from the book verbatim. Therefore there aren't many scenes in the novel that never made it to the big screen. This may be a let down if you are looking for more out of the novel but it still is a great read. If you are into the civil war or just like to read great novels these are a must read.

The Power of these books, are unmatched.:
This are all great books. The movie "Gettysburg" inspired me to read "The Killer Angels." I was never one who liked to read much. I read when I had to, but I never read for pleasure. However, I could not put these books done. They sucked me right back into the 1860's. I felt I was there with "Stonewall" Jackson visiting his mothers grave, I felt that I helped Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain defend Little Round Top at Gettysburg. These are great books. They can take a person like myself who does not read much, and makes you not want to stop reading. These were the first books, that I actually finished. Alot of times, I started books, but I never finished them. I had to finish these books, because they were so great. These books will be part of my book collection forever.

The Human And Sentimental Aspects of Civil War:
The Civil war was not one of the historical events that I have vast knowledge of. I was inspired to purchase this trilogy after captivated by the movies "Gettysburg" and "Gods And Generals". While it may be unfair to compare the books with the movies, I do find all the characters and events concerned more alive and intresting in the pages of this trilogy. Even though the trilogy has been categorized as fiction, the line between facts and fictions becomes blurred not far into the reading. Perhaps it does not take much effort for a Civil war buff to spot the two, it really does not matter much. After all, these books may never be used in a history class. The heart of the matter in these pages is the human and sentimental aspects of a war that shaped a great nation. It is the frustrations, struggles, and personal decisions of Robert Lee, Winfield Scott Hancock, and many others that give life to this trilogy. In comparison, their involvement in the war itself seems almost just a mere call of duty, dealing with methodical affairs of planning military strategies. The continuity of the trilogy would have been perfect had there not been a slight difference in the writing styles (The Killer Angel was authored by Mr. Jefferey Shaara's father, Michael Shaara). Still, both authors deserve all the credits as the job was well done. In the media coverages nowadays that rarely show the emotional vulnerability of our soldiers in wars, this trilogy prompts me, one of the many fortunate ones that have the luxury not to constantly worry about survival, to imagine what goes on beyond the diligence and precision these men armor themselves with.

Civil War Trilogy:
I read all three books and I thought they were amazing. I learned more about the Civil War through these books than through any history class I have ever taken. You will actully feel you know these characters and when one dies you will feel the pain. My favorite character was Joshua Lawernce Chamberlin. You follow him from when he volunteers for the army until the end of the war. You will also follow Lee, Longstreet, and Jackson for the Confederates. You follow Buford, Hancock, Grant, and of course Chamberlin for the Union.It is a story or normal men caught up in amazing times. It is an epic journey through America's darkest period when friends fought friends, when brothers fought brothers, and when Americans fought Americans.