As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.

Home / Books / The Armour of Light

The Armour of Light cover

Book

The Armour of Light

by Ken Follett Book 5 in the The Kingsbridge Novels series.

First published 2023

Amazon

4.4(43,234)

Beginning in 1792, the novel follows textile workers and manufacturers as mechanised production changes the economy of Kingsbridge. Spinner Sal Clitheroe, weaver David Shoveller and Sal’s inventive son Kit experience falling wages, industrial accidents and employers determined to prevent workers from organising, while education and religious dissent create new routes into public life.

The French Revolution and the wars against Napoleon intensify official fear of reform and radical politics. Characters are drawn into Luddite unrest, military service and the Battle of Waterloo before postwar hardship culminates in the Peterloo Massacre. The story links technological innovation with the contested emergence of labour organisation, mass politics and demands for representation.

Historical Periods

French Revolution1789–1799 CE Luddite Unrest1811–1816 CE Peterloo Massacre1819 CE Battle of Waterloo1815-06-18

Genres

Court & Political Fiction Historical Sagas Romance Social & Domestic Fiction War Fiction

Historical people

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington1769–1852 Napoleon1769–1821

More from this period

5 more top-rated novels about French Revolution

Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.

Revolution’s Edge cover

Revolution’s Edge

by Adrian Westbrooke

First published 2026 · The Nicholas Cruwys Naval Series · 4.6(2,345)

Read more

The Angry Tide cover

The Angry Tide

by Winston Graham

First published 1977 · Poldark · 4.5(5,233)

Read more

The Four Swans cover

The Four Swans

by Winston Graham

First published 1976 · Poldark · 4.5(4,923)

Read more

The Talisman Ring cover

The Talisman Ring

by Georgette Heyer

First published 1936 · Regency Romances · 4.5(4,889)

Read more

Demelza

by Winston Graham

First published 1946 · Poldark · 4.4(6,400)

Read more

Best novels about French Revolution

More from this period

5 more top-rated novels about Battle of Waterloo

Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.

The Fields of Death cover

The Fields of Death

by Simon Scarrow

First published 2010 · Wellington and Napoleon Quartet · 4.6(1,539)

Read more

Waterloo

by Griff Hosker

Napoleonic Horseman · 4.6(1,358)

Read more

The Lines of Torres Vedras cover

The Lines of Torres Vedras

by Griff Hosker

Napoleonic Horseman · 4.6(1,151)

Read more

A Civil Contract cover

A Civil Contract

by Georgette Heyer

First published 1961 · Regency Romances · 4.5(5,427)

Read more

The Twisted Sword cover

The Twisted Sword

by Winston Graham

First published 1990 · Poldark · 4.5(4,094)

Read more

Best novels about Battle of Waterloo

Discover more

Authors similar to Ken Follett

Recommended from shared genres and periods.

Jeffrey Archer 18 books

Historical mystery, espionage and political intrigue in World War I and its aftermath

Christopher Nicole 49 books

Historical espionage and suspense in the D-Day and Normandy Campaign and Georgian Empire and Atlantic World

David Field 46 books

Dynastic politics and court intrigue in Captivity of Mary, Queen of Scots in England

Colin Falconer 22 books

Historical mystery, espionage and political intrigue in Georgian Empire and Atlantic World and the Great Depression

Richard Foreman 43 books

Historical mystery, espionage and political intrigue in the Battle of Crécy and the Holocaust