Ken Follet did a great story teller
341632
New read of an established book.  Ken Follet did a great story teller.  Enjoyed the first of a trilogy following 5 families from pre topmost WW1.
4345352
Ken Follett does an amazing job of encompassing his story line
with a full descriptive view of medieval life .
1159228
Thank you Ken Follett for this well written and articulated novel and history lesson all in one volume.  The story is captivating and you will find the book hard to put down.  Read about religious persecution and be reminded how history seems to always repeat itself, but most of us forget.  I am not giving away the story.  Pick it up.  I doubt you will put it down before you finish it.
2715145
This was my first time with Ken Follet.  It was a good well written novel that was too long.
2452935
I truly believe that Ken Follett is the world's best story interpreter and keeps me enthralled in his stories. Just patiently waiting for his next book. You are the greatest Mr. Follett.
4102747
Love Ken Follett who can always make things interesting ,believable and thrilling all at once and every time. Great read1
2712854
In 'A Column of Fire', Ken Follet expands his 'Pillars of the Earth' trilogy story-telling greatly. The plot includes the death of Mary Tudor and the ascension of Elizabeth, including a great deal of detail about the activities of Cecil. Then he takes the reader to the uneasy religious tensions in Paris some years before the St. Bartholomew's Massacre, as well as life in Seville and then Antwerp prior to the Dutch Revolt. He weaves it all together using the far-flung relations of a wool-trading family based in Kingsbridge. Follett plays his hand quite openly in terms of plot, but he nevertheless keeps many apples in the air, making this his most intriguing book. What is so enthralling about him is his minute attention to patient explanation of historical detail on the one hand and very convincing character on the other. This animates the story remarkably, making it seem like the narrative is happening right before one's eyes. Certainly the best of the three books.
2438139
Ken Follett never lets me down.  Although it wasn't one of my favorites of his books, he sets a very high bar and I still did thoroughly enjoy it.  I'd gladly recommend this to others.  It's a page turner with a good pay-off at the end.
4050262
I love Ken Follett's stories and this one did not disappoint. It is long but worth every minute. It is constantly changing and introducing new twists in the plot. One caution, don't be tempted to rent the film version. The story is distorted and not what you will read in the book. It truly is hard to put it down and I was sorry to come to the end.
1544522
Ken Follett is an amazing writer.  This story, while not requiring the extensive research of his more resent historical fiction books like Pillars of the Earth, is still a great read with its twists and turns that keep ones eyes glued to the page. I enjoyed A Dangerous Fortune very much.
3164880
I love everything about the writing style and storytelling of Mr. Ken Follett. The detail of the story, the settings, the characters are so rich that you fell like you are in the story and everything is alive and you can't wait to see what happens next. Hands down one of the best writers this century. I will always be a fan and preorder everything from this great storyteller.
1305634
Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I believe that the Fall of Giants by Ken Follett cannot be surpassed in that regard.  Through the dialogue and experiences of his fictional characters - a handsome priggish English earl; his feminist sister and aristocratic Russian wife; an intelligent, sensitive German intellectual; a determined Welch coal miner and his spirited sister, two Russian peasant brothers, and others -- the gripping story of WW I is told.

Why on earth this terrible war was fought was explained in a fascinating dialogue at a dinner party.  The impact of this technique is extremely powerful, as I, the reader, was able to feel the emotions of the various characters as they revealed their knowledge or opinions and then listened to comments of others.

Of course, there are many unbelievable coincidences -- such as the Russian brothers' tragic encounter at a young age with the earl's Russian wife, but Follet was not writing a novel about credible lives of individuals.  Rather, each character represented other people who shared his nationality and social class.  Two examples, the earl's Russian wife is killed by a mob and the German officer lives in poverty after the war.  That is what happened to those kinds of people.

The book is very long but Follet's storytelling skills are so compelling I didn't want the book to end.
3612038
What I liked most was the intermingling of fact and fiction.
Nothing negative to write. Like all Ken Folletts books the history is fascinating
3652348
great read.  i really like the way Ken Follet weaves the fictional characters into the history of the period and the actual principals and events.  very readable!
3212839
The final book in the trilogy.  Ken Follett has crafted an amazing story of the middle of the 20th century.  The characters were believable.  I love historical fiction.  I love learning about a period through story telling.  Follett does great research.  The historical figures come to life.  You may not always agree with his political perspective, but it is a novel.  I feel that I learned things that I did not know about this period, even though I lived through some of it.  Well done.  Very entertaining.
2977852
Like pillars of the earth this is another character rich story of love, betrayal, ambition and survival. Found it a wonderful read and highly recommend. Although there are some similarities to 'pillars of the earth' Ken Folett is still my favourite author
2013073
Ken Follett is a gifted storyteller.  This book is my favorite of all the things he's written.  It's filled with adventure and danger.  Unexpected events and sexual imagery sneak up on you, but you won't be able to stop reading.  Some people find the discussion of architecture boring, but I found it interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the characters, who truly come to life.  One of the few books where I was sorry it had to end, I enjoyed it so much.