Fall of Giants

Century Trilogy, Book 1

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

The first in Ken Follett's breathtaking Century Trilogy, Fall of Giants is a captivating novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.

A World in Chaos

1911, a thirteen-year-old boy, Billy Williams, begins working down the mines as George V is crowned king. The escalating arms race between the empire nations will put not only the king but this young boy in grave danger.

A Terrible War

Billy’s family is inextricably linked with the Fitzherberts, the aristocratic owners of the coal mine where he works. And when Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London, their destiny also becomes entangled with that of Gus Dewar, an ambitious young aide to Woodrow Wilson, and two orphaned Russian brothers whose plan to emigrate to America falls foul of conscription, revolution and imminent war.

A Revolution That Will Change Everything

When Russia convulses in bloody revolution and the Great War unfolds, the five families’ futures are entwined forever, love bringing them closer even as conflict takes them further apart. What seeds will be sown for further tragedy in the twentieth century and what role will each play in what is to come?

Continue the captivating Century Trilogy with Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity.

©2010 Ken Follett (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Loved it!

It was worth all those hours.
Get the hole trilogy! I herd one next to the other 110 house latter I and ended up wanting more.

John Leigh as always, is the best Narrator.

One of Follet's best historical page-turners. I knew very little about the causes of WW1 and was delighted to listen to this well-researched novel. I could hardly stop listening and waited for every chance to return to this novel.

Powerful work; exceptional & gripping adventure.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This audiobook is worth every cent and every second. I would very happily recommend this book to family and friends.A masterful piece.

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

Ken Follett is an outstanding author. Yet, I find it very hard to compare one skilled writer's work with other skilled writer's work, even of the same genre, as their styles often differ quite dramatically... and so attempting to compare their work is a bit like debating which is the best type of friut.I can, however, state that there is no better wordsmith for his standard and style of work. The way he keeps your attention from start to finish, never under nor overstating life and it's bare,sometimes brutual, sometimes sensual, but always honest realities. He just weaves you into the lives of his characters and never lets you breath until he's finished.

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

I have not heard John Lee's performance before, but his reading style is personable and clever. His interpretation of humour is simple and real, and his ability to hold your utter attention in dramatic moments is highly skilled. Brilliant performance... and I will be pleased to listen to any of his other readings.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I certainly laughed at times. And, I was certainly provoked to deep consideration of incidents and experiences, astonishment for the intricate manipulations of the war machine of the early 20th century, disgust for the polarised standards of rights and responsibilities, and I was prompted to empathy,sadness and even tears for the distainful attitude of negligence for life.

Any additional comments?

Brilliant work. Exceptional story. Plot and networking to real events was outstanding. An utter pleasure that I was sad to finish. A clever, highly skilled work that will stay with listener for some time... Superb!!

Great book! I highly recommend it.

Any additional comments?

A great book and an exceptional story! The narrator does a great job, too. I couldn’t stop listening! A perfect combination of historical context and human character. Can’t wait to listen to its sequel “Winter of the World.”

Excellent!

a superb book brilliantly read. most entertaining. I'm enticed to read the next in the series

Great book, not incredibly exiting though

I loved the book because it helped me understand history by passing it thru the caracters stories. Its not an incredibly exiting book, and is not as good as Pillars of the Earth, but I loved reading it. its caracters as always display all sorts of emotions, and there are some sex scenes. If you like Ken Follet and history, you will like this book

Enchanting!

Really enchanting! The description of loosing ones virginity was so wrong though... Otherwise, perfect in every way!

very good story

Follett has once again written an excellent story. His storytelling skills are extraordinary. However, there are parts of the novel which are more of a history lesson than anything else. It's obvious Follett did tons of research and at times it seemed like he had to get all his discoveries into the story. That said it was good except for those history lesson portions. I am not sure how to feel about Fitz, I have a love hate relationship with him. I wanted him to die, but I wanted him to live. He is the most realistic character and even in our modern times there are still people like him. Lev is selfish beyond words and people like are here too. I won't go on about the other characters but those two hurt me the most. I feel sad for the Russians they swapped one bad situation for another and it still haunts them today. This novel reminded me that there is futility in the separation of people into religion, class and all the rest of it because we are all the same.

Great characters and narration

I really enjoyed this book and more ready to dive into his next book. The narrator is excellent!

fantastic book that taught me so much

Wanting to learn everything I missed in history class, this book was not only immersive in terms of its character development, but also helped me in terms of remembering history.