Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy #1)

The first in Ken Follett’s ground-breaking Century Trilogy, Fall of Giants is a captivating novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.

A WORLD IN CHAOS

1911, a thirteen-year-old boy, Billy Williams, begins working down the mines as George V is crowned king. The escalating arms race between the empire nations will put not only the king but this young boy in grave danger.

A TERRIBLE WAR

Billy’s family is inextricably linked with the Fitzherberts, the aristocratic owners of the coal mine where he works. And when Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London, their destiny also becomes entangled with that of Gus Dewar, an ambitious young aide to Woodrow Wilson, and two orphaned Russian brothers, the Peshkovs, whose plan to emigrate to America falls foul of conscription, revolution and imminent war.

A REVOLUTION THAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING

When Russia convulses in bloody revolution and the Great War unfolds, the five families’ futures are entwined forever, love bringing them closer even as conflict takes them further apart. What seeds will be sown for further tragedy in the twentieth century and what role will each play in what is to come?

Continue the captivating Century Trilogy with Winter of the World and Edge of Eternity.

About the Author

Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales. After studying philosophy at University College London, he became involved in centre-left politics, entering into journalism soon after. His first thriller, the wartime spy drama Eye of the Needle, became an international bestseller and has sold over 10 million copies. He then astonished everyone with his first historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth, the story of the building of a medieval cathedral, which went on to become one of the most beloved books of the 20th century. One of the most popular authors in the world, his many books including the Kingsbridge series and the Century trilogy – a body of work which together chronicles over a thousand years of history – and his latest novel Never - which envisages how World War III could happen – have sold more than 188 million copies.

Reviews

"Few works set out with such a grand concept as Ken Follett’s new Century trilogy, but part one suggests that the series will be one of the literary masterpieces of our time... while grand events and themes are at the core of the novel, it is the richness of the characters and the intertwining of their often disparate stories that steal the show" ―The Sunday Times

"He’s pulled it off again with Fall of Giants: it’s classic Follett with the brewing cataclysm of war given a human angle" ―Sunday Express

"Follett is masterly in conveying so much drama and historical information so vividly" ―Scotsman

"The master storyteller Ken Follett knits together British, American, German and Russian points of view from the start to the end of the First World War into a fascinating and remarkably fertile tapestry of society and politics" ―The Times

"An epic saga on a grand scale. Spiked with romance and intrigue... This involving historical saga is the perfect read for long winter evenings" ―Choice

Dimensions: 13.1 x 5.2 x 19.7 cm