Viking A Column of Fire

A Column of Fire was an ambitious project. It takes the reader to a Europe in the grip of religious war . The whole of Europe then was Christian yet these people fought like rabid dogs with each other by calling themselves Catholic and Protestant. Plots were conspired to replace the Kings and Queens, sympathetic to either of the denomination. Such was the situation that if one was a Protestant under the Catholic ruler , he/she would simply be slayed for that very reason. Conversely , under Protestant regime Catholics were butchered for treason. To make things complicated most of the royal families and aristocracy had members half Catholics and half Protestants . A Column of Fire starts from the beginning of the end of ultra catholic Mary Tudor , runs through the period of Elizabeth - I - a Protestant, and settles down in the era of James Stuart - who was either of the two depending on the situation . The story takes the reader to France , particularly Paris , to Spain , to Scotland , and of course England - London, and to a fictional town of Kingsbridge. It covers many things but the massacre on St Bartholomew's Day were 60,000 Protestants were slaughtered on the streets of Paris was quite graphic. Mary Stuart - the queen of the Scot and Mother of the James Stuart - her beheading by Elizabeth - I was shocking. Reader has seen her entire life right from when She was just 10 years old and in the end one can't stop feeling sorry for her . Gun powder treason plot , defeat of Spanish Armada by English navy, capture of English colony by French etc., are some of the notable events that a reader will come across. The author leans towards Protestant faith. Elizabeth -I is shown as loving , sensitive, and a mercurial queen. Protagonist of the story Ned Willard and his love triangle with Margery and Sylvie feels very warm and romantic types will enjoy the heart breaking events. Margery and Sylvie are shown as strong characters. All in all A Column of Fire is a top class novel. Writing is easy and fuels the imagination and after few pages , readers, mind will start seeing the images as one reads on.. this is a hall mark of a good writing.

This book is the third volume in the Kingsbridge series. It is similar to the others in some ways but much different in others. Like the earlier two books, Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, this book is sweeping in scope, covering more than 50 years. People are married, have babies, and the babies grow up. Like the others, this one is set in a historical period and has lots of authentic detail drawn from written sources. But while the others were set in periods that have been relatively neglected by recent authors, both historians and novelists, A Column of Fire happens against the backdrop of the Protestant Reformation and the changes England experienced after King Henry VIII died without a male heir. Here, we the readers are on somewhat more familiar ground. The 16th century has been covered in many movies and TV shows in addition to nonfiction literature. There are only a few novelized versions, most not recent, so I’m not aware of other historical novels set in this period so there’s little to compare it with except the actual history. The author does a thorough job of setting his story, with some fictional characters and other historical persons, in an authentic plot derived from historical sources. I dare say it’s possible to learn the history from this book, always a scary thing to think about when discussing a novel.The familiar history of King Henry’s break with the Catholic church and the chaos that introduced into what was then a provincial and unimportant country is the enabling event that sets the plot in motion. As such, the book differs from most of today’s fiction in that it is driven by theme and plot more than by character, although the characters are deftly drawn. Familiar names come up frequently for the moderately well-read history buff. Erasmus, Calvin, and of course Martin Luther play a substantial role although they don’t actually appear. The Pope at the time also plays a role, alas, not a very helpful one. We meet Guy Fawkes, whose attempted terrorist act closes out the action. The difference between Protestant and Catholic sects is made as clear as it’s possible for a modern book to make it, although to me it leaves a mystery as to what the tie-in between Calvin, Erasmus, and Henry VIII might be. Mary Tudor and Mary Queen of Scots are characters. The book is huge and sweeping because it’s trying to follow the consequences of Henry VIII’s creation of a new breakaway church. It does a good job leaving the story where it did, in the reign of James I in England and Henri IV in France, pointing the way to an eventual reconciliation of the sects of Christianity with the Edict of Nantes on one side of the channel and the Gunpowder Plot on the other. Amazingly for a plot that spans 50 years, it seems taut and action packed. People are put to death for their beliefs and there’s a great tie-in with the Pilgrims’ voyage to America. No American wouldn’t get it.Now for the few, the very few things I didn’t like about the book. It’s small format and therefore rather hard to read. For this long a book, it’s certainly worth making the print and physical size of the pages bigger. Then there’s the use of somewhat less familiar versions of some of the characters’ names. Mary is more often “Queen of the Scots” than the familiar schoolroom “Queen of Scots.” French characters from the nobility have their titles translated into English, except for Philip II, King of Spain, who is “King Felipe.” I am still moderately literate in French from my school days and I remember some of the French characters with their French titles, like the Duc de Guise. It seems odd to see them anglicized. I also found myself confused by the “Marquess” being male and the “Marchioness” being female.More objectionable though is that the maritime parts were clearly written by a landlubber. The author studiously avoids almost all naval terms. He seems unaware of how much work it is to furl or set sail, and how easy it is to heave to with the sails set, one mast thrusting in reverse and the other ahead, with the result that the ship holds position fairly well but is ready to fill and gather speed very quickly. He’s done his homework on what actually happened in the Spanish Armada, but with a seaman like Ned’s brother Barney telling the story there’s no excuse to dumb it down.In spite of these minor lapses, I felt the book deserved 5 stars. It’s a masterpiece.

Il libro utilizza gli scenari de "I Pilastri della Terra" e "Mondo senza fine", ma in realtà non ne è la continuazioneLettura scorrevole e come sempre coinvolgente, si fa fatica a smettere di leggere (anche se è necessario farlo di tanto in tanto, sono quai 900 pagine...).Si intersecano accadimenti storici ben documentati e storie romanzate. Il mix rende il libro interessante da un punto di vista storico (l'epoca è quella della controriforma e delle guerre di religione), ma anche bello per come sono trattati i personaggi di fantasia.L'inglese è il solito, scorrevole e molto chiaro, di Ken Follet.Consigliabilissimo

J'avais déjà lu "Les Piliers de la Terre" et "Un monde sans fin" (en anglais) et, d'emblée, à la lecture de ce troisième opus de Kingsbridge, j'ai éprouvé quelques regrets. L'auteur semblait retomber dans le même type de fil rouge qui avait été celui de ses précédents romans: l'amour contrarié entre un jeune homme de talent et une jeune femme de valeur, les Shiring toujours aussi stupides, brutaux et sans scrupules. Mais Coliumn of Fire nous décrit une époque bien différente que celle du 11 ème et du 14 ème siècles. Nous sommes dans un autre monde: celui des guerres de religion, celui d'une puissance émergeantes (l'Angleterre) face à des rivaux qui étaient les Super-puissances de l'époque, à savoir l'Espagne et la France. Le récit est d'une extrême cruauté qui reflète celle de l'époque. Il nous entraîne dans ces trois pays où la Tolérance se heurte à l'Intolérance, une époque où se construisent les réseaux de Renseignement qui n'ont pas grand chose à envier, compte-tenu de l'époque, au Renseignement moderne actuel. Au total, un roman fascinant où les personnages sont (comme toujours) solidement campés, vivants...On se demande bien où nous entraînera le prochain opus dans cette saga de Kingsbridge: peut-être à l'poque d'Oliver Cromwell et de la lute entre Whigs et Roundheads?

大変満足です。ありがとうございます。