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The Armour of Light

A Page-turning, Epic Kingsbridge Novel from the Bestselling Author of The Pillars of The Earth

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The Armour of Light

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

The grand master of gripping fiction is back. International No.1 bestseller Ken Follett returns to Kingsbridge with an epic tale of revolution and a cast of unforgettable characters.

Revolution is in the air

1792. A tyrannical government is determined to make England a mighty commercial empire. In France, Napoleon Bonaparte begins his rise to power, and with dissent rife, France’s neighbours are on high alert.

Kingsbridge is on the edge

Unprecedented industrial change sweeps the land, making the lives of the workers in Kingbridge’s prosperous cloth mills a misery. Rampant modernization and dangerous new machinery are rendering jobs obsolete and tearing families apart.

Tyranny is on the horizon

Now, as international conflict nears, a story of a small group of Kingsbridge people – including spinner Sal Clitheroe, weaver David Shoveller and Kit, Sal’s inventive and headstrong son – will come to define the struggle of a generation as they seek enlightenment and fight for a future free from oppression . . .

Taking the listener straight into the heart of history with the fifth novel in the ground-breaking Kingsbridge series, The Armour of Light is master storyteller Ken Follett’s most ambitious novel to date.

'Follett's storytelling skills make their adventures riveting' - The Times

'An effortlessly engaging and entertaining read' - Daily Mail

'Bold in scale and meticulously researched' - The Sunday Times

'The plague scenes are expertly handled. Where Follett excels is in telling a yarn' - Independent

More than 175 million copies sold worldwide. Published in over eighty territories and thirty-seven languages. The international no.1 bestselling phenomenon returns.

Genre Fiction Historical Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Napoleon Bonaparte

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Critic reviews

Follett’s storytelling skills make their adventures riveting
Deploying a substantial cast of characters, Follett unrolls a familiar history of religious and political ferment and turns it into accessible and enjoyable fiction
This triumphant saga, begun almost thirty years ago with The Pillars Of The Earth, moves across England to Scotland, France and the New World
A sumptuous slice of swashbuckling Elizabethan romance
The characters, both fictional and real, are fascinating, and the Tudor period setting holds its own special allure. This is a novel that fans of historical fiction will savour and cherish
A huge read, perfect for long winter nights
You won’t be able to put it down
Enormous and brilliant . . . this mammoth tale seems to touch all human emotion – love and hate, loyalty and treachery, hope and despair. This is truly a novel to get lost in
A thundering ride through history
Follett has once more lit the touch paper of English history and allowed it to explode across the pages in in all its vivid technicolour
All stars
Most relevant
I’d been waiting for this to be released and wasn’t disappointed. Well written and superbly narrated. The characters are very believable and the story pulls you in.
I hope there’s another instalment in the pipeline.

Another brilliant Kingsbridge novel

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The combination of one of the worlds best and most accomplished writers and a ditto narrator, certainly proves to give amazing results.

I never wanted this book to end. I cannot wait for the next book in the Kingsbridge series.

Pure synergy

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Can't wait for the next Kingsbridge novel, Always Follets best work. Great combination of good historical research and storytelling.

Superb

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Compared to the earlier Kingsbridge novels, this is hugely disappointing. It's formulaic, reflects little of the reality of the period and uses ‘bodice ripper’ elements to spice up the dull narrative. Regrettably, this novel was so tedious I failed to finish it. The narrator John Lee is good, however, which rescues the dialogue slightly.

Disappointing.

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I have read everything that KF has written, and this is one of the best. Absolutely brilliant – loved it.

Brilliant!

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