• Fall of Giants

  • Book One of the Century Trilogy
  • By: Ken Follett
  • Narrated by: Dan Stevens
  • Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (470 ratings)

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Fall of Giants  By  cover art

Fall of Giants

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: Dan Stevens
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Publisher's summary

Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. Fall of Giants is his 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....

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.

©2010 Ken Follett (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Action-packed with blood on the battlefield and conspiracies behind closed doors, Fall of Giants brings the nuances of each character to life and shifts easily from dirty coal mines to sparkling palaces. There is so much to love here, and the good news is the end is just the beginning: Fall of Giants is the first in a planned trilogy." (Amazon.com review)

What listeners say about Fall of Giants

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating! Awesome book

I think this book was better than pillers of the earth, and that's saying something. It was absolutely fascinating to read about life in the early 20th century. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and REALLY hope book 2 comes out soon. Don't worry, book 1 finishes at a good point, you aren't left with a cliff hanger.

I read the abridged version of this book and regret it, the book was so good I wondered what I may have missed by going with the abridged version.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Thanks Dan Stevens for enlivening this dreck.

As a fan of Pillars and World by Follett, I had high hopes for this series. After a strong emotional start, the text loses its way and devolves into an effort to capture too too many details about the war and the Russian revolution. The scarce really emotional passages where you deeply care about the characters just can't sustain it. Now that being said, I give the highest marks to Dan Stevens for his exceptional narration. A delight to listen to - with a fantastic ability to paint varied and true sounding characters, both male and female. I'd listen to him read a cereal box. Alas, Dan's not enough to carry me to book 2.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Outstanding!

The book is enjoyable on its own but the narration abilities of Dan Stevens make it stand out. Probably the best voice EVER and he can go from one character to another without missing a beat or accent. This will take the sting out of a long flight better than anything else- who cares about a two hour delay with this companion!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Masterful Storyteller

If you could sum up Fall of Giants in three words, what would they be?

An epic tale.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lev. He is a 'survivor'.

Have you listened to any of Dan Stevens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first one. He is great!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to, but is a very LONG story.

Any additional comments?

I'll be ordering the second book of the trilogy soon.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

alot of action, very interesting and sometimes

on the edge of your seat thriller, this listen was excellent and proved to be worth every minute listening. I felt the ending was sorta just hurried up, but over all excellent.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • ED
  • 10-30-20

Excellent Narration

I won’t get into the story itself. Just wanted to take the time to give some real credit to Dan Stevens. This project required a gigantic range of accents and tones, all of which he executed and transitioned between expertly. As someone who has listened to hundreds of audiobooks I can promise you that this is NOT the usual level of performance. As such, the excellence of the narration could not fail to provide a much enhanced listening experience... at least to someone as picky as I am.

BRAVO!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing story, writing and narration!!!

I recently finished the third book in the trilogy. I fell in love with the story and Ken Follett's amazingly talented storytelling. I LEARNED MORE ABOUT WORLD HISTORY FROM THIS TRILOGY THAN DURING 20 YEARS OF SCHOOLING...In a way that entertaind me and taught me at the same time. Highly recommended!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

Wasn't disappointed. Can't wait to start the next book. Characters are engaging and love the history in the story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful book

Wonderfully written book for circa 1912-1923. Great history and we'll researched . it causes you to understand history so much better but it is like watching an action movie.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

LOVE this trilogy

Would you consider the audio edition of Fall of Giants to be better than the print version?

No

What other book might you compare Fall of Giants to and why?

Pillars of the Earth crossed with Erik Larsen

Have you listened to any of Dan Stevens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

This book is fantastic. The reading was only so-so. The weird tone eh used for women speaking was annoying and the pace was a bit slow. But the book made it worth it.

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1 person found this helpful