An Era of Great Change (2 Volumes)

Name: An Era of Great Change (2 Volumes)
ISBN: 9787559493170

Ken Follett / 百里Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJul 2025

4.2

Word count: 401K words
Chapters: 56
ISBN: 9787559493170

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Summary

This is not merely a novel about great historical change and human destiny, but also a story about family, faith, and love. In the late 18th century, Britain's Industrial Revolution was quietly redrawing the map of the world. Machines replaced handcraft, factories swallowed villages, and war spread across Europe. Technology raced forward, faith was torn apart, the old order collapsed with a crash, and the new age had not yet arrived. Amid this great upheaval, a resilient textile worker, a small workshop owner who sympathized with the workers, and a cloth merchant struggling to survive in the cracks—all from the lower reaches of society—struggle, resist, love, and betray as they search for worth and dignity beneath the rolling wheels of history. They could not change history, yet through their strength in fighting fate, together they compose an epic of ordinary people. Ken Follett, with his characteristic depth, portrays the pain and hope of social transformation, telling how ordinary people in the eye of the storm became masters of their own destiny.

Editor's review

The Great Change is an epic work by master of historical fiction Ken Follett and his collaborator Baili, published by Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House for Chinese readers, focusing on the upheavals and transformations of the twentieth century. Ken Follett is renowned worldwide for his signature rigorous historical research and superb storytelling, and his works often tightly interweave grand historical currents with the rise and fall of individual destinies, allowing readers to feel the pulse of the era within sweeping stories. This book continues that tradition, vividly depicting through a cast of characters spanning regions and classes how war, revolution, technological leaps, and surging social thought reshaped the global order and ordinary people's lives.

As an editor, I believe the core reading value of this book lies in its provision of a highly immersive entry point for understanding the complexity of the twentieth century. Follett does not simply list historical facts; rather, through fictional characters' choices, love, and sacrifice, he transforms abstract concepts such as Cold War confrontation, the civil rights movement, and economic globalization into palpable personal experiences. This approach makes history no longer distant or dry, filling it with human warmth and tension. The book restores historical details with considerable fidelity, demonstrating the author's deep research, while the narrative pace is well modulated, ensuring accessibility and readability. For readers eager to gain insight into the logic of history through story and to draw from it wisdom about courage, adaptation, and survival, this two-volume magnum opus is undoubtedly a rich spiritual journey. It is not merely a novel but also a mirror, prompting us to reflect on the individual's place and value within the tide of the times.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in twentieth-century world history who wish to understand grand narratives through story
Fans who enjoy the style of Ken Follett's previous works (such as The Century Trilogy)
Novel enthusiasts seeking an immersive reading experience in a long-form narrative
Thinkers who hope to reflect on reality through historical change and find the connection between the individual and the era

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking purely entertaining, fast-paced, plot-driven stories
Readers with little basic interest in historical background, or those who prefer short, concise works

Reading tips

It is recommended to read the two volumes in order to fully follow the development of the characters' fates and the historical threads
Readers may wish to consult maps or background materials of the relevant historical periods to deepen understanding
The book features complex character relationships; keeping notes on key characters' names and relationships can enhance reading continuity

About the publisher

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.

Copyright information
巨变时代（上）
第一部分纺纱机1792年至1793年
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第二部分主妇的反抗1795年
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章
第十六章
第十七章
第十八章
第三部分《防止工人非法联合法》1799年
第十九章
第二十章
第二十一章
第二十二章
第二十三章
第二十四章
第二十五章
巨变时代（下）
第四部分征兵队1804年至1805年
第二十六章
第二十七章
第二十八章
第二十九章
第三十章
第三十一章
第五部分世界大战1812年至1815年
第三十二章
第三十三章
第三十四章
第三十五章
第三十六章
第三十七章
第三十八章
第三十九章
第四十章
第六部分滑铁卢战役1815年6月16日至18日
第四十一章
第四十二章
第四十三章
第七部分和平1815年至1824年
第四十四章
第四十五章
致谢

FAQ

What is the connection or difference between The Great Change and Ken Follett's famous The Century Trilogy?

The Great Change is a new series independent of The Century Trilogy. Its temporal background likewise focuses on the twentieth century, but the characters, storylines, and specific historical entry points differ. It inherits Follett's classic technique of embedding fictional family sagas within a real historical framework and can be regarded as another important work in his creative lineage depicting the panorama of the twentieth century.

In what specific aspects is Baili's collaboration reflected in the book?

As a collaborator, Baili's specific contributions typically involve the integration of a localized perspective, verification of particular historical or cultural details, and ensuring the narrative better suits the reading habits of Chinese readers. This collaboration aims to enable this globally oriented work to resonate more deeply with Chinese readers in its emotional core and detailed presentation.

The book is very long; is the story easy to get into?

Ken Follett excels at opening with compelling events or character dilemmas that quickly establish dramatic tension. Although the book is substantial in length, the chapter design is usually tight, with multiple storylines advancing in parallel. Once past the initial character introductions and background setup, readers can easily be drawn into the grand narrative and follow the characters' fates.

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About the author

Ken Follett Author · British (Welsh) · 1949

Ken Follett was born in 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, and graduated in philosophy from University College London. He worked early on as a journalist and a publishing editor. He rose to fame with Eye of the Needle in 1978 and later turned to historical fiction; the 1989 publication of The Pillars of the Earth established him as a master of the genre. His works are often set against major historical periods, whether medieval or modern, weaving real historical threads with the fates of fictional characters. His plots are tight and his storytelling fluent, combining readability with historical weight. His major works include the Pillars of the Earth trilogy, the Century trilogy and The Times of Change, and his books are commonly classified as foreign literature, world history and social fiction.

百里 Author

Baili is an author about whom little public information is available. Seven works are published under this name, spanning such categories as mystery and detective fiction, otherworld fantasy, world history, and foreign literature, which suggests a fairly wide-ranging output. Representative works include the Ellery Queen tragedy quartet, The Invincible Armada, A Single Bellflower, Human Extinction, The Greek Coffin Mystery, Times of Great Change (two volumes), and The Person Who Cleans the Rooms of the Deceased. Judging from these titles and categories, Baili's writing involves both the compilation and translation of classic detective fiction and world-history subjects, as well as fictional narratives with an otherworld-fantasy flavor, showing a tendency to move between genre literature and historical reading. Because basic details such as dates of birth and death, nationality, and English name cannot be confirmed, a complete biography is difficult to sketch; assessment of the author and the works should rest mainly on this diverse body of writing itself.