Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Armour of Light
- Kingsbridge, Book 4
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 21 hrs and 39 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Armour of Light
Buy Now for £16.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
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.
Critic reviews
'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
More from the same
What listeners say about The Armour of Light
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 24-10-23
Decent yarn, not up to the earlier novels.
A enjoyable way to while away a few hours but not as well written as the earlier novels. No real twists in the tale and other writers capture infantry battles far more effectively. Follets great strength was in describing medieval construction, a subject which he had clearly gone to enormous lengths to understand.
Also, Follet has fallen into the trap of writing historical fiction through the prism of 21st century preoccupations. He doesn’t seem to have made much effort to grasp the tenets of 18th/19th century Methodism for example, a movement which set great store by the idea of personal holiness. It seems highly unlikely that many Methodists of the time would have turned a blind eye to quite so much adultery and homosexuality, for example! I much prefer it when authors give their characters opinions plausible by the standards of the time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Ms Miriam Moffitt
- 15-10-23
Excellent performance. Story weaker than expected
John Lee’s narration was top class but the rags to riches story lacked credibility. Enjoyable but not great.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Trevor McVeigh
- 16-10-23
As always, a great listen
Never fails to want me to listen more - cannot wait for the next historical instalment.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- TimV
- 27-10-23
Nothing like as good as it's predecessors
I was really looking forward to this book being released but it was quite disappointing. Very formulaic and predictable, good guy, bad guy etc. It was an effort to finish it. The delivery wasn't up to the mark either.
Its saving grace is that it's quite lengthy so you can fall asleep and not miss much.
Not terrible, one to buy if you want an unexciting time killer.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss N E Miller
- 05-10-23
Fantastic!
As ever the characters are absorbing and the historical detail is fantastic. Another fab read from Ken Follett
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dave Horne
- 01-11-23
An engaging historic saga.
A worthy follow on from the previous books in the series that easily stand’s alone in its own right. A good blend of well worked history and family sagas covering an interesting period of British early social industrial development. Altogether an enjoyable story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Becky
- 16-11-23
Continuing a great series
I love the work by Ken Follett. Bringing history to life through human stories. John Lee is a fantastic narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- lisa
- 14-12-23
Villains, unrequited love, lowly peasants elevated, good old Follet Opera
Another epic from Kingsbridge Follet epic, same formulaic story line. Like a putting a pair of very old trousers on, you know how it works, you know what the end result will be but they’re still comfy without being too taxing
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 24-03-24
Wonderful storyline
very well narrated, the storyline was excellent. a great insight into the 18th and 19th century.
Thee whole series is fantastic.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- np
- 26-04-24
great continuation with good historical content
like all of his books, there's clearly fantastic levels of research alongside believable characters. he has continued the kingsbridge story well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!