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2,681 of 2,748 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Expert Storyteller/Enthralling Tale!, August 5, 2010
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I thoroughly enjoyed Ken Follett's epics, "Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End". Though they are hefty tomes, the pages flew. Thus I jumped at the chance to read and review Follett's latest epic, "Fall of Giants" which promises to be the first in The Century Trilogy. When it arrived from Amazon at ~1000 pages and 4 inches thick, I found myself contemplating one of the advantages of having a slim Kindel (I don't). When the thing comes out in hardback in September it could be used a murder weapon!
But we all know that size doesn't matter when you've got an expert storyteller weaving an enthralling tale. I became so engrossed that I'd look up and 100 pages would have flown by. What is it that makes Follett so consistently "readable"? In "Fall of Giants" it's because the book is so well researched about the period (early 20th century especially WWI) with information on coal mining, trade unions, women's suffrage, protocols and manners of the minor royalty, politics, government, revolution and war. The story flows from this rich period but the riveting characters are at the forefront. Even the largely unsympathetic characters, such as the Earl, are made at least understandable because Follett thoughtfully portrays their motivations. There are few totally good or evil characters here, as it should be. (Though Follett seems none too fond of Russians and priests - be they Catholic, Anglican or Orthodox!)
In past reviews I have criticized authors that I believe would benefit from more editing (e.g., Steven King, John Irving) so why don't I find Follett's book to be too long? Because there are no slow spots, no political point pushing, and no self-indulgent purple prose.
I learned a great deal about WWI reading this novel, what led up to it and how it set the stage for WWII, which I hope is the subject of the next volume. It was fascinating to read about how the media and the governments of all the countries involved, lied to their people about how bad it was.
One other thing that I believe readers should know going in: as mentioned, this is Part One of a promised trilogy but, like "Pillars" and "World" it is a stand-alone novel. The reader is not left gripping a cliff at the end. I recently very much enjoyed Connie Willis' "Blackout" which DOES end with a cliff hanger and I am glad I knew that going in; some readers didn't and felt cheated. You will not feel at all cheated at the end of "Fall of Giants". Enjoy!
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472 of 502 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating epic tale!, August 5, 2010
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This is a fantastic epic, the first in a planned trilogy by the author of The Pillars of the Earth (now a miniseries) and World Without End. I simply raced through the pages, unable to put this book down even though it was a hefty nearly 1000 pages.
The story moves seamlessly and logically, starting in 1911 and ending in 1925, and has a large cast of characters -- all so beautifully developed that the reader comes to care about each one -- the good and the bad. A helpful CAST OF CHARACTERS is provided at the beginning of the book that may be copied and used as reference, but it is really not needed as the reader is introduced to each and they are so memorable that it's easy to keep them straight. The families are American, English, Scottish, French, German and Austrian, Russian, and Welsh. There are Lords and Ladies, Dukes and Duchesses, Kings, Queens, Earls, Dukes -- even the servants, miners, and other assorted people populate this work of fiction. The author has also inserted real historical figures into the story, and their interaction with Follett's characters is very well done.
Book one of the CENTURY TRILOGY is set in Europe before, during and after World War I. From a mining town in Aberowen, South Wales, to the drawing rooms of the privileged aristocracy in Russia, Britain, Germany, and to the War Room in the White House of Woodrow Wilson -- the narrative captivates as it tells the tale of the people involved in the conflict and their lives during this period of change in the world.
The story is intriguing and complex, but eminently readable. The violence and gore that were present in Follett's previous works is absent here, and the action is fast and the storytelling fantastic. I have a fondness for historical fiction, and this work does not disappoint as the author has obviously thoroughly researched the era and has rendered it beautifully.
I won't provide a detailed synopsis of this book since the product description on this page does that, but will say that it's a drama about life and love during these fateful years and I promise you that this will go down as being one of the best books you've ever read.
I cannot recommend it highly enough and can't wait for the sequel! This book, however, has a very satisfying conclusion and can stand alone as you are not left with unanswered questions at the end! Historical fiction at its best.
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960 of 1,111 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Accidental History, August 10, 2010
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I wanted to like Fall of Giants. After all, what's not to like in a sweeping historical novel that takes place over the period encompassing the First World War? That was a time, just over a century ago, when there were real class distinctions between the regular people and royalty, when European kings and queens married across houses and countries to solidify relationships, and when the first signs of unrest and anger in the working classes started to boil up.
The problem isn't with the history. In any book that is a historical novel focused so specifically on actual events, we already know the history - it's the characters and their interactions that make the story come alive and introduce us to new perspectives about the period. The problem with Fall of Giants is that the characters are a little too thin and contrived, although believable, but they constantly interact in almost impossible ways and locations.
For example, two peasant brothers in Russia are separated. One leaves on a boat thinking he is headed for America and ends up in Wales. The other remains and becomes radicalized by the growing demands for socialism. The first eventually ends up in the US, marries far above his station, and angers his father in law who ensures he is drafted. The brother that remains in Russian rises and becomes a commissar in the Army. The brother in the US is eventually sent to - you guessed it - Russia to work with the White Army and encounters his brother. If this were the only instance of incredible happenstance in the book, it could be overlooked. But all of the significant characters are constantly meeting in the most unusual places and ways. I understand that the resolution of the First World War caused much change, but the characters simply interact in ways that are almost Forrest Gump-like in their ability to be where the evolving action is happening.
It's all here - the Christmas ceasefire when the British and German soldiers meet in no-man's land. Of course two friends on opposite sides meet here as well. The fall of the Russian government and the resolution of the War by Wilson. The collapse of the German government and the start of the Weimar republic. If you are a student of this period, the book highlights a number of famous, and not so well known events, like the US support of the White Armies in Russia.
But we know the history, and the characters and their interactions aren't believable enough to overcome the forced and somewhat predictable plot. Will the German husband and the English lady, married in secret, meet again after the war? Drumroll please...of course they will. And so on throughout the book.
You have to admire any book ONE of Three that is almost a thousand pages, but by blending too many stories and characters the author is forced to make the plot "work" rather than letting the story unfold. There's a lot of effort in this work, but one leaves the book feeling like a good editor and a better plot would have made the book a lot better.
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