Fiction review: A Column of Fire by Ken Follett

A Column of Fire by Ken Follett

The long-awaited third novel in Ken Follett's series is set in the age of Queen Elizabeth. The first novel,  The Pillars of the Earth, published in 1989, followed the building of a great cathedral in Kingsbridge, England, in the 12th century. The second novel, World Without End, published in 2007,  centers on monks and nuns in Kingsbridge in the 13th century.  Ten years after the second book came out, Follett continues the story of Kingsbridge two hundred years after the last book ended. As with most Follett epics, A Column of Fire spans a lifetime and tracks world events as seen and experienced by a handful of intertwined characters who conveniently brush up against the actual historical figures who made it all happen.

Ned Willard returns home after a year studying abroad, hoping that the young woman he kissed and fell in love with before he left is still available.  But Ned's intentions are blocked by Rollo Fitzgerald, Margery's older brother who used to bully Ned at school, and also by Margery's father, who insists that Margery marry a nearby nobleman since Ned is both a common laborer and likely a Protestant. Though she is in love with Ned, Margery is forced and guilted by the Catholic priest into obeying her father. Protestants and Catholics are clashing as Bloody Mary clings to life on the English throne, and non-Catholics are being hunted. Ned, not wanting to be in Kingsbridge after Margery's wedding, is invited to be a counselor to Princess Elizabeth, who could be next in line for the crown. 

As part of his political role with Elizabeth, Ned travels across Europe and Scotland seeking information. Follett relies on history for the major events of A Column of Fire, and readers encounter plenty of historical figures, including queens, kings, and their spies and courtiers. At the heart of the story is Ned and his love for Margery, as well as Ned's belief in religious tolerance. Sylvie, a young French Protestant whose father is burned at the stake for printing bibles in French, vows revenge on Pierre, the ambitious and morally bankrupt man who cheated her. 

Follett's primary characters fall into one of two camps, either the morally good people who want to create a tolerant world, or the ambitious, selfish people who believe their way of life is the only way. The villains have means of causing the heroes great consternation, and are frequently throwing roadblocks in the way of the heroes on their path to goodness.  

Ned, Rollo, Sylvie, Pierre, and Margery's lives continue to intertwine, and the five primary characters' stories immerse us in the world of geopolitics at the turn of the seventeenth century. As the decades roll by, we see Elizabeth win the crown in England but fight off constant challenges; religious intolerance and the inquisition rage, and a looming invasion that threatens all that Queen Elizabeth has worked for.  Several popes, French and Spanish Kings, plus Sir Frances Drake, Walsingham, King James, Mary Queen of Scots, and Guy Fawkes all play supporting roles here. Even Shakespeare gets a couple of passing references. 

As with previous books, Follett's style is straightforward and direct; the narrative relies on the characters and plotting rather than elaborate and descriptive turns of the literary phrase. Yet it's the relationships of the characters, and the relentless tide of history, that keeps this book moving. Even those who aren't fans of history likely know some of the events that are about to transpire as they read.

By this novel's end,  Follett has covered nearly five hundred years in the series.  We see mentions of characters from both of the earlier books in this series, which serves to both anchor the story to the past and provide readers with a hope for good ultimately prevailing. In each book we've cheered for the heroes wanting to do right, but the villains rise again and again,  In this third volume, we see the cathedral that Pryor Phillip so desperately worked to build in Pillars, as well as the monk's grave; we see Caris's carved face and the buildings of Leper's Island from World. While it would be easy for these characters to be lost to the crush of time and history, their triumphs stand as a testament to good ultimately winning out over evil. 

This is a pot-boiler that is packed with historical figures, but ultimately this (and others in Follett's portfolio) come down to a simple formula: the villains continually stand up for their narrow-minded beliefs and cause relentless trouble for the heroes, but love prevails and the good people usually win. Except those that lose their heads, of course.  Fans of Follett's previous books won't be disappointed.