To the Last Man

Jeff Shaara, whose books Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure finished the story of the Civil War began by his father's book The Killer Angels, has written an intriguing novel detailing the World War I. To the Last Man begins towards the end of the war, shortly before the Americans enter the conflict. It opens with a vivid description of a nameless English replacement's first days in the trenches, then for the first half of the book follows the German pilot Richthofen, otherwise known as the Red Baron; and Lufberry, an English ace. The last half of the book follows a marine named Temple through the horrors of the trenches. Very well written, like his other books, Mr. Shaara does not break his tradition of showing the lives of men from both sides. This time, however, right and wrong are clear cut in a way that the Civil War was not. It was fascinating to see how Mr. Shaara treats the Germans sympathetically, showing that they too had family and were not all barbarian madmen. His chapters in the trenches are extremely realistic, down to the cooties.

"Temple followed Scarabelli up out of the wide dugout, climbed back up into the open air, the light gone now. He felt the wetness again, the rumble of artillary louder. They were in the mud again, the air cold, chilling the wetness of his uniform. He thought of the poilus, the words of their lieutenant...seven days. We stay here that long, we'll look like that too......He was engulfed by a sickening odor, and his foot kicked something soft. The ground under his feet was uneven now, and he had to step carefully, his boots dropping into the mud, then up again. He felt light rain on his helmet, cold misery dripping down his back, the awful smells boring into him. There was a flash of light, a shell impacting fifty yards behind the trench. There would be no sleep, nothing to erase the numbing shock of the seventy-seven shell, the direct hit on the men who had marched so close behind him.....No names. These men don't want to know, because if you die, they'll forget you anyway."

This book is excellently written, and I recommend it to anyone who has time to read it. World War I is often overshadowed by World War II, but this book does an excellent job of giving a feel for this much neglected period of history.

p.s. Book reports are very boring, and usually make me never want to read the book because the report was so dull. So PLEASE, PLEASE read it. It is very, very good. But, to quote Reading Rainbow, "Don't take my word for it!"