Well presented History
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I first encountered Jeff Shaara with his prequel to his father's novel, The Killer Angels. Gods and Generals was excellent and in many ways Mr Shaara repeats the format and approach of that novel, in The Rising Tide. This time his theatre of conflict is North Africa in 1943. The story initially follows Rommel and Monty as they fight east and then west across the North African desert. Later the book engages with the Americans, led by Eisenhower. The book is fictionalisation and Shaara draws upon records and diaries to build a more intimate picture of the main characters, and a few minor ones, to tell the toils and terrors of the campaign. I thoroughly enjoyed the insights into the motivations of these men, which Shaara provides. I found the view to be well balanced, not favouring any particular viewpoint excessively. I think if you have enjoyed Jeff Shaara's other works then you will enjoy this. If you haven't I wouldn't dissuade you from this, but I would say try Gods and Generals first.
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Read how the Americans won World War II!
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This is a solid fictional account of the Allies efforts in North Africa, before moving to Sicily. I enjoy the format of the book, but the style is a little dry at times, and heavily biased in favour of the Americans. I was bored of reading about how great America was by the end, and had heard often enough of how the British army slowed them down. You'd never know the Russians were even in the war, but then again that is not the point of this book. At the time of reading I have little knowledge of the historical aspects of the war in North Africa, so I can't vouch for it's authenticity, but the book is definitely a decent read. I am not sure yet if I will read the other two books in this planned trilogy.
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