NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The master of military historical
fiction turns his discerning eye to the Korean War in this riveting
novel, which tells the dramatic story of the Americans and the Chinese
who squared off in one of the deadliest campaigns in the annals of
combat: the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as Frozen Chosin.
June 1950. The North Korean army invades South Korea, intent on uniting
the country under Communist rule. In response, the United States
mobilizes a force to defend the overmatched South Korean troops, and
together they drive the North Koreans back to their border with China.
But several hundred thousand Chinese troops have entered Korea, laying
massive traps for the Allies. In November 1950, the Chinese spring those
traps. Allied forces, already battling stunningly cold weather, find
themselves caught completely off guard as the Chinese advance around the
Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. A force that once stood on the
precipice of victory now finds itself on the brink of annihilation.
Assured by General Douglas MacArthur that they would be home by
Christmas, the soldiers and Marines fight for their lives against the
most brutal weather conditions imaginable--and an enemy that outnumbers
them more than six to one.
The Frozen Hours tells the story of Frozen Chosin from multiple points
of view: Oliver P. Smith, the commanding general of the American 1st
Marine Division, who famously redefined retreat as "advancing in a
different direction"; Marine Private Pete Riley, a World War II veteran
who now faces the greatest fight of his life; and the Chinese commander
Sung Shi-Lun, charged with destroying the Americans he has so completely
surrounded, ever aware that above him, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung watches his
every move.
Written with the propulsive force Jeff Shaara brings to all his novels
of combat and courage, The Frozen Hours transports us to the critical
moment in the history of America's "Forgotten War," when the fate of the
Korean peninsula lay in the hands of a brave band of brothers battling
both the elements and a determined, implacable foe.
"A military story as dramatic and heroic as any that exists."--The
American Interest
"The Frozen Hours . . . illustrates again Shaara's mastery. . . .
This is fiction and history at their blended best."--Marine Corps
Gazette
"Marvelously effective storytelling . . . that shows us what warfare
feels like both to those who plan campaigns and those who execute them .
. . gripping, precisely detailed historical fiction."--Booklist
(starred review)
