The Armor of Light

A Novel (Kingsbridge, Book 5)

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 21 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

An epic continuation of the series that began with The Pillars of the Earth, The Armor of Light heralds a new dawn for Kingsbridge, England, where progress clashes with tradition, class struggles push into every part of society, and war in Europe engulfs the entire continent and beyond

The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1770, and with that, a new era of manufacturing and industry changed lives everywhere within a generation. A world filled with unrest wrestles for control over this new world order: A mother’s husband is killed in a work accident due to negligence; a young woman fights to fund her school for impoverished children; a well-intentioned young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business; one man ruthlessly protects his wealth no matter the cost, all the while war cries are heard from France, as Napoleon sets forth a violent master plan to become emperor of the world. As institutions are challenged and toppled in unprecedented fashion, ripples of change ricochet through our characters’ lives as they are left to reckon with the future and a world they must rebuild from the ashes of war.

Over thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, with this electrifying addition to the Kingsbridge series we are plunged into the battlefield between compassion and greed, love and hate, progress and tradition. It is through each character that we are given a new perspective to the seismic shifts that shook the world in nineteenth-century Europe.

©2023 Ken Follett (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrated skillfully by Golden Voice John Lee, the latest Follett novel offers superb dialogue, fascinating relationships, and characters from varying religions, classes, and political perspectives. The glue that holds the audiobook together is Lee, who is adept at defining every aspect of the story. Whether he is delivering subtly nuanced tones, intensity borne of political desperation, or verbal frustration from employees who know that their bosses care not a whit about them, Lee masterfully presents each character and event, allowing personalities to emerge and highlight the struggles that eventually lead to political, personal, and business transformations." (AudioFile; winner of AudioFile Earphones Award)

"Ken Follett a master storyteller . . . His works of historical fiction have made him a legend. . . . Follett’s latest marks the end of a storytelling journey that spans a thousand years. The Armor of Light is also the final entry in his Kingsbridge series." —Jeff Glor, CBS

"We can’t stop turning the pages. . . . it is Follett’s generosity and adeptness with historical detail and nimble depictions of technical matters that set this book, like its predecessors, above mere historical melodrama." —The Washington Post

"This epic canvas holds a mélange of relationships which all work out exactly as they should while Follett brings Kingsbridge up to the Regency era." —Booklist

Is there a Pillars Fan Club?

This was a great book, very on point with things happening today. Corrupt government. People who lack and people who have abundance. People trying to cling to what has been and people trying to change to bigger and faster ways.

You could read this book without ever having read any of the other Kingsbridge books. Kingsbridge, the place, was a focal point in the other books, in this book it was barely a background.

When they spoke of Parliament, I kept expecting Eth Leckwith to say or do something.

My only negative feeling about the book is... it lacked the amazing intimate relationships between characters and the characters and myself, the reader.
There was very little 'adult intimacy' in this book, which is a part of what I have always loved about a Ken Follet book.
I also didn't fall in love or hate with 1 single character either. That was disappointing, but I will listen to this book again in the next year or so.

The next book would be 200 years from this one, if history repeats itself again, and that would bring us to the time of now. Could that be a possibility? Or just jump ahead 400 years and create a future Kingsbridge. A utopia we have all dreamed of.

I am very excited John Lee was the narrator! He was amazing, as always!

Thank you Ken Follet for being a part of my life for over 30 years. Your books have definitely had influence in my life! Thank you for being an amazing author and human!

It's ok, not my favorite in the series

I mean...you have to read/listen if you are a fan of Kingsbridge, it just wasn't my favorite. That said, I had a really really hard time with the narrator. The English accents were annoying as all hell. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to listen all the way through, but I made it.

The Magnificent End of an Era

How wonderfully Ken Follet weaves the stories of Kingsbridge families through the centuries in this last of the series novel. With the most incredibly detailed and well-documented story of the Napoleonic Wars and the early history of the roles of tradesman in Europe, to the unmerciful treatment of many during this time-the book brings to closure the happy resolve of situations and personalities of characters as only Follet knows how to do.

Great, need more.

I think this is the most unique book of the series, the characters are more balanced in their share of the story. Only wish the book was longer.

John Lee is in my opinion the best narrator there is, I have bought books from authors I don’t know because he is the narrator.

This series has almost caught up with the timeline of the Century Trilogy. What is next? Victorian England? or maybe a prequel is required, Anglo-Saxon England to the Norman conquest? Certainly not the Edwardian era...

Not the caliber of earlier books

This was my least favorite it was not the caliber of his earlier books. The characters were not as well defined as earlier books. I had NO trouble turning off and going to bed..

As marvellous as all the other Kingsbridge novels

I like the way this narrator (John Lee) tells these stories. It's not too quick nor too slow. Just the right pace. And there is enough expression to easily imagine the feelings of the characters but not too much to make it hard to believe.
The story, as usual with Kingsbridge novels, is captivating. The best thing is that Ken Follett takes not just any period in history but a period of a particularly significant social upheavel and let us learn about it through the eyes of people who lived at the time. I know it's fiction, but Ken Follett understands the people's psychology and their motives so good that the characters become real. And it's easy to imagine that people such as these really lived.
Also I appreciate that there is love in the novels but it's just one of the aspects of life. It's not overwhelming.

Not Ken Follett's greatest

I'm a huge Follett fan, but this book was just meh for me. I'm used to getting very attached to his characters and sucked into the storyline but that didn't happen in this book. It felt like there was too much on the history of the war and not enough on the character development. That being said, John Lee was amazing as usual. I could listen to him read the phone book and still be into it.

The overall theme of the story and insertion of real world events is excellent.

The insertion of the gay element is not necessary and detracts from the story. Not every novel needs to be “woke” to be successful.

Follett for another win!

Kept me intrigued and taught me a lot about a time in history I knew nothing about.

The Kingsbridge Novels Never Disappoint

This is great, immersive storytelling. I could have continued to listen for hours more.