Fall of Giants
by Ken Follett · first published 2010
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It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family, is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution. Five families, American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh, move through the dramas of the First World W
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My 3 favorites were: Dungeon Crawler Carl - I laughed, I cried, perfect match for my sense of humor. The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter - Great read, changed some of my training because of it. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (#1 of The Century Trilogy series) - An amazing overview of the 20th century through the eyes of several families accross the globe (fiction).
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗…Crisis by Michael Easter One of my favorite concepts in the book is called a “misogi.” It is this idea of taking on one massive challenge each year, with a 50/50 chance of failure (don’t die is rule #1). Fall of Giants by Ken Follett This book series is pure magic. It’s hard to put into words what Ken Follett has accomplished. I read a LOT of historical fiction, and I’ve never found another series that lets you live…
on “Show HN: See what readers who loved your favorite book/author also loved to read” ↗…many of the frustrations that I have with the indifference people exhibit when reacting to issues like privacy or trustworthiness of media or politics. When you read historic novels like Ken Follett's 'Fall of Giants' you get more of a 1984 vibe with the Russian stories. Seeing China's surveillance system described in various place doesn't give off a 1984 vibe, it breathes 1984 to a scary degree. Add modern day technology…
on “Brave New World Revisited, Revisited” ↗