Das wird nächstes Jahr ein heißer Herbst, der dem Markt gut tun kann: Zwei Autoren-Schwergewichte werden (übrigens beide bei Lübbe) gleichzeitig ihre nächsten Blockbuster auf den Markt bringen: Neben Dan Browns Origin [mehr…] wird auch Ken Follett mit A Column of Fire im September 2017 an den Start gehen.
Das ist heute in Frankfurt im Vorfeld der Frankfurter Buchmesse von Ken Folletts Büro bekannt gegeben worden:
A Column of Fire combines historical epic with spy story. It is set partly in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, locale of The Pillars of the Earth, which has sold 26 million copies, and World Without End.
The announcement was made in Frankfurt at the opening of the book world’s most important book fair.
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Ken Follett said:
“It is a spy story set in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. There were many assassination plots against the Queen, so the people around her set up an espionage system to foil those sixteenth century terrorists. This was the beginning
of the British secret service that eventually gave us James Bond. It’s a rich and fascinating part of history and I am excited to share this with book lovers”.
A master storyteller renowned for his meticulous research, Ken delved deep into the history books when writing his latest work:
“I used 228 books in my research for A Column of Fire. From the rigid framework of names and dates, battles and assassinations and massacres to details of underwear, cutlery, coins, toilets, hairdressing, shops and booze – they were vital for getting the details right.”
“How far can a horse go in a day? I found out from Horse & Man in Early Modern England. What were guns like in the sixteenth century? See Firearms: A Global History to 1700. Had forks been invented then? I found a French book Festins de la Renaissance: Cuisine et Tresors de la table with lots of pictures.”
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Ken also turned to Shakespeare, who was writing during the time of A Column of Fire, for some of the more specific details in the book, such the various illness’ of horses (a useful list in The Taming of the Shrew) and sixteenth century food (Falstaff’s gargantuan appetites).
Ken Follett added:
“Readers enjoy interesting background detail, but it has to be accurate, and I couldn’t manage that without history books. Hundreds of historians have toiled all their lives to make it easier for me, and I raise a glass to them in gratitude for their work.”
A Column of Fire begins in 1558 where the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, high principles clash bloodily with friendship, loyalty, and love.
Will Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious divide sweeping across the country, Will goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England.
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The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service, to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions and invasion plans. Over a turbulent half-century, the love between Will and Margery seems doomed, as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva.
Elizabeth clings precariously to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.
The real enemies, then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else—no matter what the cost.
Set during one of the most turbulent and revolutionary times in history, A Column of Fire is one of Ken Follett’s most exciting and ambitious works yet, and is perfect both for long-time fans of the Kingsbridge series as well as new readers.
