The Armour of Light
A page-turning and epic Kingsbridge novel from the No#1 internationally bestselling author of The Pillars of The Earth
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4.3 • 133 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
The grand master of gripping fiction is back. International no. 1 bestseller Ken Follett returns to Kingsbridge in the 18th century, with an epic tale of revolution and a cast of unforgettable characters.
Revolution is in the air
1792. A tyrannical government is determined to make England a mighty commercial empire. In France, Napoleon Bonaparte begins his rise to power, and with dissent rife, France’s neighbours are on high alert.
Kingsbridge is on the edge
Unprecedented industrial change sweeps the land, making the lives of the workers in Kingbridge’s prosperous cloth mills a misery. Rampant modernization and dangerous new machinery are rendering jobs obsolete and tearing families apart.
Tyranny is on the horizon
Now, as international conflict nears, a story of a small group of Kingsbridge people – including spinner Sal Clitheroe, weaver David Shoveller and Kit, Sal’s inventive and headstrong son – will come to define the struggle of a generation as they seek enlightenment and fight for a future free from oppression . . .
Taking the reader straight into the heart of history with the fifth novel in the ground-breaking Kingsbridge series, The Armour of Light is master storyteller Ken Follett’s most ambitious novel to date.
'Follett's storytelling skills make their adventures riveting' - The Times
'An effortlessly engaging and entertaining read' - Daily Mail
'Bold in scale and meticulously researched' - Sunday Times
'The plague scenes are expertly handled. Where Follett excels is in telling a yarn' - Independent
More than 175 million copies sold worldwide. Published in over eighty territories and thirty-seven languages. The international no. 1 bestselling phenomenon returns.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Ken Follett is the reigning king of popular period fiction. For his fifth novel set in the fictional English town of Kingsbridge, we return at a time of revolution—both of the industrial and political kind—spanning from 1792 to 1824. Local mill workers find themselves replaced by machinery, plunging them into poverty and tearing families apart. Can they rise up against their oppressors and seize their own destinies? Across the Channel, meanwhile, Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power casts an ominous shadow. Via his compassionate portrait of a single community, Follett tackles themes of war and romance, religion and social injustice, and he’s equally at home writing intimate domestic scenes or an action-packed account of the Battle of Waterloo. Panoramic in scope, meticulously researched and populated by a memorable cast of characters, this is an old-fashioned rollicking yarn which recalls the melodramas of Dickens or Hardy. It’s history brought to vivid life with a sense of adventure and warmly generous spirit.
Customer Reviews
Real page turner
Follett isn’t the best writer in the world , that’s for sure. But I enjoyed this latest chapter in the Kingsbridge saga. The strange thing is that the narrative moves with such a pace that there’s never any true moment to feel emotionally involved. And so many characters who never really feel that you KNOW any of them.
That said, as always the historical aspect is meticulously researched and I learnt so much. And I did get through the book very quickly.
Ultimately I enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot.
So that’s worth four stars.
Kits Tale
A story of people that keeps you up all night to see what comes next.
I was disappointed
I’ve enjoyed all the other books, but this was disappointing by their standards.