Wow!
My first blog post. Mainly the blog will be about writers and
writing, especially, but not always,
crime-writing.
I’m currently reading Ken Follett’s Trilogy The Century (namely the twentieth
century).
This is not a crime series but rather historical fiction. None
the less the works are full of intrigue with plenty of writing lessons for the
crime novelist.
Fall of Giants,
the first volume, is set immediately before, during and after War World War 1.
The characters are drawn from America, Wales, England, Germany and Russia. They
come from all walks of life and interact with each other notwithstanding their geographical
distance.
Follett is a master of suspense and as a writer I found it
fascinating to observe the way he crafts tense and exciting scenes that leave
you hanging on for more.
Follett has an unerring sense of historical accuracy and
provides the detail to back it up without ever overloading or boring the
reader. As a history and political science graduate I’m satisfied that Follett
has done his historical homework. The transformation of European society wrought
by the War is carefully explored.
This is the grand sweep of history personalised into a
riveting set of human narratives. The characters are rich, varied and
convincing.
Fall of Giants is
Downton Abbey but with more tension and action, and a broader perspective on
the societies of the time.
The second novel in the series, The Winter of the World, begins in Germany in 1933 as Hitler storms
his way to absolute power. I found Follett’s portrayal of this period chilling
and I am so glad I didn’t have to live through it.
Stay tuned – World War Two has just broken out……………………
David.
PS Follow Ken on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KenFollettAuthor?fref=ts
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