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1.9k reviews for:
La Caída de Los Gigantes (the Century 1) / Fall of Giants (the Century, Book 1)
Ken Follett
4.19 AVERAGE
1.9k reviews for:
La Caída de Los Gigantes (the Century 1) / Fall of Giants (the Century, Book 1)
Ken Follett
4.19 AVERAGE
The Pillars of the Earth series is one of my absolute favorites, and I was excited to dig into another long saga by Follett. Unfortunately this is not nearly as good—the war details are far too many and too in-depth. I’m not sure if I’ll read the next one.
I bought this when it came out and it was so bulky that with my school books, it was too heavy to be a practical read... but now that I have an e-reader, it became a must read now. I really enjoy Ken Follett's books especially the ones who have something to do with history (I loved all his spy dramas involving WWII) and I expected to love this and I wasn't disappointed.
There's a lot of characters, but once you start reading and getting to know them, you won't get them mixed up, each has his own personality and story. I personally like a book that is character heavy, my favorite author - Charles Dickens - was a master in that art. I think Mr. Follett did a very good job with his characters... I think I loved who I was supposed to and disliked one particular character (Fitz), but I loved despising him :). There's only one thing that really annoyed me... and since it's a spoiler, I'm saying it now... so next paragraph DO NOT READ if you don't want spoiling.
Like I said, the only major thing that got me is that with this big war (WWI) that took most of the book and was marvelously well represented no principal character died. That just doesn't feel right with history... I know it is a fictional story and I got really attached to characters, but it kind of took away the excitement in the end, this survival of all of them. That's my only bug about this book... That said, it's a good read and I recommend it to all historical drama fans.
There's a lot of characters, but once you start reading and getting to know them, you won't get them mixed up, each has his own personality and story. I personally like a book that is character heavy, my favorite author - Charles Dickens - was a master in that art. I think Mr. Follett did a very good job with his characters... I think I loved who I was supposed to and disliked one particular character (Fitz), but I loved despising him :). There's only one thing that really annoyed me... and since it's a spoiler, I'm saying it now... so next paragraph DO NOT READ if you don't want spoiling.
Like I said, the only major thing that got me is that with this big war (WWI) that took most of the book and was marvelously well represented no principal character died. That just doesn't feel right with history... I know it is a fictional story and I got really attached to characters, but it kind of took away the excitement in the end, this survival of all of them. That's my only bug about this book... That said, it's a good read and I recommend it to all historical drama fans.
Great read for anyone interested in historical fiction. Amazing tale of events around WWI. In spite of its mammoth size, the storyline is so gripping that you just breeze through it and the size doesn’t matter at all.
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great book, very in-depth bits on fighting and some military specifics so the research must have been extensive. Really enjoyed following the different characters just as much as in Pillars of the Earth (maybe more), and nice to have history told from those positions on both sides of the war and those at home. Read quicker than I expected!
It was wonderful! There were some parts I skimmed because I found them kind of boring; the parts about the fighting. But overall, it was a really good book.
Fascinating book. It gives a good sketch of the moods and main events leading up to and during WWI. It might have benefited from trying to cover less: I found myself interested in some of the characters more than others, but more than that, I feel that the early suggestion of in depth connection to the characters was never fulfilled. The main American character, Gus, was obviously there to simply have an American view point, but he never quite connected or felt like more than a tool, in my opinion. One of the Russian characters, Lev, had potential, but was addressed too little to live up to it.
All in all, the book was a bit uneven.But, I enjoyed it immensely and will definitely read the next book in the series.
All in all, the book was a bit uneven.But, I enjoyed it immensely and will definitely read the next book in the series.
adventurous
emotional
informative
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated