Review: "Valley of the Shadow: A Novel" by Ralph Peters

Once again Ralph Peters has written a stunning Civil War novel!! In this book, as in his other two Civil War stories, “Cain at Gettysburg” and “Hell or Richmond”, his characters are from both the North and the South. It covers the time period of 07/1864 to 03/1865 and Jubal Early’s South’s last gasp in the Shenandoah Valley against Philip Sheridan and his northern troops. You hear the tale from both Generals and enlisted men. This is a gritty, in the trenches account of these crucial months as both sides struggle for victory.

Mr. Peters characters are real!! You are privy to private thoughts of both leaders and their troops. He fills in their backgrounds about their wives, families and hopes and dreams for after the war which gives them depth. His characters are genuine and the reader feels as if you know them. You are engaged with these individuals and cheer them on and grieve with their pain.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Mr. Peters takes battles and people that are not normally written about and brings them to life! His writing style is fresh and real as is the language and situations. You will not be able to put this book down. If you haven’t read his first two books, this is not a problem because they do not build on each other and you will definitely want to after you finish this one. I am highly anticipating his next book “The Damned of Petersburg” and have already added it to my “must” read list.