书名：A Column of Fire烈火之柱

作者：Ken Follett

出版社名称：Penguin Books

出版时间：2018

语种：英文

ISBN：9780525505075

商品尺寸：10.5 x 3.3 x 17.3 cm

包装：平装

页数：928

肯·福莱特（Ken Follett）是英国当代的历史小说大师，同时也是爱伦·坡终身大师奖得主、英国皇家文学学会会员。

继《圣殿春秋》、《无尽世界》问世后，续篇A Column of Fire《烈火之柱》终于也诞生了，肯·福莱特又给我们展现了一幅庞大的历史画卷。 A Column of Fire《烈火之柱》是1558到1620年间欧洲历史的复现，以王桥Ned和Margery的人生悲喜为主线，将虚构人物的塑造和宏大的历史事件漂亮地融合在了一起。其人物设定的描写也非常有趣，包括了没有缺点、女性角色都喜欢的伊丽莎白一世的男主特务头子；和男主青梅竹马、但迫于家族压力成为伯爵夫人的女主；年轻时受到背叛，将一生献给新教事业的法国女二；还有出身低微、满肚子坏水的英俊男二…… 本书让读者在阅读紧张精彩的故事之时，还能体验16世纪的欧洲风情，这是一本很好的历史悬疑小说！ #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAs Europe erupts, can one young spy protect his queen? International bestselling author Ken Follett takes us deep into the treacherous world of powerful monarchs, intrigue, murder, and treason with his magnificent new epic, A Column of Fire.   In 1558, 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, royalty and commoners clash, testing friendship, loyalty, and love. Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. 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 Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings 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 Follett’s most exciting and ambitious works yet. It will delight longtime fans of the Kingsbridge series and is the perfect introduction for readers new to Ken Follett. Review“Deeply researched . . . compelling . . . A Column of Fire is absorbing, painlessly educational, and a great deal of fun.”—The Washington Post    “Follett’s historical epics, including this one, evoke the Romantic adventures of Alexandre Dumas. Derring-do and double-crosses . . . A Column of Fire burns bright throughout.”—The Christian Science Monitor “Full of adventure and suspense, A Column of Fire is an inspiring and thrilling portrait of one of Europe’s most perilous times in history.”—BookPage “Fans of Follett's epic sagas The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, set in the Middle Ages in the fictional city of Kingsbridge, will be thrilled by this latest installment.”—New York Post   “[Follett is a] master of the sweeping, readable epic.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “English-history mavens will find much to savor in Follett’s third Kingsbridge novel.”—AARP The Magazine   “A fiery tale set in the latter half of the sixteenth century . . . As always, Follett excels in historical detailing, transporting readers back in time with another meaty historical blockbuster.”—Booklist   “An immersive journey through the tumultuous world of 16th century Europe and some of the bloodiest religious wars in history. Follett’s sprawling novel is a fine mix of heart-pounding drama and erudite historicism.”—Publishers Weekly

肯·福莱特（Ken Follett，1949-），当代惊险小说大师。1949年6月5日生于英国威尔斯，在伦敦念完大学后曾任新闻记者，后专职写作。1978年以《针眼》一书荣获美国侦探作家俱乐部长篇小说奖后，立刻蜚声国际，年仅27岁。之后又有《圣彼得堡来客》、《与狮同眠》等多部小说畅销全世界，奠定了不可动摇的大师地位。

福莱特的作品特色是内容都有史实根据。历史上的真实人物与小说中的虚构角色，天衣无缝地融合在一起。其栩栩如生的人物刻画、高潮迭起的情节铺陈、精致准确的细部描绘，让读者在亦真亦幻之中，与历史时代共浮沉，和历史人物同悲喜，而得到无比的乐趣。福莱特还擅长描写爱情，用纤细动人的笔触，捕捉男女间微妙的感情变化，使他的惊险小说同时也是很好的爱情小说。 Ken Follett is one of the world's best-loved authors, selling more than 160 million copies of his thirty books. Follett's first bestseller was Eye of the Needle, a spy story set in the Second World War. In 1989 The Pillars of the Earth was published, and has since become the author's most successful novel. It reached number one on bestseller lists around the world and was an Oprah's Book Club pick. Follett lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his wife Barbara. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren, and three Labradors.

NED WILLARD CAME HOME to Kingsbridge in a snowstorm.

He sailed upstream from Combe Harbour in the cabin of a slow barge loaded with cloth from Antwerp and wine from Bordeaux. When he reckoned the boat was at last nearing Kingsbridge, he wrapped his French cloak more tightly around his shoulders, pulled the hood over his ears, stepped out onto the open deck, and looked ahead. At first he was disappointed: all he could see was falling snow. But his longing for a sight of the city was like an ache, and he stared into the flurries, hoping. After a while his wish was granted, and the storm began to lift. A surprise patch of blue sky appeared. Gazing over the tops of the surrounding trees, he saw the tower of the cathedral — four hundred and five feet high, as every Kingsbridge Grammar School pupil knew. The stone angel that watched over the city from the top of the spire had snow edging her wings today, turning the tips of her feathers from dove-grey to bright white. As he looked, a momentary sunbeam struck the statue and gleamed off the snow, like a benison; then the storm closed in again and she was lost from view. He saw nothing except trees for a while, but his imagination was full. He was about to be reunited with his mother after an absence of a year. He would not tell her how much he had missed her, for a man should be independent and self-sufficient at the age of eighteen. But most of all he had missed Margery. He had fallen for her, with catastrophic timing, a few weeks before leaving Kingsbridge to spend a year in Calais, the English-ruled port on the north coast of France. Since childhood he had known and liked the mischievous, intelligent daughter of Sir Reginald Fitzgerald. When she grew up, her impishness had taken on a new allure, so that he found himself staring at her in church, his mouth dry and his breath shallow. He had hesitated to do more than stare, for she was three years younger than he, but she knew no such inhibitions. They had kissed in the Kingsbridge graveyard, behind the concealing bulk of the tomb of Prior Philip, the monk who had commissioned the cathedral four centuries ago. There had been nothing childish about their long, passionate kiss: then she had laughed and run away. But she kissed him again the next day. And on the evening before he left for France they admitted that they loved one another. For the first few weeks they exchanged love letters. They had not told their parents of their feelings — it seemed too soon — so they could not write openly, but Ned confided in his older brother, Barney, who became their intermediary. Then Barney left Kingsbridge and went to Seville. Margery, too, had an older brother, Rob; but she did not trust him the way Ned trusted Barney. And so the correspondence ended.