GODS AND GENERALS

The son of the late Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Shaara, Jeff Shaara, finishes his father's vision, begun in the fictionalized account of the Battle of Gettysburg, THE KILLER ANGELS. Chronologically, GODS AND GENERALS takes us from before the Civil War to the invasion of the North after the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. The characters many listeners have grown to revere are introduced here: James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and Winfield S. Hancock, among others. New to this cast and appearing only in this work is Confederate icon "Stonewall" Jackson, who was mortally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville. Like his father, Shaara ably conveys the thoughts of each person as he is faced with a particular situation. Estell adds to his well-deserved reputation in this recording. He does not attempt to give each of the many characters a distinct voice. A slight shift in tone, a change of inflection, or shift in pace is all he needs to express the thoughts or mood of a character. Narrative portions are read as adroitly. M.T.F. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]