A Column of Fire

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Number-one New York Times best-seller.

“Absorbing...impossible to resist.” (The Washington Post)

As Europe erupts, can one young spy protect his queen? Number-one New York Times best-selling author Ken Follett takes us deep into the treacherous world of powerful monarchs, intrigue, murder, and treason with his magnificent new epic, A Column of Fire.

A thrilling listen that makes the perfect gift for the holidays.

In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, high principles clash bloodily with friendship, loyalty, and love.

Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country's first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans. Over a turbulent half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings precariously to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.

The real enemies, then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else - no matter what the cost.

Set during one of the most turbulent and revolutionary times in history, A Column of Fire is one of Follett's most exciting and ambitious works yet. It will delight longtime fans of the Kingsbridge series and is the perfect introduction for listeners new to Ken Follett.

©2017 Ken Follett (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Full of adventure and suspense, A Column of Fire is an inspiring and thrilling portrait of one of Europe’s most perilous times in history.” (BookPage)

“A fiery tale set in the latter half of the sixteenth century ... As always, Follett excels in historical detailing, transporting readers back in time with another meaty historical blockbuster.” (Booklist)

“An immersive journey through the tumultuous world of 16th century Europe and some of the bloodiest religious wars in history. Follett’s sprawling novel is a fine mix of heart-pounding drama and erudite historicism.” (Publishers Weekly)

I found it very boring

The narrator couldn't decide if he was English or American and I couldn't get into this story at all. I love History and Ken Follet but this wasn't a good one.

Formula and predicable

This is the 3rd in the kingsbridge series and the worst. I felt like I was reading the same book again. Same characters, different names and times.

Too Abridged

I did not notice that this was abridged. I always buy the unabridged. Had trouble following storyline. Feel like I wasted my credit.

Another excellent Ken Follett novel!

I love the way that the author weaves history into his stories, where the characters bring to life to school-learned history facts.

If you like history you can live in ...

You just can't miss with Ken Follett when he writes an historical novel. If it was a film they would call it a docudrama. So much of history is not known and this work is like filling in the blanks. The characters come alive and you can see for yourself Howe they lived. John Lee's narration is one of the best. You get to recognise characters male and female with accents and all. My only complaint is this is an abridged work. You couldn't tell from the depth of the story, but I just wondered what I missed out in knowing and experiencing.

interesting slice of history

The clash of Catholics and protestants through history has defined eras. Follett has captured one of these with a compelling tale.

On Fire!

Again Ken Follett does not disappoint. Always factual historical fiction. I found the number of characters hard to keep track of and subsequently hard to stay on task reading the book.

love this book

It's a perfect read/listen.
very entertaining.
adventurous charming heartstopping
you can see the story through the words.

Abridged? Ugh

Sorry you saw fit to sell an abridged version. Would have liked to have the whole story.

Excited, disappointed then happy ☺️

Being that I had previously heard/read other Ken Follet books I was excited to get this one. However, I was disappointed because I had a hard time keeping up with all the storylines and characters at first. I decided to stick with it a little longer and in typical Ken Follet fashion he made the intensive back stories and character development come together to keep you invested until the last page.

Lee does an excellent job narrating and giving voices to characters.

If you're a fan of historical fiction, then this is an excellent read!!!