Product Description

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.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2307 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-20
• Released on: 2008-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 608 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780345461377
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Shaara, best-selling author of numerous fictional accounts of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War I, opens his projected World War II trilogy in the deserts of North Africa, where Allied troops attempt to match wits and forces with the Desert Fox, wily German commander Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, and his formidable Afrika Korps. After Hitler overruns France, solidifying his position in Western Europe, he turns his attention eastward toward the vast Russian expanse. With the German focus split, the Allies sense the time is right to launch a united second front in North Africa, setting their sights on an eventual invasion of southern Italy. As plans for Operation Torch become a reality, Shaara vividly re-creates a cast of military and political heroes and villains, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George Marshall, General George Patton, British general Bernard Montgomery, German field marshal Erwin Rommel, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, and Franklin Roosevelt. Interweaving these prominent historical figures with a cast of ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary circumstances, he fashions a page-turning introduction that will leave fans of first-rate military fiction awaiting the next installments. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Praise for Jeff Shaara

The 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


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

Real history becomes absolutely compelling fiction
In his (now regrettably past) prime, W.E.B. Griffin concocted wonderful war adventures from blending real people and events with fictional characters and circumstances. Jeff Shaara has gone miles beyond Griffin in taking real people, real events, adding just a bit of imagination and turning actual history into great fiction. Truly great fiction.

"The Rising Tide" is the first of a planned trilogy about WWII. For the first few pages, I wondered where Shaara was going. It was more on the order a well written history text. Then it segued to Rommell in the desert . . . and then it dawned on me.

Shaara is bringing us into a part of the lives of Rommel, Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, Bradley and ordinary soldiers that we can't touch: the internal happenings of their minds. Shaara's goal is audacious and his success breathtaking.

Most of Shaara's words are spent on the leaders, like Rommell and Eisenhower. Good move: Shaara is able to provide the big picture, the sweep and scope of the war. In less competent hands, I doubt that it would work. But Shaara makes it seem real. The frustrations of Rommel, faced with a deteriorating situation in Africa, the jealousy of other German generals, the incompetence of the Italian leadership, the increasingly delusional Hitler and his own declining health. Shaara puts you in Rommel's mind, so to speak, and he does it well.

The same holds true for Eisenhower, as yet untested as the leader of a never before attempted coalition. Eisenhower is not sure of his own capabilities, but he has virtually no one to confide his fears in. Shaara makes leadership the lonely place it is.

Without spoiling it for the reader, it is difficult to convey Shaara's triumph. To those familiar with WWII history, particularly the North African campaigns, virtually every event in Shaara's book will be known. Shaara wisely balances the big-time players like Eisenhower with some smaller fry, specifically two American soldiers. It's an impressive and very effective technique.

For those readers who are not overly familiar with the period, it's a painless and entertaining way to open a window on history.

Shaara has done something truly unique here and he's done it superlatively well. WWII history afficiandos and those simply interested in a solid war adventure will find it fascinating. I'm impatiently looking forward to the next two volumes.

Jerry

A room with a view and Marvelous People!
"The Rising Tide" (historical fiction) is the first of a trilogy by Jeff Shaara. This is a magnificent book - full of intimate and spell-binding details based on World War II. I thoroughly enjoyed it and eagerly anticipate the next book.

Mr. Shaara is a master of this type novel. Earlier works included spectacular depictions of the Civil War and eloquent portrayals of World War I. Like many of you, I did not think there was anything more to learn about World War II - due to countless movies and books on the subject. I was wrong.

The author manages to grab the reader's attention through an invigorating mix of key players. I encountered the usual suspects, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, etc. However, I was captivated by an interesting assortment of obscure characters - which brought texture, warmth, and appeal, to this exceptional read.

The chapter on Erwin Romnel (sometimes called "Desert Fox") kept me riveted. It had more action, suspense, and adventure than a James Bond movie! In the foreword, the author states his goal is to find a few voices, tell the story through their eyes, and put the reader in the same room. I visited that room, met some exceptional people, and had a memorable time. I encourage you to do the same.

Reviewed by Reginald V. Johnson, author, How to Close More Customers

A new series by Shaara on World War II begins
Jeff Shaara's The Rising Tide is the first of a projected trilogy on World War II. Those familiar with his other works--such as his Civil War novels, Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, his Revolutionary War and Mexican War works--will recognize the technique here. Shaara picks a handful of characters and uses their experiences to create the forward movement of his works.

In The Rising Tide, the key characters whose views are used to create the narrative include George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, Erwin Rommel ("The Desert Fox"), Albert Kesselring, and a couple American soldiers, Jack Logan and Jesse Adams. The advantage of this is that you see the role of individuals, from different perspectives in a series of military engagements. This provides a certain richness of texture to the novel. On the other hand, there are limits to this. The reader does not get a bird's eye view of the action. All is through the eyes of specific individuals grounded in very specific circumstances. This works well enough, of course, but things can get left out.

The novel begins with Rommel's combat against the English in North Africa and his ability to win against long odds. However, the weight on British and then British and American troops is too much, as his army cannot receive enough gasoline, replacement troops and tanks , and so on to compete effectively. After the allies defeat the German and Italian forces in North Africa, the action of the novel moves to Sicily, where the hard fought campaign is described well. The conclusion of the novel points to the nasty Italian campaign and the early days of organizing the invasion of France.

The reader is left looking forward to the next volume in this series. While the structure of Shaara's novel has lost its novelty, it can still be effective as a story telling device.