The Armour of Light by Ken Follett

On January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Historical Fiction2 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan (Hardcover – 26 September 2023)

Series: Kingsbridge – Book Four

Length: 737 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Acclaimed author Ken Follett returns with another exceptional addition to his iconic Kingsbridge historical fiction series with the fantastic and captivating The Armour of Light.

Out of all the authors who dive into the complex and impressive genre of historical fiction, few are as well-known or epic as Ken Follett, who has been dominating the genre for years with his massive and epic thrillers. I have only really had the chance to explore Follett’s historical fiction books, with his Century trilogy being a particular favourite of mine (one of my favourite trilogies of all time). However, Follett’s most iconic work is his Kingsbridge series, which has long gained mass recognition and accolades

The Kingsbridge books are a series of massive, epic novels that chronicle the complex lives of the residence of the town of Kingsbridge in historical England. Each book follows the lives of several intriguing characters as they attempt to survive the various challenges and turmoil of the age, often coming into conflict with each other in some elaborate and extended ways. The series started in 1989 with The Pillars of Earth, which is probably Follett’s most successful novel. Set over the course of 50 years in the 12th century, The Pillars of Earth showcased a range of personal, political, economic and social issues that the characters spent their lives overcoming in different ways, often loaded with dramatic or historical significance. An exceptionally epic book, The Pillars of the Earth is very highly regarded and was turned into a compelling TV miniseries with an awesome cast.

Follett has since followed up his original novel several times throughout his career, with each of the Kingsbridge books set in a different period of the town’s history. For example, the 2007 release World Without End (which was also adapted into a miniseries), is set in the 14th century around the start of the Hundred Year’s War. The 2017 novel, A Column of Fire, was another compelling sequel that mirrored the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth I and featured a compelling plot involving Catholic spies and religious conflict. The fourth book was the 2020 novel, The Evening and the Morning (one of my favourite books of 2020), which served as a prequel to the rest of the series and showed the founding of Kingsbridge in the early years of Viking infested 11th century. All four of these books have been exceptionally good, and I love following a whole new group of characters while exploring the unique aspects and conflicts of their historical era. Due to how much love I have for this amazing series, I was pretty damn excited when I found out that Follet had a new Kingsbridge novel coming out in late the 2023 with The Armour of Light. Set during the early years of the English Industrial Revolution, The Armour of Light sounded so damn good, and it was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 as a result.

England, 1792. As Napoleon Bonaparte begins his rise to power in France, the people of England look on in fear and curiosity at the changes wracking their neighbour. As the march towards progress continues throughout England, many people find their way of life changing faster than they can adapt. Nowhere is this felt more keenly that the town of Kingsbridge. A major hub of England’s cloth industry, Kingsbridge has been transformed by the rampant industrialisation and modernisation of ancient textile processes. Now the cloth workers of Kingsbridge are forced to work in crowded factories, pushing out vast amounts of material in often unsafe conditions. But with each new advance and new dangerous machine, the number of workers needers diminishes, and soon many in Kingsbridge find themselves out of work and thrust into poverty.

As the march towards war with France continues, many inhabitants of Kingsbridge will find themselves thrust into a conflict between the rich and the poor of England. Spinner Sal Clitheroe tries to make an honest living, but her stubborn determination to get justice continues to put her into conflict with the town’s rich and elite. Wool merchant Amon Barrowfield attempts to salvage his family’s business, only to find tough rivals on every front. Weaver David Shoveller attempts to run a fair business, but an ill-advised love affair could ruin everything, while Sal’s son Kit finds himself obsessed with the new machines manipulating the wool. These figures personal struggles will define the struggle of their generation, as the fight for freedom and enlightenment coincides with a much bigger war.

Ken Follett has another fascinating and impressive character-driven read with The Armour of Light that once again follows several complex figures as they live their lives in historical England. Clever, powerful and chock full of historical detail, The Armour of Light was an outstanding addition to the Kingsbridge series and just had to give it a full five-star review.

Much like the other books in the Kingsbridge series, The Armour of Light follows a group of intriguing characters as they navigate life during a turbulent period of England’s history and attempt to change their destiny and the destiny of the people they love. Set between 1772 and 1824 (although most of the main story ends in 1815), you get an intriguing examination of each of these characters as they overcome all manner of adversity, oppression, war and more. The scope of The Armour of Light’s story is pretty damn epic as Follett really lays on the challenges and tragedies for his characters to endure and overcome. There is intrigue, politics, imprisonment, business rivalries, unexpected deaths, conscription, unrequited loved and much more as many of the protagonists find themselves going up against the system and often coming off second best. You really grow attached to these characters as you follow them throughout the decades and see many of them grow up, find their callings, fall in love, and more, only to often see them then at their worst as they encounter setbacks they can’t overcome. While most of the story deals with the industrial changes the characters are trying to get used to, the plot does also tie into the Napoleonic War. Naturally, pretty much all the characters find themselves over in Belgium in 1815, so everyone is involved at Waterloo to some degree or another. This proves to be an impressive end to the story, and it was fascinating to see where all the various characters ended up, especially after experiencing the deadliest of battles. I had an outstanding time getting through this elaborate story, which honestly had me hooked the entire time. Despite The Armour of Light’s near 750-page length, I managed to power through it in a matter of days, its story was that damn interesting.

As I mentioned, The Armour of Light is part of the Kingsbridge series and serves as a sequel to all four previous novels. However, due to compartmentalised nature of the book’s plot and the focus on completely new characters, readers do not need a prior knowledge of the rest of the Kingsbridge books to enjoy The Armour of Light. The novel is very accessible, and due to the substantial gap between it and A Column of Fire, readers should really consider this a standalone novel that any historical fiction fan can easily enjoy. However, long-term fans of Follett and the Kingsbridge series will no doubt appreciate seeing how the setting of Kingsbridge has evolved over the years, especially in the face of industrial revolution, which changed the nature of the textiles industry that has always been central to the series’ plots. There are also a bunch of clever references and connections to the previous novels, although if you don’t pick these up it in no way ruins your flow or enjoyment of the story. As such, The Armour of Light is a book most readers and historical fiction fans will be able to enjoy, while also serving as an intriguing continuation to the Kingsbridge series.

One of the main reasons why I enjoy the Kingsbridge books so much is because Follett excels at showcasing fascinating historical periods and working his characters into unique situations based on the events of the period. The Armour of Light is an incredibly good example of this as it examines the impact of the early Industrial Revolution on a textile town like Kingsbridge. Follett really dives into the intricacies of the mechanised weaving process that would have taken place in factories like this, and the various issues they caused. As the book progresses, the characters are introduced to new machines more efficient than the last, which causes more of the characters and inhabitants of Kingsbridge to lose work. This leads to discontent amongst the working classes, many of whom are trying to raise themselves up through any means possible, and the rich factory owners and the other elites try to hold them down using various legal and political angles. As such, the story captures interesting aspects about the English legal system and the controversial politics at the time, especially as parliament was so against unionisation and other actions after seeing the revolution in France. I quite enjoyed the discussions that occurred surrounding the French Revolution and Napoleon at various points of the book, and it was fascinating to see the various classes reactions to these events, such as fear from the wealthy, and interest from the poor. Other intriguing historical elements were also examined throughout the book, such as the growing rivalry between the Church of England and the Methodist faith, and I had a wonderful time seeing them all introduced into the plot. Follett did a remarkable job working so many of these historical details into The Armour of Light’s story, and it helped to make this a fantastic and fascinating read I couldn’t put down.

Finally, I need to highlight the great characters featured throughout the plot. Follett came up with an intriguing collection of figures to follow in The Armour of Light, and each of them goes through some compelling trials and tribulations. I really enjoyed the range of different characters featured within the novel, although most of them were tied into the wool trade to some degree to really hammer home the novel’s main point about change and industrial revolutions. Follett came up with some very interesting personal stories for each of these characters, and their powerful journeys through life, love and loss, was the true heart of the book. This includes Sal Clitheroe, the heart and soul of the book, Amon Barrowfield, the always hopeful young merchant, and David Shoveller, a mostly noble figure who works to help those he can. I also loved the striking Alderman Joseph Hornbeam, who served as the book’s main villain. The wealthiest man in Kingsbridge, Hornbeam is determined to expand his empire no matter who he must crush to do so. As such, he comes into conflict with many of the protagonists, and his actions are usually the crux for much of the book’s plot. I really enjoyed Hornbeam as an antagonist, and Follett weaves some interesting storylines around him, including a hidden backstory, and a redeeming examination of his love of family. Pretty much all the characters in The Armour of Light were extremely well written, although I thought it was a bit odd that every major female character either committed adultery or lusted after another man while married. I’m not sure if that was commentary on women’s lack of choice back in the 18^th and 19^th centuries or some particularly interesting choices from Follett, but it was weird that it happened at least four times.

Ken Follett did an outstanding job continuing his amazing Kingsbridge series with the wonderful book, The Armour of Light. A compelling and historically rich novel, The Armour of Light was another great read and I had such a fantastic time getting through it. I have so much love for the Kingsbridge series, and I cannot wait to see what period Follett decides to explore next. Highly recommended.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Napoleon’s Spy by Ben Kane

On April 26, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on WednesdayLeave a comment

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I take a look at an awesome upcoming historical fiction epic from one of the leading authors in the genre, with Napoleon’s Spy by Ben Kane.

Napoleon's Spy Cover

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As many readers of my blog will be aware, I am a massive fan of the historical fiction genre, and I have reading it for years. There is something about powerful battles and dances of intrigue in iconic historical settings that has always appealed to me, and it helps that this genre is chock full of talented and exceptional authors who know how to deliver a brilliant and exceptional read.

One of the best of these historical fiction authors is the always impressive Ben Kane. Kane is a very well-established author who has produced several amazing series over the years with a variety of different historical backings. The author is probably best known for his awesome Roman historical fiction, which has formed the backbone of his most excting works. This includes his Forgotten Legion trilogy (which was some of the first historical fiction I ever read), his compelling Hannibal series, and the absolutely brutal Eagles of the Rome series. Kane has also dived into other intriguing historical periods, including with his last series, The Lionheart books. As the name suggests, The Lionheart series focused on the life of Richard the Lionheart, and contained some exceptional novels, including Lionheart and Crusader. All of Kane’s books that I have read have been pretty damn good, and I love his ability to tell an exciting tale while also ramping up the historical detail.

Due to how good some of his previous novels have been, I am always very eager to see what Kane is writing next, and when I found out the details about his upcoming 2023 release, I got pretty damn excited. That is because his next book, Napoleon’s Spy, will focus on a whole new historical period for Kane, the Napoleonic Wars, and will place the reader right into the heart of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.

Napoleon’s Spy, which is set for release towards the end of May sounds like a particularly intriguing and outstanding novel. I am very excited to see Kane’s take on the invasion of Russia and knowing him he will provide a highly detailed examination of the all the key events involved with it. This, combined with an intriguing spy protagonist makes Napoleon’s Spy very appealing to me and I am exceedingly keen to get my hands on a copy as soon as I can. This honestly has the potential to be one of the best historical fiction novels of 2023 and I will no doubt enjoy every second of it.

Plot Synopsis:

Russia, 1812. Has France finally met its match?

On the eve of the invasion of Russia, half-French, half-English Matthieu Carrey finds himself in the ranks of Napoleon’s five hundred thousand strong army. With Tsar Alexander seemingly ill-prepared, a French victory seems certain. The Grande Armee will obliterate everything in its path.

Carrey’s purpose is less clear. Blackmailed into becoming a spy in the emperor’s army, he hopes to follow his lover, a French actress who has gone to work in the Moscow theatre.

As supplies grow scarce and temperatures plummet, the Grande Armee begins to crumble. Caught up in the maelstrom of war, Carrey embarks on an epic journey, while the Russians circle like hungry wolves.

Hundreds of miles lie between Carrey and safety.

To reach it seems utterly impossible.

The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry – Audiobook Review

On April 17, 2019April 25, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Thriller28 Comments

The Malta Exchange Cover

Publishers: Hodder & Stoughton and MacMillan Audio (5 March 2019)

Series: Cotton Malone – Book 14

Length: 13 hours and 31 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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From the brilliant mind of international thriller sensation Steve Berry comes the 14^th book in his acclaimed Cotton Malone series, The Malta Exchange.

When the pope unexpectedly dies, opportunity and chaos grips the Vatican. As the world’s cardinals arrive in Rome in preparation for the conclave to elect a new pope, one cardinal, the controversial Kastor Gallo, suddenly leaves for an impromptu visit to Malta. He has been summoned for a clandestine meeting, the results of which could hand him the papacy. The only witness to this meeting is United States Justice Department operative Luke Daniels, whose covert observations of the meeting is quickly compromised, forcing him to fight for his life.

While Daniels attempts to uncover what is happening in Malta, his former colleague, Cotton Malone, is in Italy working for British intelligence. An Italian collector claims to have letters between Churchill and Mussolini that could prove extremely damaging to Churchill’s legacy, and MI6 is eager to recover them. What is meant to be a quick mission for Malone is complicated when armed men kill the collector and steal the letters. Malone is able to trace his assailants to the legendary Knights of Malta, and his chase to recover the letters leads him into a hunt from a mysterious document from the reign of Emperor Constantine.

This document, revered by the Knights of Malta and feared by the church, has been lost for hundreds of years. Hunted by some of history’s greatest tyrants, including Napoleon and Mussolini, this secret document not only has the potential to influence the current concave if revealed, but it could also tear the church down completely. As a secret society within the modern incarnation of the Knights of Malta and elements of the Entity, the church’s intelligence organisation, both attempt to claim the document, Malone and Daniels once again team up to recover the document and destroy the conspiracy threatening to envelope them and the entire Catholic world.

Steve Berry is a veteran author of thrillers that focus on complex conspiracies, having written a number of exciting books since his 2003 debut. While Berry has written four standalone novels, including The Amber Room, The Romanov Prophecy and The Third Secret, he is probably best known for his long-running Cotton Malone series of books. The Cotton Malone series, which began in 2006 with The Templar Legacy, is made up of 14 books, each of which features the series titular character, retired U.S. Justice Department operative Cotton Malone as he is forced to investigate a series of elaborate conspiracies or secrets with origins in history.

The Malta Exchange features several characters from the previous books in the series. While this is the 14^th book in the series, The Malta Exchange can easily be read as a standalone book, as no prior knowledge of the Cotton Malone series is required to enjoy this story. While there are some mentions of previous adventures in the series, none of these brief references are really relevant to this book’s story. Likewise, the series’ recurring characters are re-introduced in some detail, and no pre-existing knowledge of them is needed. Those readers who are already familiar with this series will enjoy another amazing thriller from Berry, although there may be some repetition, as the protagonists once again dive into another elaborate conspiracy centred with a secret order associated with the Catholic Church. As one of my reviewer colleagues who is somewhat more familiar with this series than me stated, “How many conspiracies can one man wander into?” Still, for those people who have enjoyed Berry’s stories before, The Malta Exchange is another exceptional read with a thrilling mystery that is a lot of fun to unravel.

While I received a physical copy of this book to read, I ended up listening to the audiobook format of The Malta Exchange narrated by Scott Brick. This book was an absolutely fantastic piece of thriller fiction as the reader is thrown into an extremely intriguing and wide-reaching conspiracy involving hidden documents, major historical figures and deep dives into the history and background of several fictional and real-life organisations.

This is an excellent book for thriller fans, as The Malta Exchange contains a number of intense and complex conspiracies and plots overlayed across each other to create an addictive and enjoyable read. The main plot focuses on the search for a long-lost document that originated during the reign of Emperor Constantine, which has the potential to damage or destroy the Catholic Church. As a big fan of the historical fiction genre, I loved how this central mystery cleverly utilised a number of massive historical events and figures in its overall conspiracy. For example, this central conspiracy has ties to Emperor Constantine, the founding of the Catholic Church, Napoleon, Mussolini, the Crusades and important events in World War II. It even features a number of cool flashbacks to Mussolini and Napoleon’s life, showing how they were embroiled in this conspiracy. This results in a treasure hunt so large, mysterious and potentially world-changing you cannot help but be intrigued and eager to see how it ends. On top of that, a number of secret organisations with conflicting agendas and plots are duking it out around the hunt for this document and the reader is uncertain of their true motivations until later in the story. All these story threads come together incredibly well at the end of the story, resulting in an intense, intelligent and entertaining thriller storyline that I could not wait to fully uncover.

Except for a couple of chapters featuring flashbacks to historical figures like Mussolini or Napoleon, The Malta Exchange is told from the point of view of four main characters: Cotton Malone, Luke Daniels, Cardinal Kastor Gallo and a mysterious ‘knight’ who remains unnamed for most of the book. Malone and Daniels serve as good central protagonists, and I liked the contrast in their styles and personalities. While Malone is the older, wiser and occasionally more careful protagonist who puts together the various clues around the hidden location of ancient document, Daniels is the younger, more action orientated character who does a number of crazy stunts throughout the book while also hiding his intelligence and cunning behind a convincing “good ol’ boy” routine. The unnamed knight is The Malta Exchange’s main antagonist, whose identity remains hidden for much of the book. This knight is an interesting character, and it is always fun to see the antagonist’s point of view as they attempt to outwit the protagonists. While the reveal of this character’s secret identity is somewhat obvious due to there only being a few significant secondary characters, the antagonist’s overall plan was quite ingenious and devious. Kastor Gallo is another interesting character; a self-serving Cardinal who wants to become Pope, he skirts the line between protagonist and villain in this story. While the character considers himself an honest and pious priest, he is not particularly likeable due to his extremely conservative religious views and unbridled arrogance. Still it was fun watching him try to manipulate the other characters, as well as his plot to try and gain the papacy. There are several other fantastic side characters whom I will not discuss in any detail lest I hint at the identity of the unnamed knight above, but they really add a lot to this story.

One of the things that really impressed me about this book was the way that Berry dived into several organisations and locations in extreme and intriguing detail, particularly when it comes to two specific organisations. The first of these organisations is the Knights of Malta, otherwise known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta or the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. Throughout this book, Berry spends a significant amount of time exploring this order, from their origins as the Knights Hospitaller and the Crusades, to their current existence as a massive charitable organisation. Berry examines a large amount of their history, how they are organised, where they are located, what they do, their political status and how they have evolved over the years, and this amazing examination is further extended out into the incredible history of the nation of Malta. Even the order’s leadership crisis between 2016 and 2018 is somewhat represented in the book, as the author describes a similar crisis affecting the organisation featured within The Malta Exchange. All of this is deeply fascinating, and I really enjoyed the author’s examination of this organisation and how he was able to utilise the Knights of Malta’s actual history to the degree he did, with only a few alterations to fit his story.

The second organisation that Berry dives into is the Catholic Church, as a number of key aspects of the church and the Vatican come into play throughout the plot. Like with his deep dive into the Knights of Malta, the author included a number of detailed examinations about church history, organisation and key events, like the selection of a new pope, that I quite enjoyed learning more about, and which fit incredibly well into the story. The part of the examination into the church that I enjoyed the most was the look at the church’s supposed intelligence organisation, the Entity. While the church has never confirmed they have an official intelligence organisation, several historical books have discussed its potential activities, and a number of thriller writers have utilised such an organisation, often known as the Entity, to great effect. Perhaps because thrillers are not a genre that I read an awful lot of, this was the first book I have read that featured a church intelligence agency. I really liked the idea of a secret intelligence organisation working for the Vatican, and Berry really utilises them well throughout his book, making them out as one of the most elite and effective intelligence organisations on the planet, who people really should not mess with. I absolutely loved all the Catholic Church inclusions that the author featured and that, combined with the captivating examination of the Knights of Malta, helped turn this into an amazing overall story.

As I mentioned above, I chose to listen to the audiobook version of The Malta Exchange, which was narrated by Scott Brick. This was not a massively long audiobook, only clocking in at around 13 and a half hours, and I was able to power through this really quickly, especially as I become more and more enthralled with the book’s compelling story. I was quite glad that I chose to listen to this book rather than read it. While you do lose out on some of the book’s visual elements, like some of the diagrams of anagrams or secret codes that feature throughout the physical copy, I found that listening to The Malta Exchange really helped me absorb the massive conspiracy storyline, as well as the history and organisation examinations, a hell of a lot more. Brick has an amazing voice for thrillers, and I quite enjoyed listening him narrate this fantastic novel. The voices he creates for the various characters in this book are quite good, and I liked some of the accents that he came up with. I would strongly recommend the audiobook version of The Malta Exchange, although readers will still be able to get a huge amount out of the physical copy of the book.

The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry is an incredible and addictive ancient conspiracy thriller that I had an amazing time reading. Once you get sucked into the book’s various conspiracies and mysteries it is hard to pull yourself out until each and every one of them is untangled. What I enjoyed most about the main conspiracy was the author’s ability to explore fascinating history and famous organisations in outstanding detail, and then use these events to really enhance his story. The end result is an awesome novel that comes highly recommend from me. Appealing and accessible to established fans of the Cotton Malone series, as well as other fans of the thriller genre, I was really glad I decided to check this book out and I am curious to see what historical conspiracy Malone uncovers next.

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