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The Frozen Hours

a Novel of the Korean War
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Jan 20, 2018Keogh rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Korean War is often referred to as the forgotten war, for various reasons, including that it's never really technically ended. Jeff Shaara, who has followed in the footsteps of his father's work, turns to that war after a succession of novels ranging from the American Revolution to the Second World War with points of view from all sides as he has gone along. His focus here is the battle of Chosin Reservoir, a ferocious engagement in North Korea in 1950, as told from the point of view of three men: Oliver Smith, the no-nonsense Marine general on the ground, the Chinese general Sung Shilun, a tenacious commander wary of eyes on him from above, and Pete Riley, a Marine private in the midst of the worst of the fighting. Shaara's skill is bringing these men and others to vivid life as they experience the brutality of battle, the rigors of the ground and the weather, and the occasional incompetence of superiors. In this case, Shaara also brings to life a different element- the weather, which becomes a character in and of itself throughout the book. He skillfully gets inside the heads of soldiers, Marines, and others as he goes along, and sheds light on a battle most people will be completely ignorant of.