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Comments (26)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 26 items
Sep 06, 2023
#4 in the Ken Follett Kingsbridge Series
Jul 28, 2023
#3
Jun 01, 2023auroralibrary1 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Excellent!!!
Apr 01, 2022janetphahn rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This novel started slowly and I feared it wouldn't match the intensity of Follett's other middle-age epics. But hanging in was worth it...Follett provided another gripping historical fiction about the Elizabethan era, full of his…
Mar 24, 2022Anita_Dickey rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I read this book for the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I used the 2021 prompt read a book related to the word "fire" I didn't like it as much as the first two. It was still interesting, but the first book of this series is the…
Sep 11, 2021russeryan rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
After the first thirty pages I had to put the book down. As some other reviews have said, the dialogue just doesn't read very well. It's unfortunate, since what I've seen of the worldbuilding seems to be a shining part of this novel.
Jul 28, 2021
returned after 100 pages. Disappointed in the dialogue and thought it was poorly written. Anachronisms were particularly annoying. I've read a few of his earlier novels and always thought he was a good storyteller. I can't believe this…
May 11, 2021
I have known most sequels to grow boring or pollute the legacy of the works before it, but not this one. “Column of Fire” was painlessly educational and the lives of the characters kept me effortlessly captivated. Once again, Ken Follett…
Apr 12, 2021lpreston214 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I read nearly 500 pages of this book before abandoning it. I read Pillars years ago and loved it and just read Evening and the morning and liked it also. Sadly I just didn't care about these characters nor the plotting and intrigue which…
Apr 06, 2021tjdickey rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Sadly, this was even below the standard that Follett himself set in the opening pair of the trilogy (and even those two were a bit heavy on anachronism and 21st-century attitudes grafted onto earlier times).
Apr 06, 2020writermala rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I haven't read that many Historical Epics so this was a novel experience for me (Yes, pun intended.) I found the book amazing. It had everything a really good book needs and since it was based on history one couldn't refute it either. It…
Feb 25, 2020Howie2020 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The last in the Kingsbridge series and sadly the least of all three. The actions jumps all over the place and the number of characters to keep track of (usually high to begin with) is even more difficult in the first few hundred pages.…
Jun 13, 2019vega6e rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Lots of history about the Reformation and the battles between Protestants and Catholics, England and France, I had no idea it was so bloody.
Feb 04, 2019tracysue rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Follett is one of my favorite authors. All of his historical fiction tales are very readable, well researched, epic stories. This one was, too, but it was not my favorite. An entertaining read, but not his best.
Nov 29, 2018martins_mom rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A big rich read about life in Tudor England, with particular emphasis on the religious rivalries and restrictions of the time. I liked the miniseries of The Pillars of Earth, the first book of this trilogy - the first time I ever saw Eddie…
Oct 10, 2018AProkesch rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I liked the historical background, therefore I rated the book with 3 stars. Otherwise, its a rather plain story with simple characters. I guess one has to find a compromise between the vast amount of historical background and the…
Jun 20, 2018richmole rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This is a really bad book. It's shocking, actually, when you consider that the author--much earlier in his career--had so many very good books: Man From St. Petersburg, Lie Down with Lions, Eye of the Needle, Key to Rebecca. Decades…
Jun 05, 2018Memawrayne rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A great third book in The Kingsbridge series. A lot of history that reminds readers how awful intolerance is. I had recently read a book about religious terrorism and learned that more 'Christians died at the hands of other Christians…
Apr 18, 2018USAF1969 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I have read all of Ken Follett's books and liked them all a lot. With PILLARS OF THE EARTH though, he took a major leap forward in writing historical fiction. Now with his third book in the Kingsbridge series, A COLUMN OF FIRE, he has…
Apr 16, 2018DanglingConversations rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Comment below by J were my thoughts exactly. Difficult to add a new twist to such a well known story, I wish he had taken a smaller bite of history and gone into more depth but still a great read.
Jan 07, 2018njon38 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Ken Follet delivers again. This is a novel of the religious wars in Europe before, after and during the reign of Elizabeth 1.
Dec 31, 2017
Not one of Follett's best. However, if you can wade thru the first 100 pages or so, you will again find his story telling abilities.
Dec 02, 2017daysgoneby rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Well it took a long time for Follett to get this written and published, but it's here and it's great. It was exactly what I was hoping for and expecting from this author.
Nov 16, 2017laphampeak rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Follett sure has a lot to say and I'm amazed at the diligence he exerts in this story. As a reader I am taken deep into history and families and politics of the time. For his literary expression I give him high ratings. However, I read…
Oct 18, 2017cknightkc rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
There is no doubt that author Ken Follett has a gift for storytelling. It could be the influence of his recent Century Trilogy, but in this latest installment of the Kingsbridge Series he sacrifices the depth which worked so well in THE…