A Column of Fire
By Ken Follett
- Release Date: 2017-09-12
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Absorbing . . . impossible to resist.” —The Washington Post
As 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.
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.
Reviews
A let down.
4By boppen4This novel is nowhere near as good as the first two in the series. It almost seems like someone else wrote this book. There are far too many characters. Perhaps it needed to be two books instead of one. The last third of the book got better if you can stay with it that long.A Column of Fire
4By JoanabakeOne of my favorite Follett marathon reads. This one covers the Elizabethan era in England and tells the story of Ned Willard and his life in the village of Kingsbridge. Since this period of history is one of my favorites, I loved the book.Bravo
5By DonnieboyTI didn’t think he could do it. But Ken did it again. Getting through the beginning was key for me as it started to sound like all the others. But I just love the history in this period… fascinating. He does do it justice and love love the characters.Takes the easy way out
2By RynedcA couple of plot choices toward the end were supremely disappointing. Follett has always taken the easy way out in this series but this one went too far. Also, gets some history wrong at the very end, too.Great book. Impossible to put down.
5By Reading to sleepFollett mixed fact with fiction in a fabulous blend. He fashioned a book that is both informative and exciting ..Love this story in context of real historical events
4By MirbaggConnected me to a part of history I’ve learned about in school but didn’t understand. This story puts the schism into context and I better understand the violent past of Christian civil wars.Excellent
5By rickalbn excellent end to this very interesting trilogy. I will look for add to more books by this author.Never a dull moment!
5By lprcnoFantastic writing; exciting page turner! Thanks!Follett’s worth reading
4By read1stFollett always come thru with just a good good read.Better than the second book but…
3By serpenssapiensRather a mashup of several odd plots that feel forced together and either under developed or over developed and don’t quite come together at the end. To call this the third book of the trilogy is a misnomer. Kingsbridge gets lost in trying to insert characters into a historical timeline. I’m actually sad the way this trilogy turned out because the first book was so good, then the unfortunate second which was essentially a rewrite of the first just with different names and dates. With this one Follett doesn’t make that mistake again but overshoots the mark by limiting the inclusion of Kingsbridge, yet still including yet another rape scene. What is it with him and rape???Another brilliant book...
5By PtvogelzangLove this author, his storytelling brilliance, and his research of history.Classic Follett!!! Great read!
5By LF GirlLoved the history intertwined with fiction.An underdeveloped spy novel
2By eidrunner247I’m a huge fan of the other earlier books in this series. However, this third installment drifts far from the moorings which made the earlier novels so great. This reads as an international spy craft novel, not as a natural evolution of Kingbridge and its inhabitants. As a result, this novel was a disservice to spy novels and the denizens of Kingbridge. This novel incorporates several historical figures into a fictional plot. But it’s written from a birdseye view of France and England that it’s characters don’t resonate with the depth and quality that we’ve seen with the early novels.I enjoyed all four books...
5By Mincy88An amazing series.. I appreciated all the characters entertained with history . I hope to go to Knightsbridge in London one day.My least favorite of the series
5By 87Lakers...but still loved it!Longtime Follett fan
5By Harley of SunnyvaleGood as ever. Great story, wonderful characters, well thought out plot.Interesting history but was bashing Catholicism. He is obviously anti- catholic
1By KathyNYCThe history is interesting, but it was one sidedA Fabulous and Entertaining Walk Thru History
4By harveystlOnce again Ken Follett has written a compelling, intriguing, entertaining and informative historical novel, on a par if not better than, his best to date. Don’t miss the opportunity to read this tale of religion, politics, love and life in the time of Queen Elizabeth I.A Column of Fire
3By djfhgnfnfdjIt’s hard to truly rate this book. The first two books of this series were the two best books that I have ever read. They are the books that made me an avid reader to this day. If I rate A Column of Fire as a stand-alone book its a solid 4 Stars but, seeing that its the third book in a masterfully writing series I can’t help but to compare it to the others and it falls short of my expectations. It was missing the vivid awful details that made you not just hate the villains but utterly loathe them to the depths of your soul.
