FALL OF GIANTS Ken Follett

Ken Follett's 2004 PILLARS OF THE EARTH, at 976 pages, follows the lives of master builders during the construction of a Gothic cathedral during the Twelfth century.


Another of his medieval epics, WORLD WITHOUT END, over 1,000 pages, takes place over seven centuries ago, and follows the a family of builders through their personal lives as they deal with the plague, the abuses of the church, and how bad people smelled before the invention of deodorant.


FALL OF GIANTS, 985 pages, is the first book in his projected trilogy of the Twentieth Century. The time span of this novel, from 1911 to 1924, portrays the fall of the Giants, the crowned heads of Europe, and the fates of five families from Wales, Germany, England, Russia, and America. A cast of characters, six pages long, is presented at the front of the book.


The major battles of World War I and the Russian Revolution provide a backdrop for Follett to tell the story of eight fictional families, rich and poor, living through these historical times. Oppression of the classes, suffragettes in London organizing to promote the vote for women, and liberal thinking as opposed to the conventional thinking of the old generation serve as themes. In this history lesson Follett weaves actual political events, real historical characters such as Presidents, statesmen, kings, queens, princes, politicians, and members of Parliament in a readable but very, very long story ---lots of drama, lots of history, and lots of words.

I studied history and civics many, many years ago, so my grasp of the political events, especially the wars, is tenuous. I remembered why the assassination of the Archduke was relevant, but I did not remember the terrible implications it had for the political arena in England, Germany, Russia, and America.


Sip a cup of tea, a slap of vodka, a shot of jaegermeister, or a martini to get you started on this door stopper of a book. It will be a long, long read.