Dutton, September 2010
The prospect of beginning to read a book that tips the scales at 2.5 pounds and 985 pages is daunting. Knowing that it is the first in a planned trilogy and that the author is well-known for having a lot to say, adds to one's trepidation. Perhaps that is why I procrastinated a few days before diving into Ken Follett's Fall of Giants and, thankfully, becoming totally immersed in a captivating story. I begrudged the time I had to work because it took away my time to read.
Ken Follett has created another blockbuster in the vein of Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, both of which anchored the bestsellers lists in their time. Fall of Giants is the first book in what Follett has described as "The Century Trilogy." It will trace the lives of its characters through the Twentieth Century. The next two novels, scheduled for 2012 and 2014, will trace the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Cold War. These volumes are sure to receive the acclaim that Follett has deservedly earned for his previous works and certainly for the present one.
The prospect of beginning to read a book that tips the scales at 2.5 pounds and 985 pages is daunting. Knowing that it is the first in a planned trilogy and that the author is well-known for having a lot to say, adds to one's trepidation. Perhaps that is why I procrastinated a few days before diving into Ken Follett's Fall of Giants and, thankfully, becoming totally immersed in a captivating story. I begrudged the time I had to work because it took away my time to read.
Ken Follett has created another blockbuster in the vein of Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, both of which anchored the bestsellers lists in their time. Fall of Giants is the first book in what Follett has described as "The Century Trilogy." It will trace the lives of its characters through the Twentieth Century. The next two novels, scheduled for 2012 and 2014, will trace the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Cold War. These volumes are sure to receive the acclaim that Follett has deservedly earned for his previous works and certainly for the present one.
No writer today has Follett's ability to weave the stories of seemingly disparate characters into a coherent, compelling whole. No fewer than 124 characters are listed in a helpful and much-needed "Cast of Characters." The central characters come from families in England, Germany, Russia, Wales, and America. They include an Earl, a Russian thug, and a welsh coal miner and his sister.
Then, there are the historical personages who appear briefly here and there: President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels (misspelled as Joseph); King George V and Winston Churchill; Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg; Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin; and David Lloyd George. These real people nearly always say what is actually in the record or, according to Follett, "My rule is either the scene did happen, or might have; either these words were used, or they might have been." In any event, their words always "ring true" to the historical record and to the premise of the novel.
This first novel in the trilogy centers on events leading up to the first world war, the war itself, its aftermath, and how it affected each family. It begins in June 1911 as Billy Williams, age 13, goes down into a Welsh coal mine for the first time. It ends in January 1924 in the halls of Parliament shortly after the leader of an attempted revolution in Munich had been quashed. That leader, Adolph Hitler, was reported to be in jail, effectively ending his political aspirations. Perhaps the next volume will tell us what happened.
Then, there are the historical personages who appear briefly here and there: President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels (misspelled as Joseph); King George V and Winston Churchill; Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg; Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin; and David Lloyd George. These real people nearly always say what is actually in the record or, according to Follett, "My rule is either the scene did happen, or might have; either these words were used, or they might have been." In any event, their words always "ring true" to the historical record and to the premise of the novel.
This first novel in the trilogy centers on events leading up to the first world war, the war itself, its aftermath, and how it affected each family. It begins in June 1911 as Billy Williams, age 13, goes down into a Welsh coal mine for the first time. It ends in January 1924 in the halls of Parliament shortly after the leader of an attempted revolution in Munich had been quashed. That leader, Adolph Hitler, was reported to be in jail, effectively ending his political aspirations. Perhaps the next volume will tell us what happened.
While the scope of this novel seems impossibly broad and generalized, Follett's unique talent, clearly evident here, is to bring universal issues, such as world war, Russian revolution, and votes for women, to bear in the lives of his characters. For example, thousands of English soldiers were slaughtered at the Battle of the Somme, a remote place unknown to the coal miners in Aberowen. The Somme was a theoretical, "over there" place until the telegraph boy brought dozens of telegrams to that small village on one day, going from door to door as horrified wives and mothers prayed that he would bypass their home. Follett's masterful characterization of that one point in time is typical of the novel
With more than one hundred million books sold over a 32-year career, Ken Follett is a publishing phenomenon. He achieved success with his eleventh novel, the thriller Eye of the Needle, which won the Edgar Award. More wildly popular thrillers were followed by On Wings of Eagles, a true story set in Iran in 1979. He changed course again in 1989 when he visited Medieval England to detail the building of a cathedral in Pillars of the Earth. More thrillers followed until 2007 when World Without End, the sparkling sequel to Pillars, was published. Fall of Giants is his twenty-seventh novel. Thankfully, it will not be the last.
With more than one hundred million books sold over a 32-year career, Ken Follett is a publishing phenomenon. He achieved success with his eleventh novel, the thriller Eye of the Needle, which won the Edgar Award. More wildly popular thrillers were followed by On Wings of Eagles, a true story set in Iran in 1979. He changed course again in 1989 when he visited Medieval England to detail the building of a cathedral in Pillars of the Earth. More thrillers followed until 2007 when World Without End, the sparkling sequel to Pillars, was published. Fall of Giants is his twenty-seventh novel. Thankfully, it will not be the last.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
