The Armor of Light is the 5th book in the Pillars of the Earth series.

The story plays in England, centered around Kingsbridge, in the 1770ies and goes through the Napoleonic Wars all the way to Waterloo in 1815. That was a period in western history when a new era of manufacturing disrupted the status quo. The wool industry in England was upset first by spinning machines, then automated looms. Workers who were used to making a living spinning and weaving now found themselves displaced. The entire establishment, the legal system, and the class system of common men and aristocracy by birth was rigged against the worker.

Follett tells the story through the eyes of a handful of people who lived through that era. One of the young boys whose father died through the negligence and arrogance of the son of their landlord grows up to be a brilliant engineer. He eventually joins the army and goes to war on the continent, as an aide to the Duke of Wellington, who is most famous for defeating Napoleon in Waterloo. Right after I had finished reading The Armor of Light I went to see the movie Napoleon, and I enjoyed the scenery and graphical images of war in Waterloo that I had just read about in this book. The book and the movie complemented each other for me.

Through the experiences of the various protagonists we learn about the plight of the working class and the immense injustices inflicted upon the hapless and unfortunate during that period of history.

As with the previous books of the series, the Kingsbridge Cathedral with the pillars of the earth is still there, many centuries after is was built by John the Builder. But the people who live in Kingsbridge are all new. There really isn’t any continuity other than it’s the same town.

I don’t know why the book is called The Armor of Light. I can’t seem to remember the title and I kept having to look it up when someone asked me what book I was reading at the time. The obscure and hard to remember title notwithstanding, I loved reading every page, and as it is always with Follett books, I learned an immense amount of history of the time that I would otherwise not have known about. When I put a Follett book down I always think to myself: So much to learn, so little time.

If you have read the Pillars series, you will like The Armor of Light. If you have not read the series, I recommend you start with Pillars of the Earth and work your way through the five books.