To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War

A turning point in history. This book bring down to a personal level the war and events of World War One. Through the lives and events that the soldiers, flyer and officers that fought side by side against over whelming odds of numbers of men and the weapons that they deployed with deadly force. As each person is followed through the war every one of them become a piece to the larger picture and puzzle of the truth about war. Not for glory or for duty but just to maybe make it go the next second then minutes and hope for tomorrow. The loss of each one you read about leaves a lump in your stomach and in some cases a tears in the eyes. Arrive home with one and feel the joy and the sorrow at the same time. This is beautify written and detailed to bring the page alive. It is worth every penny and every minute spent to read this book.

Another gritty book with realistic characters and the feel of a war that was both nasty and costly, but then aren't all wars? Shaara does a great job of weaving this tale, and I would expect nothing less from this author. Unless I am mistaken, the movie Flyboys was pretty much lifted right out of this book.

It was a revelation, particularly to the mentality of the generals and the insensitivity to their men. It demonstrated changes in warfare, particularly mobility versus stationary defenses. It spoke of the daily routines, including killing, that the men endured. It spoke strongly of the politics and personalities that interfered with the war.

This novel enlightened me into many aspects of WWI. As in many of his books he pulls you in to the personal side of the soldier who fights the war. The horrors and stark reality of the battlefield are presented along with the politics of the era. Could not put it down.

Greatly entertaining book about WWI featuring the real historical figures who fought it. Well-researched, good flow, very insightful and believable
Learned a lot about a poorly understood chapter in history and enjoyed every minute. Begs the question, why isn't Raoul Lufbery a household name!?

As usual Jeff Shaara writes exceptional history from a personal view of characters involved. They always leave me with a better understanding of the times and events than reading typical historical accounts. A great talent!

Shaara presents not only the overall historical view of the war, but manages to create the day to day travails of some of the largest players as well as some of the smallest. And the reader learns that the smallest often carry as great a significance as the larger. A good informative read.

Not only well researched but a really enjoyable read. I read 'All Quiet on the Western Front' afterwards, a book that is supposed to be a modern classic, but I felt paled in comparison to the scale of 'To the Last Man'. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to find out more about WW1 and the personalities and characters of some of the main protagonists as well as the lives of the ordinary people involved.

Jeff Shaara does an excellent job bringing men long dead back to life. To share their stories, stories of bravery, stories of loss, stories of redemption, hope and honor.

An emotional tale well told by a masterful writer. Thanks for applying your artistic touch to such an important period of history.

Well done! Gripping, accurate on the context of WW1. Historical fiction at its best. Character development excellent. The story line puts you there as well as a scope on many elements, at different levels and characters on both sides. Accurate picture of trench warfare and how soldiers were used as cannon fodder.

Jeff Shaara is definitely among the best author's of historic background stories and masters it as few. From Civil War book were he has given us some "must read", he moves to WWI and WWII with the same proficiency and giving readers pleasant and absorbing moments.

Found the book informative and well written. WWI is almost a forgotten war and the impact it had on world history is still being felt to this day. J. Shaara has done extensive research and filled in some blank spots I had about the impact of the war to end all wars.

Extremely moving and informative. Very, very violent, yes, but not gratuitously so. Helped me understand more fully the genesis of post traumatic stress disorder in our service people.

From what I can verify, the book is historically accurate. An important read for us all.

Love the way Jeff Shaara tells a story. The book covers the main characters in the world war I. Lufbery, Pershing, Richtoven, and a mud Marine named Temple. It tells the story of the Marines that slugged it out in the trenches. This was a difficult book to put down.

A very well written book which provides can interesting insight to the causes of WW I and the politics involved. It provides a perspective of the war from varying viewpoints, the politicians, the military brass and the common soldiers of all the combatants. The role of the airplane and the tank in this horrific conflict is particularly well detailed and highlights the emergency of 20th century technology and its impact on 19th century military tactics. All in all a good read.

Fantastic read on WWI. Good primer on the war from the American perspective. The personal accounts make it gripping and very readable. I would have appreciated a bit of the German American perspective during the war as a large number fought and died against their former homeland for their new homeland.

I had very little knowledge of the First World War and this book was an excellent way to gain an understanding of World War 1. I have also, read Gods and Generals and Rise to Rebellion by this author. I really enjoy the story told by a few characters, in the first person which seems to bring more real life to the story.

Another great work from Jeff Shaara. Not sure which book of his I will read next, but I plan on reading everything he has written. I think I only have a few more to go. Just love the way he writes, puts me in another place.

I enjoyed reading this book because my Grandfather served in WW. I. And I wanted to know what it was like for him. He never talked about it. This book help me understand what he saw and did.. I'm very proud of him

Simply the best military historical fiction I have ever read. The novel is built around the charectars (major and minor) who were so compelling, the generals, aviators, royals and foot soldiers, whose different points of view illuminated this epic event. Brilliant!

Shaara has mastered his skill of spinning multiple storylines concurrently. He introduces you to the characters, makes you care for them, and in some cases feel sad when they are gone. A must read for any war historian.

Simply the best military historical fiction I have ever read. The novel is built around the charectars (major and minor) who were so compelling, the generals, aviators, royals and foot soldiers, whose different points of view illuminated this epic event. Brilliant!

Shaara has mastered his skill of spinning multiple storylines concurrently. He introduces you to the characters, makes you care for them, and in some cases feel sad when they are gone. A must read for any war historian.

Very good, but the formatting on the Kindle book is just awful. There is no spacing between sections, however. Normal paragraphs have some space between them, but when a new section starts, there isn't. Very hard to read.

The first half of the book details the exploits of Richtoffen and his American counterpart Raoul Lufbery in the air war. Then, they are killed and the focus shifts to Americans in the ground war. Throughout, other figures like Haig and Foch make their appearance. All in all, a good read but as mentioned it's a little strange to have the main characters die in the middle and then to start an almost totally separate story.

I am a WWII follower. Have read very little about the First World War. This book is very good. It follows certain figures through the war. Truly written from their parts in that war. Enjoyed this book immensely!

Again, while reading one of Mr. Shaara's novels I felt like I was there living it! I'm hooked and not sure what I will do after I've read them all. Excellent read. It's amazing when you become so attached to the characters that when one of them dies you feel as though you've lost a friend. My passion for reading that I lost in my youth is back!

Jeff Shaara has done it again. He has written another masterpiece, this time on the often forgotten war that set the future of the Twentieth century and beyond. Shaara deviates slightly from his usual style in that, this book is essentially two books in one. It can be divided into three parts. The first 1/3 of the book deals almost exclusively with the air war focusing mainly on the heroics the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen and the French born American ace, Raoul Lufberry. In the middle 1/3 of the book, Shaara introduces Gen. Pershing and a young marine private named Roscoe Templer, which begins the second book as the first concludes with the deaths of Richthofen and Lufberry. The final 1/3 of the book focuses exclusively on the exploits and perils of the ground war.

When it comes to the descriptive narrative of the horrors of war, I have always felt Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage set the standard. Shaara has surpassed that standard and has broken new ground with all of his books, this one included. Anyone who has ever served in the military will appreciate the detail of Shaara's narrative of the horrors that both the flying aces and the doughboys endured in World War I.

As with all of Shaara's books, it is really a shame to call this a historical fiction as it is meticulously researched and historically accurate to the letter. Shaara captivates the reader by making history read like the best of literature. As with all of Shaara's books, this one is a must for the history classroom. Of course, it will probably never see the light of day in public schools, but home-schoolers should certainly utilize Shaara's gift for putting accurate military history in the form of intriguing and captivating resources for expanding ones knowledge of the events.

Whether you are a novice or a World War I aficionado, you will love this book. If you have never read Shaara, this one will captivate you and have you soon reading his other fine works. You don't want to miss this book. Add it to your library now. You won't regret it.

Monty Rainey
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Excellent and insightful development of the characters. I felt as if I was inside the mind of each of the four prominent men telling his story in this historic backdrop of WWI. A great story that was very well written.

Shaara is one of the greatest historical fiction writers I have read. He writes from the point of view of the main characters of history. I found this a great way to learn rather than the dull history texts often required in high school and college.