A Column of Fire: The groundbreaking novel from the no.1 bestseller (The Kingsbridge Novels Book 3)

Very good, well written, has you enthralled until the last page.

Ken Follet's "A Column of Fire" is the third and final instalment in his Kingsbridge Novels. This trilogy began with "Pillars of the Earth", continued with "World Without End" and now concludes with the novel under review. "A Column of Fire". This book brings to a conclusion a story that began with the building of a cathedral in a tumultuous period of the Middle Ages and ends in the grounds of that same cathedral in the calm period that followed the infamous "Gun-powder plot" of the very early 17th. century.Between the beginning and the ending of the story, there is the unfolding of historical events, as well as the development and denouement of a family's relationships with itself and those with whom it came into contact over a period of several epochs.The novel is a long one, as the characters, events and the inter-relationship between the two are involved and intriguing. The inter-twining of history and personnel is attended to with great literary skill and detail - both historical and individual. The breadth and density of this book is impressive and it focuses primarily on the person of Ned Willard - his background, personal development, family history and links with historical events. The author of the book, Ken Follet, has an amazing gift of writing continuous prose inter-laced with emotional insight and historical relevance of the characters in the story as it evokes the period of the 16th. century.Romance, family breakdown, plot and counter-plot, hopes and expectation and the dissolution of the same, political partisanship, religious warfare and uncontrollable egos all play their part in this blockbuster of a novel. Despite the epic historical proportions of the novel, it still finds time to reflect on the intimate moments between parents, lovers, siblings and the varied relationships of those engaged in political rule.Of contemporary interest is the manner in which religious intolerance - focusing on fundamentalist religious belief - has the capacity to wreak war and bloodshed on entire nations, to destroy families that succumb to bitterness and personal ambition, and the fact that, for some, any price is worth paying in order that history is shaped according to the actions and outcomes of human folly and hubris.The previous two novels in the Kingsbridge series of novels were more intimate in their characterisation and readers of this third novel in the series may miss this aspect of Follett's writing. However, it is the intimacy of the first two novels that permits an appreciation of how their characters and events have prepared the way for a novel of greater historical magnitude. In a sense, this is probably the only way to complete the trilogy - characters die, but memories of them may continue. History goes on and contains the memory of those that have gone before.A read not to be missed - better still read, and enjoy, the mammoth tale that spans the whole trilogy.

I generally enjoy mr folletts tomes and this one is no different. I found it engaging, historically, but a bit predictable in some ways. Overall I’d give it a 6 out if 10

Loved all the Kingsbridge novels. There’s plots abound in a column of fire, and sometimes just a little too much jumping from one to the other. Not difficult to follow once you quite literally ‘catch up with the plot’. Definitely recommend.

Another Brilliantly written, totally engaging epic third instalment of the Kingsbridge series. Not many writers have the ability to draw a reader in and hold their attention for 900 pages! Follet is a master story teller of historical literature and A Column of Fire is a triumph. Totally lost myself within the pages- pure historical Tudor era escapism- would 100% recommend.

A brilliant masterpiece of a book. A little complicated remembering all the characters but worth persevering. The ending is amazing. Thank you for writing an epic story linked to the history of that time

I am enjoying what I have read but my Kindle has stopped working and do not why. It is fully charged butit has a fully blank screen and cannot be altered any of the usual ways. So if you are reading this I would like my wonderful Kindle back in use again and hope you can help.

Having read and enjoyed the previous two books, I bought this in 2017.For some reason, I never got round to reading it until recently.It merits my five stars for being incredibly educational about the important interactions between three of Europe's then most important states, England,France and Spain!And in a way that was hugely and irresistibly entertaining!

Si te gusta leer Ken Follet este libro no te decepcionará. De fácil lectura.

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.

El cierre de la trilogía no decepciona. Vale la pena leerlo.La forma en la que lleva los personajes, es siempre un placer leerlos.

Excelente romance retratando uma fase negra da Europa dos anos 1500. O autor usou esse livro para mostrar um período de intolerância religiosa do Calvinismo e do Cristianismo, acredito que desconhecido da maioria das pessoas. Reunindo romance e história. Muito bom, nota máxima.