Jeff M. Shaara, Michael's son, has written the prequel to The Killer Angels, entitled Gods and Generals (1996). Jeff Shaara follows the same four men — Lee, Jackson, Hancock, and Chamberlain — as his father had in The Killer Angels, through the years leading up to the Civil War. He captures Lee's and Hancock's disillusionment over their early careers, Lee's conflicts in loyalties, Jackson's overwhelming Christian ethic, and Chamberlain's lack of experience. The perspectives of the four men, particularly concerning the battles at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, make vivid the realities of war. Taken together, the two novels present a powerful portrait of the generals who won and lost the Civil War.