Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"Interweaving...prominent historical figures with a cast of ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary circumstances, [Shaara] fashions a page-turning introduction that will leave fans of first-rate military fiction awaiting the next installments." Booklist
Review
"[A] magnificent opening volume....The technique is exciting and engrossing and gives a 'you are there' feel to the enormous events being described....Highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"[R]eadable, often exciting and occasionally moving....The indelible panorama Shaara paints all around [his characters] draws us into the horror and heroism of war." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Review
"[E]xplosive....The Rising Tide is, quite simply, a must read for anyone who cares for quality work, for history, or for both. In reading this novel you will learn as you are entertained, and you will not feel that you're being schooled as you turn the pages." BookReporter.com
Review
"[A] weak foundation....Shaara relies on history to give the story cohesion, but his characters remain mere sketches....Likely to appeal to younger readers, but World War II buffs and adult fans of historical fiction will expect more." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[M]ore docudrama than novel....The Rising Tide probably will not satisfy all readers of war tales, but...it is likely to appeal to those who like their military history with a dollop of fictional drama." Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram
Synopsis
Shaara's New York Times bestseller is the "masterful opening act" (Publisher's Weekly) of his magnificent trilogy that portrays the momentous and increasingly dramatic events that pulled America into the vortex of World War II. Available in a tall Premium Edition.
About the Author
Jeff Shaara is the
New York Times bestselling author of
A Chain of Thunder, A Blaze of Glory, The Final Storm, No Less Than Victory, The Steel Wave, The Rising Tide, To the Last Man, The Glorious Cause, Rise to Rebellion, and
Gone for Soldiers, as well as
Gods and Generals and
The Last Full Measure—two novels that complete the Civil War trilogy that began with his father’s Pulitzer Prize–winning classic,
The Killer Angels. Shaara was born into a family of Italian immigrants in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and graduated from Florida State University. He lives again in Tallahassee.
From the Hardcover edition.