A Column of Fire - Ken Follett's latest blockbuster

A Column of Fire

Ken Follett

12 September 2017, RRP $49.99, Hardback, Macmillan

 

Ken Follett takes readers back to Kingsbridge, the setting from the masterful epic The Pillars of the Earth, that has enchanted millions of readers.

Ken Follett’s first Kingsbridge novel, the masterful epic The Pillars of the Earth, enchanted millions of readers with its compelling drama of war, passion and family conflict set around the building of a cathedral. The sequel, World Without End, was a number one bestseller in the UK, US and Europe, taking readers back to medieval Kingsbridge two centuries later, as the men, women and children of the city once again grappled with the devastating sweep of historical change. Opening in Christmas 1558, A Column of Fire will take readers back to Kingsbridge once more.

 Ken Follett says: ‘It is a spy story set in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. There were many assassination plots against the Queen, so the people around her set up an espionage system to foil those sixteenth century terrorists. This was the beginning of the British secret service that eventually gave us James Bond.’

As in Ken Follett’s other bestselling novels, readers follow a cast of characters across their lives, allowing insight through their eyes into the most fascinating and tumultuous historical events of the period: in A Column of Fire, we follow the story of young Ned Willard. When Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen, all of Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service, to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions and invasion plans. Ned finds himself on the opposite side from the girl he longs to marry, Margery Fitzgerald. Over a turbulent half-century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed, as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings precariously to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.

 AUTHOR INFORMATION

Ken Follett was twenty-seven when he wrote Eye of the Needle, an award-winning thriller that became an international bestseller. Recently, he has written the bestselling Century trilogy, which comprises of Fall of Giants, Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity. Ken Follett’s 30 novels have sold over 160 million copies to date, and are published in 30 languages