THE SHADOW OF WAR covers one of the all-time scariest post war periods in the U.S., when an untested President and his advisors thought they might be looking at a direct confrontation with the USSR. It has made for endless movies, TV shows and yes, not a few, tense books about the period. I had hoped that author Jeff Shaara would write a tense and exciting book along the lines of something Tom Clancy might have created. That is not this book. This is a much more low key depiction of events and is a far slower read of a novel. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I have been a Jeff Shaara fan since his first book God’s and Generals in 1996 but prior to that had been a fan of the author’s father Michael Shaara since 1974 and his book Killer Angels. I’d never been very interested in Civil War history but reading that book opened my eyes and helped me see how exciting history was. I have eagerly read just everything he’s written since then and was so excited to read this when the publisher reached out. In The Shadow of War, the author brings light to those incredible days in Oct 1961 referred to as The Cuban Missile Crisis. Without taking egregious liberties, he helps t paint a picture of all the persons, emotion, politics that swirled around and needed to be sensitively navigated. I highly recommend this volume and anything else by this author.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and a good suspense/thriller book, with a good plot and well-developed characters.

In order to really understand history, you'd have to go in time and be there when the tensions and threats against the US were in play. As so many other, I learned of the Cuban Missile Crisis from a school book that had been heavily edited to cast the US in the best light possible. This book, THE SHADOW OF WAR, gives a much more detailed look at how close the US came to a nuculear war in the early 1960's. These men whom the American publi trusted, had fame thrust upon them in an era where diplomacy was not the first answer to a looming threat. Jeff Shaara does an excellent job of manintaining a neutral look at the who, whay, where, when and why. If you are a history junkie, or know someone who is, this book is for you. 5 easy stars.

The Shadow of War by Jeff Shaara is a phenomenal historical fiction that dives into the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The writing was excellent. Shaara puts the reader in the Soviet Union and the United States, not only in the location but in the minds of the people who were there.
It was a beautiful novel, beautifully written, and I loved it.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Brilliant recreation of those dark days in October 1962. I think Mr. Shaara not only gives you a real feel for the time period but also does an amazing job of getting into the heads and motivations of the key characters. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes reading history. It will make a great Father’s Day gift!

The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Jeff Shaara is the latest novel by this author. This is my second read written by Mr. Shaara. This time Mr. Shaara gives us the historical fiction version of the Cuban Missile Crisis during October 1962. While it is a work of fiction the author’s research is evident. It shows a heavily researched book written with aplomb.

The story is written from several perspectives which brings to life some of the people involved in this crisis. The most important perspectives are President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, and the Russian Ambassador.

The author reveals throughout the book how very close we came to having a nuclear war. Another interesting reveal was how, in the end, Khrushchev and Kennedy were fearful of starting a war that could destroy mankind. The book explored how each leader evolved in their thinking and how they made covert concessions in order for them to ‘save face’. Mr. Shaara made these powerful men come to life as real human beings involved in this sit on the edge of your seat historical event. We learn about their strengths and weaknesses. We get a glimpse of Bobby Kennedy’s and Nikita Khrushchev’s lives away from their stressful jobs.

If you are a historical fiction fan this book should be on your reading list. There is so much information that is brought to light. It was a fascinating read. Mr. Shaara has done a wonderful job.

I would like to thank Mr. Shaara, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>The Shadow of War</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Shaara's latest novel about the Cuban Missile Crisis should terrify any reader. On the surface, the early sixties were full of optimism and American exceptionalism. Cuba, a small island just 90 miles from Key West, became the nexus of a nuclear confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States. The two leaders, Nikita Khrushchev and John Kennedy, struggled to predict the other's intentions while surrounded by contradictory advice. How close the world came to destruction is clearly revealed.

Shaara excels at depicting how global historical events affect ordinary people. Thus, in this novel, readers not only see political leaders and their advisors but also people whose knowledge of events is limited to television news. The impact of the crisis, however, is no less real.

This is one for fans of historical fiction who like the idea of learning more about an event through a variety of viewpoints, Robert F Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, and the fictional Joseph Russo, an English professor at Florida State University, each look at events differently. This has clearly been well researched and it will be educational for those unfamiliar with what happened. That said, there's a lack of tension (we do know what happens) and at times it's less entertaining than instructional. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others,

Historical fiction is a tricky genre. Re-creating conversations based on even impeccably researched historical events doesn't always work, but Shaara has done a great job here. He accurately portrays the Cuban Missile Crisis and the national and international tension while Khrushchev and Kennedy faced off in 1962.

The main points of view are Russia and the U.S. with some time spent on Castro and Cuba. The Russians didn't care for Castro -- they thought he was a hothead and they didn't trust him. And both Kennedy and Khrushchev had to deal with pressure from the more hawkish advisors who urged military action. Shaara also presents the political maneuvering that surrounded the participants.

Kennedy was relatively inexperienced at international relations, and at first he was not respected by Khrushchev. But Russia's underestimating of Kennedy's resolve came at a high cost.

Shaara adds an epilog that explains what happened after that fraught 2 week period. This was a well-paced and compelling read about a critical event that hasn't had much recent analysis. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

For someone who doesn't know much about the Cuban Missile Crisis, this might be a fine book. However, I found that it didn't really evoke the panic and fear that accompanied the crisis. One of the reasons I read the book is because I love The Killer Angels, written by the author's father, did such a great job of portraying key players in a crisis as humans with real personalities and feelings. I did not get that same feeling with this book. It seemed more like a history book retelling with some dialogue than really getting to know the people involved as human beings with real thoughts and feelings and lives outside the conflict. There were times I could see the author try to bring those things in, but they fell flat for me.

This isn't my first Jeff Shaara book. I was pretty impressed with "The Frozen Hours," and I looked forward to reading "The Shadow of War," about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I'm not quite old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I am from the "duck and cover" generation and do remember nuclear attack drills in school. I'm also a student of history and well acquainted with how close to the edge our world got. Still, with this novelization, mixing well known facts with the interactions of some key players, I was hoping for a taught historical novel that would bring those days to greater life.

Well, it wasn't quite what I'd hoped. Yes, there was some tension and interesting interactions, but for a period of time overflowing with the highest tension, fear and emotion, the dialogue wasn't anything taut or unusual. It felt more like the main characters were reading their lines from a text book. Overall, not a bad book, but not a great one, either. If you're not familiar with the Cuban Missile Crisis, then you might find this more intense than I did.

My thanks to NetGalley for letting me read and review this advance copy.

The Cold War is in full swing in the early 1960’s. Following WWII, Europe was divided between the USSR and the “free world.” The fact that Berlin was within East Germany but was still occupied by Allied forces as well as Soviet forces was straining diplomacy. When Fidel Castro decides to ally with the USSR, tensions in the Western hemisphere begin to increase. And when the US backs Cuban refugees as they invade, although totally unsuccessfully, the Bay of Pigs, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev sees an opportunity. Told basically from the viewpoint of three people - Robert F. Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Joseph Russo, an “everyday” American living in Florida, the tension is palpable - is RFK’s brother up to the challenge? Will Castro be bellicose enough to ignite another world war? How will Khrushchev handle the hardliners who are in power in Russia? What are the ramifications to American citizens? While we know the end result before we read the book, Shaara has brought a realistic vision of what happened during those fateful few weeks in 1962.

Jeff Shaara is clearly one of the best writers of historical fiction today. His ability to delve into subjects that haven’t gotten a lot of coverage (at least in my opinion) engages the reader. I was in high school at the time of the Cuban missile crisis and was not fully aware of exactly what brought on the events and the potential consequences. This book certainly highlighted the tensions of the time and brings some context to US/USSR relations in the 1960’s. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

Enthralling, enjoyable, and thought-provoking
What an enthralling and enjoyable and thought-provoking book! The publisher’s writeup describes it as a novel set in the days and nights of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I think it would be more accurate to describe it as narrative history; it succeeds both as a gripping read and as an insight into a truly scary time in US history.
The three main viewpoint characters are all real people: Bobby Kennedy, who was President Kennedy’s highly trusted advisor as well as Attorney General, Nikita Khrushchev (!), and Joseph Russo, an English professor in Florida who later wrote a bestselling book on the Civil War. Each of these men struggles with the potential effects of decisions on how to treat the issue of weaponry in and around Cuba. The book details multiple meetings among the US decisionmakers and their advisors. We hear the arguments for various paths of action or inaction and the dangers of each. As someone who lived during that era, I certainly was aware of the news reporting on the subject but never really thought of what it would be like actually to be involved in making the decisions that would affect the destiny of the countries involved and potentially the world. The inclusion of Russo’s struggles as a member of the public was also helpful, perhaps especially for those who did not live though that time. Seeing his interactions with and worries about his family as he responded emotionally to the news broadcasts brought the problem alive in a different way. All the protagonists emerge as real people with personalities, which we often forget when we only encounter them on screen or in the news reports and trust that the author made those personalities as true-to-life as possible based on information available.
Shaara does a nice job of evoking the era. He brought smiles to my face when I read details like Russo’s family enjoying a TV dinner and a frown at the description of Russo’s neighbor building a bomb shelter.
Speaking of smiles, there are a surprising number of “Ha ha” reactions on my kindle at the often sardonic comments the decisionmakers make while they deliberate.
This was the first book I have read by Jeff Shaara. I don’t know if the quality of this book is typical of his writing, but I certainly am going to find out!
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

As a young child I don't recall the events as they happened. In school the Bay of Pigs episode was mentioned briefly. So it is a pleasure to read The Shadow of War. The novel invites one to feel the characters perspectives, primarily those of President John F. Kennedy, brother and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Russian Premier Kruschchev, and college professor Russo (for a family perspective).

It was a time when fear of Communism was still present, Berlin was a divided city, the Berlin Wall was built, and the Moscow-Washington hotline did not exist. It was a turning point period that needs to be remembered especially the continuing challenges for Civil and individual Rights.

If only Jeff Shaara wrote the history books that were taught in schools students would have a better understanding of history.

As always it was fascinating to learn the different perspectives of a historical event and the back stories the public never learns.

I found this to be an extraordinary account of the Cuban missile crisis told from both American and Soviet viewpoints, revealing startling military perspectives from both sides. Had both militaries been the ultimate decisionmakers, there could well have been mutual nuclear destruction.

This was an incredibly informative book, and I was pleased to learn so much about what went on behind the scenes in the U.S., Soviet Union, and to a lesser degree, Cuba. Also very interesting was the significant role in the Cuban missile crisis decisionmaking played by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Not typical for an Attorney General, but he was a trusted advisor to his brother the President and sat in on many Excomm meetings. And that Krushchev was highly concerned about Castro’s impulsive behavior and how it could negatively affect the negotiation of the crisis was a total revelation to me.

As an elementary-school student at the time, I barely heard of the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, nor how it played into later decisionmaking during the Missile Crisis. We were constantly told by teachers and the news that New York City-area was a prime missile target and we had virtually constant missile/air raid drills, Our teachers were very fearful and during one notable drill the teachers whispered that it was the “real thing” this time and we’d all be destroyed in a few minutes! Terrifying,. We were never as relatively calm as were Joseph Russo’s boys. Nor did I later ever hear of the profound domestic political threat faced by Krushchev after what was viewed as him “caving” to the U.S.

All in all, this was an immersive and highly informative account of a critical time for the world, which was pretty clearly on the brink of destruction. I could barely put the book down. Highly recommended.

Jeff Shaara’s historical novel “The Shadow of War” imparts much information about the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Those desiring a “primer” on that 13-day event may find the book somewhat helpful. But those hoping for a good novel may be very disappointed. I know I was.

Most of the historical novels I’ve read tell stories about fictional characters during an important event or time in history. Sometimes those fictional characters interact with notable historical figures (as in Herman Wouk’s “Winds of War/War and Remembrance” saga), and sometimes they don’t (as in Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.”) But “The Shadow of War” employs, almost exclusively, historical figures as fictional characters. President Kennedy, his brother Robert, Nikita Khrushchev, and the cabinet members, aides, and military men who served them take up almost the entirety of the novel.

Those characters spend most of the novel engaging in lengthy conversations, many of which are devoted to imparting information to readers rather than to creating absorbing dramatic scenes. And Mr. Shaara employs equally long narrative descriptions about the events of the crisis. The result is a book that is didactic in the extreme. I often found myself wondering whether I was reading a non-fiction history instead of a novel. I never was made to feel like I was in the midst of the story’s events and I never experienced any of the emotions (the worry, the fear, the anxiety, the anger) that many Americans felt during the crisis.

Moreover, I was never sure what was real and what was fiction. Did the Kennedy brothers and Khrushchev engage in the conversations Shaara sets forth? Or the internal ruminations he depicts? Or are they simply the product of his imagination? Yes, the major events of the crisis are set forth, as are many of the political, diplomatic, and military considerations that might/must/could have been at play. But I had trouble discerning what was actual history as opposed to the author’s suppositions.

I also had trouble believing Mr. Shaara’s characterizations of the Kennedy brothers. Of course, I never met either brother. However, I’ve seen news reports and documentaries and read various non-fiction books and articles that have portrayed the nature of their relationship as well as the style of their conversation. Mr. Shaara’s characterizations seemed at odds with the historical record.

Bottom line? For me, the book just didn’t work. Then again, other early readers/reviewers have given it high marks, so my assessment could very well be wrong.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my independent opinion.

Wow, I just finished Jeff Shaara’s new book “The Shadow of War: A Novel on the Cuban Missile Crisis”, I could not put it down. I was a small child in 1962 when the world as we know it almost came to an end. Despite knowing what happened (and many of the details) I found myself at times almost paralyzed with fear with just how close we came to a nuclear war. I kept coming back to how fortunate we were as a nation to have had President Kennedy at that time. He was the cool head in the room full of military brass who were willing to go to war in Cuba and hope that it didn’t mean the end of mankind. I remember hearing stories from my parents of the fear that they had and the plans to go to the north woods to try and stay safe (almost as foolish as those who build bomb shelters in their backyards). But we do what we think we must.

But what strikes me even more is wondering what the outcome would have been if someone else was President at the time, or if Khrushchev was not willing to back down. Having a leader who has empathy and compassion is so important in a time of crisis. I urge you to take the time and read it. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I've read one other book from the author, an historical fiction novel about Theodore Roosevelt that I liked, but didn't love. I think part of the problem is that I know so much about TR that reading a fictional account of part of his life was a little weird for me. But that's my hang-up.

I liked this novel going through the events that led up to the Cuban Missile Crisis much better, even though like Roosevelt, I've read and watched countless books and documentaries on the Kennedys.

I thought it was interesting to have multiple POV: Robert F. Kennedy, Nikita Krushchev, and some fictional man who lives through what had to be a very scary time for Americans.

As someone who has read a lot on the subject, I could tell when conversations were taken from actual recordings or other documentation. That didn't detract from the story, however. A good solid read.