I've been a fan of Follet's for years. I read The Pillars of The Earth way back in my early twenties I believe. I've read and reviewed several of Follet's books since starting this blog five or six years back (see here).
Fall of Giants was a lot of fun to read but it certainly is the beginning of something much much longer. It reads like just the introduction for a larger story. That's low hanging fruit to predict since the entire Century Trilogy has already been published, but I'm looking forward to Winter of the World.
My favorite parts were not the descriptions of trench warfare on the Western Front, which were fun to read, nor were my favorite parts the story lines about turn of the century British nobility, a la Downtown Abbey. Not even the secret love affair between Maud and Walter, which I thought was well weaved, my favorite part to read. The portions of the book that called to me the most were those that dealt with the Eastern Front and the Bolshevik Revolution.
I remember taking a Russian History class back in college. What I liked about this story was that it simplified and made the Bolshevik Revolution understandable. Follet uses a foil, Grigori, to show how the revolution took shape and to show the reader how Trotsky and Lenin were able to take power. Easily the most interesting parts of the novel.
If you enjoy long, historical novels with winding story lines like a soap opera, then this is a great book for that. Can't wait for book two!
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