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  • Fall of Giants

  • Book One of the Century Trilogy
  • Written by: Ken Follett
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 30 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (486 ratings)

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Fall of Giants

Written by: Ken Follett
Narrated by: John Lee
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Publisher's Summary

Fall of Giants is Ken Follett's 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 20th 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.

©2010 Kevin Follett (P)2010 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"A big Book, Follett''s hugely ambitious saga is a sweeping success. Ken Follett has hit another one out of the park with the initial installment of the hugely ambitious Century Trilogy. His fans will rejoice at the richness, complexity, historical sweep and simmering lust in a saga spanning the years 1911 to 1923." ( Newark Star Ledger)
"A dark novel, motivated by an unsparing view of human nature and a clear-eyed scrutiny of an ideal peace. It is not the least of Follett''s feats that the reader finishes this near 1000-page book intrigued and wanting more." ( Chicago Sun-Times)
"[Follett] meticulously reconstructs an era and leads us through the follies and occasional heroics of its protagonists real and imaginary. He is masterly in conveyers so much drama and historical information so vividly...Grippingly told, and readable to the end." ( New York Times Book Review)

What listeners love about Fall of Giants

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Breathtaking adventure back in time

This book I struggled to put down...pun intended. I got completely engrossed in the story the Ken Follett wrote surrounding the lives of 5 separate families. It completely surrounds you in their lives daily struggles and events of the time period. I was blown away by the accuracy of events described in relation to recorded events. Taking place in world war one "The great War" for a history buff this was a wonderful experience. Constantly staying awake to listen to just one more chapter engaging until the very end. It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster as you develop feelings for each of the characters described.

For an audio book this was amazingly well read. The narriator had captured each character very well with different voices for each character so you could tell the difference. I enjoyed listening to him and was very easy to understand and visualize what he read. All around I loved this novel/listen and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a historical drama while keeping the integrity of such historical events. The whole series was well written! Ken Follett is amazingly talented and captured war in such an eloquent way. #Audible1

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7 people found this helpful

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Great book!

Read this book a long time ago, but I loved liatening to it! Eagerly waiting for my next credit to come on so I can get started on #2!

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4 people found this helpful

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More brilliance from Follett and Lee

if it weren't for Audible, if never have come across Ken Follett. I'm so pleased that I did. this is the second trilogy that I'm starting and it's as good as the first so far. I expect a lot less time between each story, for obvious reasons, so it's quite important on this occasion to actively listen to reach character being developed.
I can't wait for Fitz to fall!

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Always a Fun Read

Appreciably different from the Kingsbridge trilogy. The villains are more nuanced. The epic is more sweeping. For me it got a little slow at times during the war and the Russian revolution. But I like historical fiction because of Ken Follett. I like him best when he dwells on the personal plight and development of each of his characters. And John Lee, the audiobook narrator, is superb as always. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

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1 person found this helpful

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Excellent read!

Excellent book. Excellent reader.
The images of the characters and the times were very vivid.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Jaw dropping performance

Beautifully written book and an incredible performance! The best I’ve heard since I started listening to audio books. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Author’s politics shine through, but well written

An excellent story, obviously based in true events. Authors left leaning politics shine through, but don’t ruin the story.
Narrator is amazing

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Ken Follet does not dissapoint!

I haven't read a Follet book in over a decade, and I am so glad I chose this one! rich eloquent story, fantastic narration and smart twists and turns. This pulled me in, I can't wait to listen to the rest of the trilogy!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant, mesmerizing work!

I absolutely loved listening to this book. The story was masterfully written and narrated! The historical relevance is indisputable and the writing was so creatively funny that I had a few too many lol moments, sometimes in inconvenient places.. Starting Winter of the World as soon as I submit this review!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Stereotypical & Dull

Superficial treatment of the events leading to WW1 and the war itself. Fairly dull retelling. Characters are lifeless stereotypes, especially the women. I won't be reading the rest of the series.

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  • Louis
  • 2010-10-19

Loved it and learned alot.

I must admit that I was put off by the negative reviews I read. I listened to it anyway and loved it. With good characters that I cared about it is a very easy read. What I was amazed at was how little I learned in school about WW1. I think you could easily teach a course based on this book. I went to the internet constantly to learn more about incidents that were mentioned in the book. I could not put it down.

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220 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Keith
  • 2010-11-07

Ken Follett and John Lee / Audible's Dream Team

Ken Follet is a master. His books are modern day classics. Well researched and written a joy to experience. John Lee has to be the best Narrator in the business. He could make a dryer instruction manual sound interesting. In Fall of Giants, as in his other works, Lee’s consistency and character distinction are impressive indeed. Where this complex and intertwined story line with numerous characters would have been a disaster in another’s hands in Lee’s capable grasp the story unfolds clearly and beautifully. A book to savor.

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124 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Nxsuarez
  • 2010-10-04

As Good As POTE and WWE

Pillars of the Earth was the first novel I downloaded from Audible. I have re-listened to it and World Without End dozens of times and never seem to tire of them. I can see myself doing the same with Fall of Giants. There are many characters in this book because they are necessary in order to give the perspective of all the countries involved in the First World War. I feel the characters are given plenty of depth and like the other two massive tomes, this is certainly another page turner.

I imagines it would take me at least a week to listen to this book, yet I find I'm halfway through the third part after only two days. The purpose of this book is to tell a very complicated story, well enough to keep the reader wanting more. It would be so easy to get bogged down in rhetoric or politics when writing a book like this, yet Follett's writing is clear and concise, without unnecessary embellishments, descriptive enough to captivate readers with its plot and characters. Certainly worth every minute!

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Richard
  • 2010-10-03

Very Disappointed

I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth and World Without End and thought John Lee did a great job narrating them. I looked forward to walking my dog every afternoon because that's when I had the time to listen to these wonderful books. I'm a huge fan of Ken Follett so it was with eager anticipation that I endured the plodding speed of my internet connection here in Panama, and plodding is exactly the word to describe Fall of Giants. No one will ever accuse Follett of writing literature but he's generally a consummate story teller. Not this time. It's as if he were writing so that third graders wouldn't have a problem reading this. His characters have all the depth and vibrancy of coloring book characters before children have had a go at them with crayons. I had to go back and listen to parts of POE and WWE to hear John Lee's narration again. All I can attribute his dull rendition of this book to is that Follett didn't give him much to work with. It's a shame, and to say I'm disappointed would be an understatement.

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92 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Florence Nightingale
  • 2010-10-22

Great story about World War I

I had been looking for a good story that also explains how WWI came about, and found it in "Fall of Giants, Book 1". This was my first Ken Follett book, and I really enjoyed the way he tells a story and explains history at the same time. It moved right along and didn't get weighed down in elaborate descriptions that take forever to get through. Yet, he describes things well . . . I really had a good picture in my mind of the characters, scenes, etc. It is true that the main characters reconnect with one another throughout the book in ways that are somewhat unbelievable. I was forgiving of Follett for this because he is such a good storyteller. However, I do hope this feedback reaches the author so he can work on improving this one weak point. Despite this, I still give it five stars. In fact, I liked it so much that I read it twice before moving on to a new book!

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76 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Pat
  • 2010-10-10

magnificient!

This is a wonderfully plotted and scripted story that tells the tale of the events of the early 20th Century that set the stage for all that followed over that 100-year period. Ken Follett gives us the history as told and illustrated through his great and varied group of characters. Follett's fine writing and the great narration by John Lee entertainingly bring to life a period that is often misinterpreted when looking back through that period. I can hardly wait to see where Follett's characters take us as part 2 leads us into the post-Great War decades.

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  • connie
  • 2010-10-08

some good social history , but...

I respect that Follet is a great storyteller although I don't like the subjects of his blockbusters and don't enjoy his prose. Because I love the social history of the period of "Fall of Giants," I really wanted to love the novel . My Irish-Canadian "grampa" went down into the mine at the same age and year as Billy - so I was primed to be engaged by the story even if it wasn't great literaure. But this very pedestrian novel is not even as well narrated as I'd expected by John Lee to make up for the writing. I will probably plod on through the others in the series when they appear - but like the present installment, I will save the novels for background to housework, etc., not prime time listening. It's a two star novel with an extra star for good intentions.

Perhaps if I had not just finsihed Anthony Powell's "A Dance to the Music of Time" I could better tolerate Follett's stuff - Powell was prime time listening about the 20th century.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • 9S
  • 2012-02-04

Memorably Epic

Would you listen to Fall of Giants again? Why?

Yes, I will listen again because the book is filled with engaging characters, sweeping history and seamless integration of different characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Billy Williams because he is such a good person.

What about John Lee???s performance did you like?

I liked John Lee's ability to give life to the characters in this story.

If you could rename Fall of Giants, what would you call it?

The Rise of the Poor.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Chip Atkinson
  • 2011-01-03

Its Worth The Credit

I believe I have read or listened to each one of Follet's many novels. In my opinion, he is one of the best storytellers of the 20th century. This novel is no exception. Well researched and rich in the history of WWI, The Fall of Giants exposed my woeful lack of knowledge of that time period and, in particular, the events leading up to as well the the aftermath of the great conflict which ultimately led to WWII. I loved every minute of this book.

The characters are well developed and engrossing. However, there are always common and extremely shallow themes one finds in virtually all of Follet's fictional works. He is obsessed with sex and always, without exception, reveals his heroes' sex lives as virile and unabashed, while giving his villains deviant and sadistic sexual drives. Also without exception, he presents religious figures, priests in particular, as either gay or pedophiles. In reality, even at the height of the sex scandals involving priests, the guilty ones made up less than 2% of the priestly population. But Follet insists on vilifying anyone and any institution that promotes righteousness.

His extremely liberal political views have yet to taint his novels, but I fear his disdain for more recent prominent conservative figures, (he called Margaret Thatcher one of the world's truly evil leaders on NPR in 1994), will make me uneasy in the final novel of this trilogy.

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36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • JoAnn
  • 2010-10-16

Really enjoyed this book

This was a good listen. I got very involved with the characters and look forward to the next book. Yes sometimes it was predictable and trite but for someone who really loves historical fiction, this was a treat.

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35 people found this helpful