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The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeff Shaara
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $28.00
Buy New: $15.45
You Save: $12.55 (45%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 7360
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.7
ISBN: 0345461428
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345461421
ASIN: 0345461428
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Jeff Shaara, America’s premier author of military historical fiction, brings us the centerpiece of his epic trilogy of the Second World War.
General Dwight Eisenhower once again commands a diverse army that must find its single purpose in the destruction of Hitler’s European fortress. His primary subordinates, Omar Bradley and Bernard Montgomery, must prove that this unique blend of Allied armies can successfully confront the might of Adolf Hitler’s forces, who have already conquered Western Europe. On the coast of France, German commander Erwin Rommel fortifies and prepares for the coming invasion, acutely aware that he must bring all his skills to bear on a fight his side must win. But Rommel’s greatest challenge is to strike the Allies on his front, while struggling behind the lines with the growing insanity of Adolf Hitler, who thwarts the strategies Rommel knows will succeed.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Jesse Adams, a no-nonsense veteran of the 82nd Airborne, parachutes with his men behind German lines into a chaotic and desperate struggle. And as the invasion force surges toward the beaches of Normandy, Private Tom Thorne of the 29th Infantry Division faces the horrifying prospects of fighting his way ashore on a stretch of coast more heavily defended than the Allied commanders anticipate–Omaha Beach.
From G.I. to general, this story carries the reader through the war’s most crucial juncture, the invasion that altered the flow of the war, and, ultimately, changed history.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
 not much new here December 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Book Review
The Steel Wave
By Jeff Shaara
In this World War II historical novel, the second of an announced trilogy, author Shaara focuses on the role of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division training in England, night landing by parachute in Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944 and fighting as point infantry for the next three months before being sent back to England for rest.
The author's descriptions of individuals in battle are compelling. Through his words, this reader could hear the sounds of battle and feel for the efforts of the individual soldiers.
Other than the well written battle scenes, to this reviewer this book seemed like a reading of the script for The Longest Day, a movie that is shown on television at least twice a year. Also, the historical novels D Day and Citizen Soldiers by Steven Ambrose cover much the same territory with more emphasis on the 101st Airborne Division.
There seems to be little new information or insights in The Steel Wave that have not been covered adequately in earlier volumes about U. S. Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, George S. Patton, James Gavin and Matthew Ridgeway; Britons Winston Churchill, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery or Air Marshall Sir Arthur Tedder; and Germans such as Adolph Hitler and Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.
As other writers have done, Shaara points out the wouldas, couldas and shouldas that no one can foresee in war. These, too, have been well covered in other, earlier volumes.
Reviewed by: A. J. Goldsmith
Lame and amateurish December 19, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Talent for writing military fiction is apparently not hereditary. Jeff Shaara's father's "The Killer Angels" was excellent, but Jeff's work is a pale copy. In "The Steel Wave" there is no sense of how actual soldiers think or act, no real reference to training or planning, just the sort of thing a civilian might imagine goes through a soldier's mind when in combat. Shaara also doesn't bother to go into contemporary language, plugging in 1990s cliches like, "I've got your back," or "Let's do this." For a much better sense of D-Day, watch "Saving Private Ryan" (at least the first half hour) or read Ambrose's historical work.
 Shaara's best so fare December 12, 2008
Great book. Excellent character development and very realistic. Definitely Jeff's best product to date.
great story told great November 26, 2008
This book is a great story told greatly. It is a true page turner. Every chapter, character, and situation is entertaining and never boring (for a story that has been told 100's of times). It brings fiction and history into a well written non-fiction genre(although 90% of the story is true). Can't wait for the final installment!
A great read November 12, 2008
Jeff Shaara continues the story of the European Theater of World War 2 with 'The Steel Wave'. This book focuses on the Operation Overlord and the D-Day invasion.
As with previous books by Shaara, he follows a style that takes historical information and adds in dialogue from the characters. The reader should keep this in mind while reading this book. This book is a novel with historical backing. It is not a history book. With the subject of the book, it is difficult for Shaara to avoid critical reviews. There are a number of books available that may be more accurate.
With the thought that this is a novel, I found this book to be very enjoyable. The characterization of Eisenhower, Patten, Rommel, etc are entertaining. The book moves along very well, switching from character veiwpoints. If you enjoy this book, you should move to other more historical accounts of these events such as 'Band of Brothers' by Ambrose.
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