Ken Follett quotes.
When a netizen requests the search "Ken Follet books", the results point to the best-selling Welsh novelist on record. He is the author of the trilogies The Century y The pillars of the earth, among other best-selling titles. It should be noted that the journalist also born in Cardiff in 1949, published most of his first texts under an alias (from 1974 to 1978).
The pseudonyms used by Follet were Simon Myles, Martin Martinsen, Bernard L. Ross, and Zachary Stone. Now, after the launch of Island of storms (1978) did not re-sign with a nickname. At the moment, Kenneth Martin Follet is internationally famous for his historical and suspense narratives. In fact, it accumulates more than 160 million copies sold worldwide.
The Spy Piers Roper (Serie)
It comprises two books - not published in Spanish - starring the implacable industrial spy Piers Roper. The importance of these texts within the literary trajectory of Ken Follet is that they were the first two signed with his name real. In them, the young British writer is capable of building deep characters along with plots with a lot of hooking power.
Shakeout (1975)
Piers Roper is a very ambitious, cunning man, an expert manipulator and extremely effective. to infiltrate rival companies. The agent is only accountable to someone (anonymous) whose key identity is "Palmer." Meanwhile, nothing and no one seems to stop his plans of great political implications ... Until the beautiful Ann enters the scene and the spy falls in love.
Bear Raid (1976)
Roper finds himself embroiled in a Wall Street raid and, eventually, in the middle of a mob confrontation. When the spy begins to investigate the events, he suffers the betrayal of the stunning Louise and is attacked in the offices by Clayton, a young executive with political connections. In the end, only Piers' impressive winning spirit allows him to prevail in the face of such adversity.
Island of storms (1978)
Storm island —In English — became a landmark publication for Ken Follet. This bestseller was included in the top XNUMX mystery novels of all time according to the Mystery Writers of America. In addition, the feature film The eye of the needle (Eye of the needle, 1981), directed by Richard Marquand, was based on this book.
The argument Island of storms revolves around Operation Fortress, a counterintelligence maneuver executed by the allies during world war II. Because of this ruse, Nazi military intelligence thought that the invasion of Europe would take place through Calais rather than Normandy (as it actually happened).
The key is in Rebecca (1980)
The Key to Rebecca was a publication that reaffirmed Follet's reputation as a best-selling creator of historical fiction novels. The main character, Alex Wolff, seems inspired by the German spy John Eppler (real character), sent to Egypt during World War II. At first, the Nazi agent manages to stay undercover due to his expertise and command of the Arabic language.
But, Wolff is exposed when he is forced to kill a British officer in the town of Asyut. Consequently, the English agent Vandam begins to pursue the German, who manages to send in extremis valuable encrypted information to Marshal Erwin Rommel from Cairo. In this instance, the novel Cardigan by Daphne du Maurier is key to decoding the message.
The third twin (1996)
En The Third Twin, the reader is immersed in a gripping detective story that addresses the ethical limits of genetic experimentation. To do this, Follet introduces Dr. Jeannie Ferrari, a young geneticist with the intention of testing whether criminal behavior can be transmitted. With this in mind, the scientist designs an experiment with two twins separated at birth.
In parallel, the protagonist's finances are fair, they are barely enough to cover the care of her mother with Alzheimer's. Further, Lisa, a friend of the doctor appears outraged; the signs point to a very clever serial rapist. In the middle of the investigation, doubts appear about secret tests of cloning of human beings carried out in the United States.
Trilogy The pillars of the earth
The pillars of the earth (1989)
XII century. Britain suffers from a time of civil war known as English Anarchy. In order to describe the chaotic events, Follet moves most of the action to Kingsbridge (fictional town). Even if, The novel reviews reliable cases such as the White Ship incident, the murder of Cardinal Thomas Becket and a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
The Pillars of the Earth shows a masterful description of the customs, the gentilicio and the daily life of a British people during the Middle Ages. Also, the text reflects the architecture and construction of Gothic cathedrals at that time. According to Follet, they took a minimum of 30 years to build, because builders often ran out of money or towns were attacked.
An endless world (2007)
Kingsbridge, XNUMXth century, feudalism is the system of government. Commercial exchange flourishes between different territories, which leads to the development of cities and the establishment of numerous fairs throughout the continent. Nevertheless, the irruption of the Black Death alters the order established between the spheres of power of the aristocracy, the clergy and the institutions of the common state.
The most terrible plague in history prompted the transition from superstitious healing rituals to observation-based medicine. Also, It was a century that saw the rise to the throne of Edward III with the later bloody invasion of this one to France.
A column of fire (2017)
Year 1558. Kingsbridge is a city divided between the Catholic religious fanatics and the emerging Protestant current. At that moment, the coronation of Elizabeth I as Queen of England is consummated and the other powers of Europe initiate conspiracies to overthrow her. Likewise, Follet has stated that this book addresses relevant topics today: tolerance and ideological extremism.
The darkness and the dawn (2020)
This post is a prequel to the trilogy The pillars of the earth. The development of the events goes back to the last decade of the XNUMXth century, in the middle of the Dark Ages. The protagonists are a monk, a young Nordic woman just married and a boat builder. They meet in Kingsbridge and, for different reasons, must face an unscrupulous priest hungry for power.
Trilogy The Century (The century)
This acclaimed trilogy covers the geopolitical conflicts and the most determining events of humanity during the XNUMXth century. The three books are characterized by their length together with a superb historical precision. Despite integrating invented characters, Follet exhibits a remarkable knowledge of the customs, costumes, vocabulary and settings of each era.
Here are some of the more important events covered in each installment:
The fall of the giants (2010)
- The assassination of Archduke Francisco Fernando of Austria and his wife Sofía Chotek (June 1914) with the subsequent start of the Great War in Europe;
- The return of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov - Lenin - to Petrograd (April 1917);
- Dry Law Decree in the United States (January 1920).
The winter of the world (2012)
- Consolidation of the power of the Nazis in Germany and the formation of the Third Reich (1933 - 1938);
- Promulgation of the New Deal in the United States (1933 - 1937);
- World War II (1939 - 1945);
- Manhattan Project (1941-1945);
- Signature of the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco (1945);
- Atomic detonations over Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945);
- Marshall Plan (1947);
- First Soviet nuclear tests (1949).
The threshold of eternity (2014)
- The Cold War:
- Construction of the Berlin Wall (1961);
- Ballistic Missile Crisis in Cuba (1962);
- Invasion of Czechoslovakia by the USSR (1968);
- The assassination of the American president John F. Kennedy (1963);
- Civil Rights Movement in the USA (1961-1968);
- The Vietnam War (1965 - 1975);
- The Watergate Scandal (1972).
Other novels by Ken Follet
- Triple (1979);
- The man from St. Petersburg (1982);
- The wings of the eagle (1983);
- The valley of the lions (1986);
- Night over the waters (1991);
- A dangerous fortune (1993);
- A place called freedom (1995);
- In the mouth of the dragon (1998);
- Double game (2000);
- In the White (2004)