A Column of Fire – Ken Follett (2017)

“A Column of Fire” by Ken Follett, published in 2017, is the third installment in the internationally renowned Kingsbridge series. Set during the tumultuous period of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the novel immerses readers in a world of religious conflict, espionage, and political upheaval. Centered around the fictional town of Kingsbridge, the story unfolds against the backdrop of real historical events such as the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I, the Spanish Armada, and the Gunpowder Plot. Through the lens of deeply personal stories, Follett explores the broader societal transformations of the era, capturing a world teetering between medieval rigidity and modern rationalism.

Plot Summary

In the year 1558, as snow blankets the English countryside, young Ned Willard returns to Kingsbridge with a heart full of hope and love. He dreams of reuniting with Margery Fitzgerald, the bold and intelligent girl who stole his heart before he left for France. But the world he returns to is shifting, and his hopes are quickly tested. Margery’s family, fiercely Catholic and rigidly ambitious, has promised her to Bart Shiring, a nobleman Ned cannot respect. The old conflict between personal desire and political ambition plays out in drawing rooms and cathedrals, across whispered prayers and public decrees.

Margery, spirited and unwilling to submit, rebels against her family’s decision. Yet her defiance is met with cruelty, her independence punished by a father’s belt and a mother’s bitter silence. Her heart belongs to Ned, but obedience to family weighs heavy. The marriage to Bart is not born of affection but of politics – a union forged in the fires of religious partisanship and social aspiration.

As England teeters on the brink of transformation, Queen Mary I’s health fades. The Catholic queen’s inability to produce an heir stirs unease, and across the Channel, enemies gather. In France, Sylvie Palot, daughter of a Huguenot bookseller, risks her life to smuggle forbidden Protestant texts. Her defiance is born of quiet courage and a fierce love for truth. But her enemies are many. Pierre Aumande, an ambitious imposter, worms his way into the Guise household. He becomes a master of manipulation, feeding flames of hatred with whispers and lies. His rise is marked by treachery, and he walks a path lined with corpses – some political, others personal.

Back in England, Elizabeth Tudor ascends to the throne, and with her comes a fragile hope for tolerance. Ned joins the network of spies serving her, mentored by the cold and calculating Sir Francis Walsingham. His world darkens as he steps into shadow, navigating a landscape of coded messages, shifting loyalties, and assassins cloaked in scripture. His mother, Alice, ever shrewd, manages the family business, while his brother Barney sails to Spain and beyond, bearing letters and secrets.

Years pass. Margery, now a mother and wife, finds no joy in her station. Bart Shiring, her husband, is distant and unkind. Her heart still beats for Ned, and their paths, though parted by duty and time, never truly diverge. When Elizabeth declares tolerance as her creed, the fires of persecution subside, but embers still glow beneath the ash. Rollo Fitzgerald, Margery’s brother, rejects this new England. He becomes the hand behind many acts of sabotage, his faith twisted into fury.

In France, Sylvie survives the carnage of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, a night of butchery when thousands of Huguenots are slaughtered. She escapes with her life and her faith, but her family is lost. Her path leads to England, where she finds Ned, and in their union, hope rekindles. Together they share more than love – they share purpose, fighting for a world where faith is not a sentence but a choice.

The years stretch into decades. Kings rise and fall, alliances shift like sand. The Spanish Armada looms, a giant shadow on the sea. Ned, ever the watchful guardian, uncovers the plan and sends word. Fires blaze on English cliffs as beacons, ships clash upon wild waves, and storms complete what gunpowder begins. England survives, scarred but defiant.

Margery’s life is one of sacrifice. She builds secret shelters for those hunted by faith, hides books, hides people, hides herself. She remains a silent warrior, her strength wrapped in linen and prayer. Her marriage offers no refuge, her children are raised beneath the stern gaze of their father and uncle. Yet in secret meetings, Ned and Margery share brief moments that echo with a lifetime of might-have-beens.

In Spain, Barney Willard falls in love with a fiery rebel named Bella, a woman with rum on her breath and revolution in her soul. Together, they chart courses through trade and war, spreading Ned’s letters like sparks across a continent soaked in oil.

As Elizabeth grows older, so do her enemies. The Gunpowder Plot is born in the minds of men who wrap hate in parchment and plot regicide beneath London’s streets. Rollo, embittered and unwavering, joins the conspiracy. His vision of a Catholic England burns brighter than reason. But Ned, still vigilant, thwarts the plot. The conspirators are hanged in front of Kingsbridge Cathedral, the spire watching silently as justice is done.

In that crowd, Ned stands. He sees the final man fall, the last echo of a war fought in darkness. He sees in that moment the shadow of himself – the boy who knelt before the altar decades ago, full of hope and fear and love. The journey has changed him, carved his face with lines, his heart with sorrow. Yet the principle remains: that each person should be free to choose how they speak to God.

Margery, aged and quiet, lives not far from Kingsbridge. She has buried a husband but not her heart. In her final years, she exchanges letters with Ned, their words tender and wise. In them, a different history is written – one not found in books, but lived in the silences between.

And as the bells of Kingsbridge Cathedral toll over the rooftops, a new century dawns. The column of fire that once divided now stands as a beacon, a light not of judgment, but of hope.

Main Characters

• Ned Willard – A principled and resourceful young man from Kingsbridge, Ned becomes entangled in the murky world of Elizabethan espionage. Driven by love, loyalty, and a belief in religious tolerance, he rises through the ranks to become a key figure in England’s intelligence network. His personal life, especially his enduring love for Margery Fitzgerald, runs parallel to his public struggles, highlighting the costs of duty and conviction.

• Margery Fitzgerald – Spirited and intelligent, Margery is the daughter of a conservative Catholic family. Her love for Ned is thwarted by political and familial machinations. Forced into a marriage of convenience, she remains emotionally resilient and morally grounded, becoming a silent but profound opponent of religious tyranny.

• Rollo Fitzgerald – Margery’s brother and a fervent Catholic loyalist, Rollo represents the fanatical resistance to religious reform. Ambitious, ruthless, and deeply devoted to the Catholic cause, he serves as one of the book’s central antagonists, orchestrating plots and sowing discord across Europe.

• Sylvie Palot – A brave Huguenot woman from France, Sylvie risks her life to distribute forbidden Protestant books. Her love story with Ned and her personal sacrifices underscore the themes of faith, resistance, and personal freedom.

• Pierre Aumande – A cunning and opportunistic man who manipulates his way into the powerful Guise household in France. He embodies corruption and zealotry, contributing significantly to the bloodshed of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre and other persecutions.

• Ebrima Dabo – A West African slave turned free man, Ebrima’s journey from bondage to agency provides a broader lens on the global implications of European politics and commerce during the era.

Theme

• Religious Tolerance vs. Fanaticism: At its core, the novel is a meditation on the necessity and peril of religious conviction. Through characters like Ned and Margery, who champion tolerance, and Rollo and Pierre, who descend into extremism, Follett lays bare the destructive consequences of zealotry and the fragile promise of pluralism.

• Power and Espionage: The novel is steeped in the murky world of spies, secret codes, and betrayals. Power is shown not only on the battlefield but also in whispered secrets and clandestine letters, reflecting the shifting strategies of control in early modern Europe.

• Love and Loyalty: Amid the political and religious chaos, deeply personal stories of love—often thwarted by external forces—are central. Ned and Margery’s enduring affection across decades exemplifies love as both a personal solace and a form of resistance.

• The Role of Women: Despite the period’s patriarchal constraints, many women in A Column of Fire exhibit remarkable agency. Characters like Margery, Sylvie, and Queen Elizabeth I challenge societal norms, carving out influence through intelligence, resilience, and conviction.

• Historical Continuity and Change: By interweaving the fictional town of Kingsbridge with significant historical events, Follett explores how grand historical movements affect individual lives. The novel becomes a chronicle of transformation—social, religious, and political.

Writing Style and Tone

Ken Follett’s writing is cinematic in scope and richly detailed, blending fact with fiction seamlessly. He employs a third-person omniscient narrative that shifts fluidly between characters and settings, from the docks of Kingsbridge to the courts of Paris and the palaces of Spain. This expansive structure allows him to depict the interplay of personal destiny and historical currents with gripping clarity.

The tone is earnest and dramatic, with moments of tenderness and introspection that balance the political tension and violence. Follett’s prose is accessible yet layered, allowing readers to engage with the complexity of the period without sacrificing narrative momentum. His pacing is masterful, with tightly woven subplots that converge around thematic pillars. Dialogue is crafted to reflect the social hierarchies and ideological divides of the era, adding both authenticity and tension.