Product Description
Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep, beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.

Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits...Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House...two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution...Billy's sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London...

These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as, in a saga of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, Fall of Giants moves seamlessly from Washington to St. Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. It is destined to be a new classic.

In future volumes of The Century Trilogy, subsequent generations of the same families will travel through the great events of the rest of the twentieth century, changing themselves-and the century itself. With passion and the hand of a master, Follett brings us into a world we thought we knew, but now will never seem the same again.Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, September 2010:Welcome to the 20th century as you've never seen it. At over 1,000 pages, Fall of Giants delivers all the elements that fans of Ken Follett have come to treasure: historical accuracy, richly developed characters, and a sweeping yet intimate portrait of a past world that you'll fully inhabit before the first chapter is through. The story follows five families across the globe as their fates intertwine with the extraordinary events of World War I, the political struggles within their own countries, and the rise of the feminist movement. Intriguing stories of love and loyalty abound, from a forbidden romance between a German spy and a British aristocrat to a Russian soldier and his scandal-ridden brother in love with the same woman. Action-packed with blood on the battlefield and conspiracies behind closed doors, Fall of Giants brings the nuances of each character to life and shifts easily from dirty coal mines to sparkling palaces. There is so much to love here, and the good news is the end is just the beginning: Fall of Giants is the first in a planned trilogy.--Miriam Landis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (489)

This review is for the audio version
If I had bought a hardcover addition instead of an audio version I think I would have given this story 4 Stars.But John Lee who reads the story did such a wonderful job with the accents, especially the Welsh that he made the characters so real for me it fully deserves five stars.I love sprawling epic stories and Fall of Giants was set in my favorite time period.Another thing that made this story stand out was that Mr. Follett seamlessly wove in so many interrelated points of view that it added to the drama of what was happening to each character. I can hardly wait for the sequel to find out what happened to these people.I hope the talented John Lee reads it, and I fervently hope Lloyd wins the Victoria Cross in WWII and stuffs it up Fitz's nose.

I was really torn when I read prior reviews after I had purchased this eBook
After all, how exciting is it to learn that Mr Follett was kicking off a new trilogy? After the agonizing 10 years between Pillars of the Earth and World Without End which was well worth the wait (as opposed to Dan Brown's disappointment but that is another review for another time).
The average rating before I started reading was 2 stars, astonishing given the great writing on the aforementioned duology. Come to find out it was reviewers who had hijacked the review process to protest the price of the Kindle version. How unfair to Mr Follett.
Having gotten that out of the way, I loved this book for its entertainment value, the historical backdrop was terrific (even though we know the outcome of all of them) and the author's ability to take so many different strands and knit them in parallel is a blast, keeps the book from becoming overwhelming and provides constant changing of venue.
I eagerly await the next in the series. Please God it is not 10 years.

Greatest!
Facts surrounded by fiction.I learned more about WWI than any history book I ever read.Outstanding!Strong recommendation.

REALLY GREAT BOOK
I read both "world without end" and "pillars of the earth" I then read "The fall of giants" I loved every page and am looking forward to the second and third book in the group. This book was really a wonderful read!

I'm joining the boycott
Those Penguin morons must never have heard of the supply and demand curve, as they've lost far more money in this price gouging scheme than they could have hoped to gain. All the one star reviews are a sale lost, and future sales of Penguin books judging by the outrage and negative PR. Please don't blame Amazon and Kindle as it's the publisher that sets the price. BN Nook is in the same fix. Penguin is in collusion with Steve Jobs and his Ipad to destroy the ebook market. Fortunately Congress is looking into theseprice fixing shenanigans. This is a shameful blot on the history of the publishing industry (along with blocking text to speech) when you consider ebooks save recourses and minimize environmental damage. Boycott Penguin and Apple and write/email your local Congressman. Hopefully Follet will wize up to how he's been used in this scam and will find another publisher for future books. The hardcover btw is currently $18 compared to the $19.99 ebook cost. Oh yeah, as to content, it's not as good as his previous works. Not just my opinion but also that of the NYTimes book review and other literary reviews. Google them to see for yourself, and download a free sample to judge for yourself. If you still want to read it get a decent barely used almost new copy plus shipping for under ten dollars off Amazon used books so neither the greedy publisher nor author can get royalties, and save some trees in the process. Then lend it to your friends as a "kiss my kindle in the ebook" message to those greedy creeps. Support your local library! ... Read more

Product Description
In 1866, tragedy strikes at theexclusive Windfield School. A young student drownsin a mysterious accident involving a small circleof boys. The drowning and its aftermath initiates aspiraling circle of treachery that will span threedecades and entwine many loves... From theexclusive men's club and brothels that cater to everydark desire of London's upper classes to the dazzlingballrooms and mahogany-paneled suites of themanipulators of the world's wealth, Ken Follettconjures up a stunning array of contrasts. Thisbreathtaking novel portrays a family splintered by lust,bound by a shared legacy... men and women swepttoward a perilous climax where greed, fed by theshocking truth of a boy's death, must be stopped, ornot just one man's dreams, but those of a nation,will die... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (105)

A Tiresome Fortune
Follett uses his familiar formula for this 19th Century financial saga. Weakened by predictable characters and excessive, unnecessary and tiresome sex scenes. I gave up at the half-way point. Too many good books out there to put up with this mediocre tale.

A Dangerous Fortune
Great read, could not put it down, started a little slow but really picked up.

Solid
The plot isn't as good as it could be, but the character development is outstanding! I feel like I know Hugh and Augusta better than I know some friends!

Great reading...
I just want to say that I enjoyed this book a lot.It's my first Follet novel, and I'm amazed how well written the story is.I recommend this book to anybody who wants to spend some hours reading about scandals, financial crisis and complicated love stories.

Another great book from K. Follet
I really enjoyed this book as I do most written by Ken Follet. He is one of my all time favorite authors and did not disappoint with this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to The Pillars of the Earth.

Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England that centered on the building of a cathedral and the men, women, and children whose lives it changed forever. Now, two centuries after the townspeople of Kingsbridge finished building the exquisite edifice, four children slip into the forest and witness a killing-an event that will bind them all by ambition, love, greed, and revenge...Amazon.com Review
Ken Follett has 90 million readers worldwide. The Pillars of the Earth is his bestselling book of all time. Now, eighteen years after the publication of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett has written the most-anticipated sequel of the year, World Without End.

In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed--"it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you" (Chicago Tribune)--and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel.

World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas--about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race--the Black Death.

Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World Without End breathes new life into the epic historical novel and once again shows that Ken Follett is a masterful author writing at the top of his craft.

Questions for Ken Follett

Amazon.com: What a phenomenon The Pillars of the Earth has become. It was a bestseller when it was published in 1989, but it's only gained in popularity since then--it's the kind of book that people are incredibly passionate about. What has it been like to see it grow an audience like that?

Follett: At first I was a little disappointed that Pillars sold not much better than my previous book. Now I think that was because it was a little different and people were not sure how to take it. As the years went by and it became more and more popular, I felt kind of vindicated. And I was very grateful to readers who spread the news by word of mouth.

Amazon.com: Pillars was a departure for you from your very successful modern thrillers, and after writing it you returned to thrillers. Did you think you'd ever come back to the medieval period? What brought you to do so after 18 years?

Follett: The main reason was the way people talk to me about Pillars. Some readers say, "It’s the best book I’ve ever read." Others tell me they have read it two or three times. I got to the point where I really had to find out whether I could do that again.

Amazon.com: In World Without End you return to Kingsbridge, the same town as the previous book, but two centuries later. What has changed in two hundred years?

Follett: In the time of Prior Philip, the monastery was a powerful force for good in medieval society, fostering education and technological advance. Two hundred years later it has become a wealthy and conservative institution that tries to hold back change. This leads to some of the major conflicts in the story.

Amazon.com: World Without End features two strong-willed female characters, Caris and Gwenda. What room to maneuver did a medieval English town provide for a woman of ambition?

Follett: Medieval people paid lip-service to the idea that women were inferior, but in practice women could be merchants, craftspeople, abbesses, and queens. There were restrictions, but strong women often found ways around them.

Amazon.com: When you sit down to imagine yourself into the 14th century, what is the greatest leap of imagination you have to make from our time to theirs? Is there something we can learn from that age that has been lost in our own time?

Follett: It’s hard to imagine being so dirty. People bathed very rarely, and they must have smelled pretty bad. And what was kissing like in the time before toothpaste was invented?

Customer Reviews (668)

An excellent read
I received the book in good time.It is filled with wonderful characters, and is an enjoyable reading experience.

GREAT BOOK!!!
I'm reading this book now, and I'm enjoying it as much as I enjoyed "Pillars of the Earth."It grabbed me from the first page; I know I'll be disappointed to get to the end and have to leave the characters behind.

disappointing
after reading - and enjoying - pillars of the earth this book was disappointing.
pretty much the same story, just different time and different names.

60-plus missing pages
This is a great read.However, there are 60+ pages missing from the paperback. That's not a small error. Think I should get a discount on next Amazon book.

When you get to a certain point, it feels very real
Im at the beginning of chapter 3, and I have the same feeling that reminded me of why i liked reading The Pillars of The Earth, it's that once you get to a certain point in either book it begins to feel very real, and you find yourself invested in the characters. I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest, the reading is very good for downtime, I'd recommend it to almost anyone, the only thing I'd say is that they both get violent plenty of times, including rape, and there's already been two graphic violence moments in this one. Take Care. ... Read more

Product Description

One enemy spy knows the secret of the Allies' greatest deception, a brilliant aristocrat and ruthless assassin—code name: "The Needle"—who holds the key to the ultimate Nazi victory. Only one person stands in his way: a lonely Englishwoman on an isolated island, who is coming to love the killer who has mysteriously entered her life.

Customer Reviews (136)

LOVE THIS THRILLER!
Simply put, this is a must read. The first time I read this book was when it was 1st published. It remains one of my top 5 books of all time.

EYE OF THE NEEDLE IS SUPERB SPY NOVEL
Eye of the Needle was the first spy novel I ever read.I got so hooked on the genre, I've been reading espionage novels ever since.Ken Follett is a veritable giant of the writing world!I highly recommend that you read this book and become an avid Follett fan like me!

Salvatore Buttaci, author of Flashing My Shorts

Eye of the Needle
Product arrived way before the schuled delibery date & product was in good condition. Great service.

Another great Follett thriller
I found Ken Follett about 3 months ago and this is my 4th Follett novel and, like only one or two other authors, he consistently delivers thrilling content.

World War II is the back drop to this spy thriller. The "Needle" is the nickname of the German spy working in England who is being hunted by the British MI5. He leaves a trail of death as he works his way North and ends up on a remote island off the Scottish coast.

On his trail is a an MI5 officer who is close on his heels but time after time sees the needle slip away.

On the remote island is a resourceful but lonely wife and mother of a son who initially falls for the spy and enters into a torrid affair with him while her crippled husband goes about his sheep tending.

She finally figures out what the needle is up to and takes matters into her own hands.

Follett's pacing is right on the money for me and he keeps me hanging on every word. The paragraph lengths are just about right and the tension mounts relentlessly.

This one I definitely recommend.

With the Action of a Hand Grenade
This is a short book, compared to a Tom Clancy or a Frederick Forsyth. However, while they produce truck bombs, this little book, in Follett's lethal steady hand, can deliver devastation, like a hand grenade, or the tiny weapon used by the villain.Your emotions are not spared at any time, and at no point must you, as with a Clancy novel, look up, take a deep breath and say "HUH?"I read this book shortly after it came out, now reading it again 30 years later, this small powder keg has not grown damp with the passing years. ... Read more

Product Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett comes this spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England. The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the lives entwined in the building of the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known-and a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1631)

An excellent read
Received book in good time.It is filled with wonderful characters, and is an enjoyable reading experience.

The Pillars of the Earth
An excellent story set in 12th Century England.Follett does a great job of describing the religion, politics and society of this interesting time in history and he does it with fascinating well developed characters.If you like historical fiction and have an interest in the middle ages you will love this book.Stick with it because it gets better and better as the pages go by.

"Good" is Conditional
My first title was going to be "Good vs Evil", however the good in this historical novel is very conditional. Philip, a monk, was certainly an example of good thoughout the story, but he constantly used the people by taking their money and labor in exchange for forgiving their sins. This was all for the building of his beloved Cathedral. The Priors, Deacons, and Bishops all should be good, not, they were in the habit of forgiving sins even before they were committed and for such acts as murder, if it achieved their selfish goals. Some Earls were evil too wherein if you didn't pay your taxes you would be killed or your wife or daughter raped. Stealing was evil then in the 1100's as it is today, but even more so then in that the common people had very little to begin with.

The true good in this story can be seen in the common people as Tom Builder and his step-son, Jack who were craftmen who wanted to build beautiful cathedrals. Also Johnny Eightpence, who cared so lovingly for the baby, Jonathan. There was Aliena who cared so well for her Brother to fill her Father's dying request of her. Lastly, there was Ellen, the "Witch", who fought evil in her own way.

This was a long read, but a very good one if you want to see how things have not really changed a lot in 900 years. One big change though was that most of their meals, even breakfast consisted of beer and bread, children included and they built structures that stand today.

A Great Read
This book is very good. I picked it up after watching the miniseries. All in all its great, the only negative is sometimes he describes things that dont need to be described like Rape.

A Walk through the 12th century.
I bought this book when I started watching the mini series on TV. The book has it all. History, mystery, romance, comedy...
I enjoyed the way the author painted the scenes, the people, and the emotions of the times.
I hope the author continues with this style of novel. ... Read more

Product Description
Set in North Africa, summer 1942, during Rommel's campaign against the British. This is the story of Alex Wolff, master spy, who treks across the Sahara and covertly enters the plot-ridden streets of wartime Cairo. And of Major Vandam, the British officer who is on Wolff's trail, sworn to destroy him. Wolff's mission is to steal British military plans and send them to Rommel, using a code whose key is buried in the pages of Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca. As Rommel's troops come closer to victory, Vandam edges closer to Wolff and the crucial key. There are incredible chase scenes: a motorcycle hurtling through blacked-out Cairo; the flash of a knife, a gush of hot blood, and the fleeting shadow of an escaping assassin; a harrowing race against death and a speeding train. Follett builds tension and suspense to a screaming pitch as he follows the adversaries across the internal desert to a confrontation as startling as it is explosive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

Great novel to lose yourself in.
I like Ken Follett's style of writing. He introduces us to the characters and has a wonderful way of rounding them out by giving us an idea of why they think and feel how they think and feel.

This novel is set in British occupied Egypt during the early days of world war II. We have the Nazi spy and the British officer who battle it out in a head game with a supporting cast who's allegiances to both are carved in history.

It's great cloak and dagger stuff that puts the very outcome of the war in the hands of the two men Van Damme (Brit) and Wolff (Nazi). Van Damme always seems one step behind Wolff who, code named "Sphinx", is reporting directly to Rommel. The Afirka corps under Rommel is acting on Wolff's information as they move towards Egypt and ultimately liberation from the British.

Standing between Rommel and victory is Major Van Damme the British intelligence officer who, despite little support from his superiors, is going after Wolff with spirit. Along the way Van Damme meets a woman who he gets to work for him and eventually falls in love with.

The story itself and especially the climax moves with such good pace it's hard to put it down.

Another Follett classic which I recommend to novel lovers.

A classic novel repackaged badly
This is a great book. Follett took a real life story of espionage and fleshed it out into an exciting novel of action and suspense in World War II. I agree that some of the characters were probably a bit of a caricature, and a few scenes were quite contrived, but this did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. I do think as a story that Eye of the Needle was superior, but this one is still one of my Follett favorites. Wonderful descriptions of wartime Egypt and colonial British empire.

My three star rating is for the Kindle format. It was laughable at times - like the incident mentioned of turning an "m" into an "r" and "n" - turning a character's name into a bit of a joke. Paragraphs seemed off at times and there were hyphenated words in the middle of the sentence. I agree with the previous reviewer that AMazon has to improve the transition from written to electronic word better, though these mistakes do not appear to deter many people from purchasing a KIndle. I still really like the Kindle, but I think that a little more effort could be put into executing a better product.

Great Book-Bad Kindle Conversion
Don't get me wrong, Key to Rebecca is a very good Follet novel.However, I read it on the Kindle digital format and found the conversion from print to digital to be very poor.Some words were blended together, such as an "r" and "n" forming an "m" and other words were repeated.While I could generally figure out meaning through context clues, it was distracting at best.If Amazon is going to market the Kindle as being superior to print, or at least as good, it needs to work out some of the kinks on the digital conversions.

Back to "Key to Rebecca"- very good suspense book.Other Follet recommendations would be "Pillars of the Earth", "Word Without End" and "Eye of the Needle".

My third foray into Ken Follett and he's yet to disappoint.
Starts a bit slow what with the exposition of the central characters: Alex, the ruthless German spy sent to Cairo, Vandam (yes, really), a 40-something major in the British Staff Intelligence, Elene, a beautiful Jewish woman who's had a string of bad luck with men, Sonja, a renowned dancer in Cairo with a strange sexual fetish (but, more importantly, an Anglophobe), and several others.

But the pace steps up when Vandam gets intrigued with the case of murder by a European named Alex Wolff who seemingly vanished into thin air. Soon enough, things take a turn for the worse when he realizes that Wolff is a spy for the Nazi. Then it becomes a cat-and-mouse game. Vandam becomes tenacious on Wolff's scent and the spy recognizes a worthy adversary.

The beauty of thrillers such as this is the coming together of events and people in so `innocent' or at least inconspicuous moments that would later have shattering effects. What's more, Follett was able to sustain it all throughout. And his portrayal of the characters leaves no room for any perfect personas: all of them are flawed and constantly stumble into mistakes.

Thru providence and the sheer gullibility in the part of a British officer, Wolff was able to get highly confidential information, resulting in resounding defeats for the British. As the trail of Wolff almost always leads to the discovery of the English novel "Rebecca", Vandam begins to put two and two together as to how Wolff operates. And as the looming force of the German army advances ever closer to Cairo, Vandam has to work quickly to catch this spy in his own game, even if it meant using Elene as bait, the woman Vandam is rapidly becoming attracted to.

This is a real take-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat race for time. By the third quarter, I was regularly quietly blurting `dammit!' whenever a new twist comes around to thwart Vandam's plan. I was glued to the pages.

A real treat. The ending *ending* was a little too soppy for my taste, but it's negligible. Wolff is not as compelling (nor as scary) as 'Die Nadel', but the story is still gripping.

Another good Follet Read
I have read several of Ken Follet's books and he has become one of my favorite authors. While this book is not on par with Eye of the Needle, or Pillars of the Earth it is a very enjoyable read. It has all the elements a good Follett book has which is a romance, some thrilling moments and characters you can't help but to feel for, root for and keep reading to see what happens. I definitely recommendthis if you like any of Ken Follett's other books and if you like World War II espionage novels. ... Read more

Product Description
Ken Follett and the intrigue of World War II-"a winning formula" (Entertainment Weekly) if ever there was one. With his riveting prose and unerring instinct for suspense, the #1 New York Times bestselling author takes to the skies over Europe, where a young Danish man-equipped with only an old derelict Hornet Moth biplane at his disposal-will change the course of the war...Amazon.com Review
An old-fashioned tale of ordinary people thrown into the drama and danger of war, Hornet Flight is a rippingly good read. The time is 1941, and British bombers attacking Germany are being blown out of the sky in horrific numbers. How do the Nazis know they're coming? The answer is an infant technology called radar, and the Brits--with help from the Danish Resistance--must figure out how and where the German radar stations operate.

Follett, an old pro at World War II storytelling, vividly evokes the period, creating a sense not of historical re-creation but of urgently unfolding news. His cast of characters is memorable, including Harald Olufsen, a brainy 18-year-old pulled into the Resistance half against his will, and--typically for Follett--several central, well-drawn women. The plot does have some predictable elements: for example, from the time Harald first encounters a tiny wood-and-linen biplane called a Hornet Moth, half-rotted and stored away in a Danish barn, we know that it will heroically take to the skies. Then, when the very outcome of the war begins to turn on Harald getting a certain roll of film from Denmark to England, well... you can see where things are headed. But it's great fun to watch them develop, and Follett throws in just enough unexpected shocks to keep you off balance. Though it lacks the intensity of Eye of the Needle, Follett's finest and best-known book, Hornet Flight offers generous helpings of suspense and a climax that could hardly be more satisfying. --Nicholas H. Allison ... Read more

Customer Reviews (115)

Not great, but...
Many of the criticisms leveled at this book by other reviewers are certainly valid, particularly the contrived manner in which Follett moves his characters about.As readers, we know we are being manipulated by the writer... but the writer should at least have the decency to conceal the fact.If this were a movie, you could see the wires and mirrors.

I liked the gadgetry -- a steam-powered Nimbus, for instance.I also appreciated that the callow teenage characters acted, well, callow.Ever read a book where the teenagers act and talk like super-suave, hyper-cosmopolitan thirty-five year olds?Whether by chance or design, Follett avoids this error.Unfortunately, that bit of realism is just too realistic for some readers.

I also appreciated the fact that the characters are fallible.The too-perfect protagonist has always annoyed me.Well, Follett's characters make mistakes in this book (read: LOTS of mistakes).That is life, especially as a teenager, even a teenage genius.And let us not forget that in real life at least one spy was caught because he was hit by a car while jay-walking.Even spies can be amateurish, and relatively new resistance movements can expect such disasters.

So, I liked it enough to keep it on the shelf for future re-reading, but I would recommend purchasing the book used (as I did), or checking it out at the library.Key to Rebecca was greatly superior.

Missing Pages
The book was missing over 50 pages right in the middle of the book.I felt betrayed.

Farcical?
I suspect that Mr. Follett loves old airplanes and young bumblers.Essentially the future of Western Civilization (not kidding) depends on the efforts of a couple of charming(for a while anyway) 20 year-olds who must smuggle secret information from Denmark to Britain (and interpret it when they get there).They rebuild an old airplane to do so (you will be able to rebuild and perhaps fly your own Hornet by the time you finish this book).They are abetted(?) by a sadly incompetent Danish underground and its amateurish (but likable, sort of) British contacts.They are chased by a competent and very lucky Danish detective who is "not a good person".

The logical solution to Britain's military problem (bomb the stupid sites) is apparent midway through the book but everybody from Churchill (and Stalin) on down must instead wait passively for these two to escape with their extraneous information (else the RAF will be wiped out and Russia will fall).Do they escape and how, minute by minute, bolt by bolt, in a Perils of Pauline plot?You must read the book.

The whole thing is utterly farcical and if it were not for the killing, suffering, and sense of doom of early WWII one would expect Jeeves to show up at any time.Like I say, Follett probably loved the airplane and the kids and had to throw in everything else to have a book.

good read
I love Follet's books, and this one is as good as they get. I love the way he picks a historical event and makes it come alive with the interwoven plot and characters. This one is impossible to put down.

A great Ken Follett novel
Ever since I read the Eye of the Needle I've been a big fan of Ken Follett.
Once You start reading ,You will not be happy until You get to the end.
I hope He continues to write for many more years. ... Read more

Product Description
His name was Feliks. He came to London to commit a murder that would change history. A master manipulator, he had many weapons at his command, but against him were ranged the whole of the English police, a brilliant and powerful lord, and the young Winston Churchill himself. These odds would have stopped any man in the world-except the man from St. Petersburg... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Somewhat Disappointing
Prior to reading The Man From St. Petersburg, I read with great enjoyment other Follett novels--The Key to Rebecca, Eye of the Needle, and Pillars.But this one, while interesting historically, I found to be at times tedious and uninteresting.It's too bad, because the characters are complex and the story, events that led up to the first World War, is intriguing.But somehow, it missed conveying the excitement and thrills that one usually finds in Follett's novels.Some of the behavior of the main characters is really far-fetched, and sometimes the details in the story-telling became boring to read.Overall, it's not a bad book, but it just isn't up to the author's usual gripping style.

The Man from St. Petersburg
First of all, Ken Follett is a favorite author of mine and I had sort of gotten away from reading his work.When I stumbled upon some of his books I was very interested in reading them.I ordered this book and was very happy with the description which was correct regarding the condition.The book came within the timeframe stated and I have been happily reading ever since I got it.

man from St petersburg
Not what I thought it would be.rather draggy and boring. would not recommend to friends.

Among the Many Reasons to Read this Book...
This book enjoys continuing popularity twenty eight years after it first hit the bestseller list, and with good reason.It is a masterfully crafted thriller.In fact Albert Zuckerman (Writing the Blockbuster Novel) uses The Man from St. Petersburg as a pedagogical tool for outlining a novel.Zuckerman shows how Follett's outlines of the plot evolved over four outlines.The complexities of plot and the revelation of character did not flow through Follett's fingertips as he was typing.The result is one of the very best novels written, of any genre, and one of the few which deserve its commercial success.

Feliks, a Russian anarchist, is intent on killing the Russian Prince sent by the Tsar to negotiate an alliance with England, to prevent Germany from taking over all of Western Europe.His motivation is to save the lives of Russian peasants who would be killed in a cause not their own.His unwitting ally is the daughter of an English lord, who is at an age when rebellion against her parents is natural.The action builds to a fiery crescendo as the lord's manor house burns, and young Winston Churchill gets the prince's signature on the treaty minutes before the anarchist fires a shotgun point blank into his chest.In the process Follett gives us a rather serious lesson in history.You will understand where all the pieces were on the chessboard that was Europe in 1914.

Read it for the excitement; read it as history; or read it for its classic structure, but you must read it.

From Russia with Love!
Bravo.

Have you ever found yourself rooting for an assassin? Well, fasten your seatbelts.

Follett has created a wonderful character in Feliks.He's a lover of Alexander Pushkin's literature, lover of culture, art and history - as well as a fabulous lover in bed - he bleeds passion for his love and for his cause. But Feliks is also a hardened criminal. Often misunderstood. Shipped to Siberia and tortured all because he fell in love with a girl of a higher social status.

Follett sets this tumultuous novel as Europe is on the brink of WWI - The summer of 1914. Germany had already been preparing for war, both to the east and to the west. Defeat or victory appears to lie within the hands of the Russians.The Russians sends the Czar's nephew, Prince Orlov, to England to investigate and negotiate a treaty in secrecy.

But a group of anarchist, with spies in the Russian Secret Police, finds out about Prince Orlov's secret meeting. The anarchists feel the Czar is trying to drag innocent Russian peasants into fighting a war they neither care about, nor believe in.

So to prevent disaster, the anarchists send the infamous Feliks Kschessinsky to assassinate Prince Orlov. But when Feliks arrives to England, he finds secrets from his past that threaten to get in the way of his mission.

As the lies, deceit, betrayal, adultery, abound, you will be given a front-row seat to the decisions that unleashed WW1 and a look into the lives of the people who called the shots.

There were other characters there weren't as fleshed out, namely, Prince Orlov, the man who Feliks is trying to assassinate. If I knew more about Orlov, his fate would have mattered to me more - but since I know nothing about him, except that he's the Czar's nephew, I could care less about what happens to him. That was the only minor flaw I found with the book.

So while the novel was MASTERFULLY plotted and wonderfully paced, the writing did become a bit dense and dry at times. But that's just nitpicking.

Feliks Kschessinsky is a Great Romantic Russian Hero that you may remember long after reading The Man from St. Petersburg. ... Read more

Product Description
KEN FOLLETT'S INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER-

September 1939. England is at war with Nazi Germany. In Southampton, the world's most luxurious airliner-the legendary Pan Am clipper-takes off for its final flight to neutral America. Aboard are the cream of society and the dregs of humanity, all fleeing the war for reasons of their own...shadowed by a danger they do not know exists...and heading straight into a storm of violence, intrigue, and betrayal... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (70)

Great cast & amazing premise!!
Ken Follett always does such an amazing job of blending history into a fantastic fiction piece this time involving one of the last sea planes to cross the Atlantic at the start of World War II.The book really shines with the many cast members all being fleshed out and becoming individuals.This was a great drama with personal relationships thrown into a war time action novel.Great stuff!

An OK Soap Opera Set in WW II, Feminists Might Like This
Well, there are plenty of other reviews telling you about this book and most of them at least give you a pretty good idea of what it's about.Someone wrote that Follett's work is noted for having strong female characters.In "Night Over Water" the female characters are all out of the feminist's handbook.There is the dummy wife who can't make up her mind who she's in love with.Of course, she's never worked in her life, so she has to be a dummy and a victim of her cold, business-oriented husband.Then there is the corporate biatch.She's all about being a champion of corporate life and she is cast as nobly plotting revenge against her wimpy, conniving brother and his slimey attorney (well at least we agree on lawyers.)Note, this woman has far less redeeming qualities when juxtaposed with, say, Dagny Taggart in "Atlas Shrugged." And, the movie actress who is well-adjusted to the man's world because, well, I guess just because she's an actress and we all know that in the 30's an actress had to be a champion to survive in a man's world.But, Follett's male characters are all wimps, weasels, chauvinists, or some mix of all three.There is a scene where the biatch, who's quite attractive, leaves a room where the air crew are planning their flight.The author writes that as she closes the door behind her she hears the sounds of the crew talking and, although she can't make out what they're saying, they must be commenting on what a fox that was who was just in here.Are you kidding me?I mean, c'mon Follett, maybe they were talking about the flight.
If what you're looking for is a soap opera that does very little to capture the anxiety and sense of danger of early trans-Atlantic flight or World War II, "Night Over Water" is right up your alley.I strongly recommend Alan Furst's novels over this one.

Slow paced
Maybe this is just Follett's style, but there was tremendous character development, but it was just too slow paced for my taste.I only made it 60% through the book before I just became too bored to read what happens next.The action takes place on a plane, and the characters don't even get ON the plane until around p. 120, so I give the book 2-stars.I personally wasn't engrossed in the story, but I appreciate there is an audience for richly detailed, advertised suspense stories, even if they aren't exciting reads to this reviewer.

Makes me wish I'd travelled on the Pan Am Clipper
This is an interesting story.The details about the Pan Am Clipper are fascinating - the author gives us the feel of what it would have been like to take this 30 hour luxury flight.The dilemma faced by flight engineer Eddie Deakin is heart-wrenching, and the story of the thief is interesting.I don't think that this book is as good as Pillars of the Earth, but then that's a pretty high hurdle.

One distraction was the fact that a main characters, Margaret, was such a conceited, brainless little twit.We had to hear over and over again about how she was superior to her sister Elizabeth, because Elizabeth had mindlessly adopted the beliefs of their father, while Margaret had mindlessly adopted the beliefs of the first guy she had sex with.Not surprisingly, by the end of the book she has sex with someone else and conveniently forgets her earlier convictions.

This brings up another distraction - the author portrays people of the time (1939) as being obsessed with an arcane, pointless debate between two virtually identical political philosophies - communism and fascism.This is like debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or trying to choose between two flavors of vanilla.(Of course, there's a difference in the two philosophies in terms of track record - communism in the last 100 years has killed far more people than has fascism.But we all know that fascists would have killed more if they'd only had the chance.)

Perhaps the author was trying to show how muddled people's thoughts were at the time, and how little perspective they had.However, reading it today after all we've seen in the last century, it seems odd to hear people debate whether communism or fascism is better, as if there's any real difference!

Other than those points, it's a good story, and I recommend the book.

I was "nonplussed" after all the "bucking"
I read a lot of books but do not often write reviews. Mostly only after being completely disappointed and trying to be benevolent towards my fellow reader...warning them against wasting time. Time that I'll never get back.
The author has written some real stellar works (Pillars of the Earth, Eye of the Needle, which many other reviewers note, plus Triple which was left off reviews but I found to be a nice read).
This book, Night over Water, is easily one of the worst books I've read in the past couple of years. What an embarrassment to the author...really, Mr. Follett...you need to come forward and admit that you didn't actually write it. It's pathetic. Other readers commented on one dimensional characters, obvious plot lines, predictability, etc. but trust me, it's much worse than that. This book reads exactly what I would presume a drugstore romance novel might be. Just awful, shallow, and incredibly unrealistic from start to finish.
OK, so maybe in the late 1930s there were a lot of 40 year old millionaires out there but there's no possible way people in such situations act as they do on this flight into the point of no return. Well, unless they're on the set of a soap opera. Several places in the story I was inclined to toss it aside...but then gave it another chance as the plot shifted (albeit a gnat's breath) but then when the sex scene happens in Newfoundland near the end, that was the final straw. That was just too stupid. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a sex scene. But this was cribbed right from a tv soap opera or a Harlequin Romance. Very amateur. That was as far as I got folks...I have no more time to waste on this crap.
By the way, my title has to do with a couple of words that were strung together repetively in the story. Another tip off that this was not actually written by the author of Eye of the Needle; not his style. (Please please please Ken tell me I'm right!)
... Read more

Product Description
In his own bestselling tradition of Eye of the Needle and The Key to Rebecca, Ken Follett delivers a breathtaking novel of suspense set in the most dangerous days of World War II. He once again strikes Nazi pay dirt as a gang of all-female saboteurs go behind German lines.Amazon.com Review
Penzler Pick, November 2001: Each book by Ken Follett, one of the most successful suspense writers of our time, is a welcome event. With Jackdaws, he returns to his most successful era, the darkest days of World War II.

It is 1944 and the Allies are preparing for the invasion of Europe. In the occupied town of Sainte-Cecile, the French Resistance is preparing to blow up the chateau that now houses the crucial telephone exchange connecting the French telephone system to that of Germany. Bombers have been unable to inflict enough damage on the chateau to disrupt communications for more than a few hours at a time, but the Allies need to make sure that communications is down for longer so that there will be as little warning of the invasion as possible.

Felicity Clariet, known as Flick, is a British secret agent patrolling the streets around the chateau waiting for the first explosions that will give the signal for the attack to begin. She is married to Michel, a Resistance fighter. When the operation goes horribly wrong, they barely escape with their lives and Flick returns to her home in London--but not for long. When Flick returns to France it will be as part of an audacious, quickly assembled plan to put female spies in the chateau as telephone operators and cleaners, enabling the Allies to destroy the ability of the Exchange to warn Germany in advance of the landing on the beaches of Normandy. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Follett tells us that Jackdaws is based on a true story. The Special Operations Executive sent 50 women into France as secret agents. Thirty-six survived. --Otto Penzler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (167)

Not his best work
Not in the same league as Eye of the Needle. You better read about the characters before you order.Not my cup of tea.

Dont read Jackdaws, Eye of the Needle, Hornet Flight in same year
I just wanted to emphasize what another reviewer said.I used to read all the Follet back in the day of Pillars. However, i actually have a paranoid belief that he does not write all of his books.Sure Pillars and Needle are incredible, but it is hard to believe the same guy is writing this and Pillars and World Without End.i have had this feeling on other Follet books.that is why i quit reading him circa Dangerous Fortune.This triangle of WWII books is like they took Needle and told a staff guy to go and write two more like it.Anyway it remains a decent read but nothing like his two Novels.

Unbelievable
I have to say this is probably one of the worst books I have read in recent years. I described it when asked by a friend as an Enid Blyton book for grown ups, it just needed a few "jolly good wheezes" in it to round off the general effect. The plot was totally implausible from beginning to end, and by half way through I did not care what happened to any of the characters, nor quite frankly what would happen at the end of the book.

The torture and interrogation of captured and or arrested resistance or allied forces was beyond credulity, that an important member of the resistance would divulge all she knew simply to save the embarrassment of wetting herself because she was not allowed to the toilet, was laughable, as were some of the other inventive tortures that can only be described as deviant.

That "The Jackdaws" themselves were recruited in less than 24 Hours for such an important mission from a bunch of transvestites and misfits was also comical. Do yourselves a favour and leave this book on the shelves of your local bookstore, or if you really must read it see if you can get my copy from where I left it on a Hong Kong Ferry.

Follett Strikes Again!
Ken Follett is an extremely talented writer. His ability to move from epic historical novels to heart pounding adventure stories is amazing. This certainly falls into the latter category and delivers on all counts. He handles multiple perspective very well, seamlessly moving between the protagonist and antagonist without a hitch.

The story centers around Flick, a female British intelligence agent tasked with the destruction of a strategically important telephone exchange in occupied France, and proceeds in a hunter/hunted WWII spy thriller vein. Flick is countered by Dieter, a German intelligence officer intrigued by her and obsessed with capturing her alive. Interpersonal relationships abound and there is no lack of character depth. The resolution is somewhat predictable but no less satisfying for that fact. Follett keeps up the action until the very last second, blending sadness, anger, happiness and vengeance in equal parts.

I rate it right up there with "Eye of the Needle".

Note: May not be suitable for younger readers due to a couple of brief scenes involving sexual torture (they are Nazis, after all).

Well Written, Great Characters, Thilling Story.
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons.First off, i like reading or watching about anything that's about WWII and brings you up close with the horrors of war.The story is about a woman who's a British spy and is planning to blow up a telecommunications center that the Nazi's are using in occupied France.It's only days away from D-Day, before the Allies storm the beaches, and both the Nazi's and the British are scrambling to break the others' back.One Nazi in particular is a professional interrogator and torturer who's tasked with destroying the French Resistance.He's brutal and thinks only of the mission and disregards the means, but still, Follett does a great job of showing how even the most merciless Nazi's can simultaneously be rational and loving men.It gives you a really great insight into how the Nazi ideology didn't stop people from being both loving people and monsters.The British Agent is tasked with putting together a team of women to destroy the Nazi's comms so the Allies will be in better shape to intercept messages by the Nazis and hence make their invasion go smoother.Only her team is a bunch of misfits who have no idea what to do.
This isn't a very emotional book, in that you won't get too angry or too sad or too happy, instead it's a good mix of love and hate and victory and terrible loss, and therefore makes for a worthy read.Highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Sentenced to a life of misery in the Scottish coal mines, twenty-one-year-old Mack McAsh hungers for escape. His only ally: beautiful high-born Lizzie Hallim, who is trapped in her own kind of hell.

In 1766, from the teeming streets of London to the infernal hold of a slave ship headed for the American colonies to a sprawling Virginia plantation, two restless young people, separated by politics and position, are bound by their search for a place called freedom....Amazon.com Review
With action that spans two countries on opposite sides of theAtlantic, making a credible audio version of this epic tale is nosmall feat.Victor Garber, the talented actor of stage and screen(Sleepless inSeattle, I'll Fly Away, The Days and Nights of MollyDodd), does an admirable job. Garber presents the narrativepassages in a clear, confident tone and uses his extensive actingexperience to create believable voices for the many diversecharacters. Follett has thrown in a confusing array of regionalaccents and disguised characters, but the range of Garber's voicehelps keep things straight while heightening the considerable actionand communicating the powerful emotions expressed by the very largecast that gives this drama its grand sweep.

This intriguing novel hinges on the courageous struggles of the hero,an indentured coal miner who declares, "I'll go anywhere that isnot Scotland--anywhere a man can be free." Getting anywhere elseis easier said than done, especially when he's caught up in anentanglement of familial responsibility, forbidden love, officialdeceit, trickery, and violence.Even though there are plenty ofbreathless moments when proper ladies are tempted by bare-chestedhunks, this is much more than just another adventure-filled lovestory.It's also an intriguing journey into the social and politicalrealities of the late 18th century, when the rising influence of theAmerican colonies was first taking hold and the shining glory of theBritish Empire had begun its long, slow fade. (Running time: fourhours, four cassettes) --George Laney ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

Freedom
I started reading Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, and loved his style of using historical background with character storylines that have bad guys, heroes, and moral dilemmas.I am now on a quest to read all of his books.A Place Called Freedom did not disappoint when it came to feeling that the characters were real in a time period that again had oppression and hierarchy of the wealthy and poor.We get a different perspective of colonial times than we usually do with the issues of slavery vs. Virginia plantation owners.I never thought about the lives of the indentured servants, where they came from and what their stories were.Great job, Mr. Follett-- can't wait to read the next book.

Great Novel!
I found this novel to be exceptional! I haven't read Ken Follet's work prior to this, but have quickly become a fan. I have just started "Pillar's of the Earth" and am anxious to read what comes next every day. If it is as good as I thought "A Place Called Freedom" was, I won't be disappointed. I think the best thing about this novel is the depth that the author creates in all the characters and the anticipation he instills continually to read what is to come...always waiting for the victory of the lead protagonists.

Slightly disappointing
I really liked the premise of this book.The story was engaging, however, it felt rushed and I didn't feel the characters were as well developed as they could have been.Follett provides no details on about the trip to Virginia except basically say, "It was really hard and everyone was weak."Perhaps because I read Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, which were both about twice as long and incredible in the level of details given of all the characters and stoires, I expected more of this book by Follett.

Still, it's a nice read...just feels a bit rushed.

what's happened to the editing profession?
I don't recall Pillars of the Earth being this poorly written. Obvious stuff like "X said: [asks a question]" instead of "X asked: [asks a question]". Is that so hard? And that's only one example from among dozens per every few pages. I give it a four because despite the predictability, etc. I enjoyed, it kept me turning the pages, and I learned A LOT. It even spurred me to do light research on the colonies during this period. So Mr. Follet, keep doing what you're doing, but get yourself a decent editor. If you can't find one, I volunteer for the job.

A Place Called Freedom
The book came in quickly and in good condition.I have read the book and it is excellent.In fact I have passed this great book on to my mother in Boise, Idaho.Thank you. ... Read more

Product Description

From Ken Follett—the #1 name in electrifying international suspense—comes a remarkable novel of intrigue and doomsday possibilities.

Customer Reviews (39)

Book
I find that Ken Follett does a magnificent job of weaving his multiple characters into a great adventure.

Spy vs. Spy vs. Spy!
You can't tell the players without a scorecard and here's the scorecard.Ken Follett once again weaves and a amazingly complex story that is simple at heart.There are many sides to war and here we see a ton of them.Double cross on top of double cross as characters and motives keep popping up.It was a little slow going at first but then it really got moving.I enjoyed the many points of view and the research involved in this project.A really solid spy novel!

Impossible Adventure
Although entertaining, not nearly at the same level as "Pillars of the Earth" or "World Without End".
Takes what seems like a very long time to set up the plot and create the characters.
After that's accomplished, the real action begins. Or, let's delete the word "real".
The feats the hero accomplishes are so totally impossible, that not even the most powerful super heros would attempt.
Wow, can anyone really do that? The answer is "no". I like action narratives, but this is just beyond belief.
Should have been a comic book!

Triple
One of Ken Follett's best books for me.Very action packed; a great read!!!

Excellent read.
I am a great fan of Follett. I have read everything he has written and have never been disappointed. My Canadian friend put me onto this author and I am very grateful to her for many enjoyable reads. Words flow so smoothly and description put me right in the scene. Can't wait for his next book. ... Read more

Product Description
An explosive novel of high finance and underworld villainy from the grand master of international action and suspense. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Paper Money
I couldn't believe how quickly I received this book!The seller must have sent it out the same day because I got it within about three days.Great job!

Overall a good read
This review is for the New American Library (Division of Penguin) paperback edition, October 1987, 261 pages. PAPER MONEY did not make the USA Today's Top 150 Best-Selling books list, which has tracked book sales since October 1993. Ken Follett has ten novels on this best-seller list.

Tim Fitzpeterson is a politician. Felix Laski is a corporate raider preying on the weak. Arthur Cole is deputy news editor at the Evening Post. Tony Cox runs a gang of thieves. Derek Hamilton owns the controlling interest in a conglomerate that is in trouble. One day in London, these five men unwittingly fall into the same pot of soup. They stew from six in the morning until near five in the evening. There is no recipe, no chef either, and without someone to stir the brew, some of the ingredients will burn. No one knows until Ken Follett finishes cooking.

In the introduction, Ken Follett wrote, "The plot of PAPER MONEY is the cleverest I have ever devised..." and that the novel "...is the best of my unsuccessful books." The plot is intricate. The structure of the novel without a protagonist and divided into the hour-by-hour evolving collision is clever. Overall, it's a good read.

Paper Money
I have read many of Follett's books, but this one wasvery slow and
not interesting.I would give it only l star. It was not worth the money.
Ymelda De Vargas

A Dangerous Fortune
This book by Ken Follett has so many different twists and turns, and the ending is indead great with again a different twist.Don't be afraid to purchase it.It is a really good bood.

My 3rd Ken Follett
I loved Pillars of the Earth.Then I ordered three early Ken Follett books which he wrote under a different name.Paper Money is a terrific tale of the banking business in England in the 1800's.The banking family are all great characters.Murder, Mayhem and money.A great read. ... Read more

Product Description
The #1 international bestseller set in Afghanistan...NOW IN TRADE PAPERBACK. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (46)

Read the Novel, Ditch the Audiobook
It's a shame there's no separate place to review audiobooks, because frankly I can't be certain if this book is good or merely mediocre.

Having recently adopted a long commute to work, I began listening to books on CD. I started with "World Without End" and was so enthralled I immediately delved into "Pillars of the Earth". Both were fantastic... dramatic, engrossing, and thoroughly engrossing. I decided to follow these with another Follett novel and was immensely disappointed.

The narrator is emotionless and tepid, and reads through the novel so quickly it's as though someone instructed him, "Hey, we have to fit this all on eight CDs!" The "actors" are even worse... six people voicing a few dozen parts. Whether you're listening to a French woman, an Afghan woman, or an American women, it's as clear as day that this is the same person with the same monotone and lifeless inflection just using a different accent. I couldn't help but think of a class of seventh-graders sitting in a circle reading their parts in succession.

For these reasons, I only made it halfway through before I had to stop listening. I found the story relatively uninteresting and unimaginative and the characters as dull and lifeless as the voices portraying them. I also have a problem with Follett's pacing, even in the wonderful "Pillars" and "World"... he write each scene as long as has more to add, then moves on. A woman giving birth may take up 30 pages of the story, while a pivotal battle scene is over in five. Another battle scene later on may take 25 pages. It's all quite randomly-paced.

I may have to pick up the book soon, as I always try to finish a novel unless it's totally dreadful, but I will not play another of those CDs. I'd rather listen to soft-rock FM radio (and that is to say... I'd rather stick needles in my eyes)!

Worthwhile read
Follett is reliable for turning out interesting, easy to read novels.This was the first I read, and it was definitely good enough for me to try others.By doing so, I came to realize that this is not his finest work; Pillars of the Earth and Worlds Without End were truly exceptional.While this book lacks the same gripping scope and plot, it was still very well done.

One of the worst Follett books is still really, really good
Ken Follett is easily one of my favorite authors and I've been putting off reading LIE DOWN WITH LIONS since it is the last book of his I haven't read. Knowing Follett is coming out with an ambitious 3-book series starting in the fall, I decided to read this classic tale of espionage set in the Russian/Afganistan war in the early 1980s.

Ellis is an American spy and madly in love with Jane, but unable to tell her his profession. Circumstances lead Jane to traveling to Afganistan for a two year mission to provide medical care to the rebels. Jane doesn't know it, but the doctor she travels with, Jean Pierre is a Russian spy. The intrigue is typical Follett stuff. There's the twists and turns, the simplistic and humorous characterization, and a very steamy sex scene.

The novel is extremely relevant today, considering the current war in Afghanistan . The novel is worth reading just get a perspective on the times when America was on their side. Unfortunately, this book falls on the lower end of the scale for Follett novels. Too much time is spent on describing the scenery and landscape and the hardship of traveling in Afghanistan . There are several minor characters, but the novel revolves around Jane, Ellis and Jean Pierre, and it moves slowy at times.

Follett fans should definitely read this novel, but others who have read his recent novels and are interested in his earlier works should try THE MAN FROM ST. PETERSBURG, DANGEROUS FORTUNE, or HORNET FLIGHT.

Lie Down with Lions
I have enjoyed everything that Ken Follett has put out . . . this recent purchase is no exception.

My wife is a member of a women's book club and I recommended "Lie Down with Lions" as a possible selection for them to read and review . . . fortunately, for me, Ken Follett came through again . . . they loved it . . . found it not only interesting but educational as well . . . my primary choices are historical fiction based on fact . . . this book truly fit the bill . . .

Thank you!

Carlton "Chuck" LeDrew

LOVE AND ADVENTURE SPY STORY
Ken Follett is such an exceptional writer. Spies and action is not usually my kind of story. I read this book because I love Follett's writing.
I couldn't put the book down. It is an exciting page turner with rich characters, love and action. In my mind, I could picture the mountains of Afganistan and the difficulties of living in this primitive country. ... Read more

Product Description
A fabulous "lost masterpiece" becomes the ultimate prize for an art historian whose ambition consumes everyone around her, an angry young painter with a plan for revenge on the art establishment, and a desperate gallery owner who may have double-crossed his own life away... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Good Read
I read this book at the end of the spring semester. I'm not very familiar with Follet's work but I generally liked the book. It was an easy read and a great way to relax. Though it is a good easy read, I probably won't read it again though.

Good story about interesting people
This is one of Ken Follet's early books. It is really more of an good story than any sort of thriller or mystery. The book is essentially about several individuals whose lives becomes intertwined in a search for a missing sketch by Modigliani. All of these individuals are involved in the art industry. In this respect the book also provides an interesting window into the world of artists and art dealers.

WOW
When you think you've read the most thrilling novel...........you are in for a big surprise.Ken Follett is near the top of the best writers list.

surprising, interesting
Having read some of his newer books,
I was very surprise how much I enjoyed this Modigliani scandal
and it tells you a lat about arts, and even for today World of ARTS

The Modigliani Scandal
Ken Follet takes us into the world of art dealing in London. Characters travel Europe on the trail of a missing Modigliani painting. We encounter art historians, art gallery owners, artists, and art forgers. This is not a thriller in the same family with The Key to Rebecca, but it is highly entertaining and somewhat suspenseful. ... Read more

Product Description
In this classic Cold War thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett puts his own electrifying twist on the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.Amazon.com Review
Veteran thriller writer Ken Follett (Eye of the Needle, The Third Twin, The Key to Rebecca) turns in another nifty story of espionage, deceit, and betrayal, a fast-paced read with "bestseller" written allover it. A man wakes up in a Washington, D.C., train station in 1958,shortly before the launch of Explorer I, America's first spacesatellite, with no idea who he is or how he got there. And in less thana few hours, it's clear that someone doesn't want him to find out. He'sdressed like a bum, and he looks like he's been on a bender. But he'sremarkably skillful at evading pursuit, obscuring his tracks, stealing acar, and breaking into a house. He's not sure how he came by thosetalents, and it worries him:

"I wonder if I'm honest?" Maybe it was foolish, he thought, topour out his heart to a whore on the street, but he had no one else. "Am Ia loyal husband and a loving father and a reliable workmate? Or am I somekind of gangster? I hate not knowing."

"Honey, if that's what's bothering you, I know what kind of guy you arealready. A gangster would be thinking, am I rich, do I slay the broads, arepeople scared of me?"

That was a point. Luke nodded. But he was not satisfied. "It's one thing towant to be a good person--but maybe I don't live up to what I believein."

This is one of Follett's strongest books in years. The flashbacks bring thestory of the idealistic young collegians from World War II into 1958,nicely setting up the action in an exciting, solidly plotted, andsuspenseful read that grabs the reader by the throat in the first paragraphand doesn't let up until the last. --Jane Adams ... Read more

Customer Reviews (184)

A Page Turner
I don't agree with some of the negative reviews.I thought that this was a pretty good book. The suspense kept my interest. I enjoyed the story from the point of view of Lucas, the main character. I liked how the mystery was being unraveled as Lucas, who lost his memory, was discovering pieces of his identity. The plot had some fun twists and turns. The transitions between the past and present were smooth. Some of the characters could have been developed further. I had the feeling that the book may have been written in a hurry. And I was a little disappointed in the ending.

Dismal waste of paper
Scene: a London publisher's office. Time: a month or two ago.

"Ken, you owe us another thriller."

"Really? So soon?"

"Yes. We don't really care what it's about, and we won't bother with any of that editing nonsense, but we need to see a paperback in the airport book racks with the name "Ken Follett" in large type on the cover by next month."

"Gosh. Well... how about something to do with the space race in the 1950's? I won't have time to do any research whatsoever, and developing believable characters is so time-consuming; can I just slop together a bunch of cardboard protaganists, dispense with any hint of narrative logic, and have the villians come to a bad end? Oh, and I'd like to have a few gratuitous and cringingly implausible sex scenes now and then -- and hey, I just thought of a catchy but irrelevant title, 'Code to Zero.' Whatchya think?"

"Whatever. Doesn't matter. We could put your laundry list between glossy covers and the punters would buy it by the thousands. Don't worry about writing anything that's plausible, suspenseful or semi-literate. No time for that foolishness."

"Well then, we're on. Is next Friday all right?"

"Thursday would be better."

"I can do that."

"Great. Here's an advance cheque for a million pounds."

"Thanks. It's great being me. Do you need a book next month, by the way?"

Not Follet's best work
I've found Ken Follett's books to be "hit or miss", with this one in the "miss" category.

This book comes across as more mass market trash than any of his other works, and his research was shoddy at best.

The whole basis of the book was that the Russians were spying on the American Rocket program, which is a bit hard to fathom, as the Russians were far ahead of the Americans at that time.Korolyov and his team had developed the R5 and R7 by that time and didn't need Von Braun's help.

His explanation of the Buzz Bomb is laughable.

Overall, not one of his best.I suggest you try "Lie down with Lions" or perhaps "The Pillars of the Earth".

Not bad -- five stars for writing style, three for plot and storyline
This one is a page turner, no doubt of that.However, the way the storyline turns out is completely unconvincing.I do not want to write a "spoiler" review, so I cannot be too specific.Suffice to say, the actions of Elspeth and Anthony make no sense whatsoever--none, nada.The story feels like Follett decided to begin with the mystery of Luke losing his memory, and then, after about 100+ pages, decides how to tie all of the facts together.But the way he accomplishes this conclusion is, quite literally, nuts, at least in my opinion.

I purchased the Kindle edition (yay, Kindle!) and the book was well-formatted for the Kindle and a joy to read using this medium. (Now let's get the rest of Follett's works on the Kindle!)

I liked the book, but the conclusion just did not ring true.Not at all.Still, Follett fans, among whom I number myself, will like this one.Three stars to an author who is capable of a five-star novel.

Cold War up close and personal
This gripping thriller brings back the terrors of the Cold War as it follows four friends' lives after their Ivy-league college days. Follett curses his protagonist with amnesia, and follows his responses to this mysterious problem to reconstruct a saga of jealousy, betrayal, ideological commitment, and political ambition. He skillfully brings back the restrictions of social classs and behavioral codes of the times, nevertheless giving both the young men and young women action-filled parts to play. The novel effectively probes the issues of competing loyalties and loves, leaving it to the reader to identify with the best of these ambivalent heroes. ... Read more

Product Description
As a Christmas Eve blizzard whips out of the north, several people converge on a remote family house. As the storm worsens, the emotional sparks-jealousies, distrust, sexual attraction, rivalries-crackle, desperate secrets are revealed, hidden traitors and unexpected heroes emerge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (149)

OK
If someone asked me whether or not I would recommend this book, I would say no. Poor character development, poor character carry through, and somwhat predictable (if you've read Ken Follett before). I did enjoy reading it though because of the non stop action.

Tired, repetitive, artificial
I have loved Follett's books in the past - this one is a loser. The heroine is constantly thwarted by those close to her in unrealistic ways - the ex-lover is ridiculous in fighting with her sensible suggestions, the nasty sister is unbelievable, the senile mother always says the wrong thing. Early in the book the old device of describing someone by having them look in a mirror is used twice with 2 different characters - that should have warned me off.

I got the book as an audible to listen to and (this is very, very rare for me) quit about 1/3 of the way through and deleted it!

Perhaps some editing and removing 1/3 of the text could have saved it? The plot was interesting and had promise, but the constant obstacles that were too unbelievable were too much to bear to find out what happened. I found myself shaking my head in disbelief too often. How could I sympathize with a "strong" ex-cop security expert who let people run all over her some of the time?!I was willing to leave it hanging and quit.

Maybe I'll just re-read Eye of the Needle when I want Follett.

SusanD

Who wrote this dreadful book?
This book was written by some writing student, not possibly by Follett. Its beyond ridiculous. Sheila Wolfe

"Twists and Germs"
Based in Scotland during a blizzard at a germ and virus factory, this story has everything needed for a good fast read: good characters, suspense, terror, and of course a little romance mixed in. What I liked about it the most was like the road during this Scottish blizzard, you never knew what to expect around the next curve and even the straight aways were treacherous.

Wasted pages
This is my first Ken Follett novel. And my primary problem with this book is that I feel entirely to much time and pages were wasted on the "family". Halfway through the book and I'm still waiting for the crime to be committed.I have 2 more of his books that I purchased, and if they're anything like this one, I won't buy any more, even at $.01. ... Read more

Product Description
Number-one bestselling author Ken Follett tells the inspiring, true story of the Middle East hostage crisis that began in 1979, and of the unconventional means Ross Perot used to save his countrymen.

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Customer Reviews (41)

Good book, bad editing!
The story was interesting, but the editing was pretty poor. There were constant grammatical mistakes, like "had got" or "Rashid looked really shook." Let me know if you need help, Mr. Follett, I'd work cheaply.

Excellent as usual by Ken Follet
When I noticed this book was a true story based on facts I was afraid it could be boring!!So far, Ken Follet has not written s boring novel or non fiction product.It was a true page turner from the beginning of the saving of two American citizens from the clutches of the Iranian terrorists.He has presented the true life characters as though he had an insight to each of their individual feelings and thoughts.Amazing!I still have a few more Follet books to read and I shall enjoy all of them

An interesting read...
As others have already noted, this is not a typical Follett book. It is an interesting read, however, for anyone who wants to get a first-hand perspective of what Iran was like during the revolution.

My sense is that some aspects of the tale, especially all of the narrow escapes and the doggedness of the Iranian official who was cast as the villain, were embellished quite a bit to make the book more interesting.

It isn't the most engrossing of reads, but I've seen worse. If Follett had been given a free hand in how the final product was presented, it would have been much better. Perot's fingerprints are all over the place, particularly in the overly glowing descriptions of EDS employees.

An amazing and enduring true story
Ken Follett's engaging prose flows effortlessly through most ofthis bookbut at times it becomes unaccountablyprosaic.As some reviewers have suggested, there seems to be quite a bit of the voice of Ross Perot here.

Quibblers suggest that nothing heroic was done to rescue two imprisoned hostages (for that is really what they were: hostages).Anyone who has ever worked for a powerful company, especially overseas, knows he or she is at the mercy, if you will, of the man or men in charge. And up till recently, those in charge were always men.Spouses played supporting roles.But just because there is the possibility that themen who were rescued by the team that Ross Perot put togethermight have gotten out anyway--and, especially after reading this book, I would never assume that--is not to say the rescuers were not heroic.Perot himself deserves praise for sticking by his employees, at substantial personal cost.

In 1978 Iran was in a violent state of revolution.Americans at that time were particularly detested by the Iranian populace, who associated them with the hated strong man, the Shah.The Shah was deposed and Americans wanted to leave Iran and then soon realizedtheyHADto leave Iran.For some reason two employees of ELS, Ross Perot's data processing company, were imprisoned by an Iranian official named Dadgar. Perhaps Dadgar thought that one of the men, William Gaylord, was the chief of the Iranian operation, William Gayden, and it was a case of mistaken identity. The prisoners were not formally charged. Once they escaped, they made their way to the hotel where some of the rescue team were staying.Perot had put together, under the impressive leadership offormer Green Beret Colonel Arthur ("Bull") Simons, aformidable group.

From then on duringtheir journey out, ultimately via a remote road in northwestern Iran,the situation was even more hazardous and often terrifying. Another team of employees met them across the border.These second-team men had also undergone discomfort and difficulties just to get to the frontier from the Turkish side and to prepare their part of the rescue.

Even with the whole country in turmoil, Dadgar's people pursued the two men relentlessly, like a latter-day Javert.It seems a strange, and oddly personal, vendetta.The government under the Shah had hired Perot'sdata service companyEDS toset up a base so the country could have socialized medicine, but that year the government apparently ran out of money and ceased to make payments.EDS finally demanded the tardy sum and refused to do any more till they got it. That'swhen the trouble accelerated.Dadgar alleged or at least implied that EDS had been dishonest. Almost at random, it seemed, Dadgar tossedthe two EDS employees in prison, and they became the focus of the Iranian's rage with the firm.

One of their biggest problems the rescuers had was the hostile terrain in the primitive mountainous area they had to cross. Another was the anarchy of the tribal people they encountered.Each tribe answered to its own head man and it seemed there was no guaranteed safe-conduct no matter who they got to sign their documents. The Americans did skirt the law but the book states they tried to keep this at a bare minimum.

Their story as told in the book is a bit longer than it needs to be and under a lesser writer might become tedious, but in fact it is riveting all the way.The wives and families seemed to be incredibly stoic, even when they did not know exactly what was going on. It might have been more natural to see them fall apart occasionally and at least one couple eventually divorced. Thewomen, as much as their husbands, deserve honour and respect.It's hard to explain, but even though this happened thirty years ago, the wives seem anachronistic, perhaps because they are defined through masculine prisms.

Finally, at the very end of the book, Follett tells us that more American hostages were taken in Teheran in November, 1979 but he chooses--or Perot chooses--not to mention the six American hostages who made their way to the Canadian embassy and hid inside the homes of the ambassador and immigration officer John Sheardown.The courageous Canadian ambassador, Kenneth Taylor, with the cooperation of the Canadian politicians of the day to whom he answered, issued these hostages false Canadian passports so they could escape their siege in Iran. True, they did not have to break the law--at least not Canadian law-- because a special act of Parliament was passed in the first secret session since World War II, in order to issue these documents.At that point they were assisted in this endeavour by the CIA.

Theirs is still a hair-raising adventure.Without taking away from the bravery and panache of Perot's men,we wonder what Ken Follett's brilliant pen would have made of this event, dubbed "the Canadian caper,"which called for a different kind of courage, but one that was just as real.

The doughty and indomitable businessman Ross Perot generously went through a great deal of his own time and money to save these men.Likewise, Ambassador Taylor might have been forced to sacrifice his own career.Both men put everything on the line.There was every possibility that things could have ended disastrously in each case,but both men were not afraid to take a chance.

Wings of Eagles
The book was in excellent condition for an older book.Was very pleased with this transaction, thank you.
... Read more

Product Description
The FBI doesn't believe it. The Governor wants the problem to disappear. But agent Judy Maddox knows the threat is real: an extreme group of eco-terrorists has the means and the know-how to set off a massive earthquake of epic proportions. For California, time is running out.

Now Maddox is scrambling to hunt down a petty criminal turned cult leader turned homicidal mastermind. Because Judy knows that the dying has already begun. And soon, the earth will violently shift, bolt, and shake down to its very core. . . .Amazon.com Review
The tension ratchets up quickly in this abridged reading ofKen Follett's thriller. Actor Anthony Heald--a movie (The Client, The Silence of theLambs) and audiobook (Midnight in the Garden ofGood and Evil) veteran--uses a breathy, urgent delivery tospin the tale of ecoterrorist cultists and the unlikely heroes whomust stop them before they hammer California with a major man-madeearthquake. Follett has real contempt for his aging-hippie villains,which Heald gleefully communicates through lines of faux sagacitylike, "Money makes you poor" and "Marriage is the greatestinfidelity," and by having the head bad guy clear his conscience of acold-blooded murder by reciting a nursery rhyme. (Running time: fourhours, three cassettes) --Lou Schuler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (147)

Not worth while
I am a big fan of Follett's books.He writes some wonderful books, and he writes some reliable page turners.Unfortunately, he also writes a few duds.This is one of the duds.

excellent - suspenseful
I had purchased this audio book at my local library. One of the cassettes was missing.I scrambled to find a 'whole book' - It was suspenseful. There was alot of geological accuracies that pleased me. And the story line I thought was compelling. This is the book that got me started reading anything I could find by Ken Follett.

Good Read
This book might have plot holes but it is page turning and really gets you into the lives of the characters.I have fun reading this story.It is not Follett's best novel but it is good.

Epic waste of time
When a writer is out of ideas, he writes about characters. And when he has no characters, he writes the Hammer of Eden. A briefly intriguing idea is lost through lackluster plotting, flat characters and painfully inadequate dialogue. The idea of a terror group actually causing an earthquake with a seismic measuring truck is just so preposterous that no suspension of belief is possible. Throw in a hippie commune, a female FBI agent and a bunch of forgettable characters, and you actually feel sorry for the trees that were sacrificed for this production. I don't mean to be cruel to KF, but it's very frustrating reading page after page expecting something different to happen, only to be disappointed.

Ken Follett - hammer of Eden
A very interesting, and quite novel, approach to mystery writing.Ken Follet is one of my favorite authors who never fails to create interesting characters, establish great tension and suspense, and leave you with a few surprises.This was a very interesting read. ... Read more