I just finished Ken Follett’s “Fall of Giants” and loved it. It is an extensively researched historical novel covering the period from just before World War I to just after. It covers five families spanning from Russia to  Germany to Wales and America. It covers not just World War I but also the Russian Revolution and Woman’s Suffrage with subplots involving a rapidly changing society including an unraveling Edwardian society in England. (Not all country gentleman were as nice as Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey.)

The characters are strong, believable and most important for guys like me they are different from one another. There is Earl Fitzherbert who owns a bunch of land, much of which, is underlain by coal from which he earns a fortune of royalty by others mining it. His Earlness likes to take advantage of the female help in the house and rather resents it when they are so rude as to get pregnant.  His sister Maud, an outspoken advocate for woman’s suffrage and others.

The book is HUGE but moves along very rapidly has just about anything you want, romance, horrific war scenes, rousing labor union speeches, hangings of cheeky Russian peasants, firing squads, glamorous dinner parties, starvation, good sex scenes, bad sex scenes, international intrigue and spying. This book has it all.

Follett makes the whole thing hang together with some great writing. I loved this book. Get it, read it.

The book is expensive, $30for the hardback, $20 for the Kindle version. Check your library. I got mine downloaded on my Kindle from our local library for free. It was supposed to self destruct after two weeks but it didn’t.

The sequel “Winter of the World” came out last September. You can bet that I’m reading it. I’m thinking I might even spring for the $20 for the Kindle version.

Five stars out of five for me.