Summary:
The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara is the second novel in his Second World War historical fiction trilogy of the European and Mediterranean Theater. He has a fourth book dealing with the Pacific Thater of World War II.
The Steel Wave’s theme is the planning and execution of Operation Overlord. Operation Overlord is the name of the Allied invasion of Northern France.
Character-based Story:
Jeff Shaara uses his familiar character-based story technique of examining the time period from the perspective of the historical figures and adding some composite fictional characters. His method works splendidly.
The Steel Wave is an appealing read. The novel’s pacing is energetic. I never lost interest.
The author did his research. His insights into the difficulties faced by General Eisenhower, the different leaders, and the soldiers are spot on. He gives the reader an appreciation of the hazards and difficulties that faced the planners and soldiers of Operation Overlord.
We are taken into the discord, hesitations, and ultimate perils with which the Allied generals had to contend. He spends about the first half of the book with these issues.
The Ordinary Soldier’s POV Shown:
A very good job of showing the invasion from the perspective of the ordinary soldiers is made. He shows how courage along with the ability to improvise when plans broke down lead to success.
This is excellent historical fiction about a well-known subject. The story is well told through the characters. I strongly recommend the book.
