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topdragon 's review for:
The Last Full Measure
by Jeff Shaara
Picking up shortly after the events of Gettysburg depicted in [b:The Killer Angels|682804|The Killer Angels|Michael Shaara|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355371689s/682804.jpg|1044737], this novel takes us all the way through the rest of the Civil War, concentrating mostly on the battles in the East, the grand struggle between the newly promoted and positioned US Grant and the steady Robert E. Lee. Indeed, most of the book alters perspectives between the two leaders as well as presenting the viewpoint of Joshua Chamberlain, unlikely hero of Gettysburg and a man who had a Forest Gump-like ability to be in the right place at the right time, culminating in his being the man to whom the South first attempts to surrender at Appomattox at the end of the war.
There is an awful lot of history to cover here and even though this book weighs in at over 600 pages, the author had to choose his scenes carefully to be able to present the larger story. For example, we spend a lot of time in the Battle of the Wilderness because it is relevant to the three main characters, Grant, Lee, and Chamberlain. But we only hear about Sherman and his march across Georgia as well as important battles such as at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Similarly, we don’t see much at all on the political scene; Lincoln makes a few appearances but only when riding out to meet Grant in the field. Jefferson Davis is only on stage one time. No, this book strives to bring us into the action, and show us the brutality of the battles, the hopes and frustrations of the men. Parts of it were very difficult to work through, particularly those from the South’s perspective in the final third of the book when the outcome of the war becomes all but inevitable and the armies are in desperate straits. At times I felt as drug through the mud, worn out and starving as the soldiers did. We do get a lot of personal musings on the nature of man and war from all three main POV figures and while insightful, I felt the story dragged a little too much in some areas and it is for this reason that I took off one star on my rating. But the final scenes of the surrender between Lee and Grant were so well done that I was on the edge of my seat, despite knowing the outcome. I also enjoyed gaining some insight on several of the lesser known historical leaders on the battlefield and just what a huge impact the sudden loss of one man could be.
This is the concluding volume in an unusually developed Civil War trilogy. The middle book, [b:The Killer Angels|682804|The Killer Angels|Michael Shaara|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355371689s/682804.jpg|1044737], by [a:Michael Shaara|16892|Michael Shaara|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], was the first book written, won the Pulitzer Prize and is generally regarded as among the finest novels on any aspect of the Civil War ever written. After Michael’s death, his son, [a:Jeff Shaara|14655|Jeff Shaara|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1277931532p2/14655.jpg] picked up the mantle and wrote the prequel, [b:Gods and Generals|29925|Gods and Generals|Jeff Shaara|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330062676s/29925.jpg|30342], as well as this sequel, forming a complete trilogy. Many readers can’t seem to get past the fact that although they are father and son, Jeff and Michael are two different authors. Many say that Jeff doesn’t fill his father’s shoes and some seem to go so far as to say “how dare he try to capitalize on his father’s accomplishments!” Well, to each his own I suppose. I will say that 'The Killer Angels' was a great read but I believe that Jeff also writes a damn fine war novel and has gone on to a great career as an historical fiction author. I’ve read most of his books and am never disappointed.
As an armchair historian and one who is especially interested in the Civil War, I highly recommend all three books in this trilogy, no matter the author.
There is an awful lot of history to cover here and even though this book weighs in at over 600 pages, the author had to choose his scenes carefully to be able to present the larger story. For example, we spend a lot of time in the Battle of the Wilderness because it is relevant to the three main characters, Grant, Lee, and Chamberlain. But we only hear about Sherman and his march across Georgia as well as important battles such as at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Similarly, we don’t see much at all on the political scene; Lincoln makes a few appearances but only when riding out to meet Grant in the field. Jefferson Davis is only on stage one time. No, this book strives to bring us into the action, and show us the brutality of the battles, the hopes and frustrations of the men. Parts of it were very difficult to work through, particularly those from the South’s perspective in the final third of the book when the outcome of the war becomes all but inevitable and the armies are in desperate straits. At times I felt as drug through the mud, worn out and starving as the soldiers did. We do get a lot of personal musings on the nature of man and war from all three main POV figures and while insightful, I felt the story dragged a little too much in some areas and it is for this reason that I took off one star on my rating. But the final scenes of the surrender between Lee and Grant were so well done that I was on the edge of my seat, despite knowing the outcome. I also enjoyed gaining some insight on several of the lesser known historical leaders on the battlefield and just what a huge impact the sudden loss of one man could be.
This is the concluding volume in an unusually developed Civil War trilogy. The middle book, [b:The Killer Angels|682804|The Killer Angels|Michael Shaara|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355371689s/682804.jpg|1044737], by [a:Michael Shaara|16892|Michael Shaara|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], was the first book written, won the Pulitzer Prize and is generally regarded as among the finest novels on any aspect of the Civil War ever written. After Michael’s death, his son, [a:Jeff Shaara|14655|Jeff Shaara|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1277931532p2/14655.jpg] picked up the mantle and wrote the prequel, [b:Gods and Generals|29925|Gods and Generals|Jeff Shaara|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330062676s/29925.jpg|30342], as well as this sequel, forming a complete trilogy. Many readers can’t seem to get past the fact that although they are father and son, Jeff and Michael are two different authors. Many say that Jeff doesn’t fill his father’s shoes and some seem to go so far as to say “how dare he try to capitalize on his father’s accomplishments!” Well, to each his own I suppose. I will say that 'The Killer Angels' was a great read but I believe that Jeff also writes a damn fine war novel and has gone on to a great career as an historical fiction author. I’ve read most of his books and am never disappointed.
As an armchair historian and one who is especially interested in the Civil War, I highly recommend all three books in this trilogy, no matter the author.