Fall of Giants is the glorious new historical saga from Ken Follett. Book one in The Century Trilogy, it traces the intertwined paths of five families — Welsh, English, Russian, German, and American — as they experience the dramatic events of World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the women's suffrage movement.
13 year old Billy Williams becomes a man, going to work as a coal miner in Wales. His sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the wealthy Fitzherberts, climbs fatefully above her station, while Lady Fitzherbert enters dangerous territory, falling in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London. Gus Dewar, a heartbroken American law student, begins a new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House. Brothers Grigori and Lev Peshkov, Russian orphans, begin wildly divergent journeys when war and revolution disrupt their plan to emigrate to The United States.
In an complex, epic drama, these characters find their fates inseparably intertwined. The plot flows effortlessly between St. Petersburg and Washington, from a shimmering palace to a dusty and dangerous coal mine, and from the bedrooms of the powerful to the halls of government. In true Follett form, the characters are alive with emotion and depth, historical details are exhaustively researched and portrayed, and the pages turn themselves. Fall of Giants: The Century Trilogy, Book 1 is sure to be considered a classic work of historical fiction.
Ken Follett burst onto the literary scene with the award winning Eye of the Needle in 1978. His celebrated Pillars of the Earth, and its sequel, World Without End were are among the international best sellers that followed. Ken lives in London and Hertfordshire with his family.
"It's great - very Pillars of the Earth/World Without End, but with a major emphasis on war and politics, instead of architecture and religion. Gets pretty intense, so had to take a few breaks from it for a day or two, but really enjoyed it. Can't wait to read the next two of the trilogy.
"
—
Erin (4 out of 5 stars)