Book Review: “The Frozen Hours: A Novel of the Korean War” by Jeff Shaara

The Frozen Hours: A Novel of the Korean War

by Jeff Shaara

Read by Paul Michael

This audiobook, a riveting novel about the Korean War by New York Times bestselling author Jeff Shaara, will certainly make for a great Father’s Day gift.

June, 1950: the North Korean army, a formidable force backed by Soviet arms and training, invades South Korea, with the intent of uniting the country under Communist rule. In response, the United States mobilizes a force to defend the overmatched South Korean troops. But the US is no better equipped than their allies. The American and United Nations troops are fighting for their lives against the most brutal weather conditions imaginable, and an enemy that outnumbers them more than six to one. This struggle, and how the Americans respond, form the core of this novel. The story is told from the points of view of Oliver P Smith, the commanding general of the Marine division; Lieutenant Colonel Don Faith, the army’s ill-fated front line officer whose men can only be sacrificed; Marine Private Harry Thomas, a rifleman in Fox Company, seventh Marine regiment, a World War Two veteran who now faces the greatest fight of his life; and the Chinese commander, Song Shi-lun, charged with destroying the Americans he has so completely surrounded, ever aware that above him, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung watches every move he makes.

Shaara’s books have won criticial acclaim for their ability to create a “you are there” immediacy. He excels at seamlessly immersing the listener in the past – without losing momentum, drama and pitch in his battle scenes.

Simultaneous publication with the Ballantine hardcover. Also available as a Large Print trade paperback.

Author Bio: JEFF SHAARA is the New York Times bestselling author of 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 The Killer Angels. His WWII series includes The Final Storm, No Less Than Victory, The Steel Wave, and The Rising Tide. Shaara has also written To the Last Man, The Glorious Cause, Rise to Rebellion, and Gone for Soldiers. His most recent books — A Blaze of Glory,  A Chain of Thunder, and The Smoke At Dawn — marked his return to the Civil War.

Shaara was born into a family of Italian immigrants in New Brunswick, NJ and he graduated from Florida State University. He divides his time between Gettysburg, PA and his Hometown Tallahassee, FL.

Author Site: www.jeffshaara.com

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