The Armour of Light

Last updated
The Armour of Light
Author Ken Follett
LanguageEnglish
Genre Historical fiction, Novel
Publisher Macmillan
Publication date
2023
Publication place United Kingdom
Media typePrint
Pages752
ISBN 978-1447278832
Preceded by A Column of Fire  

The Armour of Light is a historical fiction novel by Welsh author Ken Follett. [1] [2] It is the fifth book in the Kingsbridge Series, and is the sequel to A Column of Fire .

Contents

The Armour of Light takes place in the years 1792–1824 in Kingsbridge, the same fictional English town in ThePillars of the Earth. Historical events at that time that influenced the plot include the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The industrialisation of textile manufacturing plays the leading role in bringing the story forward.

Follett touches on themes common to many of his novels, including class conflict between the working class and a corrupt gentry, abuse of power, and forbidden love.

Plot summary

The novel is set in United Kingdom 1792 to 1824, beginning in the village of Badford near the fictional city of Kingsbridge that is at the centre of Follett's Kingsbridge Series. Ruled by squire Riddick and his two eldest sons, Badford is a rural society where the lead protagonist, Sal Clitheroe, is a housewife and a spinner for the second lead part, out-putter Amos Barrowfield. Having suffered several difficult situations, Sal and her son Christopher (Kit), are forced to leave the village and set off for Kingsbridge, where she ends up working a Spinning jenny for Amos Barrowfield.

The novel then follows Clitheroe and Barrowfield through their professional career, love and family life, their involvement in and with civic organisations and government, with a backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars in continental Europe; the modernisation of Industry, Church and Labour market; climaxing around the Battle of Waterloo, ending in the 10 year period following Napoleon's defeat.

Characters

Village of Badford

The Clitheroes

The Riddicks

Other villagers

Kingsbridge

The Barrowfields

The Box family

The Northwoods

The Latimers

The Midwinters

The Shovellers

The Hornbeams

Other townspeople of Kingsbridge

Non-fictional characters mentioned

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References

  1. Powers, Katherine A. (24 September 2023). "Ken Follett's new book shows why he's a master of the historical novel". The Washington Post . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. "The Armour of Light". Kirkus Reviews . 8 June 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.