The fall of the giants

The fall of the giants —Fall of giants, in English - is a historical novel created by British writer Ken Follet. This is the first part of the Trilogy of the Century, centered in the Great War, in World War II. It was a title released simultaneously on five continents during September 2010, with a circulation of two and a half million copies.

Although many deny it, the dream of a writer is to become a "bestseller" and at the same time, be taken as a "serious" author. A forbidden combination for many, but not for Ken Follet. Well with Fall of giants has achieved a transcendent work, classified by most literary critics as one of the most important of the new millennium.

About the author, Ken Follett 

If there is any fair-minded list of the most successful and respected writers of the last half century, Ken Follett's name comes out at the top, undoubtedly. Born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1949, He was raised in post-war (second) London, in the middle of a family whose rules prohibited watching television or listening to the radio. His only refuge: reading.

First steps in literature

Follet studied Philosophy, although he ended up specializing in Journalism. Profession with which he tried to earn a living, however, boredom was the inevitable result. So, he opted for writing ... and the play turned out incredibly well. In 1978, he published Island of storms, an exciting spy novel that marked a spectacular entry into the publishing world.

With his debut, he registered his name among the "best sellers" and obtained his first recognition: an Edgar award. As an "additional note", this text is listed as one of the Best Mystery Novels of all time, according to Mystery Writers of America.

The pillars of the earth

Within the extensive bibliography of Follet there is no work "classifiable" as a commercial failure. It has simply achieved one success after another. However, there is an outstanding title among them: The pillars of the earth (1989) A historical novel set during the period known as "The English Anarchy."

Beyond fully representing the meaning of a Best Seller, the text is highly appreciated on different levels. In this sense, the architects praise the descriptions of Romanesque buildings, as well as the progressive evolution towards the Gothic style. The historical accuracy of the story is also celebrated, giving minute details of the civil war that took place in England during these years.

The fall of the giants. First chapter of a highly anticipated trilogy

You can buy the book here: The fall of the giants

Ken Follett's name is a guarantee of success. With very few authors, publishing companies dare to launch a book simultaneously all over the world. Which, was precisely what happened on September 28, 2010 with the exit to the bookstores of The fall of the giants, the first installment of the ambitious Trilogy of the Century.

The series continued with The winter of the world (2012) and The threshold of eternity (2014) was the closure. As expected, the work did not disappoint. Millions of copies sold, along with new praise for the author for his prowess in the Historical Novel. In a story — irresistible to readers — that includes betrayals, friendship and impossible love, along with the cruelty of war.

Reality and some fiction

The fall of the giants It begins with the coronation of George V of the United Kingdom. Event that occurred on June 22, 1911 at Westminster Abbey, London. From this point, fiction mixes with reality (historical facts) with a sublime “naturalness”, typical of the Follet style.

Then, readers assume as true the experiences of the protagonists of the novel, in an effect maintained throughout the trilogy. The great "real" protagonists in history are World War I and the Russian Revolution. Likewise, it delves into the following historical events:

• The Sarajevo Attack and the immediate outbreak of war (1914).
• Lenin's return to Petrograd (1917).
• The enactment of Prohibition in the United States (1920).

Characters

Five families, in five different nations, build the plot knot of The fall of the giants. At the micro level, it focuses on the internal conflicts of each of them. At the macro level, the focus is how the context begins to change the landscape. All branch groups participate in some way in the main war conflict.

Likewise, they are described together with the way in which the different clans are related (love, betrayal, dreams and wishes, obstacles). In addition, other historical figures appear, such as Sir Edward Gray, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Great Britain when the war broke out. As well as Winston Churchill (aged 40).

An intimidating book

In reality, Follett is "an intimidating author." He does it because with The fall of the giants, the author repeats a "formula" with previously known and proven results: extensive books, rich in detail. Additionally, the amount of elements based on historical events are very easy to verify.

At the same time, the vast amount of chronological data offers scholars new approaches to broadening their fields of research. On the other hand, today a book of more than 500 pages looks too heavy. The Digital Age is the era of texts synthesized to the extreme, thanks, in large part, to the 140 characters (now a little more) imposed by Twitter.

But with Follet the opposite happens

As has happened with most of the Welsh author's titles, The fall of the giants exceeds 1000 sheets. In the amateur reviews, the number of readers wanting more is impressive. The writer himself confessed in an interview that many people ask him for even longer books.

A puzzle

The most interesting in The fall of the giants it is the interest in reading: it does not wane at any time (despite the intricate plot). Mixing randomly and without any separation, fiction with reality. Accommodating the plot to your interests (that of your characters). Without giving up historical rigor at any time.

The complexity outlined in the preceding paragraph perfectly sums up the Follett style. Also, become a public and influential figure in England, he has never hidden his identification with the Labor Party and left movements. However, his political militancy and activism have always been outside of his texts, The fall of the giants is no exception.

As it does?

Probably no one will recognize him in public, but Ken Follett arouses envy among his contemporary colleagues. Many of them do not stop commenting in amazement, how impressive the success of a book with little more than a thousand pages is to them. Also, they seem surprising the samples of avidity on the part of the readers, "devouring" any of the "Bibles" of this author.

Some (daring) critics even dismiss this story outright, full of one-dimensional and highly predictable characters. Well, in art, the phenomenon of unanimity - especially if it is positive - is very strange. In any case, no one dares to deny the dynamism and entertaining content of The fall of the giants. A premise more than enough for most readers.