From Publishers Weekly
Shaara's hefty fifth novel, the second in a two-volume series about the American Revolution, is an epic saga of what Shaara calls our first civil war and the first truly world war, told with emotion, energy and historical precision. Using the formula of character-driven fiction employed by his father, Michael Shaara (The Killer Angels), Jeff Shaara presents the dramatic history of the revolution as seen through the eyes of the major players. In describing the battles, skirmishes, victories, defeats, blunders, intrigues, treason and bickering, Shaara illuminates the circumstances whereby a rebel collection of motley amateurs dared to confront a mighty empire and its vaunted army. The narrative establishes immediacy in its colorful profiles of the participants. Shaara depicts George Washington as a general whose force of will and strong character earn the loyalty of soldiers who are defeated by the British again and again. Washington's relationships with other principals are profound and surprising. Having regarded Gen. Charles Lee as a friend, he is stunned by the behavior of his second-in-command on the battlefield and behind his back. He thinks highly of Gen. Nathaniel Greene and the Marquis de Lafayette, and neither will disappoint him. Having enjoyed the "pleasantly sociable" company of Benedict Arnold, Washington discovers too late that there are two traitors at West Point. He also learns firsthand how "Mad Anthony" Wayne earned his nickname. Shaara takes equal pains to characterize the British, men like dawdling Gen. William Howe, arrogant Henry Clinton and the capable but hapless Charles Cornwallis. This is vivid and compelling historical fiction, but also a primer on leadership and the arts of war and diplomacy. Shaara reaches new heights here, with a narrative that's impossible to put down.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Shaara here concludes his epic series on the American Revolution that began with Rise to Rebellion. As with his previous historical novels (he's adamant that they are just that and not histories), this one is told from the perspectives of various historical players. George Washington is prominent, as are Benjamin Franklin, the under-appreciated Nathanial Greene, and, intriguingly, Britain's Lord Cornwallis. Some decry the author's creation of internal and external dialog, but the Founding Fathers were human beings who had doubts and who did not always give speeches or make pronouncements. The dialog rings true, and the history, aside from a glitch or two (grenadiers are infantry, not cavalry), is accurate. Rich, exciting, and compelling, The Glorious Cause will inform and entertain. Shaara has now written about the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Revolution, and his many fans hope that he will continue to write about American history in the same skillful and exciting manner. For all collections. Robert Conroy, Warren, MICopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Shaara, who is known for his novels of the Civil War, this time tells the story of the American Revolution. As a prelude, events before Washington's appointment as General-in-Chief are described. The action begins with the failed campaign of New York City in the fall of 1776. We then follow the course of the war through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas to the British surrender at Yorktown in October 1781. The story concludes with the dismissal of Washington's staff at Fraunces's Tavern in New York City in 1783. Barry Bostwick's performance of this abridgment is superb. He is spirited in his delivery, yet never overbearing. French, German, and other accents are skillfully rendered. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Shaara's Rise to Rebellion (2001) took readers back to the time just prior to the outbreak of actual hostilities that led to the independence of Britain's American colonies. Now, in a sequel to that best-selling novel, Shaara brings the rebellion itself onto center stage. His copiously researched narrative follows the course of the American Revolution from immediately after independence was declared to the point, some seven years later, when independence was secured by the defeat of the British army. Shaara focuses primarily on the lives of four vital (and historically real) figures involved in this world-altering event: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Lord Cornwallis (a leading British general), and Nathaniel Greene (an important American one). Into the story he also weaves numerous secondary characters, including Nathan Hale and the marquis de Lafayette. But this is not a story overly crowded with characters; the truth is, the accessible narrative moves with great fluidity. The battle scenes are graphically--even excitingly--written, but Shaara does not neglect the equally important diplomatic side of events as the new nation sought crucial European allies in its struggle for independence. (In fact, his representation of the personality and work of diplomat Ben Franklin is probably the most fascinating characterization of all his actual historical personages.) Shaara understands the history of the time, and he's clearly a good writer. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“Dazzling . . . All the drama of a revolution is brought to light in Rise to Rebellion. . . . A stellar endeavor, it’s an unforgettable saga about special men and women who helped forge the destiny of a nation.”
–Rocky Mountain News

“This may be [Shaara’s] best book yet. . . . A highly readable tale, history disguised as entertainment.”
–Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer

“History master Jeff Shaara scores again . . . with historical accuracy and a you-are-there immediacy.”
–The New York Post



From the Hardcover edition.


Review
?Dazzling . . . All the drama of a revolution is brought to light in Rise to Rebellion. . . . A stellar endeavor, it?s an unforgettable saga about special men and women who helped forge the destiny of a nation.?
?Rocky Mountain News

?This may be [Shaara?s] best book yet. . . . A highly readable tale, history disguised as entertainment.?
?Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer

?History master Jeff Shaara scores again . . . with historical accuracy and a you-are-there immediacy.?
?The New York Post



From the Hardcover edition.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
The Glorious Cause, second in an ambitious and thoroughly terrific two-volume series that began with Rise to Rebellion, is the archetype of great historical fiction: smart, profound, moving, and above everything else, edge-of-your-seat entertaining.

In this powerful work, Shaara has discovered the perfect blend of fact and fiction, with a well-paced narration, intimate portraits of historical figures, and an almost subliminal use of historical detail. From the August 1776 landing of the British and Hessians at Gravesend Bay, New York, to the harrowing Battle of Trenton and the British defeat at Yorktown, Shaara takes the historical novel to new levels of vibrancy and intimacy. Legendary figures like George Washington, Nathaniel Greene, Benjamin Franklin, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, and Charles Cornwallis are seen as men with strengths, weaknesses, egos, and fervor -- brilliant leaders who make mistakes, tell jokes, and long for their loves. There is a compelling realness to Shaara's dialogue and an authenticity in the relationships he depicts between his subjects and the men who serve and die under their command.

"It is regrettably easy for us to take for granted the freedoms we live under without considering who paid the price to secure them," Shaara writes in his preface to the reader. "That is only one reason among many that these extraordinary people must be remembered. That is, after all, the purpose of this story." Jeff Shaara has achieved his goal with a novel that is intense and memorable. But above all else it is a rousing tribute -- not only to the leaders on both sides of the American revolution but to the common man whose life, blood, and passion have been forgotten by time. Stephen Bloom

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The American Revolution was never a war in which the outcome was obvious. Despite their spirit and stamina, the colonists were outmanned and outfought by the brazen British army. General George Washington found his troops trounced in the battles of Brooklyn and Manhattan and retreated toward Pennsylvania. With the future of the colonies at its lowest ebb, Washington made his most fateful decision: to cross the Delaware River and attack the enemy. The stunning victory at Trenton began a saga of victory and defeat that concluded with the British surrender at Yorktown, a moment that changed the history of the world." The despair and triumph of America's first great army is conveyed in scenes as powerful as any Shaara has written, a story told from the points of view of some of the most memorable characters in American history. There is George Washington, the charismatic leader who held his army together to achieve an unlikely victory; Charles Cornwallis, the no-nonsense British general, more than a match for his colonial counterpart; Nathaniel Greene, who rose from obscurity to become the finest battlefield commander in Washington's army; the Marquis de Lafayette, the young Frenchman who brought a soldier's passion to America; and Benjamin Franklin, a brilliant man of science and philosophy who became the finest statesman of his day.

SYNOPSIS

In Rise to Rebellion, bestselling author Jeff Shaara captured the origins of the American Revolution as brilliantly as he depicted the Civil War in Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure.

FROM THE CRITICS

Book Magazine

By now history buffs know just what to expect from bestselling author Shaara￯﾿ﾽelegantly spun campfire yarns about the pivotal battles in American military history. Shaara's latest novel is the sure-handed sequel to Rise to Rebellion , a fictionalized account of the events that precipitated the Revolution of 1776. The author's core audience is well aware of the particulars of the rebellion￯﾿ﾽWashington's morale-boosting surprise attacks on the British and their allies at Princeton and Trenton, for instance, after the ragtag army's disheartening retreat out of Manhattan. Shaara's trademark approach￯﾿ﾽimagining the internal dialogue of the "great men" of history￯﾿ﾽworks wonderfully with this information. "If God has any mercy for our cause," Washington thinks, surveying his wretched, freezing troops just before the Trenton raid, "let these men have their one good day." That's uplifting stuff for a nightstand page-turner. Author￯﾿ﾽJames Sullivan

Book Magazine - James Sullivan

By now history buffs know just what to expect from bestselling author Shaara—elegantly spun campfire yarns about the pivotal battles in American military history. Shaara's latest novel is the sure-handed sequel to Rise to Rebellion, a fictionalized account of the events that precipitated the Revolution of 1776. The author's core audience is well aware of the particulars of the rebellion—Washington's morale-boosting surprise attacks on the British and their allies at Princeton and Trenton, for instance, after the ragtag army's disheartening retreat out of Manhattan. Shaara's trademark approach—imagining the internal dialogue of the "great men" of history—works wonderfully with this information. "If God has any mercy for our cause," Washington thinks, surveying his wretched, freezing troops just before the Trenton raid, "let these men have their one good day." That's uplifting stuff for a nightstand page-turner.

Publishers Weekly

Shaara's hefty fifth novel, the second in a two-volume series about the American Revolution, is an epic saga of what Shaara calls our first civil war and the first truly world war, told with emotion, energy and historical precision. Using the formula of character-driven fiction employed by his father, Michael Shaara (The Killer Angels), Jeff Shaara presents the dramatic history of the revolution as seen through the eyes of the major players. In describing the battles, skirmishes, victories, defeats, blunders, intrigues, treason and bickering, Shaara illuminates the circumstances whereby a rebel collection of motley amateurs dared to confront a mighty empire and its vaunted army. The narrative establishes immediacy in its colorful profiles of the participants. Shaara depicts George Washington as a general whose force of will and strong character earn the loyalty of soldiers who are defeated by the British again and again. Washington's relationships with other principals are profound and surprising. Having regarded Gen. Charles Lee as a friend, he is stunned by the behavior of his second-in-command on the battlefield and behind his back. He thinks highly of Gen. Nathaniel Greene and the Marquis de Lafayette, and neither will disappoint him. Having enjoyed the "pleasantly sociable" company of Benedict Arnold, Washington discovers too late that there are two traitors at West Point. He also learns firsthand how "Mad Anthony" Wayne earned his nickname. Shaara takes equal pains to characterize the British, men like dawdling Gen. William Howe, arrogant Henry Clinton and the capable but hapless Charles Cornwallis. This is vivid and compelling historical fiction, but also a primer on leadership and the arts of war and diplomacy. Shaara reaches new heights here, with a narrative that's impossible to put down. (Nov.) Forecast: The timing of this novel, recalling our country's turbulent birth, is sure to have resonance in this period of national crisis. The simultaneous release of the Warner Bros. movie of Gods and Generals should boost reader recognition and make the book a standout for Christmas gift giving. Eight-city author tour. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Shaara here concludes his epic series on the American Revolution that began with Rise to Rebellion. As with his previous historical novels (he's adamant that they are just that and not histories), this one is told from the perspectives of various historical players. George Washington is prominent, as are Benjamin Franklin, the under-appreciated Nathanial Greene, and, intriguingly, Britain's Lord Cornwallis. Some decry the author's creation of internal and external dialog, but the Founding Fathers were human beings who had doubts and who did not always give speeches or make pronouncements. The dialog rings true, and the history, aside from a glitch or two (grenadiers are infantry, not cavalry), is accurate. Rich, exciting, and compelling, The Glorious Cause will inform and entertain. Shaara has now written about the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Revolution, and his many fans hope that he will continue to write about American history in the same skillful and exciting manner. For all collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/02; the film adaptation of Shaara's Gods and Generals will be released in December, possibly increasing interest in this book. Ed.] Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews