
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
The Killer Angels is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Shaara that tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The novel follows the stories of the commanders of both the Union and Confederate armies, as well as the soldiers who fought in the battle. It is told from the perspectives of both sides, and the characters are based on real people. The novel focuses on the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and the aftermath. It also explores the motivations of the men who fought and the moral implications of the war. The novel is considered a classic of Civil War literature and has been adapted into a movie, Gettysburg.
By Michael Shaara · First published 1974 · Genre: Historical Fiction, War Fiction, Literary Fiction · 27 chapters · 110,932 words
First lines
He rode into the dark of the woods and dismounted.
He crawled upward on his belly over cool rocks out into the sunlight, and suddenly he was in the open and he could see for miles, and there was the whole vast army below him, filling the valley like a smoking river. It came out of a blue rainstorm in the east and overflowed the narrow valley road, coiling along a stream, narrowing and choking a white bridge, fading out into the yellowish dust of June but still visible on the farther road beyond the blue hills, spiked with flags and guidons like a great chopped bristly snake, the snake ending headless in a blue wall of summer rain.
What this Textopian page supports
The Killer Angels is listed on Textopian as a novel by Michael Shaara, dated 1974 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Michael Shaara
- Date: 1974 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, War Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adventure Fiction
- Length: 110,932 words
- Structure: 27 chapters, 4,732 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Killer Angels?
- How does this novel by Michael Shaara fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
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Similar titles
Genres
- Historical Fiction — The Killer Angels is a historical novel that follows the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. It is based on real events and characters, and is written in a style that is both historically accurate and engaging.
- War Fiction — The Killer Angels is a novel about war, focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg and the events leading up to it. It is a story of courage, sacrifice, and the horrors of war.
- Literary Fiction — The Killer Angels is a literary novel that is written in a style that is both engaging and historically accurate. It is a story of courage, sacrifice, and the horrors of war, and is considered to be one of the best novels about the American Civil War.
- Adventure Fiction — The Killer Angels is an adventure novel that follows the Battle of Gettysburg and the events leading up to it. It is a story of courage, sacrifice, and the horrors of war, and is filled with thrilling action sequences.
Tags
American Civil War · Battle of Gettysburg · Historical Novel · Military Strategy · War · armistead · army · black · buford · chamberlain · colonel · coming
Contents
More by Michael Shaara