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A Column of Fire

A Kingsbridge Novel

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A Column of Fire

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

The page-turning historical saga that began in The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, which now continues with Ken Follett's magnificent, masterful A Column of Fire.

A World in Turmoil

1558, and Europe is in revolt as religious hatred sweeps the continent. Elizabeth Tudor has ascended to the throne but she is not safe in this dangerous new world. There are many who would see her removed, not least Mary Queens of Scots, who lies in wait in Paris.

A New Order

Elizabeth determines to set up a new secret service: a group of resourceful spies and courageous agents entrusted to keep her safe and in power. As she searches for those who will make the difference, one man stands out.

A Man Who Would Die for His Queen

For Ned Willard the opportunity to serve his queen is God-sent. He cannot stay in Kingsbridge and watch the love of his life marry another, and as fires burn and extremism begins to spark throughout Europe, Ned makes his choice. He will spend his life protecting his monarch from the tyrants who aim to destroy her or die trying . . .

 Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Renaissance Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Critic Reviews

Follett's storytelling skills make their adventures riveting
Deploying a substantial cast of characters, Follett unrolls a familiar history of religious and political ferment and turns it into accessible and enjoyable fiction
This triumphant saga, begun almost 30 years ago with The Pillars Of The Earth, moves across England to Scotland, France and the New World
A sumptuous slice of swashbuckling Elizabethan romance
The characters, both fictional and real, are fascinating, and the Tudor period setting holds its own special allure. This is a novel that fans of historical fiction will savour and cherish
A huge read, perfect for long winter nights
A thundering ride through history
Follett has once more lit the touch paper of English history and allowed it to explode across the pages in in all its vivid technicolour
All stars
Most relevant
I really liked this book, it was a great addition to the trilogy. It feels quite different from the first two books as it is follows events from all over western Europe, while the first two are mostly set in Kingsbridge. Another difference is that this one reads a lot like a spy novel, with the central characters having a lot of influence over key political figures from history. This is not a detriment to the story however, as Ken is very experienced writing spy novels and I was engaged in the plot from start to finish. Once again the cast of characters is well fleshed out, with a great mix of fictional point of view characters and real historical figures. Seeing these characters experience key events in history was a pleasure, as always.

John Lee does a great job narrating, as he did for the first two books. This is the most demanding performance due to the varied accents of the characters but Lee does not skip a beat and embodies each character effortlessly.

Excellent historical fiction

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loved the book and the narration was easy to listen to I enjoyed being able to listen when driving. Not at all disappointed.

Column of Fire

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I liked the whole series, a little bit slow to start but once I got into the books I couldn't find enough time to listen.

Brilliant story telling

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This book takes you to the time and place. It puts you there in history.

Ken Follet at his best

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My favourite in the series so far (on par with the evening and the morning). It is different to any of the other books in the series as it places Kingsbridge more in a European context. I enjoyed it and felt like a fusion between some of his spy novels and Century trilogy books.

John Lee as always was amazing, the range of accents is incredible.

Fantastic addition the series

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