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)

Sprawling and Engrossing

We loved this book. Follett is a straight forward and hugely inventive story teller. The characters are on the broad end but totally engaging. It is wonderful to have history tied in with human lives you care about, made up or not. Familiar and not familiar events from World War I are mixed in with infidelity, loyalty, class, bravery, stupidity and love of Russian, German, English, and American characters. And Welsh, lest we forget. Talk of " the sweep of history". John Lee populates this world with individual voices that become instantly recognizable. He is a wizard. I am crushed that Book 2 is not done yet. I will be first in line in 2012 when Audible puts it out.

All's Fair in Love and War

It took a little while to get into this one, but once the threads of the stories are established, it kicks into gear and moves with balance and swiftness.

The good things: Great historical touches. Good pacing in the narration, and the reader shows an impressive array of accents and voices.

The bad things: As has been pointed out by critics, some of the dialogue and more emotive descriptions veer towards being trite, cheesy or cringeworthy. The (sometimes silly) injections of erotic content are frequent, so be wary if that's not your bag.

Overall: Once I got hooked into the story it was layered and very enjoyable, and it's an incredibly interesting period of history. From trenches to drawing rooms, it attempts to cover a huge range of political and social issues with human, relatable characters. Quite an accomplishment.

historical and readable

I love how Ken is able to teach you history in such an interesting manner. I learned a lot about the first world war that I had not put together or had forgotten from high school. His characters are interesting and varied. I certainly enjoyed it start to finish

Interesting but not as engaging as Pillars

Ken Follett is an amazing wordsmith! This book is well researched, well written, skillfully narrated and engaging. It is much more about history, however, than the characters contained in the book. The ending is a bit abrupt - almost reads like the author was in the middle of a thought but ended the book anyway. A terrific read, however, and makes me wish I had paid more attention in history classes!

Loved it

I didn't know much about WWI and this book did a great job of explaining what and why it happened - the reason made no sense, but that is the point of the book. It jumped between characters so you had to pay attention and back up occassionally to figure out where you were, but overall I thought the characters were believable and well-defined. I would recommend this to anyone who has loved Pillars of the Earth.

Best work since Pillars

I've been a fan of Follett's historical novels since I picked up Pillars of the Earth in 1990 (I've read it 6 times since then). I was spoiled. Even though he's a great storyteller, it was hard to find anything that matched Pillars--until this book. I had never had much interest in cathedrals until I read Pillars. And I had been flippant about WWI until Fall of Giants. It feels like you have lived a fulfilling lifetime when you finish. My only complaint is that Follett loves to litter his works with unnecessarily TMI sex scenes that are hilariously awkwardly written at times. They slow down the pace of the book, and I'm really wondering who wants to read about one of the character's sexual fascination with his wife's birth canal while she's pregnant.

Even with the adolescent Penthouse Letters, it's worth the five stars. The politics and mood of the era are artfully personified. The characters are historical archetypes but get some three-dimensional fleshing out. The unbelievable coincidences of the characters' interminglings are worth suspending disbelief. They help with details of the story and set up layers of dramatic action. It also reads like a Greek tragedy in that we all know what the fate of the characters' children and the world itself will be ten to twenty years later, with minor comments like, "Oh, that will never happen again," evoking spontaneous laughter.

Pillars was Follett's masterpiece--now I hope it was the dry run for the real masterpiece trilogy to come.

Good story

I am almost done, maybe not the best Ken Follett, but still very good. The reader does a good job with the various accents. It is an interesting book, worthwhile getting.

audibookcrazy

It starts out a little slow but the characters that Ken Follet creates always draw you in. And he always has a character I love to hate as well. I like the way he slowly unfolds the story just like they're people who live next door & I'm watching it all unfold. Thanks Ken for another great book.

Writer & Narrator, two great talents...

Combine the detailed writing, historical accuracy and great storytelling of Ken Follett with the uncomparable voice talent of John Lee with his impeccable accents, and you have the perfect recipe for an epic audiobook.

Some of the battle descriptions can drone on... but the story is personal and pulls you in to each of the characters lives.

Bottom line is, this is the perfect combination of great writing and fantastic narration.

Very good book, but doesn't rank with prior epics

I enjoyed this book. I can tell that Ken Follett spent a long time researching the details. I'll bet John Lee enjoyed himself with seven distinct accents to deliver. Winston Churchill sounded like Winston Churchill. This book contained engaging characters and provided a good feel of what life was like for people before, during, and after WW I. My only real criticism is that historical accuracy seems to have gotten in the way of a great story. Compared to his prior epic novels, in "Fall of Giants", the heroes and heroines were less heroic, the villains were less villainous, and the climax was less climactic. It is probably more realistic, but it "only" rates a 4 instead of a 5.