#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“Absorbing . . . impossible to resist.” —The Washington PostAs Europe erupts, can one young spy protect his queen? #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett takes us deep into the treacherous world of powerful monarchs, intrigue, murder, and treason with his magnificent new epic, A Column of Fire. A thrilling read that makes the perfect gift for the holidays. … thrilling read that makes the perfect gift for the holidays.
In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clash, testing friendship, loyalty, and love.
Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans. Over a turbulent half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.
The real enemies, then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else—no matter what the cost.
Set during one of the most turbulent and revolutionary times in history, A Column of Fire is one of Follett’s most exciting and ambitious works yet. It will delight longtime fans of the Kingsbridge series and is the perfect introduction for readers new to Ken Follett.
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This is the way to learn history and be entertained at the same time. I am reading Column of Fire for the second time…
The third in the Ken Follett series that began with the “Pillars of the Earth”. “A Column of Fire” jumps from the 13th century to the 17th century. The theme of this book is religious persecution in the 17th century in England, Scotland, France and Spain. The author weaves his fictional characters among the the people who lived during this time frame. I learned a lot about European history from this book, which encouraged me to read books about the history of Europe in the 17th century.
I’ve reviewed ~575 books in the last few years and don’t often give out 5 stars. I can be a bit stingy as I want the book to just completely knock me over. Ken Follett is one of few authors who consistently impress, excite, and satisfy this thirst. The Pillars of the Earth came very close. World Without End hit the mark and is one of my top 5 all-time favorite books. In the third book in the Kingsbridge series, A Column of Fire, I am again thoroughly exhilarated and awarding 5 stars. I do think World Without End is slightly better, but this was superb on so many levels. I’m doubly blessed as I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway and my blog followers selected it as my April 2018 Book Bucket List read. It was also a buddy read with a wonderful friend.
At the outset, this is a book covering the impact on several families and towns throughout Europe during the religious wars in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. From Spain to Europe, Scotland to England, and even parts of Africa and the Caribbean, this book tracks the various changing of the guard under Henry VIII’s daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, as well as other claimants to the throne, Mary of Scots and James I. Some are Catholic. Some are Protestant. Who will win? History knows, and many readers familiar with these facts know. But it doesn’t spoil the beauty of this absolutely stunning series of novels by Follett. He’s crafted an amazing set of towns, families, bonds and rivalries over a period of 60 years in this particular third novel where the tides turn every 5 to 10 years, or every 100 to 200 pages (yes, it’s nearly 1000 pages long). Your heart breaks. Your eyes bulge. People could be horrible. They could be kind. Persecution in the name of religion truly happened, and while some find this book taking advantage of history to present drama… my response is basically — Umm… yeah, it’s historical fiction and that’s the point. If you want a 100% accurate book, go read a non-fiction account.
With a tome of this length, my review could go on forever. I plan to keep it shorter than that. Ned Willard is the protagonist, and the novel follows his life from a teenager to a 70-year-old man through which time he has many lovers, wives, friends, and family. He is one of the most respectable characters I’ve ever met in a book, and while he certainly does a few things that I’d consider wrong by today’s standards, he was a visionary nearly 500 years ago. His treatment of others despite their beliefs, gender, race, or status were fantastic. He acted the act when he needed to but always to achieve a goal to ultimately help people. And he suffered… more than any man should.
If you’ve never read Follett before, you are truly missing out. If you’ve not read this 3-book series, you are missing out. It’s nearly 3,000 pages in total, but you don’t have to read all 3. You can choose just one and read them out of order. They’re set about 100 years apart, so you may miss a few details and connections, but nothing to throw you off. I’m going to be in a book daze for weeks. And maybe years since I don’t expect him to write another one in the series, but if he does, it will be at least 5 years based on the last few. This makes me sad. But I can always re-read them. And I will. They are that good. Seriously… who chooses to re-read 3000 pages again?
Huge amounts of plot and drama. Sometimes you’ll think “that’s just too much” but truly…. much of this ACTUALLY happened. It may have been different characters or a slightly different order. But people were cruel back then. They killed for no reason. Religion was a mega prompt for doing bad things. (Hey, wait, that happens today, too…). So in theory, this is such a statement about people and life and the lessons we fail to learn century after century. But for the most part, I look at this as a way to step into a different world, one that fascinates me. I forget any true facts I know about the life of these monarchs and pretend it’s all new to me. It makes me smile. I rush to the book each night to devour more pages. And I gush… because this was a buddy read with my friend Noriko in Japan. I can’t wait to catch up with her about this again!
I’ll end here not because I am out of things to say, but because I have so many more books to read. And I’d rather chat about it than extend my review. So if you’ve read it, message me. Would love to discuss Follett with ya!
If you liked Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, give Column of Fire a try. Much connection to actual history and because I don’t know much about that history, the outcomes were not known to me in advance. I’m a fan of Ken Follett and was not disappointed with this latest story with a connection to Kingsbridge.
I fell in love with the people of Kingsbridge in the first novel of this trilogy The Pillars of the Earth and have thoroughly enjoyed following the exploits of the later generations. While reading each book I felt I was amongst old friends. A Column of Fire is no different. Once again Follett has shown he is a master of creating a multi-dimensional story, with complex characters. He takes the reader not only back in time to the 16th century but places them right in the middle of the struggle between Catholics and Protestants. This is a phenomenal read and I highly recommend it. My only complaint about this book is that the word “clandestine” was repetitive to the point you kind of wonder if he was in a hurry to finish the novel.
Love Follett’s books!
Another Great History
I’ve loved every story in this trilogy, starting with “Pillars of the Earth.” In “A Column of Fire” Ken Follett brings the history surrounding the struggle between the Catholics and the emergent Protestants in England and France vividly to life.
Another enjoyable Ken Follett historic novel
Ken Follett is the best.
I liked this story that depicts the life of everyday people during this period. Characters were realistic and interesting. Auther knows the history of this time and was thorough in painting the picture.
I’ve spent years looking forward to the conclusion of the Kingsbridge saga. The enjoyment I took in the first two books leads me to want to blame heightened expectations for something of a letdown, but it’s unfair to hold the first two books accountable for the failures of the trilogy’s final installment. The fault lies squarely on its shoulders for being what it is…and what it wasn’t.
There were flashes of the earlier Kingsbridge works. These sparks did their best to drag me headlong into their world, but they fizzled before they ever took flame. These hints at brilliance teased me and never followed through. The premise of A Column of Fire was different from its predecessors’. Kingsbridge and its cathedral were no longer living, breathing characters all their own, but faded into the background. This was no longer their story, but the story of a bigger world, a deeper fight for power and survival. This shift made the book feel as though a quiet hole had opened up and the void went unfilled.
The people themselves also failed to grip me. I wanted to care about Sylvie and Ned and Margery and Barney. There were moments I thought I might, but I never could make that connection. Pierre and Rollo were villains most vile and even then, I gained very little satisfaction from the outcome. The emotions always felt just out of reach, a strange thought after spending 900+ pages with them.
There were moments of action, but the excitement, the thrill of “what will happen?” never fully materialized. I don’t know if it was the change of scenery to widespread locations or the lack of connection to the characters or what exactly, but as quickly as I would start to feel engaged, I’d lose it again. I thought for sure that the intrigue of spies and plotting and secrecy and decades of cat-and-mouse would finally culminate in a twisting final scene, but again…nothing.
Maybe this book needed more time to develop. Maybe it needed more editing — because Lord knows the repetition felt like I was being beaten over the head at times. I honestly reached a point where I’d been reminded of particular details so many times that I wanted to shout into the book “I know already! Stop insulting my intelligence!” It was almost as if the book knew that it suffered from unrealized potential and assumed the reader had laid it aside for so long between reading that constant reminders were required to make sure details hadn’t been forgotten in the interim.
The book is by no means unreadable. I never entertained the possibility of abandoning it, even as I lost hope that it would find its way. But it wasn’t as good as the first two. Not nearly so. I’m glad I read it. I feel a sense of closure and a farewell to Kingsbridge. I simply wish the sendoff had been more worthy.
Love Ken Follet books. This book has much history . The Story around the history. Religious disputes were terrible at that time which is the basis of this story. Strong women characters also.
Not as good as his previous work but still excellent reading
Follett has done it again. Written a new Kingsbridge Series. I’m so amazed at his ability to keep the characters alive from book to book. And….that I recall them and I can follow it even if I read the first book a couple years ago.
This book is definitely worth the read even if you never read the other books from the trilogy.
Follett is a talented author. I eagerly await any and all his books as they hit the shelves. Don’t miss this one, put it on your wish list.
The author is a master of the English language. While easy to read, he uses the best words so describe a situation and makes me feel close to and part of the story.
Enjoyable. Held my interest
A terrific historical novel set in Elizabeth times. Full of treachery, political intrigue and religious conflict. (Much like the present time!)
I am a huge fan of Follett’s historical fiction. The fictional characters are well-defined, and well-developed as they are woven alongside the historic characters and situations. Column of Fire is no exception. I am so enjoying this 3rd installment in the Kingsbridge series. Definitely read this book if you enjoy historical fiction.
Wile Ken Follett always writes wonderful books, but when compared to Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, a Column of Fire (in my opinion) does not come close to being as great of a book as the other two were. Maybe it was in the story line and I was expecting too much by comparing it to two very wonderful books.
The Master continues the saga.