Ken Follett just never let‘s me down! I especially loved this timeframe out of the Kingsbridge series, although nothing will ever compare to the first one

Excellent

I received this from a Goodreads giveaway and that finally pushed me to get the fist two books and read the whole series - which i enjoyed all the way through. Column of fire has a different scope and tone than the first two kingsbridge books, but is still a great read that centers on kingsbridge families from long lines we've come to love.

I think am a little bit in love with Ned Willard. I love the Kingsbridge series and the most recent in the series is just as compelling. Ken Follett is the master of characters. Not only does he create the most horrific villains, that you love to hate, but he also writes the most wonderful, lovable people. A Column of Fire is set during the 16th and early 17th century and the various historical events during this time. Getting to know these 'everyday' characters, alongside the real life historical figures, gives the events a more personal touch and allows you to get an insight into history. I felt like I learned something whilst reading this, as well as enjoying the story and the ups and downs of Kingsbridge. It took me about a month to read this book, but I savoured every word. Now that I've finished it, I feel a little sad. Hopefully the next trip to Kingsbridge won't be too far in the future.

Overall this is a solid book in Follett’s Pillars of the Earth series but it wasn’t my favorite. Usually in the series history does influence the characters, but it’s ultimately a fictional town with fictional people who sometimes encounter historical figures. This book however, gets much closer to history, and it felt more like I was reading a social studies book than a work of fiction. I think also it was very focused on the religious struggles of the time period which is neither here nor there it’s just not a topic that interests me especially since the views on religion at that time were so emphatic and strict. He came out with a fourth book in the series Fall of 2020 that’s actually a prequel to the whole series and I’m really looking forward to that one!

An enjoyable read but I preferred the first two books in the trilogy. This book had very little to do with Kingsbridge and was more about Queen Elizabeth's reign and the various events that took place during that period.

Another excellent historical novel by Ken Follett.

Well if I first was skeptical of Ken Follett novels and if I only thought it was an overrated reaction from everyone, then I have to stay I fell into the charm of this novel and got addicted to them! because as soon as I put “A world without end” down I picked this one up! Eager to see what tales were waiting for me and what I would learn! I went into both books knowing nothing of the story, that way I think I was kinda of eerie with both of the novels, and what a wonderful surprise did I have not when I opened Columns of fire and found out that it told a story on one of my favourite times in history! Both the 1500 meaning the begging of the Discoveries era (a very dear age to anyone from Portugal) all the way to the story of Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I. I ADORED IT. I’m not a big fan of the Catholic Church or any religion based wars so I was kind of afraid going into this, but I deeply enjoyed the fact that the author doesn’t glorified the Catholic Church (thank you) but at the same time didn’t glorified the other ones. Because all of them were wrong when extremists and all of the people who advocate for them are selfish and corrupt. The fact that the characters were linked to the characters I soo deeply enjoyed from the previous book left a smile on my face when I picked up the subtle references (sometimes not subtle, only references) about them! The big main difference between both books I’ve read was the lack of a strong romance! Meaning that first big romance you are first introduced with Ned and Margery was not so appealing as the others! I was more interested in their separated stories (mainly ned for being a spy) than there joint ones (even though the beginning was very *interesting* if you know what I mean) but I liked Sylvie s lot more for Ned than Margery, because she seemed to defy and keep him on his toes ( like Caris did to Merthin)! Nonetheless I despised with all of my being Pierre and Rollo, I just wanted to hit them in the head with something so they would stop meddling with everything! (But that’s how you know villains are well written!) I also enjoyed the fact that the story was not all spent in Kingsbridge, even though that contributed to the fact that you had little contact with characters who lived there so you ended up not having the same connection as prior. But it was really nice to see the world in that time! The only thing I didn’t like so much was the fact that the Carlos and Ebrima part of the story ended abruptly and with nothing else added! Other than that LOVED IT

Religion doesn't seem to provide peace to many. So much intolerance and anger. So much fire and murder. This book can be lined up with Shogun to show what was going on in the other side of the world.

Unfortunately DNF I love the first two books in the series (Pillars of the Earth is actually my all time fav book) as the characters were unforgettable and the stories made me feel so many emotions. This one fell flat because it lacked those things. It felt a little rushed and I realized that I did not really care about any of the characters, so that is why I stopped reading

Mi reseña en el canal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBJIX...

As with the first two books in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed A Column of Fire. Though there were pockets here and there that I didn't care for due to plot decisions and writing style, I feel that Follett did a very impressive job interweaving not only the stories of his own fictional characters but those of real historical figures as well. One of the things I appreciate most about A Column of Fire is how Follett brought both this book and the entire series to a grand close. It was bittersweet but wonderful, and it is the reason I feel confident awarding it five stars!

I'm exhausted. Not because it is a 900 page book, but because the storyline is so good. I don't know how Follett does it, weaving an extensive fictional story into the actual history, but it's great. Now I need to rest!