The Fall of Giants takes place between the years 1914 and 1924 and is the first in a trilogy that supposedly will cover most of last century. As with most Ken Follett books, the characters are engaging and well drawn out, though his pacing is a bit off. The story follows 5 families in England, Germany, Russia, and America as the old world begins its death throws in the violence of WWI. One of the dangers with epic stories like this is that inevitably the reader gets drawn to one story line more than the others, but in this case, there seems to be very little consistency between the amount of time the author spends on one story line from the others; some story lines are given depth while others surface for a few pages only to disappear for several months or years before it is picked up again. These are minor plot annoyances, however. Overall, the book is an interesting study in how a war altered the fabric of society, weakening the aristocracy who's concepts of honor were largely responsible for the death of millions, the rise of the working class, and the birth of the recognizably modern world.