Fall of Giants

Book One of the Century Trilogy

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 30 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Fall of Giants is Ken Follett's magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families—American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh—as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.

Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits…. Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House…. Two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution…. Billy's sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London….

These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as, in a saga of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, Fall of Giants moves seamlessly from Washington to St. Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. It is destined to be a new classic.

In future volumes of The Century Trilogy, subsequent generations of the same families will travel through the great events of the rest of the 20th century, changing themselves—and the century itself. With passion and the hand of a master, Follett brings us into a world we thought we knew, but now will never seem the same again.

Exclusive interview: Ken Follett and John Lee Talk about Fall of Giants.

©2010 Kevin Follett (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A big Book, Follett''s hugely ambitious saga is a sweeping success. Ken Follett has hit another one out of the park with the initial installment of the hugely ambitious Century Trilogy. His fans will rejoice at the richness, complexity, historical sweep and simmering lust in a saga spanning the years 1911 to 1923." ( Newark Star Ledger)

"A dark novel, motivated by an unsparing view of human nature and a clear-eyed scrutiny of an ideal peace. It is not the least of Follett''s feats that the reader finishes this near 1000-page book intrigued and wanting more." ( Chicago Sun-Times)

"[Follett] meticulously reconstructs an era and leads us through the follies and occasional heroics of its protagonists real and imaginary. He is masterly in conveyers so much drama and historical information so vividly...Grippingly told, and readable to the end." ( New York Times Book Review)

Outstanding narration of engaging historical fiction

The performance of the narrator is excellent: the pace, accents, and dramatic interpretation were one of the best I’ve heard. As with most of Follett’s books, the writing is fresh and engaging with an emphasis on characters not historical disquisition.

On Point!

I have been hooked on the Ken Follett books for quite a while now and would say that this book did not disappoint. The historical fiction that is written and then tweaked (but still playing into the historical timeline and what would have potentially been said and done) is amazing! I feel like I am being sucked in time to where this is taking place. If you want me to say something negative, I wish there was more story told from Billys' point of view, but I love the book!

The great war brought to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of the great war as lived through characters from all the major countries involved in that war. I definitely recommend Fall of Giants. Ken Follett makes you feel as if you are there.

Great book! Got a little lost at times but always pulled me back in!

I really enjoyed Fall of Giants. This author has a way of connecting all of the characters perfectly! Although at times I felt myself distracted I was always pulled back in. You develop an understanding of history that you wouldn’t ordinarily have. Great listen. Winter of the world is the next book in the series and I liked it better. Definitely listen to that one!

good but not as engaging as Pillars of the Earth

This book started pretty slowly and I struggled to finish this one in comparison with some of the other Follet books

History's much better as a story!

Ever wondered why the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand caused the whole world to get into World War I? In history class, it was hard for me to hold the whole story in my head. It always seemed a mash-up of unrelated events. And the concurrent social influences of the day - women's suffrage, labor unions, Russian Bolshevism, the beginning of prohibition in America, racism, homophobia, and classism everywhere, etc. - were all neatly compartmentalized in my mind, almost as if each issue affected a different people from a different time. What Ken Follett's done with this book was to make it all into one compelling story. He made me feel the helplessness that Lady Maude, an English aristocratic suffragette, and William Von Ulrich, a German officer, felt when their two nations decided to go to war because of a long domino chain of events that all had to fall just so. Suddenly their English/German budding romance was considered an act of treason, when only days before, these characters had been socializing together at fancy English parties. There were so many likable, believable characters like this, all tangled up in ways designed to show the irony of their political world. I think this may be Ken Follett's specialty, making us care about the real struggle the real people who came before us must have experienced as a result of these well-known historical events. If you slept through your history lecture about World War I, this is your chance to get an idea of how it all would've affected real people at the time. Great book!

Excellent Follett

Would you listen to Fall of Giants again? Why?

I really enjoyed the perspective offered by Follett of WW1 and the things leading up to it. I also really enjoyed the characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to say but I really liked Billy Williams. He just has a neat personality.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The accents were great, particularly the Welsh folks. He did the German accents amazingly well and switched back and forth in a conversation effortlessly.

Any additional comments?

Definately worth the read for history buffs and Follett fans. His characters, particularly the women, are always so wonderful.

Great period piece

Well researched regarding the period. Great story of people. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as with the other Ken Follet serried books I have listened to.

FANTASTIC! 5 STARS!

I LOVED IT! The performance was inredible. His use of accents and different voices was phenomenal. Highly recommend.

Hooked!

The narrator's mastery of all the accents and characters made the story come alive. The prose was not the greatest ever, but the story moved, and was captivating. I liked how the history was so seamlessly woven into the story. There were many times when a character or event was mentioned, and I went to look it up on the history to see how the actual event compared with the way the story portrayed it. You really do get connected to the characters, though some of them seemed two-dimensional. I think my only complaint was that the end of the book seemed to drag a bit. All in all I think it is a great book.