A Column of Fire
Author | Ken Follett |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Published | 2017 (Penguin) (UK edition) |
Publication place | United Kingdom |
Media type | Print (Hardback) |
Preceded by | World Without End (Follett novel) |
A Column of Fire is a 2017 novel by British author Ken Follett,[1] first published on 12 September 2017.[2] It is the third book in the Kingsbridge Series, and serves as a sequel to 1989's The Pillars of the Earth and 2007's World Without End.[3][4][5]
Plot
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2017) |
Beginning in 1558, the story follows the romance between Ned Willard and Margery Fitzgerald over half a century. It commences at a time when Europe turns against Elizabethan England and the queen finds herself beset by plots to dethrone her.[6]
Characters
- Ned Willard - a Protestant, and the oldest son of a prosperous Kingsbridge family[7]
- Margery Fitzgerald - a Catholic
- Rollo Fitzgerald - Margery's brother and avowed anti-Protestant
- Sylvie Palot - a Parisian Protestant
- Pierre Aumande - an ambitious spy
- Sir Francis Walsingham
- Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth
- Mary I, Queen of England and Elizabeth's older sister
- Mary Queen of Scots
- Henry I, Duke of Guise
- Francis, Duke of Guise, the father of Henri I of Guise
- Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre
- Catherine of Medici, Queen Consort of France
- Francis II, King of France and the first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots
- Charles IX, King of France
- Henri III, KIng of France
- Henri de Bourbon, King of Navarre, the son of Antoine and a prominent Protestant until he converted to Catholicism upon becoming King Henri IV of France
- Marguerite de Navarre, daughter of Catherine de Medici and King Henri II of France and Queen Consort of Navarre and later of France as first wife of Henri de Bourbon
- Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots
- James I/VI of England and Scotland, son of Mary, Quuen of Scots and Lord Darnley
- Anne of Denmark, Queen Consort of England and Scotland as the wife of James I/VI
Reception
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2017) |
Bill Sheehan of The Washington Post summarises the book by commenting: "Like its predecessors in the Kingsbridge series, “A Column of Fire” is absorbing, painlessly educational and a great deal of fun. Follett uses the tools of popular fiction to great effect in these books, illuminating a nation’s gradual progress toward modernity. The central theme of this latest book — the ongoing conflict between tolerance and fanaticism — lends both relevance and resonance to the slowly unfolding story of England’s past."[7]
References
- ^ "See the Cover for Ken Follett's Elizabethan Epic 'A Column of Fire' -- Exclusive". EW.com. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge, #3)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Review | Ken Follett returns to Kingsbridge with spectacular drama in 'A Column of Fire'". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Spanberg, Erik (12 September 2017). "'A Column of Fire' is half historic epic, half thriller – all of it engaging". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Post, Bill Sheehan, Special to The Washington. "Ken Follett's return trip to Kingsbridge". poconorecord.com. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ The Kingsbridge Novels Series Accessed 2017-09-04
- ^ a b "Review | Ken Follett returns to Kingsbridge with spectacular drama in 'A Column of Fire'". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 September 2017.