A modern master of the historical novel, Jeff Shaara has painted brilliant depictions of the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and World War I. Now he embarks upon his most ambitious epic, a trilogy about the military conflict that defined the twentieth century. The Rising Tide begins a staggering work of fiction bound to be a new generation’s most poignant chronicle of World War II. With you-are-there immediacy, painstaking historical detail, and all-inclusive points of view, Shaara portrays the momentous and increasingly dramatic events that pulled America into the vortex of this monumental conflict.
As Hitler conquers Poland, Norway, France, and most of Western Europe, England struggles to hold the line. When Germany’s ally Japan launches a stunning attack on Pearl Harbor, America is drawn into the war, fighting to hold back the Japanese conquest of the Pacific, while standing side-by-side with their British ally, the last hope for turning the tide of the war.
Through unforgettable battle scenes in the unforgiving deserts of North Africa and the rugged countryside of Sicily, Shaara tells this story through the voices of this conflict’s most heroic figures, some familiar, some unknown. As British and American forces strike into the “soft underbelly” of Hitler’s Fortress Europa, the new weapons of war come clearly into focus. In North Africa, tank battles unfold in a tapestry of dust and fire unlike any the world has ever seen. In Sicily, the Allies attack their enemy with a barely tested weapon: the paratrooper. As battles rage along the coasts of the Mediterranean, the momentum of the war begins to shift, setting the stage for the massive invasion of France, at a seaside resort called Normandy.
More than an unprecedented and intimate portrait of those who waged this astonishing global war, The Rising Tide is a vivid gallery of characters both immortal and unknown: the as-yet obscure administrator Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose tireless efficiency helped win the war; his subordinates, clashing in both style and personality, from George Patton and Mark Clark to Omar Bradley and Bernard Montgomery. In the desolate hills and deserts, the Allies confront Erwin Rommel, the battlefield genius known as “the Desert Fox,” a wounded beast who hands the Americans their first humiliating defeat in the European theater of the war. From tank driver to paratrooper to the men who gave the commands, Shaara’s stirring portrayals bring the heroic and the tragic to life in brilliant detail.
A new level of accomplishment from this already acclaimed author, The Rising Tide will leave readers eager for the next volume of this superb saga of the war that saved and changed the world.
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The launch of Jeff Shaara's proposed WWII trilogy focuses on the brutal desert warfare of 1942 and 1943. The hard-fought Allied campaign against Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps eventually yields victory, but not without terrible losses. As the subsequent invasion of Italy stalls, the Allies begin to prepare for a major new offensive. Riveting battle fiction.
Publishers Weekly
Shaara (To the Last Man; Gone for Soldiers), who has written bestselling and critically acclaimed historical novels covering the American Revolution through World War I, takes on World War II in the wonderful first volume of a planned trilogy. As the book begins, Hitler's forces control western Europe, and U.S. troops face off against the Germans in North Africa. From fall 1942 through spring 1943, the Allies battle Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. Shaara evokes the agony of desert warfare and the utter chaos of an airborne assault through the experiences of Pvt. Jack Logan, a tank gunner, and Sgt. Jesse Adams, a paratrooper. The challenges-and frequent frustrations-of command are seen through the eyes of such luminaries as generals Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and Rommel. The Allied victory in Africa is followed by the conquest of Sicily and the invasion of mainland Italy in 1943. With the Italian campaign sputtering, the Allies turn to planning for the decisive event of the European theater, the cross-channel invasion of France, which is where Shaara concludes this sprawling, masterful opening act. (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
This is the magnificent opening volume of a trilogy about World War II in Europe. Author Shaara has already shown his skills with his very successful fact-based novels on America's long military history (e.g., To the Last Man, The Glorious Cause). In Rising Tide, he takes readers from the early and uncertain days of the war in North Africa to the beginning of plans for D-day. Shaara says he does not write history. Instead, he enables readers to view history through the eyes of its participants, who in this case include both the greats e.g., President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Gen. George S. Patton and the ordinary guys just trying to survive the war. The technique is exciting and engrossing and gives a "you are there" feel to the enormous events being described. Even readers who think they know a lot about the great drama and tragedy that was World War II will be fascinated, while those knowing little or nothing of the war will find themselves educated and intrigued. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/06.] Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The first in a World War II trilogy forms a weak foundation for the series. The author has covered many American conflicts in earlier works, most recently World War I (To The Last Man, 2004). This time the stage is World War II, but despite the scenery, the play itself is far from dramatic. In a lengthy preface, Shaara wonders what he can add to the legacy of writings about the conflict. He explains that his goal is to tell the story from multiple perspectives, "and to tell their story through their eyes." He chooses notable names (Eisenhower, Rommel, Patton) and a few dogfaces (including Private Jack Logan). The timeline runs from the North African campaign through the invasion of Sicily. The preface, lengthy introduction and overall framework give it the feel of a book for young readers. Here is Erwin Rommel, desperate for supplies in order to succeed in capturing Egypt. Here is Jake Logan peering down the sight of the main gun on his tank. Here is Dwight Eisenhower, trying to balance the egos of George Patton and Bernard Montgomery. Shaara relies on history to give the story cohesion, but his characters remain mere sketches. Both Rommel and the author seem to be running low on fuel. Shaara adds dialogue and inner monologue to otherwise traditional date/time/place historical text. The action of a tank battle occurs over a few pages, while the lengthy conversations at each side's headquarters can run twice as long. Highly charged moments fade quickly between the shuffling of perspectives. Lengthy summaries of minor movements and maps used to illustrate the text impede narrative flow. The multiple voices do not achieve harmony. Likely to appeal to younger readers, but World War II buffsand adult fans of historical fiction will expect more.
From the Publisher
Praise for Jeff ShaaraThe Rising Tide
“This is Jeff Shaara at his best, giving us another superb historically grounded novel of one of the most dramatic struggles of World War II.”
–George McGovern
“The wonderful first volume of a planned trilogy . . . Shaara evokes the agony of desert warfare and the utter chaos of an airborne assault. . . . [A] sprawling, masterful opening act.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
To the Last Man
“A gripping account of World War I.”
–General Tommy R. Franks
“[To the Last Man is] the best novel about the Great War since Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, which it greatly surpasses in depth, scope, and intensity.”
–John Mosier, author of The Myth of the Great War
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